“We have goodies, everyone.” Frankie set a tray of cookies on the coffee table, and Hawk almost laughed when Aric’s gaze snagged on the sweets.

The kid didn’t speak, dammit. It would be a fine day when the boy felt comfortable enough to ask for something he wanted.

Hawk glanced at Kit to see if she’d noticed her son’s desire.

She had. Her busted ribs were obviously painful as she leaned forward, snagged a cookie, and handed it to Aric. Her lips were pressed tight as she leaned back.

Hawk stared at her. Rather than asking for help, she’d hurt herself to give her son a treat. Felt like something he’d do, but it didn’t feel right when she behaved the same way.

“Yo, bro. Try this.” Bull handed over a bottle of beer.

Hawk checked the label. Bull’s Moose Brewery. “Break-up Ale?”

“Yeah, the new one.” Bull took a seat beside Frankie. “You’ll like the hops.”

Hawk stayed standing. He wouldn’t be here for longer than it took to satisfy his brother. If the women thought him rude, too fucking bad.

“Break-up. You named a beer after something sad?” Kit asked.

“Break-up in Alaska is when the ice on the rivers melts and breaks into chunks.” Bull smiled at her. “Around here, it basically means spring.”

“Oh. I heard the lieutenants talking about it and didn’t understand.” Kit shook her head. “Most of us from the Texas compound didn’t know anything about Alaska.”

“It’s a long way from Texas. Why’d the PZs from there come up here?” Bull asked.

Hawk leaned a hip against the couch and sampled the beer. Not bad. Nice and hoppy. Light on the tongue. It was odd that neither Kit nor Aric sounded Texan.

“The Reverend said Alaska had less rules and fewer people to interfere with what he wanted to do.” The corners of Kit’s mouth twitched up. “He complained a lot about the police chief here. Your brother?”

“That would be Gabe. He enjoyed ruining Parrish’s plans.” Bull grinned.

Beside Kit, Aric had finished his cookie and was nodding off. Face soft, she brushed a hand over his hair. “I better get him to bed.”

Any fool could see she’d never manage to move herself and the kid off the couch without a hell of a lot of pain.

Hawk stepped forward and lifted the boy, draping him over a shoulder with a hand under his ass. In the last three weeks, he’d learned Aric didn’t wake up once he was asleep. At least, not if he felt safe.

He glanced at Frankie. “He got a bed?”

“Beside Kit’s in the downstairs guest room.”

“I’m going to make an early night of it too.” Kit struggled to slide forward on the oversized sectional. It was like watching a fawn struggle out of a snowdrift.