Page 61 of Inexplicable

Not even to Nate and the rest of the team.

I let the subject drop because I didn’t want to push her for information.

She’d share when she felt like it.

I completely understood not wanting to talk about the past.

“I’m so full,” I said as I put my hand on my belly full of pizza. “I have no idea how the guys are still eating.”

Sara snorted. “They don’t have an off button when it comes to pizza. They’ll be done when it’s gone. There’s no leftovers on pizza night.” She paused before she asked, “When are you headed back to California? I know you’re going out on a road trip. What happens after that?”

“I’m not sure,” I said softly. “I have to go back. I have to give an important lecture in Los Angeles next month.”

The thought of leaving Cherry Cove made my stomach sink.

My anxiety from the kidnapping was improving, and I’d continue virtual sessions even while we were on our road trip.

However, I didn’t think the decreased anxiety was going to make it easier to leave Brock.

“He’s going to be a hot mess when you leave,” Sara mused. “I’ve never seen him crazy about a woman, and he’s got it bad.”

“It doesn’t have to be over just because I have to go back to Los Angeles,” I said.

“He’ll end up on your doorstep within a week,” she predicted.

I smiled. “I’m okay with that. Honestly, I dread leaving everyone here. I feel like I’m just starting to make a circle of friends. That’s never happened to me before.”

Sara tilted her head as she looked at me. “I find that hard to believe. You’re not the standoffish type.”

“I can be,” I informed her.

I wasn’t the least bit hesitant to share things with the people in this house right now, but I’d never been this comfortable with people before.

For some reason, I trusted the four people who meant the most to Brock, and trust didn’t come easily for me.

“You’re part of the family now,” Sara said with a smile. “We’re not just friends. We consider each other family.”

“I’ve never had a family,” I said quietly.

Sara knew my history, so she easily understood my comment.

“You’ve got one now, whether you want one or not,” she said cheerfully. “Every one of us has learned that family isn’t just about shared blood and DNA. Any one of those men over there would take a bullet for me, and I’d do the same for them. That’s family.”

I nodded, knowing I’d do whatever was necessary to protect my new friends, too.

Gaining a new family should probably scare the hell out of me, but it didn’t.

Maybe I’d always wanted a family to love, but I’d known that it was something I’d never have, so I’d given up on being close to anyone.

Or maybe these people were just ridiculously special. Maybe they were just my tribe.

Either way, I wanted this kind of family, and I’d always be grateful that they’d accepted me into their fold.

“I want it,” I said in a voice full of emotion. “I probably always have, but I never let myself get close to anyone.”

“Understandable,” Sara said empathetically. “But we’re tough not to love. Maybe because we all understand how damn hard it is to be alone. I can’t say that I was crazy about the idea of adopting four grown men in the beginning, but they got to me. Now it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without them. It’s nice to know that somebody cares. I could do without the overprotective big brother thing, but it’s part of the deal.”

“Honestly, I think I’d like to have someone stand up for me like that.”