"Huh." Mason's expression is unreadable. Then, slowly, he smiles. "Good for you, man. About damn time you found someone."
Relief floods through me. "You're okay with this?"
"Why wouldn't I be? You're both adults. You clearly care about each other. And honestly, Boone's been miserable for years. Nice to see him smile for once."
"I haven't been miserable," Boone mutters.
"You've been a grumpy asshole that was clearly pining after a woman you thought you couldn't have," Mason corrects. "Same thing." He turns to me. "You good? He treating you right?"
"Very right."
"Good. Because if he doesn't, you tell me. I'll kick his ass."
"You can try," Boone says dryly.
"So," Colt interrupts, "now that we've established that my brother is getting laid and everyone's happy about it, can we talk about why we're actually here?"
Mason nods. "Right. We've got a situation with the north fence. Whole section came down last night. Need your help fixing it before the cattle get out."
Boone sighs. "How bad?"
"Bad enough that it's going to take all day. Maybe two." Mason glances at me apologetically. "Sorry to steal him away from you so soon."
"It's fine." I squeeze Boone's hand. "I understand. Ranch stuff comes first."
"Not always," Boone says firmly. He turns to me. "You okay here? Or do you want me to drive you home first?"
"I can drive her," Colt offers. "Her car's still at that party anyway. We can grab it on the way."
Right. My car. The party. Jason. All of that feels like it happened a lifetime ago, even though it was less than twenty-four hours.
"Actually," I say slowly, "would it be okay if I stayed here? Just until you get back? I don't really want to be alone right now."
Boone's expression softens. "Of course. Stay as long as you want. Make yourself at home."
"There's leftover eggs if you get hungry," he adds. "And help yourself to anything in the fridge. Books are in the living room if you want something to read. TV remote is—"
"Boone." I cup his face. "I'll be fine. Go fix the fence. I'll be here when you get back."
He leans down and kisses me. Not a quick peck, a real kiss. Deep and possessive and claiming. When he pulls back, both Colt and Mason are grinning.
"Okay, that's definitely new," Mason says. "Boone doesn't do PDA."
"He does now," Boone says, eyes still on me. "Because she's mine and I don't care who knows it."
I love when he gets possessive.
"Alright, let's go before I have to watch you two start fucking on the counter," Colt says, heading toward the door. "Come on, Mason. Let's leave the lovebirds alone."
Mason follows but pauses in the doorway. "Nicole?"
"Yeah?"
"Welcome to the family. Officially." He grins. "Hope you like chaos, because that's pretty much all we do here."
"I've been friends with Colt for years," I point out. "I'm very familiar with chaos."
"Fair point."
