Chapter 30
Tex
The firepit blazed against a darkening night when we walked up to the lot next to Ghost’s place Monday night.
Ruby rode on my shoulders, using my hair as handlebars, and Hollywood broke into laughs every time he looked at us.
“Just wait until she wants to mess up your hair,” I grumbled, wincing as she tugged on a strand to regain her balance. “You won’t be so pretty.”
Holly swatted my side. “Take that back. I’m always pretty.”
I grinned. “Yeah. You’re my pretty boy, all right.”
We passed by Joyride’s big yellow Hummer and crossed the lot, mostly dirt and weeds aside from the area I’d cleared and tilled for the spring garden. Knight worked the grill this time, while Ghost, Aiden, and Joyride sat around the fire with drinks in their hands.
Joyride and Ghost held bottles of Miller—Knight must have supplied the drinks tonight—but Aiden sipped from a red plastic cup, which probably contained a margarita. He wasn’t a fan of beer.
“Hey, guys,” Knight called. “About time you got here. We were ready to send out a search party.”
“I was the search party,” Joyride added. “So, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Sorry,” Holly said. “I stayed a bit late at work to talk to my boss about picking up some extra weekend shifts.”
Those words sat like rocks in my gut. Hollywood wanted us to solve this problem together and we would—but I’d caused it alone and I hated that I couldn’t fix it without dragging him into it.
My hand clenched on his involuntarily. He nudged me with his shoulder. “We’ll get through it.”
“I know.” I forced myself to relax. “You’re right. I’m glad you didn’t kick my ass to the curb.”
“I would never,” Hollywood said seriously.
He’d told me as much before, and I believed him. I did. It’s just that those old insecurities weren’t totally gone. I liked to hear him say it, liked the reminders that he really loved me as much as I loved him.
We’d attended the Redemption Road meeting yesterday, and as soon as it wrapped up, I’d chased Ghost down in the parking lot to ask about snagging a few hours of park maintenance that evening. He already knew about my rent troubles, so he agreed.
But it would take a lot more hours to make a dent in what I owed on the rent. We’d be pushing Nina’s patience and accruing a crap ton of late fees. But at least we’d be doing it together.
I swung Ruby down and set her loose. There was a barrier around the fire to ensure she and Knight’s dog would be safe. They reunited like lost friends, his tongue whipping out to lick her face. She giggled and tugged on his ears.
A match made in heaven.
Hollywood smiled while he watched them, and I couldn’t help but watch him. I’d called him a pretty boy, and he really was with those cheekbones, full lips, and warm brown eyes. But he was so much more, too.
I still couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have someone stand by me, even during the rough patches, ready to love me through anything.
A car pulled up, headlights flashing over our little group before cutting off. Flynn got out and crossed the yard. “Hey, guys.”
“Flynn!” Knight called, abandoning the grill. “What the hell, man? It’s been too long since you showed your face around here.”
“Sorry.” He chuckled and gave Knight a solid clap on the back that made him stumble a step.
Knight wasn’t a little guy, but Flynn was a giant.
He’d been part of Redemption Road last year, but he’d graduated, so we didn’t see him quite as often anymore.
“Bailey’s working on something for school and apparently I was distracting him. ”
Knight grinned. “Well, his loss is our gain. It’s good to see you. You’re just in time for dinner. Food’s done.”
“I’ll grab the plates inside,” Aiden volunteered.
For the next few minutes, we filled our plates with steak kabobs—Knight had layered steak, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms on sticks.
We’d brought some chicken nuggets for Ruby to eat, since we never knew if she’d want what was on offer.
The steak might be okay, but she’d want nothing to do with the peppers.
Hollywood took her inside to heat up her food.
I settled with a plate balanced on my lap, and Ghost took a seat next to me. “That fence repair go okay?”
“Yeah. It was easy enough. Thanks for letting me steal some of your work.”
“No problem,” he said. “Hopefully you won’t need much more of it.”
“Well, I’m hoping I can pick up some extra shifts at the greenhouse if my boss won’t give me an advance. I’ll talk to him when I go in tonight, but it’ll take a while to earn five hundred bucks.”
Ghost grunted, turning his attention to his food. Okay. I guess that chat was over.
Hollywood returned a few minutes later with Ruby’s small plastic container of food, and I handed him the plate I’d been keeping for him.
“Thanks, babe.”
“No problem.” I tugged Ruby’s pigtail. “You hungry, Roo?”
“I’m a hungry Roo!” she exclaimed with a giggle.
“Here.” Hollywood handed her a chicken nugget.
She took a huge bite, making growly noises while she ate. Even Ghost laughed at that, and the man rarely cracked a smile.
“You think she’ll grow out of that?” Hollywood asked. “I’d hate to tell Carrie I’ve turned her adorable little girl into a beast.”
“She’s an adorable beast who likes to express herself,” Aiden said. “That’s a good thing.”
The conversation continued, light and easy, while we ate. After we’d set our plates aside and cracked open another beer, the mood shifted.
“I have to take off soon,” I said. “I’d like to get to work early so I can talk to my boss.”
“Before you go, there’s something we need to give you.”
Knight nodded toward Ghost.
Ghost stood and drew an envelope from his back pocket. He thrust it at me. “Here.”
I opened it to see a stack of bills: twenties and tens, a few fifties. I counted through it. “There’s over three hundred dollars in here.”
“Three-fifty,” Ghost said gruffly. “It’s all we could manage in a hurry.”
“We all pitched in,” Joyride said.
I hadn’t told the other guys about the rent problem. Only Ghost.
I guess that explained why Ghost had clammed up when I mentioned picking up extra shifts at work.
“You organized this?” I asked him.
He scratched at his furry jaw. “Told ya to talk to Knight, but you didn’t.” He shrugged. “When you asked for work at the park, I knew you’d be too stubborn to do it.”
“You’ve got no idea,” Hollywood muttered.
I handed him the envelope. “I don’t know if I should accept this much money.”
Hollywood opened the envelope to get a peek at the money. “Are you guys sure you can afford it?”
“Yep,” Ghost answered.
“We’re here when you need us,” Knight added.
“Hell, I didn’t know y’all were struggling,” Flynn said, shifting to pull out his wallet. “Let me chip in too.”
I shook my head. “You don’t need to do that.”
Flynn handed two twenties to Hollywood. “Take it. I’ve probably eaten and drank forty bucks’ worth of food here tonight. Seems like a fair trade.”
My throat grew tight, and I shook my head. “I made this mistake. It’s my problem.”
“We talked about this,” Hollywood said. “We’re a team.”
“Yeah, us,” I said. “But this is different. The guys aren’t letting me sleep in their bed every night.”
Hollywood smirked. “Good thing. I don’t want to share you. But the guys love you too, you know. In a different way.”
“A brotherly way,” Knight added.
Joyride nodded. “Like family.”
“Not like family,” Ghost said, voice gruff. “We are family.”
“I just…” I glanced around at the guys. “You all already helped me when my sister’s ex was giving her trouble. Now this? It’s too much.”
“There’s no limit you’re going to hit,” Knight said. “When you need us, we’re there. That’s the deal. If we need you, I know you’ll be there too. Like you were the night of my fight.”
“And like you’ve been there for me,” Hollywood added. “You dropped everything and moved here to help me. You disappointed your father so you could be there for me and Ruby. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“You could have,” I said. “You’re a damn good dad, and I’m glad I got to be here to see it. I’m lucky you gave me another chance.” I glanced at the other guys seated around the fire. “I’m grateful you all gave me another chance after the way I bailed last summer.”
“We didn’t give you another chance,” Knight said. “Because we never gave up on you the first time. We’re all in this together, okay?”
I gnawed on my lip, still torn about accepting so much help. But when I looked at the guys, they didn’t seem reluctant or resentful. They wanted to help.
“Okay,” I said.
Hollywood slung an arm around my shoulders, giving me a playful shake. “We love you. We really love you!”
I laughed as he planted a slobbery kiss on my cheek, and Ruby climbed from his lap into mine to do the same.
Knight changed the subject, turning to Flynn to ask him how work was going at the auto shop. Ghost focused on Biscuit, who was still nosing at the plates. “Come on, let’s get you a scrap or two,” he told him as he patted his back.
Aiden and Joyride leaned toward each other, exchanging some quiet words. Joyride pulled out a piece of paper, showing it to Aiden. Maybe he was finally writing that letter of apology to Dakota.
This was what the guys did. They stepped up when you needed it, and they backed off when you needed a breath, too. They wouldn’t hold this money over my head or tell me that I owed them.
Because this was my real family.
Them and Chastity and the kids. Hollywood and Ruby, most of all.
Letting my dad go hurt. His rejection was a barb in my heart, tugging and tearing and stinging. But with every word of support from Holly, Chas, and the guys, it eased a little. Scabbed over a bit. One day, maybe it would only be a scar, barely visible.
Until then, I’d lean on my real family and know that I was loved without measure.
“Thank you,” I scraped out as I stood to leave. Work would only wait so long, though at least I wouldn’t have to put Ken in an awkward spot by begging for help when I got there. “The next time any of you need anything, I’m there.”
“We know,” Knight said.
“And we’ll hold you to it,” Ghost added. “I want those tomatoes this spring.”
“I call dibs on the peppers!” Knight added.
“What about me?” Joyride asked. “I want something, too.”
“I’ll put in a strawberry patch with your name on it,” I promised.
Hollywood stood and leaned in close. “Looks like you’re going to be feeding us all come harvest.”
I chuckled. “I’m happy to provide something.”
“You provide a lot,” he said, eyes meeting mine. “You provide everything I need.”
My heart thumped, and even though the guys were all around us, I couldn’t resist pulling him in for a kiss.
Knight gave a sharp whistle. Joyride hooted.
There was a time a public display of affection would have made me incredibly uncomfortable. But I was safe with the guys. With my real family. And I couldn’t bring myself to leave without telling Hollywood again how much he meant to me.
“You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. You know that?”
His lips curved, sweet and glistening. “Ditto, babe. Always.”
Ghost is always so quiet. What's going on inside his head? Get a sneak peek in this free bonus.