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Now that she’s back and I almost lost her to a fucking fire, one thing is certain.

She’s not leaving me again.

Period.

“Try and get some sleep, okay?” I say. “I’ll be close by and you can call me at any time. I’ll come back over after I’m done with work.”

“Okay,” she agrees. “Thank you for keeping me safe.”

“Call me if anything comes up,” I insist, giving her one final kiss.

And then I head back to my place to get dressed for the work day, but there’s a stop I need to make before meeting up with the guys.

I need to talk to my parents.

When I get to the main house, Cameron is in the kitchen having coffee with my parents. He reached family status long ago, so the conversation is still safe to have in his presence.

When I walk into the room, everyone goes silent, so they were obviously talking about me.

“Hey, guys,” I greet them, trying to act normally and heading straight for the coffeepot like I always do.

“Cameron told us what happened last night,” Dad says.

“Was coming over to do the same. It was the middle of the night when I got home, and I didn’t want to wake you guys up.”

“What are you going to do?” Mom asks.

Cameron glances at the door, silently asking if I want him to leave. I shake my head and he sits down at the table, digging into the breakfast my mom prepared.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Gavin, please,” Mom replies. “You know exactly what I mean. What are you going to do about Ashley?”

The question is a loaded one, and no one is going to be especially thrilled if Ashley becomes a permanent fixture in my life again.

But I stopped living under the fear of other people’s perceptions a long time ago.

The only person I live my life for is me, and I’m going to do what makes me happy no matter the fallout. I love my family more than anything, but decisions about my personal life are mine to make.

Instead of immediately answering, I walk over to Cameron and steal a piece of bacon.

“Would you like me to fix you a plate, queen?” he asks.

“Nah, we can share,” I return, with a wink.

I sit beside him and face my parents, who are standing against the kitchen counter. Mom’s hands are sudsy from being in the middle of doing the breakfast dishes, and Dad’s face is impassive, studying me like he can’t quite figure me out.

“What am I supposed to do?” I ask, with a resigned sigh. “She isn’t safe on her own.”

“And now she’s brought that same trouble right to our doorstep,” Mom says. “You’re okay with that risk?”

“Of course I’m notokaywith it,” I reply.

My parents and I rarely argue, and it makes my gut feel like it’s rotting when I hurt or disappoint them. But I don’t have a lot of options, and even if I did, I’d still choose to keep Ashley on the property with me.

“I can keep both her and the ranch safe,” I continue. “I know you guys aren’t her biggest fans, but if you’d just give her another chance–”

“After everything she did?” Mom demands.