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"It's fine," I told him. I moved my arm a bit so he could see I had no issues with mobility. He surprised me when he slowly reached out and took a hold of my wrist and then used his other hand to push my shirt sleeve up. He frowned when he saw the fading bruises that were the only proof of Jerry's untimely outburst the week before. I opened my mouth to tell him again that I was okay, but when he ran his fingertips over the bruises, I was robbed of the ability to speak.
"Does it still hurt?" Jett asked softly. His touch was mesmerizing.
I shook my hand and choked out a "No."
Jett lifted his eyes as his fingers continued to brush back and forth over my skin. "I think that crazy animal missed you."
I knew I was being ridiculous, but I wanted to believe he wasn't talking about Jerry at all. "If only," I found myself saying before I could think better of it. The sound of tires crunching over gravel startled both of us and Jett quickly dropped his hand from my arm. I took several steps back from him because at some point without even realizing it, I'd moved into his personal space. As a large SUV made its way up the driveway, Dallas and Nolan came out of the house. I turned away from Jett and hurried toward the vehicle. It was all I could do not to look back at the man behind me.
As Dallas and Nolan met me in the center of the driveway, Dallas patted my shoulder and said, "Glad you're home."
Home.
I managed a nod but nothing more. The SUV came to a stop in front of us. Camden Wells, Pelican Bay's sheriff, was behind the wheel. Sitting in the passenger seat was his lover, Ford. I automatically went around to Ford’s side of the vehicle while Dallas and Nolan went to Cam's side. Ford's smile was wide as he got out of the SUV. I automatically opened my arms for him.
"Hi," he said sweetly as he wrapped his arms around me. I'd only met Ford about six months earlier when he'd begun helping out at the center, but I hadn't gotten close to him until he'd begun seeing the sheriff. Like Isaac, I considered Ford one of my closest friends. The young man and I had more in common than I would've liked, but that had also made it easier to connect with him. Ford had come from an ultraconservative family and had been hiding who he was for most of his life. He'd also been the target of his older brother’s violent outbursts. Meeting Cam had changed all that for Ford, but it hadn’t been an easy thing. They’d gone through a lot of ups and downs together and like me, Ford had only just recently found his true family in Cam and the small group of men who called Cam and Ford’s house home.
"How are you?" I asked. While Ford had escaped his abusive situation, the psychological damage that his family had inflicted upon him wasn't something that could be overcome with anything but time. Additionally, he'd only recently learned that the woman he believed was his mother had actually been his aunt and that his biological mother had been bullied into giving him up when he’d been a baby. The revelation had opened up old wounds that Ford, along with Cam, was still dealing with on a day-to-day basis.
"Good. Theo's getting here today."
I smiled at that because I knew how important Theo was to Ford. The young men had been best friends as kids but had lost touch after their families had discovered both teenagers had feelings for one another that hadn't been allowed. I didn't know much about Theo, but I knew that Ford harbored a lot of guilt for what had happened to his friend and was concerned for his mental health after reconnecting with him in Minneapolis earlier in the year. After several starts and stops, Ford had finally managed to convince Theo to come to Pelican Bay for a visit.
"I'm glad, Ford," I said as I put my hands on either side of Ford's face. He was only a few years younger than me but from the moment I'd met him, I'd always had this need to look out for him like a big brother would.
"How are things with you? Isaac told me you guys have had a visitor here who hasn't been making it easy."
That was the understatement of the decade. I shrugged my shoulders but before I could answer, Ford looked past me and said, "Is that him?"
I looked behind me and saw Jett about a dozen feet away. All the lightness in his expression was once again gone. I couldn't even begin to fathom what had caused the abrupt shift in his personality again, but I didn't get the chance to think on it too much because I heard a loud snarl coming from the truck.
