Page 97 of Reclaiming Home

I tilted my head and watched his muscles play. The tight, worn-out jeans and combat boots didn’t do much to make him less hot.

“That’s got to be illegal,” I murmured.

“Uh-huh,” Rian and Carys said in unison.

Lina grinned. “I’m just gonna take your word for it.” She shrugged and stepped around us to jog toward Brodie. “Hey boss, can I try?”

“Lesbians,” Rian huffed with an amused expression.

“Okay aesthetically yes, but he’s my cousin so,” Max commented.

All of us turned to give him a look that made him blush. For reasons none of us would mention out loud.

We followed Lina and ended up taking turns with the ax under Brodie’s strict guidance.

Holden had accepted that the couch would be his spot when he stayed overnight. He didn’t want us to fix one of the empty rooms for him, so we didn’t. We respected Holden’s choice to not live with us. The reason was his alone, and wewere giving him space. Instead, Brodie used his Alphaness to playfully tell him he wasn’t allowed to go to his apartment in town tonight. It wasn’t done seriously, he’d never order Holden to stay if he didn’t want to.

That’s what led into me walking downstairs on Thanksgiving morning and finding Rian staring at a sleeping Holden from the family room doorway.

He didn’t startle, his senses likely having alerted it was me, nor did he appear sheepish. He just gave me a sad little smile that made me hug him tightly.

“You really need to sort this out,” I said quietly. “I hate to see you this sad.”

“Yeah,” he replied with no commitment in his tone whatsoever.

I was sure Holden still had no idea about whatever it was Rian was going through. He was always polite and nice like he was with everyone, and I didn’t see the recognition in his gaze when he looked at Rian. Not like the other way around, because Rian certainly knew Holden from somewhere.

I let him be and walked into the kitchen to get my caffeine fix. I went to sit on the window seat with my mug and looked out.

We had some snow now; it was sticking to the ground but would still melt away on the warmer days. It made everything appear pristine, though.

Lina slunk into the kitchen, clearly half-asleep and going directly to the coffee maker. She’d stayed in Carys’s room overnight and would tonight as well. They were being adorable together. I was pretty sure they were still kind of dancing around the attraction, but I felt glad they knew to take things slowly.

“Morning,” I told her as she finally got her coffee made.

She nodded and came to sit on the opposite end of the seat, then leaned her head to the windowpane and closed her eyes halfway.

“Your sister kicks in her sleep,” she said drowsily.

I chuckled. “She does. Once, when she was little and had climbed into my bed, I woke up with her toes pressing against my nose.”

Lina chuckled. “I think I would wake up to that sort of maneuvering.”

“You’re good for her.”

She blushed lightly. “Thank you. I try.”

I nudged her leg with my toes. “Well for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing everything right.”

One by one, everyone else woke up, and we started breakfast. We’d agreed to eat lightly until dinner for obvious reasons, but mornings called for bacon and eggs.

“Can’t wait to have our own chickens,” Brodie said as he dipped some toast into runny yolk. “The eggs are always so good when they’re from free range, happy chickens and close to home.”

Ben’s phone dinged, and he checked it out. “One of the guys at the garage. He’s the one whose friend is the brother of that main asshole who showed up.” He texted something back and lifted his head to look at us. “He went to those wannabe thugs’ place with the friend. Apparently it’s a shithole in the woods. Like rundown trailers and stuff.”

“I’ve got to figure out a good reason to go check it out,” Holden said, sounding weary.

“Could be that’s why Gerrell wants this place. To move those guys here. Like if he had income from Rusty’s businesses, maybe he figures this place was good for that stuff,” Brodie mused, frowning.

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