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“Listen, babe. No crying. You’re home, and that alone makes me feel so much better. I’ve got an amazing team, and we’re going to kick cancer’s ass.” She gave me an exhausted smile. “I can’t wait to hug you.”
I nodded, big fat tears slipping down my face. “What do you need? How can I help?”
“Stop crying, for one.” Brynn winked at me.
A laugh escaped me, and I dried my cheeks. “Okay, consider it done. What else?”
“If everything looks good on my next set of scans, then I’ll get to bust out of here. I’ll be free for a week before I have to come back. The only downside is that I need to stay in Portland just in case. But it wouldn’t suck to have my bestie with me. I’ve missed you so much.”
Hope rose inside me, and I looked up at Holden, who had remained quiet. “Babe, can we go down? Please?” It wasn’t necessary, but I gave him the best puppy dog eyes I could muster.
Holden leaned in a little. “Chance, should we see if we can get the penthouse again?”
“I thought about it, but I don’t want her to get too worn out. With everyone around …”
The picture shook, then only Brynn’s face appeared. “Ignore him. I’m making the decisions here.” She grinned. “The penthouse sounds great because you’re not prying River and me apart. If I’m tired, I’ll sleep. End of discussion.” Her attention cut to the side. “Got it, mister?”
I stifled a giggle. Our Brynn was still in there.
Holden chuckled. “I’ll call and book everything. If the penthouse isn’t available, I’ll get three rooms.”
Brynn scrunched up her freckled nose. “Bribe them if you have to. Otherwise, all five of us will be sharing a room.”
“Six,” I said without thinking.
Brynn tilted her head, her attention bouncing between Holden and me. “Oh?”
“Yeah, um, Reid. He was in the cell next to mine. We became really close,” I explained quickly.
Her blue eyes flashed with concern, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was studying Holden. Brynn recovered quickly. “I can’t wait to meet him. I can’t imagine what you went through, but if you found someone to help you, then I’m eager to see what he’s all about.”
I hesitated, waiting for Holden to mention that he and Reid might be related, but he didn’t say a word. Honestly, I wouldn’t either. At least not until the test results were back.
A nurse popped into view briefly, and Brynn nodded. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you soon. Text me all you want.” Brynn blew me a kiss. “Love you, babe.”
I blew a kiss to her. “Love you, beautiful.”
Chance reappeared on the screen. “Let me know when you guys will be here and what the room situation looks like.”
“You bet. With us there, you can take a break and get some rest, man. No offense, but you look like shit,” Holden said.
Chance frowned. “I know. Her parents are here, but I don’t like leaving her alone with them. Catherine has given me some breaks, but I can’t make myself leave Brynn for too long. I don’t trust her parents.”
I squeezed Holden’s knee. It was clear that all the guys loved Brynn, but this was different. Chance had it bad for my bestie.
“We won’t be able to peel the girls apart, so take advantage of the help.”
“I will. Can’t wait to see you guys. And River?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for making Brynn’s day. She’s been a fucking wreck without you. We all have, actually.” His cheeks flamed red from the admission as he scratched the back of his neck. “You know we all love you, right? Not just that asshole beside you.”
I clutched the hem of my coffee-stained T-shirt and nodded.
“Don’t ever doubt that, okay?” Chance gave me a sweet smile.
I opened my mouth and tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. I blinked rapidly to keep the tears away and cleared my throat. “I love you all, too.”
