“I didn’t steal shit! You gave ‘em up, Nate. You can pretend to be the fucking victim all you want, but we both know the truth. It’s not the dark ages and you’ve never been poor. How hard would it have been to hire a private investigator to track her down? If you were so desperate to find the woman you say you loved, you would have found her. I didn’t give up until I did. I wouldn’t have given up. But you? You were too busy selling songs about your heartbreak to actually give two shits about the girl you were exploiting.”

Noah and Billy were no match for Nate, as he tore away from them, a look I’d never seen on his face directed right at me. The arms that were holding me disappeared, either because Reb and Rhett were in fear for their life, or because they realized I was a prick that needed my ass handed to me.

“I fucking love her!” Nate roared as he stomped toward me.

“So do I!” I screamed, reeling backward as I realized what I’d just admitted. “I’ve loved her my entire life.”

I saw the fist coming but didn’t move out of its way or try to block it. I deserved whatever was coming. I’d broken the code of friendship, and severed the bonds of brotherhood. Bros before hos, or some shit. Didn’t matter, ‘cause I’d do it all over again. I’d hurt my best friend if it meant protecting the woman I loved.

The first hit landed on my upper cheek, and I knew I’d be sporting a shiner come morning. The second caught the corner of my mouth, snapping my head back. The third and forth were quick, back-to-back blows that had me fighting down years of tactical training. I knew how to take a blow, how to handle pain, but I’d also been taught how to fight back when I barely had a breath left in my body.

“Stop!” a familiar voice screamed. “Nate, stop!”

A tiny blur of blue forced her way between us before anyone could stop her, shoving a man twice her size out of the way and placing herself in front of me to keep him from hitting me again. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she hollered at Kelly, pushing her hands against his chest and forcing him to take a few steps away from me.

Then, she was at my side, small hands framing my face as she assessed the damage. “Shit, you’re gonna be hurting tomorrow.” Pulling a bandana from her hair, she held it to my lip. “You hurt him!” Her voice was filled with fire. “Why would you do that?” Turning toward the boys, she yelled, “Why would you let him do that?”

“I had it coming,” I told her, glancing around. “I fucked up.”

“Jesus, Mikey,” Molly whispered. “Boys are so dumb. Wouldn’t an apology have been easier?” Then she chuckled. “You are both so screwed. Lia is going to kick both your asses when she finds out about this.”

Nate turned off his treadmill and joined me on the floor, yanking me from memory. I’d never thought about the giant role Molly had played in my life that night. How many other times had she been there, making things easier for me, and I hadn’t noticed?

“You and Molly?” His tone was full of disbelief. “My Molly?”

I wanted to tell him that it was none of his business and to fuck off. Every part of me wanted to keep Molly and my feelings toward her to myself. I couldn’t do that to him, though. He needed reassurance so he could worry about his own shit.

I met his eyes and nodded. “Molly.”

He took a step toward me, eyes lit in anger. “She’s not what she pretends to be, she—”

“Doesn’t need you to protect her. Especially from me,” I snapped back. “I see who she is, Kelly. I’m not fucking blind.”

“She’s family, Carson. I take care of my family.” He watched me closely, gauging my reaction. “You hurt her and I’ll kick your ass.”

We both knew his threat wasn’t an idle one. We also both knew that I would decimate him if he came after me again—he had his one shot at me, he wouldn’t get another. This wasn’t about who was physically stronger, though. It was about making a point. “Molly isn’t your responsibility. She’s mine. I’ll keep her safe. No one is going to hurt her while I’m here.” Including me.

The unspoken understanding between the two of us hung in the air. Before he could reply, my phone rang. Yanking it from my pocket, I saw the name and cursed. “It’s Sam.”

Tension filled the room as we both shifted, suddenly on edge. Sam was with the girls. If he was calling, there was trouble. I hit the speaker button so we could both hear. “I’m with Nate, and you’re on speaker. What’s wrong?”

“Just the two I was looking for,” Sam’s slow drawl replied. “The ladies have been recognized. They have quite the fan club waiting for them to leave.” In Sam speak, that meant there were photographers gathered outside the restaurant, all trying to get the next picture that would cause a media sensation.

“Backdoor?”

“Bigger fan club.” There was no way we could get them out without being seen.

Fuck. “How big?”

“It’s obviously a slow news day.” There were a shit ton.

I looked up at Nate, the worry I felt reflected on his face. “Text me the address and give us twenty; we’ll be right there.” I shook my head as I hung up the phone. “Meet me in the lobby in ten?”

Nate was already on his way out. “I’ll give you five before I leave your ass here.”

Sam hadn’t been kidding. A small crowd—probably thirty men with varying styles of cameras—clogged the sidewalk outside the diner. They were so busy focusing on the people coming out, they didn’t bat an eye when Nate Kelly strolled by them on his way in.

The restaurant was small, but it took me a second to find my two favorite girls. They were at a table in the back, deep in serious conversation, oblivious to the circus out-front. Lia looked up first, surprised when she saw me. I smiled reassuringly, trying to let her know everything was okay.

When my eyes moved to Molly, though, and knew for certain that she was okay, my entire body relaxed, releasing tension I hadn’t realized it was holding. I felt my lips curl, truly glad to see her. Sliding into the booth next to her, I threw an arm around her shoulders, needing to touch her.

“How was breakfast, beautiful?”

She turned to me, raising a single eyebrow. “Well, it was peaceful. Now I’m not so sure.” Laughing, she moved a hand to my thigh. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re the reinforcements,” Nate answered, grabbing a slice of bacon off Molly’s plate.

“What?” Lia asked, giving her husband a stern look. “You and your riddles. Just answer the damn question.”

Lia was new to celebrity life, but Molly had been doing this a long time. At his answer, she turned toward the windows, her entire body tensing when she saw the people waiting. “How’d they know we were here?”

Lia, finally catching on, looked over and swore under her breath. “They must have followed us.”

“It’s okay, Red.” Nate kissed her temple as he reached for a menu. “I’m famished. They want to grab some pictures, they can fucking wait.”

I nodded, following his lead and plucking a menu from the side of the table. “Good point. It could be a while before we have a chance to have a relaxing meal, just the four of us.”

Lia never missed a thing. Smiling, she reached for Nate’s hand and pulled it into hers. “I don’t remember the last time it was just the four of us. Let’s enjoy every minute.”

For the next two hours, we laughed and talked and snacked. We forgot about the stresses of the tour and our everyday worries and instead, focused on catching up. I didn’t realize until it was time to leave that Molly’s hand had been planted on my leg the entire time. As we slid out of the booth, our fingers joined.

I don’t think she was trying to do it, and I knew without a doubt it wasn’t for show, but with a simple gesture, Molly Ray claimed me, telling the world I was hers.