“This is Max,” I said quickly. “He’s the local doctor and also Liam’s brother. Max, this is Jamie.”

Jamie grabbed Max by the shoulders and hauled him into a crushing embrace. “Thanks, man. Kenz is like a mom to me. It means the world to know you were there when she needed you.”

Emotion prickled at the back of my throat. Aww. Maybe I’d done something right in raising my hellions.

“Any time,” Max replied, then frowned. “Hold on, you know what? I’d rather this didn’t happen again. But I’ll be here if it does.”

“Thanks.” I kissed his cheek and then turned to Liam. “Are we going back to the cottage?”

“Actually….” Liam drew the word out. “I was wondering how you’d feel about staying at my place? Mum organized a cleaning spree while we were gone, so everything should be back to normal. I thought it might be easier for you to stay there since you were kidnapped from the cottage.” He watched my face carefully, waiting to see my reaction. “I didn’t want to bring back any bad memories when you’re already vulnerable.”

I blinked rapidly. Do not cry. “That’s really sweet. Let’s do that.” I glanced at my siblings. “Uh, will we all fit?”

“We can make it work.” Liam kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes and breathed in his comforting scent.

“If not, we can always book a hotel,” Blair said. “I don’t want to go back to the cottages either.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “For now, let’s just get over there. I need to sit down.”

The helicopter pilot waved and ducked into the cockpit. I took Liam’s hand and we walked around the Medical Center together. Out front, standing beside a car, was Asher. He nodded as we approached.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, opening the passenger door for me.

Impulsively, I wrapped my good arm around him. “Thanks, Ash.”

Somehow, I knew we’d moved past any hostility between us. He’d quietly accepted me back into the fold, and since he was Liam’s closest friend, that meant something. I wanted him to know I appreciated it.

He returned the hug awkwardly. “Just doing my job.”

Liam and Blair got into the car with us, while Joel, Jamie, and Mina piled into Max’s vehicle. The drive to Liam’s place didn’t take long, and I was surprised to see several other cars parked outside. When we entered, a cheer went up.