I wouldn’t have been surprised if he didn’t even show up for my party at this point. The distance he was putting between us was crushing me, but I knew I had to be strong and accept that maybe our friendship was finally coming to an end.

Maybe he’d outgrown me.

Mom wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a quick hug. “Go spend some time with Ciana,” she urged. “I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on.”

Forcing a smile, I nodded and turned to look for my cousin. Catching a glimpse of her dark-red hair outside, I started in that direction. In the parking lot, I noticed that most of the people who had come early to help were no longer hanging around, and I figured they had gone home to change for the party.

Jack gave me a chin lift on his way to his motorcycle so he could leave to do just that. He’d been busy with the shelter all week, but he had taken time to help decorate for the party. I owed him a lot for how much he and Aunt Gracie had helped Cali when she’d needed somewhere to go.

The beating Manuel had given her had been worse than I’d thought from just the look of her face. He’d actually fractured her jaw, and she’d needed more medical attention than either of us had anticipated. But my cousin and aunt had gotten her healthy and then given her a new identity.

For whatever reason, however, when she was ready to leave, she’d picked New York for her new home. Why, I wasn’t completely sure, but at a guess, I figured it had something to do with wanting revenge on her stepbrother.

Not that I could blame her.

I spotted Ciana at Max and Delaney’s SUV. She and Delaney were laughing and signing to each other, which brought a real smile to my face. Those two had gotten close over the past few years, and I’d taught my cousin ASL so they could communicate easier.

“Nova!”

I jumped at the way my name was barked and turned to glare at my brother, who was standing by Mom’s vehicle. The back gate was up, and he had a huge box in his hands. “What?” I snapped back. Ever since he’d arrived with the others the day before, all he’d done was bite my head off, and I was more than ready for him to get his ass back to New York.

“Stop standing around and come help me with these,” he commanded.

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to find there were only two other boxes in the back of the SUV, and they were both small and light enough that he could have easily carried them himself if he’d taken the time to come back for another load. With as much muscle as he’d gained since he’d been working for the Vitucci family, he could have carried all three of the boxes and me on top. But some things never changed, and my brother’s laziness was one of them.