was them getting pissy because they had to share a bathroom with another pack they had an issue with.
“The bed and breakfast east of town,” Larkin said suddenly. “Gabe had them close it down so tourists wouldn’t be tempted to come here. No one’s been using it since it’s in the middle of the woods. They have eight rooms that they said we could use for the Brooks Ridge pack, but we didn’t need to yet. We can put them there.”
“That’s perfect,” I agreed quickly.
Rhodes smiled at her and kissed the side of her head.
“Okay, so we have that sorted,” Ryder said, finishing his coffee. “I’m going to meet with the foreman today and see what else we can have done before they arrive.”
He stood up and put his mug in the sink before walking back and kissing Dante hard. “I’ll catch up with you later?”
Dante nodded, pausing to press his forehead to Ryder’s for a brief second. They exhaled in tandem, completely in sync with each other in that moment.
“I’ll pack some food up for you,” Larkin called as he headed for the staircase.
“Can you pack mine, too?” Katy asked. “I’m going to go with him.”
Larkin nodded. “Yeah, but don’t forget you need to pick a topic for your English essay.”
Katy scoffed and whirled, red hair flying. “I thought we were getting a pass on school work. Impending war and all that.”
“You’re getting an extension, not a pass,” Larkin corrected. “And it’s just a topic, Katy. You can pick a topic. An author or a book.”
“Fine. Who was the one who put her head in the oven?”
“Sylvia Plath,” I answered as I started to laugh.
“I pick her!” Katy called, leaving the room. “Also put cheese on my eggs!”
Larkin rolled her eyes and turned back to the stove. “I’m going to stick her head in an oven.”
Rhodes started pulling containers out of the cabinet, and I wondered exactly when he became so damn domestic. Dante and I swapped amused glances.
“What’d you forget?” I asked as Katy thundered back down the stairs.
She literally slid to a stop, her chest heaving and eyes wide. She held up the phone in her hand. “It’s Mom.”
My heart literally stopped as I turned and gave her my full attention.
“Dad’s awake.”
27
Remy
It took us about two minutes to get out of the house. Dax was still pulling his shirt over his wet head while I threw the car into drive and started down the mountain for the med center in town.
“Here,” Katy said, passing a pair of shoes to Sam so he could slip them on over his feet.
She gave me an anxious smile as I rounded a corner a little too fast, the back tires spinning for a second before they caught on the ground with a lurch.
“Is he okay?” Dax demanded, his face popping through the collar of his shirt as he yanked it down.
“Mom said the doctor was checking him out,” Katy relayed, her eyes focused on the road ahead as I turned the vehicle towards town.
“But this is good news, right?” he pressed.
Katy and I exchanged another set of looks.
Hopefully it was good news, but who knew? It wouldn’t surprise me if the world threw another sucker punch at me.
“It’ll be fine,” Sam said quietly, ever the voice of reason. “He’s Dad.”
Katy’s hands fisted on her lap as I screeched around another corner.
The medical center loomed ahead of us and I stepped on the gas, wincing as I had to swerve around a car that started pulling out of a side street. I closed the distance to the front of the building, throwing the car in park in front of the main doors.
My siblings were already out and running for the front doors. I followed them in, tossing my keys to the front desk receptionist in case they needed to move my car.
The four of us ran down the hall, too familiar with the route to Dad’s hospital room even after only five days. They piled into the room, but I stopped in the doorway and waited.
Dad was sitting up, his blue eyes alert and a small smile on his pale face.
I braced a hand on the metal frame, catching my breath as relief surged through me.
“Easy,” Mom said through a tearful smile. She got up from the edge of Dad’s bed so Katy could take her place.
“Hey, sweet girl,” Dad said, leaning his head against Katy’s as she leaned in to hug him with a broken sob.