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“Fine,” I said slowly.

“You’re in love,” he pointed out.

“Yeah. I did make a group announcement on that. Unplanned, but nonetheless.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes at myself.

“I like Chloe,” Grady added.

“Well, yeah. She’s kind of hard not to like. Why are you looking at me like that?” I finally pressed.

“Since you’ve been home, you seem like you’re doing pretty well. Honestly, even better since Chloe. But the last week or so, you’ve seemed preoccupied.”

“I’m just busy. It’s also hectic. We’re in that run-up to Christmas. It’s a lot.”

“Yeah it is,” he said.

Even though his tone was level, the space suddenly felt heavy. “It’ll be my first Christmas home.”

“That’s just a detail,” he replied.

Just then Haven came walking in, glancing between us. His gaze was always sharp and perceptive. As our oldest brother, he carried a lot, and we all knew it. Hell, I still worried I’d let him down when I stayed away for so long. I knew he’d didn’t hold it against me, that nobody did. Yet, he’d shouldered the burden for us, in logistical ways, as well as emotional.

Grady’s phone vibrated just then, and he pushed away from the chest freezer. “Gotta roll,” he said as he glanced at his screen. He was gone in a flash as he answered the call and slipped through the doorway, his footsteps receding swiftly.

Haven met my gaze. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, man. Grady was just asking me the same thing.” Now I was feeling downright defensive.

He held both palms up in deference. “Just asking.”

I paused for a beat, startling myself. “Haven’t had a nightmare in a while. Had one last night.”

“Oh.” I could tell he was trying to keep his tone casual, but a narrow wrinkle formed between his brows.

“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “This is why I went to therapy, right?”

“I guess. Can I help? Do you want to talk it through?”

I shrugged. “I just… I don’t want to fuck things up with Chloe.”

“You’re not going to fuck things up with Chloe,” he said, with more confidence than I felt. Haven leaned against the chest freezer, curling both hands on the edge. “Look, I’m no expert on relationships.”

“Well, you’re married, and you’re happy with Elsa,” I pointed out. “You’re more of an expert than me.”

Haven’s low laugh was dry. “Okay, fair point. But it never gets easy. Some parts of it are easier.” He circled his hand in the air, big and wide, as if encompassing the world metaphorically. “I still worry I might mess up with Elsa. I try not to dwell on it, but it’s because she means that much to me.”

“Uh-huh,” I said slowly.

“So, talk to Chloe about it. Like you told me. Chloe has a heart of gold.”

My lips kicked up at one corner. “Hell, that’s half the problem. I don’t know if I deserve someone like her.”

Haven stepped away from the freezer, taking two strides to stop in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. He stared straight into my eyes. “Lincoln, you are the best kind of man. Don’t doubt yourself. We all have baggage.” A hand dropped from one of my shoulders as he thumped a fist against his own heart. “Don’t doubt yourself and whether you’re worthy of Chloe.”

He pulled me into a rib-crushing hug, and I hugged him tightly. He was my older brother, and the love ran deep for us. His eyes were shining with tears as he stepped back, and I could feel my own stinging. “I love you, man,” he said gruffly.

“I love you too.”

“You could call that therapist in town, Delaney. Leo says she’s easy to talk to. Just call her.”