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Eric wrapped his arms around Rylan and winked at Cameron. “Thanks, Ry.”

When Rylan stepped back, he had a huge smile on his face. “No. Thank you guys for helping with all of this. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“We’re family now. And we always look out for our family.” Aaron smiled.

Cameron pulled Rylan closer and loved the happiness that now reached his eyes. He loved his friends. With ease, the guys erased the tension that racked Rylan over the confrontation and made him smile.

Rylan pulled out his phone and dialed.

“Hey, Issa? Tim, Cameron’s friend wants to know if your single?”

There was a beat and Cameron could hear the woman’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Who’s Cameron?”

“Well—”

“If it’s one of your brother’s creeptastic friends, then fuck no.” Issa growled her words.

Rylan covered the mouthpiece before he glanced at Cameron. “She’s protective.”

Cameron laughed and kissed Rylan’s forehead. “It’s okay, I’m protective of you, too.”

“No, Issa. We met last night at the club. He invited his friends and I’m inviting you and Suzy to join us for a barbecue tonight. You can meet him yourself.”

She must have sensed something because her voice lowered a little and Cameron heard her ask. “Are you okay?”

“I will be.” Rylan promised.

There was a loud sigh through the line. “Text me the address and we’ll be there.”

“I love you, Issa. See you soon.”

When the line disconnected, Rylan handed his phone over to Cameron. “Can you text her?”

Cameron nodded and quickly sent the text. He then opened Rylan’s contacts and replaced his old address with his new one and listed himself as the emergency contact, before handing back the phone. He turned to the guys.

“We’ll meet you there.”

“Yeah, take your time. We still have your key,” Tim said with a wave.

Cameron watched with a smile as two huge football players crammed themselves into Aaron’s truck as Eric had to do the same in Rylan’s compact car, which he offered to drive back to Cameron’s. He squeezed Rylan closer and felt him chuckle at the sight. They drove away and Cameron flipped Tim off as the man grinned at him as they passed.

The quiet of the neighborhood brought back the incident in the house. Cameron watched as Rylan glanced back. “I sort of expected a confrontation when I moved out, but I didn’t expect Tristan to be here. Now it’s over, I hope he’ll leave us alone.”

“We’ll do what we need to to keep you safe. But if he’s smart, he’ll stay away.”

“Thank you, Cameron. For everything.”

Cameron kissed his forehead and led him toward the SUV, opening the door. Once Rylan was in and belted, Cameron shut the door and rounded the hood to the driver’s side. Once he strapped himself in and locked the door, he took Rylan’s hand in his.

“For you, Rylan, I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t do for you.”