Piper could hear her heart pounding in her ears, because she hadn’t even known he had demons. What kind of sister didn’t know this about her own baby brother, the same sweet boy who’d been through hell before they’d landed back in Wildstone? Such hell that she hadn’t been sure she’d ever be able to reach him. Her biggest fear had always been that she’d fail, and she had. She reached for his hand. “Gavin—”

“I really am so sorry I didn’t tell you the truth,” he said quietly. “That I hurt you.”

He looked anxious and . . . nervous, and she realized what he needed. “It’s in the past,” she said just as quietly. “You’re forgiven.”

“You don’t have to let me off the hook that easily. I hurt you.”

“You hurt yourself more.” She squeezed his hand. “But now you’re not alone.”

Winnie swiped at her eyes, which made her mascara run. “This is all so scary,” she whispered soggily. “Everything’s so scary.”

And that was another thing. Piper hadn’t known they were scared. How had she not known?

“What’s scary is your face right now,” Gavin told Winnie. “You look like a raccoon.”

On the stove was the pot of mac and cheese she’d made, along with a plate of sliced-up hot dogs, ready to be stirred into the mac and cheese. Winnie picked up a little round and flung it at Gavin.

It bounced off his chin, and he stared at her in shock before scooping a spoonful of mac and cheese and flinging it at her.

It hit her square in the forehead.

The next one hit the wall because Winnie ducked. “This is why we can’t have nice things!” she screeched, and picked the piece of macaroni from her forehead and ate it. “Good stuff, though.”

“Are you kidding me?” Piper said. “Stop.”

They didn’t. And it was like trying to hold back the tide. They’d lost their minds.

“Seriously,” she yelled, refusing to look over at Cam, because she could only imagine what he must think. “Stop!”

Winnie, who’d caught a spoonful of flying mac and cheese with her cheek, pointed at Gavin. “You’re so dead.”

In the next beat, the skirmish was full-on war. Piper opened her mouth to yell again and got hit in the face and chest with mac and cheese.

Sweet Cheeks was cleaning up the floor, chirping in happiness as utter chaos reigned. Until a piercing whistle stopped them in their tracks, and they all turned in unison toward the source.

Cam. He shook his head in shock. “I’ve been in battles that were less harrowing. What the actual hell?”