Page 31 of Under an Endless Moon

Theo reached a fist across the table to bump it against Nolan’s. “That’s right. Family is who you love most. And this family will always take care of each other.”

Nolan fist-bumped him back. “You gotthat right, Uncle Theo.”

Kane reached out, too, mumbling, “No question about it, Little Dude. Family is who you love most.”

We’d started saying that years ago since most all our actual families were jacked. Fucked-up, appalling examples of what a family should be. We came to the swift conclusion that blood didn’t necessarily matter. It was about the loyalty you shared.

A rumble of agreement went up, but it was Raven peeking over at me that sent the blood thundering through my veins.

That gaze said too many things.

Her own promises and some kind of plea.

Every oath I had made spiraled through me.

Love. Protect. Never cause harm to the innocent.

But it was the one I’d made her brother that shouted loudest right then.

The one thing I had to remember most. To accept.

She deserved so much better than this life. So much better than what I had to offer.

My thoughts drifted to what still had to be done, and my stomach knotted in shame.

Guilt rising high as I sat here bumping fists like I wasn’t betraying every single one of them.

ELEVEN

OTTO

It wasearly evening the next day when I was driving my truck down the main drag through Moonlit Ridge. I wasn’t sure if I was a sadist or a masochist, which one of us I was hurting most, but I couldn’t stay away.

She was always the balm.

The one who could soothe the sting that forever lived in me.

I made a right onto Broadway then the left onto 9thStreet. Moonflower was on the opposite side of the road, so I flipped a U-turn so I could pull up at the curb in front.

My chest panged, heart beating errant as I hopped out of the front seat and strode for the door that’d been propped open by a small A-frame chalkboard sign.

Today it read in Raven’s swirly font:Snip, sniff, smile, repeat. All stems 25% off.

Swore, the woman spread those smiles all over town, and mine probably came a little too easy when I strode inside to find her standing facing away at the long work counter that ran the back wall, the customer counter separating us.

Since she hadn’t noticed I’d walked in, I took asecond to admire her where she was doing a little of that snipping as she put together a bouquet.

Taylor Swift played from the speakers, and she was bouncing to the beat, totally different than the way she always danced at Kane’s. This was sweet and innocent as she bobbed along, those lush hips barely swaying, completely oblivious that anyone had even walked through the door.

Which had her whirling around on a gasp when I rumbled, “Sign me up for a sniff or two.”

But it was her own floral scent that I was interested in.

Those dark, dark eyes gaped open wide, completely caught off guard, before she narrowed them at me. “Otto Hudson, what do you think you’re doing, sneaking up on me like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack at twenty-five? That would just be embarrassing.”

“The question we really should be askin’ is why you didn’t even notice that I came through the door. Place is wide open. I could have been a murderer, for all you knew.”

I was not going to delve into the irony of the statement. Only thing that mattered was I’d never harm a hair on this woman’s head.

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