Cam sat down on one side while Sawyer took the other. Their body heat reached out and enveloped her, wrapped her in a comforting blanket. Forgotten was the down comforter bunched in her lap.
“This is our house,” Cam said simply. “We just finished construction a few weeks ago.”
She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. You live in Houston. Your business is in Houston. We didn’t drive that far from the hospital, did we? I wasn’t that out of it, surely.”
“We bought a hundred acres about twenty minutes out of Cypress,” Sawyer said.
“But why? What about your business?”
“You know why,” Cam said evenly. “You’re here. This is where we grew up. We’ve always had plans to come back once our business was established.”
She raised a shaky hand and ran it through her hair. “I didn’t even know you were building.”
Sawyer stared levelly at her. “You’d know it if you weren’t so intent on avoiding us.”
She flushed guiltily.
“Dinner’s ready,” Hutch called from across the room.
“Hutch to the rescue,” Cam said in an amused voice. “It’s coming, though, Reggie darling. We’re going to have a long overdue conversation. You can’t avoid it forever.”
She sucked in a deep breath through her nose and locked gazes with him. “I know,” she said quietly.
Surprise flickered in his eyes at her acceptance. Sawyer lifted one eyebrow but didn’t respond. Instead, he stood and bent to help her from the couch.
She reached up with her good hand to grab Cam’s as Sawyer grasped her shoulders and lifted.
“Take it slow,” Cam cautioned. “Don’t try to move too fast.”
Though she still ached from head to toe, she moved with more steadiness than she had before. Her legs seemed to be cooperating better, and her knees didn’t feel so shaky.
Sawyer guided her toward a table in front of the French doors and settled her into a chair. He took the seat across from her, and Cam pulled out the chair beside her. A few moments later, Hutch walked in carrying two bowls. He set one in front of her and another in front of Cam.
“Figured this would feel good on your throat,” Hutch said as he handed her a spoon.
She looked up at him and went soft. She smiled gratefully and took the spoon, her fingers brushing across his. “Thank you,” she said huskily.
He winked at her and returned to the kitchen. She ladled some of the steaming liquid into the spoon and gently blew on it as she raised it to her lips.
She sipped cautiously and made a sound of contentment when the warm broth slid down her throat.
“Good?” Hutch asked as he returned with bowls for himself and Sawyer.
“Excellent,” she said. “I was starving.”
Hutch took the seat next to her. His knee bumped her leg, and he muttered an apology as he repositioned himself.
She continued to spoon the soup into her mouth, savoring the rich taste. She glanced cautiously up at the others, but they were concentrating on their own food. Sawyer looked up and caught her gaze. Amusement flickered in his eyes.
“Eat, Reggie. We’re not staging an ambush.”
She dropped her gaze to her soup, her cheeks warm. An ambush was exactly what she’d expected. She frowned unhappily as she stirred the contents of her bowl in slow circles. She hated the loss of their closeness. She missed it. Craved it.
It used to be enough that she could just be around them. Enjoy their company and the friendship between the four of them. Now she viewed their every action with fear and suspicion. Oh, they wouldn’t hurt her, and the awkwardness wasn’t their fault. It was hers. Her weakness was to blame. She’d ruined everything.
“It’s not going to eat itself,” Cam said dryly.
She looked up to see all three of them looking at her. She put her spoon down, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to eat until they got the elephant out of the room.
