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She hooks our pinkies. “Sounds good to me.”

“You little traitor.” Aleks Kilovac laughs as he opens the door wider.

“One-man deal,” she tells him, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. “You gotta be quiet. Someone’s still sleeping.”

Hildy laughs and scoops her up. “You are very bossy, little miss.”

Then she looks at me and smiles. “Thank you for coming, especially at such short notice.”

“I think Anna will appreciate it.” I hand her the hostess basket. “Your house is just as wonderful as Anna mentioned.”

“It is a very full house.” She nods to the left as we leave the foyer.

I follow her into the kitchen, where the evidence of a full house is everywhere. Mugs on the counter, food being prepared, men talking over one another. Hank, Koa, Deacon, and Dash are already there, and Gabe drifts in behind me while Aleks gets intercepted by someone asking him a question before he can make it to the coffee.

Lenzin looks up when I enter.

For a moment, the conversation around us seems to dip. Not awkwardly, exactly, but enough to remind me that the last time we were together, we were in a hospital, and none of us had been particularly interested in pleasantries.

Then he crosses the kitchen and claps me on the shoulder.

“Glad you could make it.”

“You made it sound important.”

“It is.”

I look at him, waiting.

He gestures toward the coffee. “Get some first. I don't want to have this conversation with you before you've had caffeine.”

“Thoughtful of you.”

“I have my moments.” Lenzin Faulker chuckles.

I pour myself a cup, and Gabe takes the opportunity to steal a piece of toast from a plate that clearly isn't his.

Hildy catches him at it. “Grab a plate, there’s plenty for everyone.”

“I happen to be part of everyone.” Gabe smiles.

“That's debatable,” Aleks says, finally reaching the counter.

I settle beside Gabe, letting the room’s familiar noise wash over me. It's easy to forget, sometimes, how much of a life Anna has built here. Not just a place to stay, but people who know her, who make room for her, who care what happens to her. The thought makes me glad I came.

Lenzin leans against the opposite counter, his expression shifting as he catches my eye.

“Anna told us,” he says.

I don't ask what he means. “I gathered that.”

“She also insisted we make friends.”

I take a drink of coffee. “Very much sounds like her.”

Aleks snorts. “Don't make us regret it.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.”