“I don't really know. Honestly, there's still so much paperwork to go through. There's still so many things that I'm figuring out with what happened toward the end of his life. And I know I should've asked for help, but I just . . . I don't know. It's been hard. It's hard, knowing how much we love him, and howmuch he loved us, then seeing the mess that was left behind. And not that it was his fault, but I guess I'm angry at him for it. Is that wrong?”
“No,” Dallas whispered. He cleared his throat, his eyes glassy. “No, it's not wrong to be mad at him. Hell, I'm mad at him too. For a lot of things. This has been hell for all of us, but especially you, because you took everything on.”
“Dallas and I can take on more,” Avery said. “I know that you want to protect us because you're the oldest, but we are adults. And we have people who love and support us.”
Everyone murmured in agreement, and I gave Austin another gentle squeeze. “So do you,” I said. “Everyone in this room cares about you. And everyone in this room wants to see you happy.”
“And rested,” Mateo chimed.
“Not as stressed,” Dallas added.
“Okay, but how the fuck am I supposed to do that?” he asked. He shook his head, and he looked so defeated. I leaned closer to him, rubbing his back.
“We take it one day at a time,” Levi said. “You ask us for help, and we ask you what you need. And we go from there. As far as this Phil guy goes, he sounds shady, and if anything legal comes up, we will figure it out. I still have good lawyer connections. And if I don't know anyone, my old agent will.”
“It's true,” Avery said. “Sometimes I think Robin is connected to the mafia.”
“Avery,” Levi laughed.
“What? She has such mafia boss vibes.”
While everyone started chatting amongst themselves, I leaned into Austin, giving his cheek a gentle kiss. He turned his head, his breaths shallow. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“No, it’s okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I didn't realize this was something you knew about.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “Although in the future, if someone shows up and makes you feel unsafe, please tell me. I'll be there in a blink. I’d love an excuse to punch the guy.”
I snorted. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think Phil would stand a chance against you.”
“He absolutely fucking would not,” Austin chuckled.
I smiled as he slid his arm around me. It just felt right. This was something that I'd wanted for so long, and even though what we just talked about was hard, holding onto him while he went through was right. It was where I was supposed to be.
It was going to be okay. We had each other. We had our family of friends. If trouble came knocking, we’d knock it right back.
“I’ll keep an eye out for this guy,” June said. She cracked her knuckles, earning an eye roll from Dallas.
“Please do not attack the debt man,” he sighed. “The last thing we need is to be on the front page of the Whynot newspaper.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Mateo snorted. “Especially after y’all’s little homecoming announcement.”
“Hey,” Madi laughed. “That was for romantic reasons.”
“Let’s keep our reasons for being in the paper nice, then,” Dallas said. “Leave the punching to Austin and me.”
“That is so sexist,” June hissed.
Before he could say anything back or Madi could interject, Avery suddenly jumped up. My eyes widened as she shot out of the living room, and Mateo went after her.
“What the fuck?” Austin asked, standing up.
Levi ran his hands through his hair. “She's nauseous.”Helooked nauseous too.
“Food poisoning?” Austin asked.
“Yeah, it has to be,” Dallas said, his brows drawn together.
June, Madi, and I all looked at each other. None of us were convinced that was the case.
