Page 127 of At the Edge of Surrender

A curved staircase was to the right, along with a hallway that ran down that side of the house.

It seemed everyone was outside, and Kane guided us forward again, heading for the glass double doors that led to the porch.

The second he opened it, the chatter of voices clipped off, and a slew of eyes darted in our direction.

Nerves rocketed through me, and I found I couldn’t move.

Apparently, that was wholly unnecessary since Maci was enough action for all of us, bouncing out and smacking her hands over her head in time with her hops.

“Hi, everyone! I heard you wanna meet me real bad. My name is Maci!”

My heart locked.

Pained and overjoyed.

The little boy who’d been playing with a soccer ball out on the lawn turned around, his wavy blond hair blowing in the breeze, his blue eyes wide with his own excitement when he saw Maci standing there.

“Hey, hi, Maci! I’m Nolan! My uncle Kane said you were coming over to my house to play with me!” The little boy came bounding up the stairs, a dog wagging its tail as it ran along at his side.

The child rushed straight for a giggling Maci.

“He told me you wanted to be my other best friend.” She swayed in her white sundress, redness lighting her cheeks.

“’Course I do because my uncle Kane said you’re really awesome, and I was gonna be super excited that you get to play with me all the time now.”

“Wait.” Her voice dropped like it was a secret. “I get to playallthe time?”

“I guess so because my uncle Kane doesn’t tell lies.”

“Lies are bad,” Maci agreed.

“Well, my dad and my uncles are really good,” he told her.

I’d been too distracted by the adorable little boy that I hadn’t noticed a man had come up the stairs behind him.

Just as intimidating as Theo and Kane. His hair midnight and his eyes to match. Tattoos rolled up from the neckline of his shirt and onto his throat, and five little stars dotted the edge of his hairline.

Apprehension skimmed through my nerves.

Who were these men?

“Maci, want you to meet one of my best friends. River. Nolan’s dad.”

“Ifoughtyou said he was your brother?” Confusion wound Maci’s little brow up tight.

Kane chuckled one of those light sounds. “He’s not my actual brother, but I care about him so much that I consider him that. My family. That’s what all these people here are to me. Family.”

“Family is who you love most!” Nolan sang.

Emotion thickened my throat, and I tried to swallow around it.

River leaned down in front of Maci, and he stretched out a tattooed hand. “It’s really good to meet you, Maci.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. River.”

“How about you call me Uncle River?” he said with a quick glance at Kane.

Kane gave him some silent look that said a million things.

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