"Something's got to give with him," Mia says to no one in particular. "He can't go on like this. He's destroying himself."

We all nod, knowing Mia's right, but having no clue how to help him. Nick has to want help first, before he can start to mend.

"What can we do?" Bailey asks everyone.

Jaxon drags her closer and kisses her forehead, before voicing my thoughts, "The only thing we can: be there when he needs us. There's not much more we can do unless he asks."

We all stand there quietly, mourning the loss of Nick. He may still be with us physically, but emotionally and mentally he's in a dark hole somewhere.

Just as we break apart to get back to the rest of our night, a loud pop comes from the back of the bar. Jaxon, Jase, and I all look to each other before we become a flurry of movement.

Jase takes off down the hallway. Jaxon yells at Bailey and Mia, "Stay here," over his shoulder, before he takes off after Jase. I jump over the counter and follow them both.

The back door is wide open by the time I get there. Running outside and then back in the door that leads upstairs, I come to a halt when I see Chris hunched over a groaning Nick.

Jaxon and Jase move to them and squat down. Nick has blood dripping from his head, but it doesn't seem bad, just a scratch.

"What the f.u.c.k happened?" Jaxon growls.

Chris stares up at him with wide tear-filled eyes. The hand she has on Nick's shoulder is shaking.

"I-I don't know." Her voice is wobbly. "We w-were walking upstairs when the d-door suddenly slung open. A guy tried grabbing me, but Nick s-stopped him." She stops and takes a shuddering breath, before continuing. "He pulled out a gun, but N-Nick knocked it away. It went off when it tumbled down the stairs. The guy was trying to get away and Nick was trying to grab him, and he lost his balance and fell."

By the time she gets done talking, tears are falling freely down her face. Jase grabs her by the shoulders and hauls her to him. He looks at me over her shoulder, and I see the torment written in his eyes. We both know who the guy was and what could have happened if Nick hadn't intervened.

I take off out the door, not surprised when I don't see anyone out back. I'm sure the coward wasn't going to stick around to be caught.

b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

I notice a hole in the wall at the bottom of the stairwell when I step back inside. It's about five feet from where Nick is currently moaning. Chris pulls away from Jase when she hears him. Jaxon, who is still squatting beside Nick, pushes his hair back to get a closer look at the cut on his forehead.

"It's not bad. Just a scratch. You want to go to the hospital?" Jaxon asks Nick.

Nick scowls up at Jaxon and grunts, "No."

"Fine, but your a.s.s is coming home with us tonight. Someone needs to keep an eye on you."

Jaxon stands and helps Nick to his feet. He seems to be steadier than he was a bit ago. I guess the adrenaline of almost getting attacked and rescuing Chris has sobered him up some.

"Will someone tell me what the f.u.c.k is going on? Who in the h.e.l.l was that guy?" Nick asks, the scowl on his face meant to intimidate, but failing when it switches to a wince.

"Tomorrow. When you're sober and can comprehend and remember what I'm going to tell you," Jaxon replies, and Nick bares his teeth at him.

I hear a sharply indrawn breath behind me and we all look to the doorway. Both Bailey and Mia are standing there with shocked faces.

"I told y'all to stay inside," Jaxon barks.

Bailey rushes to Chris while Mia walks up to Nick, both ignoring him.

"What in the h.e.l.l happened?" That question is being asked a lot tonight.

While Jaxon recounts the events and Bailey has her arms around Chris, Jase walks over to me.

"I'm gonna f.u.c.king kill him," he seethes. His body is shaking in rage.

I understand his anger. His sister was nearly taken or hurt and Nick was hurt in the process of protecting her. I want the f.u.c.ker just as bad as him, but he can't go out there half-c.o.c.ked. We have no idea where this guy is and no way of finding out the information. Unfortunately, we're in the same position as before.

I grab Jase's shoulder. "We're going to get him, you hear me? That f.u.c.ker's going down, but we have to be smart about it."

I can tell he doesn't like my words. h.e.l.l, I don't like them either, but we've got no choice but to wait. We can't magically snap our fingers and poof the guy to us.

"We need to call Mac," Jase says.

Jaxon already has his phone to his ear, talking to, I a.s.sume, Mac. I look over at Nick, who is slumped against the wall. Mia is beside him, looking at the scratch on his forehead. His eyes are on Chris. They don't hold the normal malice he normally reserves for her. Instead they look confused and worried.

I grab Jase's hand and walk over to Chris and Bailey. They are both a blubbering mess. Jase once again engulfs her in his arms. I grab Bailey's hand. She looks at me and tries to smile, but it comes out twisted. She releases my hand and slowly walks over to Jaxon, Mia, and Nick.

What a f.u.c.ked-up bunch we are. Can we never have a time where bad s.h.i.t isn't happening? This s.h.i.t is getting old really fast.

I lean over and kiss the top of Chris's head and then Jase's lips.

Tonight was a close call. Too close. One slip or clumsy move and Chris could have been in Damien's hands right now, or worse, dead.

Something has to be done or the next time the outcome could be deadly.

Andrew A couple days after the incident with Damien, we're at Becky and Brent's. Luckily, Ally did well enough to come home. Her doctors still want to keep a close eye on her, but so far there haven't been any set-backs. I haven't been able to see her the last couple of days because of everything that's been going on. As soon as I stepped foot into the house, she rushed to me as fast as her weak body would allow. Ally and I have always had a close relationship, and I thank G.o.d every day that he allows us to continue it.

The day after Damien showed his face to Nick and Chris (and we confirmed it was indeed Damien through a picture Mac showed her), a sober but cranky Nick called Jase to get the story. To say Nick was p.i.s.sed was an understatement. I could hear him yelling from my seat across the room.

At first Nick was p.i.s.sed at Jase because he thought Jase was careless when he came to town, not caring he was bringing trouble with him. I was on the verge of s.n.a.t.c.hing the phone from Jase and giving him what for when Jase gave me a firm head shake and explained his reasons for coming here. After a few minutes of listening to Jase, Nick calmed down, and I sat back down.

Since then, no one's heard from Nick. He's back to not answering his phone. As far as we can tell, he hasn't been home either. He's probably out on some job site.

Damien hasn't shown himself since that night, but we all know it's only a matter of time before he does. The question is whether or not he'll do real damage next time. Chris, of course, is never let out of any of the guys' sights. We're even taking precautions with Bailey, Amari, Mia, and Trent. Crazy people do crazy s.h.i.t. I'm sure Damien's been watching us and knows how close we all are. Jase is now part of our group, has been since he walked into town. If one gets hurt, it affects us all, including Jase.

We all just got done eating outside at the picnic tables. I decided to take Ally inside for a bit because she was looking a little tired. Everyone in our group is here. There's also Brent's family and a few close friends of Becky and Brent's. Becky's family was invited, but weren't able to make it because her dad couldn't take off work. They'll be coming in a couple of weeks.

I'm sitting on the couch with my arm thrown over the back. Ally is snuggled up beside me with Amari in her lap. I'm on Ally and Amari duty while Bailey and Becky clean up in the kitchen. I have no complaints though. These two are my favorite girls to be around.

Ally giggles as Amari kicks her legs and squeals. Watching the two of them play and interact is something I'll never forget. For a while there I secretly feared Ally wouldn't make it. There's still a chance she could relapse, but for right now she's doing much better. I'll take anything I can get. She has a mask over her nose and mouth to keep exposure to germs and viruses to a minimum. Her body is still weak and needs to be given the opportunity to build her immunities back up. This doesn't stop her though. Her body may be weak, but her spirit isn't. The old Ally is returning, and I'm eating up every second of it.

"Watch this, Uncle Andy!" Ally says, her voice m.u.f.fled by the mask.

I watch as Ally runs her small finger along Amari's foot. Amari smiles big, her beautiful two-toned eyes lighting up. Ally looks at me with her own smile. She fell in love with Amari the first time she saw her. I think she'd spend all her time with the baby if given the chance.

Trent, Mac's son, plops down on the chair next to the couch, handheld game in hand.

"Hey, Trent, how's it going?" I ask him.

He's only ten and he's already five and a half feet tall. He looks just like Mac, which he doesn't get from Mac because he's not Trent's biological father, but his uncle. To make a long story short, Tessa, Trent's mom, was obsessed with Mac back in high school. She drugged Mac with rohypnol the night of Mia's eighteenth birthday and took advantage of him. Mac ended up marrying Tessa because she became pregnant. It wasn't until recently that Mac and Mia found out that Mac never had s.e.x with Tessa. He also found out the son he thought he fathered was actually his brother, Shady's. A brother he didn't know he had and one he wished he didn't, because he was just as sick and twisted as Tessa. Both Shady and Tessa are in jail.

"Hey, Andrew," Trent acknowledges. "It's going good. Dad and Mia are taking me to Cedar Point in a couple of weeks."

"That's great, kid. You're going to love it."

"Yeah. I've never been to a theme park before. Hey, I have this new game. You wanna play?" he asks, head bobbing up and down from me to the game.

"Can't. I'm on kid duty," I tell him. "But hit me up later, and I'll play."

"What are you playing?" Ally pipes up.

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Trent looks up at Ally, his attention no longer on the game.

"Team Fortress," he says.

"Can you come sit beside me so I can watch?" Ally asks tentatively.

"Sure."

Trent's reaction is immediate as he stands and comes to sit beside Ally. She beams a big bright smile at him.

Trent is another person Ally took to quickly. You could see in her eyes that she was curious about him and wanted to get to know him. Ally has plenty of friends at school, but she's always eager to know more people. Not to mention she hasn't been able to go to school for a while because of the leukemia. With her being so sick lately, I'm sure Becky and Brent have limited, if not stopped, her play dates.

I watch as Trent patiently tells Ally the logistics of his game. She nods and asks questions and he answers them in a way she'll understand. To see the two interacting so well together brings a smile to my face.

I glance up when Jase walks into the living room. He takes the seat Trent vacated a few minutes ago. I pucker my lips up at him in a kiss, and he chuckles.

We both sit and listen to Ally and Trent talking for a while. Bailey comes and gets a sleeping Amari from Ally's lap, kissing Ally on top of her head and thanking her for watching Amari.

When I look down at Ally a few minutes later, I see her head resting on Trent's shoulder. She's asleep. Trent doesn't seem to mind as he continues to play. The scene of her sleeping against Trent is sweet.

When Becky comes into the living room, she moves to pick Ally up, but I shoo her away. I slowly get up to grab Ally to put her in her bed.

Trent looks up when I slide my arm under her knees. "She's okay."

"I know, buddy, but she'll be more comfortable in her bed. Thank you for showing her your game."

He watches as I gently gather Ally in my arms. His face shows he's disappointed I'm moving her. I like that he feels that way. I hope they are given the opportunity to form a bond.

Becky trails behind me as I walk down the hallway toward her room. After laying her down and pulling the blanket across her, I bend and kiss her forehead. Becky does the same and follows me out.

"Trent seems to like Ally," Becky comments, after quietly closing the door.

"Yeah. I'm glad they're getting along. I wanted to thank you for having my friends over. I know they want to be a part of her life now that they know about her."

She smiles and grabs my hand. "They're welcome anytime, Andrew. Having all these people here gives Ally more family. They love her already."

I'm grateful for her words. I know Ally isn't mine to have, but it's nice knowing Becky welcomes my friends in her life. I want to share Ally with everyone. She's special and deserves for everyone to know her.

I throw my arm around her shoulder and turn us to walk back down the hallway.

"So, once Ally is better, you going to let me take her for a weekend so you and Brent can have some hot s.e.x time? I know you both have been slacking in that department."

I laugh when she smacks my stomach. "Seriously, Andrew? How could you possibly know that?"

Giving her a devilish smile, I say, "Because of all the come-f.u.c.k-me glances Brent keeps sending your way. You should really put him out of his misery and f.u.c.k him good and hard tonight."

"Oh, G.o.d! You noticed?" she asks, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Oh, I noticed alright. I'm sure everyone noticed. My d.i.c.k almost went hard, the looks were so scorching."

Instead of smacking me, she pinches my side. "Ouch! What was that for?" I ask, rubbing the tender spot.

"Because I'm the only one allowed to get turned on by my man. You've got your own man to keep you satisfied."

"That I do. And he satisfies me very well. Speaking of, I need to go find him and see if he can satisfy me now."

This time I'm ready for her and laugh as I dodge her hand.

"I swear, Andrew, you better not do anything dirty in my house," she warns with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, all I meant was I was going to ask him if he'd rub my shoulder. It's feeling a little tight from having my arm on the back of the couch for so long."

She glares at me for a moment before laughing and shaking her head. She knows I would never disrespect her or Brent like that.

She goes to hunt down Brent, while I go find Jase. I was serious when I said my shoulder was hurting, but it's worth it to just sit with Ally. Having that little girl close to me is something I'll always cherish.

Later that night, Jase and I are in the living room at home watching TV. Jase is sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, while I'm lying on my back with my head in his lap. I have my hands clasped together, resting on my stomach.

He laughs at something on the TV, and I feel the vibrations in his stomach. When I glance up at him, his eyes are straight ahead. He has a beer in the hand that's on the arm of the couch. His other arm is thrown over the back. My eyes eat up the hot man above me. His hair is loose, but pushed behind his ears. His chin and cheeks are covered in a thin layer of hair. I like that he doesn't shave every day. The bristle feels d.a.m.n good against my skin when he kisses me. I wonder if I can talk him into growing a beard. Nothings hotter than a s.e.xy man with a beard. I almost shiver at the thought of him kissing down my chest while sporting a beard.

"I love you," I tell him out of the blue. I was going to wait until he told me first, but that just seems childish. I'm tired of holding it in. I know he feels the same way, so if I need to say it first, then so be it.

He looks down at me with surprise at my sudden confession. The look doesn't last long though. It's soon replaced with his trademark Jase smile. The one that shows his dimples.

"What are you smiling about?" I ask.

"Nothing," he says, smile still in place. "I just love hearing you say that."

"I love you," I say again, because he loves me saying it, and because I love saying it.

He laughs lightly before his features become serious.

"I love you, too," he says, his voice deep with emotion.

"I know," I say, and give him my own smile.

He lifts a brow. "You know?"