“You have nothing to apologize for,” Harry said before pressing a soft kiss to Justin’s temple.
I stared at the adorable family unit in front of me and felt a pang of want. Even with Melissa and Matt, I’d never felt as part of something as everyone in Harry’s family clearly did. They were like intricate puzzle pieces that snapped together perfectly. I’d always felt a bit jagged, like I didn’t fit in cleanly anywhere.
Justin didn’t look how I’d expected. He almost had a surfer vibe about him, with his shaggy blond hair, tan skin, and slender build. But the connection was there in the way Justin leaned into Harry, knowing Harry would keep him on his feet.
I stood and extended a hand. “I’m Ransom. It’s great to meet you.”
Justin smiled, though it was a bit brittle. It reminded me of origami—like it could be easily twisted into something else.
“Justin. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good things, I hope.”
“Good enough to leave my precious babies with you. Thanks so much for doing this. It means so much to us.”
“I’m happy to help.”
Justin turned toward Harry. “I packed our bags, but do you want to run up and see if I missed anything while I show Ransom where everything is?”
“Sounds good,” Harry said before pressing another soft kiss to Justin’s temple. “I’ll be right down.”
Justin watched him go for a moment, his smile small but intimate. Then he turned to me and said, “Ready to watch the Unholy Trinity?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter Twenty
R A N S O M
“Why are you out of breath?” Taylor asked as I struggled to hold my phone to my ear.
“Because I’m walking Harry’s dogs.”
There was a pause on the line before she asked, “And why are you doing that?”
“Harry’s father-in-law had a heart attack yesterday. They needed someone to watch the dogs while they went to see him.”
“And you became that someone how?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” I groused, struggling to hold the leashes as the dogs pulled me down the street. Well, really only Taz pulled. The other two simply kept pace with him.
I knew Harry had said he was a boxer mix, but I was fairly certain he was part hellhound too. Since Harry had left, the dog had chewed the laces of my left sneaker, stolen my bagel, and was well on his way to dislocating my arm. In short, Taz was a total asshole.
“I have an inquisitive mind,” she replied nonchalantly.
“Is that a nice way of saying you’re nosy?”
“Yes. So?”
I had to think back to what she’d asked me for a second. “Oh, I had just gotten to Safe Haven when Harry told me what happened. His husband called while we were standing there and said their normal dog sitter wasn’t available, so I offered. It’s no big deal.”
“Ransom, Ransom, Ransom.”
“What?” I asked, my tone a little defensive.
“That heart of yours is too damn big for your own good.”
I snorted. “Only you could make a big heart sound like a syphilis diagnosis.”
“Have experience with those, have you?” she teased. “Don’t you have class today? Can you leave the dogs?”
“Justin said if I took them for a long walk in the morning, they should be good for most of the day. I’ll just have to pop home to let them out again before I head to Safe Haven.”
“Okay, well, if you need me to let them out, I can. The benefit of online classes is I can do them from anywhere that has Wi-Fi.”
A slight flutter resonated in my chest at her offer. Even though I’d met a lot of great people in my life, I’d also met a lot of shitty ones. And being around some of the worst humanity had to offer made me appreciate when someone offered to help me, no strings attached. It made me feel…special, important. The prospect of being special to Taylor made my body light up.
I cleared my throat so I didn’t sound like the sappy fool I was. “I think I’ll be okay, but if something comes up, you’ll be my first call.”
“’Kay.”
’Kay was a pretty standard conversation ender, but I didn’t want to hang up with her yet. I was pathetic and not nearly as ashamed of that fact as I should’ve been.
“Working at the Peter Pan trafficking ring later?” It was Friday, so I assumed she was.
A surprised laugh erupted from her. “What?”
I smiled. “That weird place that looks like where Peter Pan took all those kidnapped boys.”
“Neverland?”
“Is that what it’s called?”
“It’s what Peter Pan’s island is called. The bar is called the Treehouse.”
“It’s a weird concept for a bar.”
“Why?” She seemed amused, which gave me the confidence to keep going down this strange, and in some ways dark, line of thinking.
“Because it looks like a place kids would hang out.”
“Maybe that’s its appeal. People can revisit their childhood while partaking in the perks of adulthood.”
“Sounds…Freudian.”
A laugh burst out of her. “In what way?”
“Wasn’t he all about regressing to being a kid again when things happen that we don’t like?”
“Not sure. I’m not up on my Freud.”
“What kind of criminologist are you going to be if you don’t know about Freud?” I asked in mock outrage.
She laughed. “A bad one, I guess. Especially since I plan to be a lawyer.”
Bantering with her was my favorite thing. I felt as though I could live off it. That said, I didn’t want her to think I hadn’t been paying attention.
“I knew that.”
“I know you did.” Her tone was soft and affectionate, and God, I wanted to kiss her again. If I could’ve crawled through the phone, I would’ve.
Instead, I let the moment drop like the punk bitch I was. “I’m almost back to Harry’s. I need to get these monsters settled and get to class. But I’ll see you later, right?”
“Yup. You won’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the one surrounded by little girls and arts and crafts materials.”
A laugh burst out of me at the image
