I shook my head. “No. That’s not it at all. Mason wouldn’t let you stay here. He wouldn’t have even called you if he thought that. He doesn’t want to put you in a position where your future could be affected.”

He nodded, his head hanging. “I get it, but I wouldn’t mind. I know I joke that Logan’s my soul brotha connection, but Mason’s the brother to me, too. I love the guy.”

“I know. He feels the same.”

“Just let him know that if he needs anything—and I mean it, anything—I’m here for him. There’s not a lot I wouldn’t do for you guys.”

“He knows.”

He nodded again, and I left him there, looking defeated.

I found Mason in the bathroom, stripped to the waist as he stared in the mirror. I had to stop in the doorway once I got a good look at him. Reaching for the doorframe, I steadied myself.

His entire chest and stomach were covered in bruises. There were cuts and gashes all over. Blood had seeped through some of the bandages the hospital put on him, and I couldn’t hold back a small whimper.

“I did worse than this.”

I took his hand. “I know.”

He was trying to reassure me, but as I led him into the shower, I knew what I could see wasn’t the real damage. I put the showerhead on a softer setting so the water wouldn’t pound down on him, and as he stood in the middle of the shower, I began removing his dressings. Once he was naked in front of me, I couldn’t help myself. Softly, I ran my hands over every inch of him and kissed all of his cuts, everywhere he’d been hit or where his skin was torn. I wanted him to know I loved every inch of him, and when I was done, I looked up.

His gaze was dark, but there was pain in his eyes.

He was hurting. I touched the side of his face and whispered, “What you did was to protect us. You protected Logan. You protected Nate. You protected yourself, and you were protecting me, too.” He leaned down enough that I could rest my forehead against his. “If anything had happened to you. Anything…” I closed my eyes, drawing in a shuddering breath.

I couldn’t even—

I couldn’t think about that.

My God.

I opened my eyes and stared right into his. “If anything had happened to you, you know how devastated I would be. You were protecting me, too.”

“I could’ve killed someone.”

He might have.

I shook my head. “You didn’t, and you won’t. Those guys will wake up. You were only protecting us. That’s it.”

“Sam.” His chest rose as he drew in a ragged breath. His forehead rested a little bit heavier on me. “If you’d been there…”

A lump formed in the back of my throat.

I swallowed it. He couldn’t think like that, and neither could I.

My hand trailed down his arm until it found his fingers, and I laced our hands together. “Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine.”

I was lying to him. Everything might not be fine, but I had to believe it, and I had to make him believe it. There would be other enemies. There would be other times when Mason might have to fight, but he’d risen above the odds. There were so many against him and Nate, and Logan. Too many.

I moved closer, folding my body gently to his. As his arms wrapped around me, I found myself saying, “They might’ve killed you.” My lips touched his chest. The water came down over both of us, and some of it hit my lips. I barely noticed. “The cop said sixteen guys came to attack you three. Sixteen to three. You defended yourself. That’s all you did.” I pulled back to hold his gaze again. I felt him searching. He needed to believe what I was saying. “Sixteen to three, Mason. No judge will convict you on those odds.”

He nodded, closing his eyes.

“Everything will be fine.”

Maybe I was lying to myself now.

Six days later

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Sam.”

I looked over at Nate. I knew what he meant. Here I was in the one place I’d been hoping to avoid all summer: Analise and James’ wedding. More specifically, I was waiting in the back of the church for their rehearsal and dinner.

I snorted, moving down the pew so he could sit next to me. “Trust me. I came under protest.”

He just grinned and patted my leg. The truth was, he probably understood why I was here. It wasn’t about Analise or James, or even their sure to be wedded non-bliss, but about Mason. Since the last attack and his arrest, I hadn’t left his side. I’d even quit the carnival. He never pushed to know why; maybe because he knew I wouldn’t give him the real answer. But it was because I had to be at his side.

If anything happened, I would be there.

If one of those guys died.

If one of them slipped into a coma.

If one of them brought a lawsuit.

I was going to be at his side. I wouldn’t be able to do much, I knew that, but I’d be there. I liked to think that would mean something.

So far, the guys had been recovering. They’d all woken, and most had been released from the hospital. The district attorney said they’d have a hard case since all those guys had gone to that parking lot with the purpose of assault. Mason, Logan, and Nate had been defending themselves.

I was also waiting for the day the incident was picked up and reported by media. Mason’s name was big. That fact that it hadn’t surfaced yet was miraculous. But when that day did come, I’d be there for that, too.

So even though I cringed every two seconds, I was here in the church, and I was watching as the woman who gave birth to me rehearsed how to marry the father who’d helped bring my soulmate to life. It was a whole clusterfuck, but I was here regardless.

“What are you doing here?” I asked Nate. He wasn’t a groomsman.

He pointed at Logan, who was making a crude gesture at us with his hands and tongue. “Our favorite douchebag told me to come. Said there’d be good food and free booze at the dinner.”

I paled. “We have to stay for the dinner?”

Nate grinned. “Logan said we did, but maybe you and Mason can slip out early.” He looked around. “Is Taylor coming?”

“She’ll be here tomorrow for the wedding.”

She’d better be.

“Matteo took off, right?”

I nodded. “He starts training next week. Everything’s going to be okay, so he headed home to see his family for a few days.”

“He’s a good friend to Mason.”

“To you, too.”

Nate smiled. “Same for you.” He nodded toward the front of the church. “And Logan. I know Mason wants to protect him, but Matteo was there for us. He’s kind of become family in a way.”

He gave me a meaningful look, and I knew what he meant. Matteo had made it known that he wanted to be brought into the fold, but he wasn’t out of the fold, even if he felt that way. I placed my hands together on my lap, looking up at Mason’s back as he and Logan joked, standing to their father’s right.

“Mason wants to protect him.”

“Yeah.” Nate shifted, lounging back against the pew and stretching his legs out. “I know what you mean, but it sucks being on the outside.”

I glanced at him.

He didn’t look at me, but he spoke as if feeling my gaze. “It was hard when I first came back in high school. Mason had been my best friend. I came back, and you and Logan had replaced me. It took me a long time to get back in.” The lines around his mouth strained. “I messed up a few times, but I’m in again. I won’t do anything to mess that up. I’m just saying, I feel for Matteo.”

There was nothing I could say. I knew how close Mason and Logan were, but I wasn’t around when it’d been Nate and Mason, not Logan and Mason. And he was right, I remembered the times when Nate hadn’t seemed to like me, when he’d looked at me like I was the enemy. But I knew he didn’t mean it. He came back around. He’d always come back. He loved Mason, just like the rest of us.

I nudged him with my shoulder. “Don’t be leaving us when you find your girl, okay?”

I felt his surprise. “What do you mean?”