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Ash followedKayla into the Friary, a slight smile on his face. The knots that had been twisting ever tighter in his gut eased their torture, strand by strand.

For the first time in years, he entered a family gathering without feeling like an other. A member by blood but not of mind and body.

He had Kayla to thank for this miraculous transformation. With stunning efficiency, she’d showed his black-and-white brother the world of messy gray. And opened the door enough for Ash to slide his foot inside again.

Kayla made a beeline for the group of ladies sitting before one of two giant fireplaces bookending the Great Hall. His attention rose to the gleaming sixteenth-century longsword suspended above the mantel on ornate iron hooks.

Lupos.

So called for the four-headed wolf decorating the pommel. Lost to the family for close to a century, Lupos became a symbol of strength and resilience to Zeke, which led him to conduct a yearlong search for the heirloom, unbeknownst to the rest of the family.

If not for Kayla’s contacts and her active participation in the artifact’s retrieval, his brother might still be searching for the hunk of steel.

Lynette and Grams appeared at the opposite end of the Great Hall. His heart clenched at the sight of his grandmother using a walking stick, a slight bow to her spine. Despite the stark reminder of her mortality, the soon-to-be-ninety-two-year-old moved toward him with purpose.

“It’s good to see you, she’ashkii yázhi.” My little boy.

He bent several inches to kiss her cheek. “And you, Grams.” He straightened to buss Lynette’s cheek as well. “Mom, how are you?”

“Growing old, boy. What brings you this far west?”

“She does,” Grams inserted, nodding toward Kayla, who was currently enveloped in feminine hugs, as she moved to sit in her favorite chair near the fireplace.

Lynette craned her neck around him until she spotted the lobbyist. “Trouble?”

Because why else would Ash bring Kayla to his family’s home?

Unlike Zeke, he wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating a woman’s strength and intuition, especially not these two former war dogs.

“Governor Stokes might not have been the only target.”

“Why?” Lynette asked.

“Unknown. We found out today that Kayla’s driver, Mason Wade, was tangled up in it. Before he bolted, he revealed that a company named HCVS ordered the governor’s hit. Before you ask, I have no idea if it’s an acronym. But there were two shooters. Two targets? Or insurance for one?”

“Did you speak to Rohan?” Lynette asked.

“He’s on it.”

Peering over his shoulder, he watched Kayla place her palm over Liv’s barely-there baby bump. Her beautiful face lit up, and he experienced an answering warmth inside his chest. When he turned back to the matriarch and super-matriarch of the family, he caught them sharing knowing glances with each other.

He pretended not to notice. The last thing he needed right now was to get into a conversation with these two strong-minded women about his love life.

“I have a favor to ask,” he said.

“Of course, she can stay,” Grams said in her usual eerie, read-your-mind way. “Kayla is family now. You do not need to ask. ”

“It might be for a while. She has a cat.”

“She and Crispy may sleep here as long as necessary.”

Of course Grams would know about Crispy. Unlike him, she’d spent the past two years getting to know Kayla, rather than avoiding her.

“Or as long as she likes,” Lynette added.

“As may you,” Grams said.

“And face Zeke’s disappointment every day? No thanks.”

“Perhaps it is time for you to tell him the reason you changed your name when you left,” Grams said.

“And all but disappeared when he needed you most,” Lynette said.

Both precision knife cuts were delivered without inflection, without judgment. He didn’t bother asking them how they knew. They would no doubt give him the look, making him feel like an even bigger ass.

“I will, but it’s not going to change anything. The hurt is too deep.”

A large, vertical plaque hanging above the mantle of the second enormous fireplace caught his eye. A combination of sans serif lettering and cursive words layered on top of each other covered the white-washed wooden panels.

Noting the direction of his gaze, Lynette said, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Our Lena made it,” Grams added, “at Zeke’s request.”

Family first...

Through blood

Through hate

Through fear

Through joy

No exceptions.

It was the “Through joy” that produced the drop of moisture that bubbled at the edge of his lower eyelid. They’d kept his unsolicited contribution, after all. Zeke had added the line even though Ash had nothing to do with BARS, not to mention how raw his brother’s feelings had been at the time.

“Still think a conversation won’t change anything?” Lynette asked.

The too-heavy tear fell over the rim and tracked down his whiskered cheek.