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Noa leaves to get us dinner, and I work up the courage to tell them I will be returning home tomorrow. The thought alone has me pacing around the room. I didn’t expect it to be this hard, and maybe under normal circumstances it wouldn’t be. Yet these men saved me from Steedy and my brother. There is no way I could ever repay them. How many people would put themselves in danger for a near stranger? Not that they feel like strangers to me; it’s as if I have known them for years. Which is not a feeling I have ever had before. Normally, I avoid friendships so I don’t have to explain Rowan to anyone.

A car horn beeps, and Cave heads to the doorway. Cipher doesn’t move from his seat as I follow behind Cave.

Outside, Noa is reversing the hearse up to the doors, and when he jumps out and runs around the back, he tells Cave to help him.

“I figured since we all eat here so much, I would bring a table back. It’s one of those fold-out ones.”

Cave grabs the table and Noa hands me two fold-up chairs, while he grabs the other two and the bag of food.

Once we are inside, Cave puts the table up in the center of the shed, Noa dumps the bag of food on it, and I open the chairs. Cipher hasn’t even come up for air, so focused on what he is doing. Cave walks over to him and picks him up.

“Cave, be careful, everything hurts. I would have come as soon as I finished.”

I laugh. Cave and Cipher’s relationship is like nothing I have seen before. They just know what the other needs. Cipher makes sure Cave leaves his cornfield to shower, and Cave checks that Cipher remembers to take a break and eat.

Noa unpacks the burgers and hands me mine. “Chicken, no tomato, extra cheese.”

I smile at him, and he winks in return. My insides do a somersault, and butterflies invade my stomach. It’s crazy how quickly I have developed feelings for these men.

“Are you okay?” Cipher asks me.

I shake my head, and all three men’s focus turns to me. “I need to talk to you all about something, but I don’t want anyone to think I’m ungrateful.”

“We would never think that,” Noa says, taking a bite of his burger, and keeps talking with his mouth full. “You can always talk to us.”

I inhale as the butterflies in my stomach morph into a swarm of damn bees. “I think I need to go home. I love being here, I really do, but I have to pay bills and Leni relies on me.”

“We have money and can pay you,” Noa interjects.

I laugh. “I can’t accept money from you—that would make me feel like a hooker. While I am all for women doing what needs to be done to survive, there is a line I have to draw, and that is other people supporting me. It’s bad enough I have been mooching off you this long.”

Cave growls. “No.”

“You can’t tell me no, Cave. I can’t let my sister suffer. It’s bad enough I have had to, and I refuse to let her.”

“I kinda agree with the big guy—you can’t leave. You’re the only one who can talk sense into Cave, and we still have to dig another grave together. I also have these cool lights and a skeleton to add to a display, and I even built a coffin for it.”

“We can still do all those things. I won’t be gone forever, but I need to get back to my life for a bit. I love being here, though. Truly.”

“We understand,” Cipher says. “As long as you promise you’re coming back.”

I smile at him. “Try to keep me away. Besides, you’re all welcome to come and stay with me.”

“Sold,” Noa says. “Let me pack my things. I’m coming with you.”

That makes me laugh. “And what about your job and the graves you need to dig?”

He scratches his chin. “We can dig holes in your backyard. That will keep me busy, and Nixie can do without me for a while.”

Placing my hand over his, I squeeze. “I appreciate that, Noa, but you love it here. I will come back once I find a job and sort my life out.”

Noa sighs. “Fine, but you’re coming back to us. Don’t do anything stupid like disappearing forever.”

I smile. “I promise.”

Cipher reaches over and squeezes my hand under the table. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

Cave says nothing, but also doesn’t do his caveman act either. I think that means he understands why I need to go back, or at least I hope it does. He watches me eat, his eyes following every movement. I refuse to feel bad for needing to live my life the way I want. I talked with Kayla earlier about it. She was helpful, reminding me that these men have a way of steamrolling your life, even if they don’t mean it. Plus, it’s not like I’m leaving forever and they won’t see me again.