room, so Brody should be able to manage easily enough. I’ll make sure he takes care of himself.
Taking a gentle seat beside him, I rest my hand on his thigh. “You doin’ okay?”
“Better than okay.” He kisses my cheek and stares at the fireplace. A sad expression flickers over his face, and I wonder if he’s picturing that night his grandpa died, so I quickly distract him.
“Did you see the cattle as we drove up?” I ask, leaning my head against his shoulder.
“Yeah.” Brody nodded. “From the yummy smells coming out of the kitchen, I wonder if we’ll be eating one of them tonight.”
“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose.
Brody snickers and kisses my forehead. “It’s okay, city girl. I’ll look after you.”
I tut but give in to a self-deprecating chuckle. I guess I have a lot to learn. “Tell me that story again, about you trying to round up the herd and falling off your horse.”
He grins. “Why are your favorite stories always the ones that embarrass me the most?”
I giggle. “You just tell them so well.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he murmurs, but then goes on to oblige me, exaggerating the details until everyone within earshot is laughing.
“I remember that!” Michael calls from the table. “Oh man, I haven’t thought about that in years.”
“It’s good to have you home, Bro!” Deeks calls from upstairs.
Brody’s smile is rich and content as he gazes down at me. I kiss his lips, loving the joy radiating off him. I like seeing him this happy.
And it’s easy to understand his emotion.
As the evening wears on and I’m enveloped by the Barrett clan, I’m starting to see what the big fuss is all about.
This place has the coolest vibe. It seems to emanate a love that I’ve never experienced before. There’s laughter and joy here, fault and weakness, teasing and caring. As we eat dinner and dive into more details and stories from our pasts, I realize that I’m not sitting at a table of perfect people. We’ve all been wounded in our own ways, yet we can heal together. I’m not being judged. I’m being accepted.
It’s probably too soon to say, but as Arley crawls into my lap and asks me to read her a story, I wonder if maybe I’m sitting with my crew. Opening the book, I look over the edge of it, smiling as Michael and Jackson rib each other and Annie laughs. Kena whispers something in Deeks’s ear, and he turns to look at me, his eyes warming with a smile as I cuddle his little girl on my lap.
Brody’s getting misty eyes again, gazing around the table, and I can’t help a smile.
I think I’m gonna like it here.
I think I’m gonna like it a lot.
Epilogue
Indy’s laughter echoes across Nell’s paddock, her bright smile brilliant, even from this distance.
“She’s loving the horses.” Aunt Nell takes a sip of herbal tea, her eyes glimmering with a smile.
I can’t help but reciprocate, a grin stretching wide across my face.
It kind of sucks that I can’t be riding with her, but I’ve had my orders. Nothing too physical for at least a month. It’s been just over two weeks since I was shot and I’m already feeling a million times better, but I’ve got so many people around me ordering me to take it easy, there’s no chance I’ll push it too early.
Stretching my leg out, I sit in the sunshine watching Indy, Jackson, and Hailey canter around in circles. Hailey is a friend of Jackson’s from school, and I’m pretty sure they’re besties… or more. When I teased Jackson about it last night, his face went bright red and he told me to shut my pie hole.
Annie gave me a quiet whisper later. “Of course he’s got a crush on her. He has since the day they met, but you can’t go teasin’ him about it. He’s only a kid. Leave him be.” Her blue eyes gave me a stern stare-down, and I apologized, promising not to hassle him again.
At least about Hailey.
I’ll find other things to tease him with. It’s a brother’s right. I kind of feel obliged. Jackson fits so easily into this family, and even though Annie’s protective of him, he can’t get away without a few razzings from Michael, Deeks, and me. It’s like a freaking rite of passage. He’ll be fine.
Aunt Nell giggles beside me. “Look at those two.” She points to Hailey, tipping her head back and laughing at something Jackson just said. “They’re little lovebirds and they