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Reid chuckled. “Get your ass here as soon as you can. I’ll be waiting.”
I leaned into Holden, happy that the conversation had gone well. If I were Mallory, I would want to come back, too. She’d just learned about a missing piece of her heart.
“Mal, we’ll call tomorrow. River and I have a meeting with the architect this morning. We’re designing the new 4 Play and the house with him. We’re pretty stoked.”
“Congrats to you two. I feel like I’ve missed so much. I can’t wait to stay up all night, drinking and catching up.” Mallory blew us a kiss. “I’ll talk to you all later.”
We all said goodnight, then Holden disconnected the video call.
“Under the circumstances, that went well,” Holden said, looking at his brother.
“It seemed like it, yeah. She’s going to be full of questions that I’m not sure I can answer.” Reid tapped his finger against the black granite countertop.
“You’re not in this alone. I’ll help you figure things out.” I pushed up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“I’m not sure what I would do without you guys.” He reached around the back of me, then pulled his brother in for a hug. “Thanks for everything, man.”
“Thanks for coming home,” Holden replied.
There wasn’t a dry eye left when Holden and I were ready to meet the architect. I was on the same page as Reid. I needed to look ahead. The lingering nightmares were enough of a reminder of what I’d lived through. Fortunately, I hadn’t attacked anyone again. It appeared that, as I felt safer, the flashbacks had eased as well.
Holden and I climbed into the back of Zayne’s Mercedes and buckled up. As soon as Zayne shifted into drive, Holden’s phone buzzed. He reached around to his back pocket and removed it. He frowned, looking at me. “Babe, it’s Brynn … on FaceTime.”
Shit. This couldn’t be good.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I grabbed Holden’s arm and hung onto it for dear life as he answered the video call. Brynn’s face filled the screen, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said first.
“Hi, babe. I sure do miss you.” She winked at me, then smiled at Holden. “Hey, Holden. How are things going?”
Confusion clouded my thoughts. Had she just decided to video chat after all? She’d made it clear that she would only talk on the phone or Snapchat with a filter.
“We’re on the way to meet with the architect. I bought the lakefront property, plus we’re designing the new 4 Play.”
“Oh my gosh. I can’t wait to see it. I bet the lake will be so much fun next summer. We’ll have to have a housewarming party, too!” She clapped her hands, nearly giddy with excitement.
“Wait, we? Next Summer?” I blinked several times, putting the pieces together. “Brynn, is the chemo working?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Yeah. In fact, it’s working better than the doctor had hoped. Next, I’ll be moved to a less aggressive treatment center in Spokane. I’m coming home, you guys,” she announced, nearly squealing.
“Really?” Hope filled Holden’s words.
“Really. I’m going to beat this.” She wiped her face and laughed. “I really don’t know what I would do without all of you. I love you guys so much.”
Unable to control it anymore, I started to cry. This time, tears of joy and relief. “I’m going to be stuck to your side. You’re going to be tired of me.”
Holden slipped his arm around my shoulders while he held up the phone. He sniffled and wiped the moisture from his eyes. “I never doubted you. You’re a badass, Brynn. I’m so happy you’re sticking around longer.”
“Please, you’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
She laughed, then Chance stuck his head next to hers. His smile was infectious. “Hey, guys.”
I waved at him. “When you get here, you’re going to sleep. I’ll take care of our girl.”
Brynn nodded her agreement. “I’ll be there in a few days. They want to run a few more tests before they release me, but the important ones are showing a bunch of positive improvement.”
