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“I also found out where he owns property. See? Here and here. But—” Finn clicks the mouse before pointing at the screen. “Look, I found this, and it can’t be a coincidence.”

There are two deeds open on the laptop screen; both have the name Rhodes on them.

“What the fuck?” Jay whispers, recognizing the addresses even after all this time.

“I don’t know. I haven’t had enough time to figure out how Carnell owns most of your parents’ house and every single one of your dad’s gyms.”

Jay can imagine a million scenarios where Carnell got his hooks into his greedy parents, and none of them are good.

“Most?”

“Yeah, it looks like they mortgaged them to the hilt with the bank in October and then, uh…three days later, Carnell bought out the loans. Do you think they know he did that? What are you going to do?”

Of course, James Rhodes Sr. knew.

But as for what Jay is going to do?

Absolutely nothing. Jay is done with them. Had been, from the second his mother dared to breathe Nix’s name on the phone, while he lay recovering from near death ten feet away.

“We’re done with them,” he echoes out loud. “Shouldn’t be hard to avoid them. Clearwater is a big place, and we’re hardly going to be at the country club.”

Before Finn can respond, the pilot announces that they are coming into Clearwater International Airport, which is at a balmy 75 degrees, but rainy.

“We’ll tell the others when we get to the house, okay? Thank you for doing all that when you could be resting.”

Jay pulls his selfless mate into his arms. “Let’s wake Princess Fiona and the puppy-pile,” Jay whispers, and kisses Finn’s soft cheek.

The others are surprisingly rested, as a napping pregnant omega reliably acts like a sleeping pill whenever they pile into a nest; his presence soothes all the savage beasts.

“Everything okay, Jamie?” Nix asks as he slides his arms around Jay’s waist. “You smell…stanky.”

“Rude.”

“No, I mean…mad, or maybe…resigned. Is that it? Are you worried about being home?”

Home? Clearwater hadn’t been home in more than a decade.

“I’m good, Baby Boy. My home is wherever my pack is. Here, or in Nashville, or on the moon— I’m home when we are together.”

“Cringy,” Rowan groans, hangs over Jay’s back, and snuffles his neck from behind, his spicy rum scent smelling thick with sleep and contentment.

He pushes his semi-hard cock into Jay’s ass and licks the back of Jay’s neck before nipping his ear. “You should come sit with me so you can feed me a snack while we land.”

What his mate means is, Come feed me like your baby because I missed you (Jay speaks Rowan fluently).

“Okay, Rowan. Wanna join, Nix?” Jay asks, and he’s rewarded with a soft kiss.

“I’m going to snuggle Leo. His arms look empty.”

When the plane taxis into the private hangar exactly two hours and ten minutes after they’d taken off, Lauren’s contact is waiting with Nix’s new identification packet, including a new passport. Just one more miracle in under twenty-four hours.

The Were agent had asked no questions, not checked any of their bags, or even made any direct eye contact. Just in and out.

They all stand gaping as his plain black SUV makes a three-point turn and disappears out the guarded gate.

“What in the Spy Kids was that?” Luca mutters.

“Well,” Nix says, still holding his new documents. “Are you kidding? Jamie, look!”

He is dancing and making oh-yeah fist pumps, and finally, Jay has to grab it from his hand .

There, in his new American passport, is a lovely, decidedly un-passport photo of one, beautiful Phoenix Rena Rhodes.

Jay feels his knees wobble and his vision goes suddenly blurry. He’s having flashbacks of dreams he’s had for what seems like forever, but still has the wherewithal to open his arms when Nix jumps up and wraps his legs around his waist.

He has two small hands on his cheeks, thumbs wiping away tears Jay hadn’t even realized were falling.

“You’ll have to marry me for real now.”

They are abruptly surrounded by the squeeziest group hug they’d enjoyed yet.

“We will marry the heck out of you, Nix Rhodes,” Luca whispers.

“Really? Finn said Weres rarely do that. But I always wanted to wear white. Maybe not a dress, though. Luca, I know what you’re thinking, and no, thank you. You can , though.”

Nix rubs his nose on Jay’s and then licks it for good measure, before he and Luca head off to one of the big black Escalades, engrossed in talk of dresses and beach weddings.

“Married? Are you serious?” Gideon asks, a small, indulgent smile on his face.

Why the fuck not? And he says so.

“You’d look pretty in a dress too, love,” Jay croons in Gideon’s ear, lips grazing his soft skin just to feel him shiver before he grabs two of the larger bags.

He turns around, walking backward so he can watch as Gideon “reboots” right there on the tarmac. It’s so fucking sexy.

“Come on, sweetheart.”

Gideon gives his head a shake. “I will make you so sorry. Sweetheart, your ass. ”

He grabs the last two bags and puts them in the back of the second Escalade. Then, his head snaps up, and he walks around to the front of that car, where Rowan is making a scene once more.

Here we go again .

Jay crosses his arms, ready to back Gideon up for what is sure to be an argument.

“No, Rowan. I prefer my mates alive and in their current bodily configuration, and that includes you. Go sit on the other side.”

“But I have a perfect driving record—unless you count those two collisions. I wasn’t even going that fast,” Rowan grumbles.

“No,” Jay says. “Rowan, you’re with me, Nix, and Luca. You good, Gideon? Just stay close—we’re only thirty-five minutes out. Finn has the address and the key code if we get separated.”

“You can apologize to me then, Jaybird.”

Jay has to laugh as Gideon slams the driver’s side door. He’ll look forward to it.