I couldn’t hold back. Stepping in, I slid a hand around her neck, gingerly cupping the back of her head. Angling my head, I tried to peer closer at where she’d taken the hit. It was already purpling with black mixed in.

She sighed, leaning into my touch. Her forehead came down to rest against my chest, her hands falling to my waist.

Zellman and Jordan moved in, standing on the other side of me. I felt the nurse watching us, now eyeing Jordan up and down. Brock had moved to the back as well. The female I was still assuming was Hawk stood next to him. Channing and Moose moved in on the other side of Bren’s bed, pushing the curtain back for them.

The nurse was taking them all in as well.

“Can we take her home?” Zellman wanted to know.

Now the nurse started studying him.

Jordan nudged Zellman with the back of his elbow, but Z ignored it, waiting for her answer.

She nodded, going back to Bren. “The doctor just finished up with her. She needs some downtime, avoidance of light as much as possible for a couple days. No TV. Nothing stimulating. Her brain needs to heal. She’ll be fuzzy for a few days still.”

Bren’s hand firmed on my stomach, sliding up under my shirt.

Yeah. The nurse noticed that, too, and I caught a soft sigh leave her as she moved around us, pulling the curtain back on her end. Bren fully pressed into me, both her arms sliding around my waist and tugging me to hugging her outright.

I looked over her head to Channing. “We need to talk at all?”

He was watching his sister, his eyes clouded over. “No.” He shook his head, motioning for Moose to move back. “We need to make a stop, then we’re crashing in your basement.”

“Hey.” Jordan looked at them. “That’s where I sleep.”

“You sleep in the bedroom down there. Don’t forget, I know that house. I knew that house before you guys moved in. There’s a couch with a pullout mattress. We’re crashing there because I don’t want to be too far from Bren while I’m in town.”

Channing met my eyes again, holding them.

He was going to see their dad, or I was guessing so, but Bren had a concussion. That’s why that D word wasn’t being discussed in the open. He gave me a nod. I gave him one back, and he and Moose took off after that. Brock and Hawk stepped up, taking their places.

Her boss asked, “You got her?”

Another snort from Zellman, but he was grabbing Bren’s things.

I answered coolly, “Always.”

Jordan added, his tone just as cold, “We got her from here.”

Yeah. Hawk was now noticing him a whole lot more. That was an interesting turn of events.

He gave her the once-over, lingering on her ass as both of them followed where Channing and Moose had gone.

He glanced over. “How old does she look?”

Bren said into my chest, “She’s twenty-three.”

He shrugged. “That’s do-able for me.”

Bren lifted her head back, glaring at Jordan. “I don’t know, but I’m fairly certain she’s fucking Brock.”

“You don’t know?”

She shook her head at Jordan’s question. “I can’t tell. I just know she’s known him most her life. That, and Justin is her little brother.”

“The bowling alley guy?”

A slight nod before she winced and sighed heavily again. Her hands curled into my skin. “The bowling alley guy.”

Zellman grunted. “Huh. I’m thinking we need to go bowling a whole lot more.”

Jordan threw him a laugh as we all started heading out.

Bren slid off the table.

I considered just grabbing her, and lifting her, but I didn’t think she’d want the spectacle.

Then it wasn’t an issue.

She walked beside me, and Jordan took her other arm. Zellman went ahead of us, opening the doors, and once we were moving down the one hall, I tossed him my keys. He hurried ahead, and had the truck waiting for us as we walked outside to the parking garage. Once in the truck, Bren and I went to the back. I sat sideways and pulled her down so she was lounging against my chest.

We drove a few blocks before she said to the silence, “I called my dad to town. He came because of me, and I was supposed to have dinner with him tonight. Him and Channing.”

No one said a word.

We waited.

And Bren ended with, “It’s time I dealt with him being back.”

I took her hand, my fingers sliding against her.

Zellman was driving, but he was looking in the rearview mirror at us.

Jordan shifted, reaching back. He touched her knee lightly. “We’re all here for that, you know.”

Her head rolled toward him, and I glimpsed the top of her smile. It was almost washed out, still a little of that intoxicated look. “I know.” She reached for his hand and fitted hers against his, palm to palm.

That’s how we drove back to the house.

BREN

“I want to see her!”

A strangled sounding yell woke us up the next morning. Cross flipped over in bed, his feet hitting the floor a second later. He grabbed pants and then he was up, flying out the door, and I could hear him running down the stairs. My guess, he was taking three steps at once and then bam. He was on the main floor. The fact he wasn’t trying to be quiet spoke to how worried he was, but I could’ve told him not to be.

I recognized that yell.

I would’ve recognized that yell any day, any time, anywhere.

My dad was here.

And then, like a bad déjà vu moment, I heard my brother’s voice responding right back. His was low and muffled, but it was there, and even up here, even with a concussion, I knew he was pissed. This had been my life for so many years until Channing moved out.

I took a deep breath. One breath. And then I sat up, ignoring the pounding in my head.

I had had concussions before. This wasn’t anything new. I knew the protocol. Knew what I had to do, couldn’t do, but heading downstairs and making sure that either or both of my family members didn’t leave was one thing I could do. I moved slower, gingerly, because fuck, my vision was still wonky. Grabbing some shorts, a bra, and a shirt, I padded barefoot out to them.

No one heard me coming.

Well, no one except Zellman who was coming out of his bedroom.

He was standing at the top of the stairs, only in boxers, and I saw some scratches on his back that I didn’t need to see. There was movement inside his room, and I looked. A girl stared back at me, her hair a mess. She blinked a few times, lines around her eyes soft from sleep, and then she rolled back over, taking the bedsheet with her.

It was the nurse from the ER, and I didn’t even want to know how that had transpired.

I mean, I knew how.

When?

Never mind.

I moved up behind Z, and he glanced at me, moving so there was room. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I said back.

We were both talking in muted tones.

There was more talking happening downstairs, all quieter than before. Cross had joined the conversation, and I heard the squeak of another door. Recognizing the basement door, Jordan was about to either join the convo, get coffee, or head back downstairs. A beat later, he passed by the stairs and glanced up. Doing a double take, he changed courses and came up.

He nodded at Z, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. Instead of boxers, he was wearing only pajama pants. They were slipping low on his hips and his eyes took me in, staying on the side of my face the longest. “What are you doing up here?”

Right.

I forgot.

“You guys had people over last night. Cross thought we’d sleep better up here. The sounds, you know.”

He cringed. “Sorry. I didn’t even think of that.”

I shrugged. “Usually you’re fine. No big deal.”

“How are you feeling this morning?”

I lied, “Better.”

Both started laughing.

“Such a shitty liar, Bren.” Jordan tsked, grinning, but he nodded toward the bottom of the stairs. “Should we wade in?”

There was sound behind us, coming from Zellman’s room. The bed creaked, padding barefoot, and then his bathroom door shut on a similar sounding creak like the basement door.

Zellman was hiding a grin.

Jordan’s head inclined. “Are you kidding me?”

Zellman shrugged.

I added, “It’s my nurse from yesterday.”

“What?”

Zellman laughed under his breath. “She slipped me her number, asked to give it to you. I used it instead. She didn’t seem to mind last night.”

And now I knew how that happened.

“Jesus.”

I was snickering, too.

“Enough!” That came from Cross, and hearing his irritation, the rest of us snapped back to attention.

I sighed.

Yes, I had a concussion, but I’d been the one to call my dad to town. Cross was right. Enough was enough. I started to move down the stairs, but Zellman caught the back of my shirt. He raised his eyebrows. “You can hide today, you know. You’ve earned that. We can handle this.”

That was tempting, but I shook my head. “Concussion or not, I need to deal with my dad and let Chan know that he doesn’t need to literally sleep on my couch to take care of me.”

“You sure, Bren?” Jordan dropped his voice low.