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Liam smiled innocently. “No reason.”

She only cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t worry. I’ll find out.”

“I’ll tell Noah.” Liam winked at me.

The other women came down the steps and there was a flurry of hellos and I was shuffled into the back of a classic car that sounded like it needed to be put out of its misery. “This is Bessie,” Lena said. “She’s my baby.”

Grace and Cori slid into the back with me, and Grace said, “Just cross your fingers that Bessie makes it all the way into town.”

“I will not tolerate any Bessie slander,” Lena sang. “I can and will withhold sugar from you.”

There was no slander after that. And the sugar was because Lena owned the coffee shop in town, Deja Brew. I’d passed it several times and thought that it looked really sweet, but I hadn’t had the chance to go in. Evelyn worked there too.

We weren’t even in town yet when the attention turned to me. “So.” Evelyn turned from the front seat. “We wanted to come and meet you before the family dinner tonight because that can already be overwhelming with so many people.”

“I appreciate that.”

“But,” Lena glanced at me in the mirror, “I won’t be taking it easy on Noah for hiding you for an entire week. We could have done this days ago!”

I laughed, unsure how much all of them knew about what was happening. Evelyn looked like she knew. So did Grace. “He’s had some things on his mind.”

“From what Lucas said, he’s had you on his mind.” Evelyn grinned over her shoulder, and I blushed.

Last night, I hadn’t had the courage to pull out the new, fancy underwear that I’d bought. Maybe tonight I would do it. It wasn’t doing either of us any good buried under the rest of the clothes in my suitcase.

“I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say,” I admitted.

Grace reached over and touched my hand. “We all know. At least the basics. You don’t have to keep any secrets here. Nothing leaves the group.”

That little tension between my shoulders relaxed. “Okay. Well, yeah. Noah’s been worried that it’s not over. They could still be watching me and my brother.”

“You’re in good hands,” Cori said as we pulled outside the coffee shop. “The boys, as we like to call them, will do anything for their women.”

I froze, getting out of the car. Was that what I was? Quickly, I tried to cover my shock as Grace and Cori followed me out. But they saw it and grinned. Suddenly, I understood one of the reasons they were doing this.

They were the feminine half of Resting Warrior, and they thought I was the next member of their group. Unexpected warmth filled me. I didn’t know where Noah and I were heading. Regardless, that they’d made time to reach out and spend time with me meant more than they could know.

Losing my parents so early, and being the oldest, had made me grow up fast. That meant responsibility and leadership—which didn’t leave a lot of time for innocent friendships. I’d had some friends in college, but they’d dropped off when I was trying to get my business off the ground. Until Noah, I hadn’t even realized how empty my life had become.

“You want coffee?” Lena called to me.

Deja Brew smelled amazing. Sugar and tea and coffee were all wrapped up with a layer of comfort that defied words to do it justice. “I’d love some.”

“Tell her your order, and she’ll never forget,” Cori said. “Lena is legendary like that.”

The woman herself took a bow. “Lena the Legendary has a nice ring to it.” She focused on me. “Any allergies? I don’t want to kill you with pastries the first time we meet.”

“I’m good,” I laughed. “No allergies.”

My coffee order was simple, but when she set the cup down in front of me, it was delicious. “How did you do that?”

“You’ll never know,” Grace said. “She’s magic, and no one knows how she manages to make it that much better, but it’s a gift.”

I laughed along with them.

“I’m very lucky,” Evelyn said, “that I get her cake-making skills for the wedding.”

“Seriously,” Grace said. “No regrets on mine.”