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“All three of you have multiple partners?”

She broke it down for me and even told me about three of her other brothers who shared a wife. It seemed the Hellstone family was just a little kinkier than Mills wanted to admit. I listened with rapt attention to every detail, so awestruck by their family already. It crossed my mind that maybe itwasinappropriate to act like I was part of the family but for a girl starving for a family structure, I couldn’t make myself leave.

Mason hit it off with Maxie’s husbands and even Lucky and their son, Hank, sat peacefully together. It felt crazy but I felt like we all fit. Maxie was just so welcoming. Harley loved her, too. They all made us feel so welcome over dinner and when Vera and Nellie joined us for dessert, the men took the kids to the living room to watch football. Mason finally had someone who liked football as much as he did, it seemed.

“Why do you look like a cartoon with stars in her eyes?” Vera took out her phone and snapped a picture of me. “I’m sure this is creepy but I really am going to use you in one of my books.”

I rested my chin on my fist and sighed.

“You’re a wildly popular romance author. Maxie is a badass rancher with a beautiful horse. Nellie is a freaking mechanic.All three of you are amazing. And your men seem amazing, too. This is not normal. At least not where I’m from. I never would’ve expected y’all to welcome us in like this.”

“We’re nothing special.” Nellie waved me off. “What was your family like? Ifweseem great, I’m a little worried for you.”

Harley held my hand under the table and smiled at me. She knew all the gory details. She knew more than I’d probably ever share with another soul.

“I didn’t really have one. Until my parents died when I was eighteen and I took Mason in and we became our own little family. Then we moved to Texas and Harley joined us. With Lucky, we’re a family of four.”

“Well, your family just got a whole lot bigger, babe. You’ve got all of us.” Vera leaned in. “And just because of us women, you’ve got the Dolls, too.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

Harley and I both leaned in until the five of us were in a little huddle over the table. The energy in the room sparked as Vera told us who the Dolls were and how they’d come to be. A secret club for the women in town that no men knew about, sounded like heaven. And just really, really cool.

“Come to a meeting with us. You won’t regret it.” Nellie reached across the table and took my free hand. Vera and Maxie both rested theirs on top.

“That sounds amazing!”

CHAPTER 13

Reagan

I stared at the back of Harley’s car as she left and felt a bit of the happiness I’d felt after the previous night’s dinner fade. She had to go back to the city and to her job but I suddenly felt a lot more alone and lost in the world without her. She’d been my roommate and best friend for so long. It would be weird sleeping so far away from her.

Mason leaned against the open motel door and frowned.

“Now what?”

I pasted a smile on my face and shrugged like I wasn’t panicking.

“Now we see what happens next. I’m going to meet with Lucky’s dads in town soon and, depending on how it goes, we could be bunking here for a little while or we could be going back to Dallas.”

“I like it here.” He looked around the motel parking lot. “Well, maybe nothere. This place gives me the creeps. How are we supposed to get to town without a car? And how long can we afford to stay here?”

I swallowed down a wave of frustration. I knew we weren’t exactly in a great position but I didn’t know what else to do.

“I’m going to call a cab. And maybe we’ll find something a little more permanent in town if we decide to stay.”

“Can I stay here while you go meet those assholes today?” He looked back at where Lucky was lying on his play mat. “I can watch Lucky if you need me to.”

I considered it and then shook my head.

“I don’t know how long this will take and I do want them to be able to see Lucky. This way you won’t have to worry about handling any breast milk to feed him.”

Mason shuddered and faked a gag.

“It’s disgusting. A guy shouldn’t have to think about his sister’s boobs, Reagan. I don’t want anything to do with that milk.”