Page 70 of Zach
back so Colt can climb on and get a piggyback ride right out of the penthouse.
“It’s a core wound, assholes,” he shouts over his shoulder. “Try to have a little sympathy. I hate
all of you. Except for you, Mia, I love you. And Evie, I’m mad at you, but you can make it up to me
later tonight. In bed. With the door locked.”
And they’re gone.
Looking around the room at all the people I love, I understand how fucking lucky I am. Ransom,
Nick, Bree and Maverick are all collapsed forward, giggling on the table. Evie, a tiny smile playing
on her lips, is shaking her head. Becca and Holly are leaning on each other, tears streaming. Cara’s on
Declan’s lap and they’re both laughing so hard they tip out of the chair onto the floor. And Jonas, the
person that matters most to me in the world, chuckles quietly, shoulders bouncing as he clutches a
toddler tightly to his shoulder, other hand carefully cradling the tiny hamster.
And still wrapped in my arms, Maya, her body shaking deliciously as she sputters and gasps
through her laughter. I can’t stop myself from tightening my grip, pulling her back closer to my chest.
Just so she doesn’t fall off.Yeah, right.
“Wait…what core wound?” Becca asks, staring around the table.
Ransom lifts his head, wiping his palms across his face. “You never heard this story?”
“No, I haven’t. I asked last time this happened, and nobody clued me in!”
“Last time this happened,” Maya whispers, turning to me.
“Yeah, the night we brought them home, Colt saw them and flipped his lid. Ended up on the island
that night, too.”
“Oh my god,” she mutters, her attention on Ransom as he tells the story. She seems to have
completely forgotten she’s in my arms, and I’m not mad about it. I’m not in any hurry for her to move.
“God, it was at least twenty years ago, back when we all were bunking at Knight Street. We were
all crashing on the floor in sleeping bags. Colt was already big back then.” His lips twist with a grin.
“Not as big as he is now, but still big. That sleeping bag was tight on him. So one night, must have
been two or three in the morning, he screams. Like, bloodcurdling, about to be murdered screaming.”
Nick, laughing, chimes in. “I’ve never heard anything like it. Ransom’s bouncing around the room,
diving for the light switch. We’re all reaching for a weapon…shoes, knives, whatever we had on
hand, preparing to defend ourselves.”
“Ransom finally gets the light on,” Maverick says through his giggles. He’s always been the one
