For your information, it wasn’t lost on me that he didn’t say a word about the fact that I told him I loved him.

* * * * *

“It’s covered,” Al y said in my ear. “Indy’s Dad, Tom, is picking up Mace’s Mom and Chloe. They arrive an hour apart. You’l need to cal Lana and tel her to tel Chloe Tom’l meet her at the fountains and keep her company while they wait for Lana.” “Okay, I’l cal Lana,” I told Al y.

Al y went on, “They’re gonna stay with Daisy ‘cause they’l probably want to be together and she’s got plenty of room. Marcus’s boys can’t do it; Tom says he’l take them to your gig tomorrow night. Then you can do your thing.”

“That sounds good,” I replied. “Can you tel Tom that Chloe looks like Caitlin, except older?”

“Sure,” Al y hesitated a beat and then said, “It doesn’t sound like you think this sounds good.”

“No, it’s al good. It’s just…” I stopped then asked. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”

“Shit yeah,” Al y answered. “If family’s good, family’s everything. Mace can’t move on unless he sorts this shit out. You’re definitely doing the right thing.” I looked down at one of my arms. On the inside, four smal , shadowy, brown bruises had formed, three fingers and a thumb.

I sucked in a breath and shared, “Mace and I had an episode today.”

“What kind of episode?”

“I cal ed my Mom. Mace heard her being mean to me.

He freaked out, went bal istic, threw Lee’s phone against the wal . It exploded into, like, a mil ion pieces.”

“Holy shit,” Al y breathed.

“After that, I told him I loved him.”

“Holy shit!” Al y shouted. “That is so cool!”

“He didn’t say it back, he just stared at me.” Silence.

I pressed on. “Then, I said I thought he was probably a good brother and he lost it again. He grabbed onto my arms and hurt me.”

“Stel a –”

“I don’t care about that,” I cut in quickly. “I get it, al this stuff coming up for him again. It can’t be good to see it in the papers. Move around Denver knowing people know.

Having pictures of Caitlin in his face.”

“No, it can’t be good,” Al y agreed.

“He’s gonna react. I’ve gotta be able to take it.”

“Yeah. Though, chickie, he should be able to control it without hurting you.”

“He watched his sister’s head explode,” I reminded her.

Silence then she repeated, “Yeah.”

“I’m not sure I’m getting anywhere with him,” I confided.

“Girl, three days ago you were pushing him away. You got to give it time.”

She was right, so it was my turn to say, “Yeah.”

“You gonna be okay?”

“Sure.”

“You cal if you’re not. We’l talk,” she told me. “I’m here, I hope you know that.”

That was her way and, since I knew her, always had been. Al y was tough on the outside but sweet deep down and you couldn’t ask for a better friend.

“Thanks, Al y.”

“Later,” she said.

“Later.”

We disconnected and I cal ed Lana immediately. She wasn’t home so I left a message about Tom and Chloe and warned her that, if she cal ed, I might not be able to talk if Mace came home.

Then I flipped the phone shut and stared at Juno. I was sitting in my armchair; she was laying on my feet snoozing.

It was late. Mace had come home earlier to drop off the groceries but he couldn’t stay and I didn’t know when he’d get back. I’d made myself dinner for one, homemade chicken and rice pilaf and the round of cal s to the Rock Chicks to get them up-to-date and make sure they were keeping their mouths shut. Then I made the round of cal s to my band, including Floyd and Buzz who were driving home from Oklahoma. I gave them the head’s up and put them under threat of death if they didn’t keep their mouths shut too.

But now I was sitting there, going over my strategy in my head and I was worried.

Even though both Hector and Al y said I was doing the right thing, I was thinking maybe I was going too fast.

Maybe I should wait until al the other stuff was finished.

Maybe I should wait until Mace was used to us being back together, until I’d been able to work on him a bit longer.

Maybe Mace didn’t need to deal with his Mom and Stepmom when bul ets were flying and his Dad was being an ass**le.

I heard the key in the door and Juno jolted up.

The door opened, the alarm started beeping and Mace walked in, his eyes coming directly to me.

“Hey, babe,” he said.

My heart did that settling thing again and I replied, “Hey.” He turned to the alarm, deactivated it, reactivated it then relocked the door as I walked across the room to him. Juno had already made it and he bent low to give her a rubdown while I stopped a few steps away and looked at him.

He looked good, faded jeans, black belt, black boots.

Today’s short-sleeved Henley was dark gray, the sleeves again tight around his biceps but with the way he was bent and rubbing Juno, the material had also stretched against his back, defining his lats. He was in a partial squat, the jeans too had stretched tight against the muscles of his knee and thigh. His dark hair needed a trim, so much so, it had started to have a bit of curl on the ends. But I could stil see some skin at the back of his neck, the skin was tan, the shoulders under the tee were broad.

Standing there, petting my dog, he was, put simply, beautiful.

I thought for a minute that he had to know it, how beautiful he was but it didn’t matter to him, not even a little bit.

For the first time in my life I found myself wondering how I got so lucky.

He kept bent low, his long fingers sifting through Juno’s fur as she wagged her tail and panted but his head tilted up to me when he said, “You’re up late.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “You hungry?”

“No, boys had a meet at Lincoln’s. Ate there.”

“They pick up Sid?” I asked.

He straightened and shook his head. “Gone to ground.

Eddie and Hank had a meet with Turner. They’ve made a deal with the Feds, workin’ together now. They’re bringing in Sid’s soldiers. The ones they got shit on, they’re lockin’