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Blackjack’s dark eyes studied me. “Goldie won’t do well alone in your house.”

“Once Zodiac leaves town, I plan to ride around in the mornings to be seen and check on things. I’ll be home by lunch and stick around. On the nights when I need to hit up the clubhouse, I’ll get Boone and Nova to come over. Goldie won’t be alone much.”

Blackjack sighed. “This shit has happened too fucking fast for a man my age. I got a call in the middle of the night about Goldie being missing. Then, she calls and says she’s alive and in love with you. I stayed cool through it all. But the last two weeks are hitting me now.”

Rubbing my temples, I admitted, “I’m not a guy who gives pep talks, but I feel like I should say something.”

“There’s no need. I’m just sick of being away from home. But Goldie needs us around, and Yarrow isn’t ready to be away from her kids. I’m fine, but I feel that heavy kind of tired.”

Blackjack stood up and clicked for the dogs to come inside. He looked at me in the soft patio light.

“Goldie’s bound to freak out at some point,” he warned. “She’s cried and moped, but there’s still anger and panic that she hasn’t really dealt with. If we’re gone by the time it comes to the surface, don’t take anything she says or does personally.”

“I’ve learned what Goldie says isn’t always what she feels. But if I’m patient, the truth comes out. If I had used that knowledge earlier, she and I would already be married.”

After offering a warm grin, Blackjack watched me set the alarm. I quietly explained how Junior was usually fine through the night, but it was a wild day for the dog.

As Blackjack directed Yarrow down the hallway, I coaxed Mochi and Junior into my bedroom. The Chihuahua curled up in her dog bed. Junior sat near Goldie’s side of the bed and watched her. I worried he would act up overnight, but the dog eventually settled down.

Sleeping in my house felt great after weeks away. My mattress was extra comfortable. The familiar neighborhood sounds relaxed me. I dropped into sleep quickly, only waking when Goldie got up to use the bathroom around three.

The next morning, Goldie was in a bright and happy mood. She let the dogs out while I made coffee. We sat on the patio and shared a muffin.

Goldie couldn’t stop smiling. Her relief was palpable. My home in Baton Rouge might have been a dealbreaker for her. Then, we’d need to grind out a compromise. Instead, she woke up feeling like a woman at home.

Yarrow woke in the opposite mood. She sat in the corner of the yard and played on her phone. Blackjack and Goldie didn’t react to her behavior, so I chose to also treat it as normal.

Around ten, Goldie explained, “The foxes suggested I visit your local grocery store to help make this town more familiar to me.”

“Do you want to do that today?”

“Boone, Nova, and the girls are coming over. Maybe they can come with us,” Goldie said and smiled at her dad. “The girls could stay here with you and Mom. Nova can show me around her old grocery store.”

A dark cloud washed over Goldie’s face before she asked, “Is this the grocery store where she was shot?”

Resting my hand on hers on the table, I said, “Exile said Nova tried shopping at another one after she was healed, but ended up returning to the location where she was shot. Apparently, people were nicer there, and she didn’t want to learn a new layout.”

Goldie nodded, but I sensed her good mood waning. Back at the Sorority House, she had gotten the hang of pushing aside the trauma from her attack. The mansion felt like a safe place, surrounded by amped-up security and her people. My house didn’t offer such comfort.

Her mood improved when Boone, Nova, and the girls arrived. Skylar and Lyric went out to play with Yarrow. I saw them crawling around like dogs, much like Yarrow did with Anise back at the Sorority House.

I normally ordered my food for delivery since stores were noisy. Wearing earbuds, I was able to enjoy this trip. I found several new things to try. Goldie got excited any time she found something she bought at home. Nova loved playing tour guide. Boone didn’t say much, but he was clearly happy to see his sister and wife in such relaxed moods.

On the way home, we picked up burgers and fries. The whole family ate lunch outside on the back patio. Our first full day in Baton Rouge ended up feeling festive.

Boone, Nova, and the girls returned the next day. Skylar and Lyric liked hanging out in their old house. The four of them entertained Yarrow and Blackjack by guiding them to the nearby park, where they played with the dogs.

Left alone, Goldie and I started fooling around on the couch. The sound of an arriving motorcycle ended our fun and set us on edge.

“My guys wouldn’t show up unannounced,” I said and reached for my pistol hidden on the top of a bookshelf.

Goldie sat on the couch, feeling useless, so I handed her the gun and retrieved a different one from a top kitchen cabinet.

“How many guns do you have stashed in the house?”

“Several dozen.”

Goldie grinned at me before frowning at the sound of the motorcycle’s engine shutting off. I checked the cameras and lowered my pistol.