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"We've done our job then," Travis said.

"Just place your fucking bets already."

We finished two rounds of Hold 'Em focusing solely on the game and letting the mood shift.

Until Travis decided to stir the pot. "So Digger, how's the playroom?"

Digger had built a basement playroom for his sexual partners, but hehatedtalking about it.

His eyes slid to Travis. "Why, you want to come play with us?"

Travis shook his head. "Nope. Not in a million years. But I hear you've had your hands full lately."

"And we're back to the gossip," Digger muttered under his breath. "It's not my fault the people of Lost Creek need help working through their kinks and no one else is qualified. So the answer is yes, my playroom has been busy lately and so has my bed. I am very sexually satisfied; in case you were wondering."

I traded a look with Scottie. "How is Jasper? Haven't seen him around." Jasper was Scottie’s older brother. As kids we all called him Piggy. Now only Scottie did that.

"Jazz is good. Still spends his free time in my living room, eating all my food."

Digger rubbed his belly. "We all do. Logan comes with me sometimes."

I was glad my little brother liked working with one of my best friends. "I think you know Logan better than I do now."

"He's a good kid. Does good work. Polite, a little shy around the ladies. You should have seen the way he blushed the night he met Mack. Beet red."

"He lived because he's your brother," Scottie snickered.

With Colin working at ODX this summer, Thomas was my only brother I had trouble keeping up with, mostly because he was working his way through college and living his own life. He came home every other weekend and every holiday, which meant I'd only had a couple of chances to see him since I got back.

"I appreciate you keeping him around."

"It was good for Mack to know she had options." Digger winked.

Scottie shook his head. "Man, I'm real glad we had tonight. It's just not the same without you, Huk. Digger gets sullen. Travis's jokes just don't hit. We're just not the same without you."

“Miss you fuckers.” And I meant it. I missed them like hell. All these years there had only ever been one real choice in the matter, but lately I was starting to think there might be another. One that might let me have more nights like this. “Now deal the fucking cards before we start crying and singingKumbayaor some shit.”

Thirty

Jackson

We celebrate everything in this house, young lady. Big things, small things, all the things.

I tappedout a rhythm on the patio table at The Green Door while Eve babbled about turnips or turntables or tornados. I wasn't really sure. It was good to spend time with her alone. I hadn't really done that before and while she was still louder than most people, she was also genuine and infectiously funny.

Maybe the trick to my family was consuming them in smaller doses.

"Did you like Marley?" I blurted out when she took a breath that usually signaled a change in topic.

She didn't answer right away so I chanced a look out of the corner of my eye and was surprised to find her grinning.

"She's perfect for you. Smart and interesting but also kinda quiet. Oh man, the timber of her voice is so soothing. Have you noticed that? Because I did right away and one of my first thoughts was that you probably love listening to her talk all low and smooth, probably while she's stroking your hair or something lovey like that."

The tension in my shoulders instantly loosened at the memories of Marley saying anything, but especially my name.Jackson.It rolled off her tongue in a way unique to her.

"I don't think it's something I consciously recognized before, but yeah. I love her voice."

Eve's eyes kept dancing and her whole body moved in the same pattern. "She's like your own personal little lullaby machine. We didn't spend that much time together, but I really liked her and we've decided to be best friends. I think she likes my erratically quirky outgoingness."