They send me the location and official time for lunch so I start getting ready. Once I’m dressed in my favorite jeans, a crop top, and a flannel shirt, I head to find Kai on his computer on the couch.

“Where you off to?” he asks.

“I have a lunch date with the Cole women.”

“Oh Lord, let me make sure my phone volume is up.”

I raise a questioning brow at that and he chuckles. “Why you say that?”

“Because I already know you’re gonna be calling me to pick you up when they ply your ass with bottomless drinks. You’ve had maybe two drinks since your injury, so I know your tolerance is shit.”

I smack his chest. “First of all, it’s lunch, not brunch, so the drinks aren’t bottomless. Second, Ciara’s pregnant ass won’t be drinking, so I wouldn’t need you anyway, sir.”

“Yeah, okay. Keep it up. Just don’t be on no ‘can I sing to you’ shit when I pick you up.”

Against my will, I burst into a fit of laughter but manage to pull it together to glare at him before walking out of the house.

At lunch, I’m not surprised by how open the ladies are with me considering how they immediately accepted me the day we met. I learn that Ciara moved to Texas as an attempt to get away from a stalker. She ended up meeting Lincoln when he took care of her after she sustained a concussion and that Sasha’s daughter, Nevaeh, got caught up in the stalker’s plot. I also learn that Nina and Isaiah’s baby is the result of what was supposed to be a one-night stand, and their relationship was almost ruined by his nasty ex. They all fought so hard to end up with the love of their lives, which only makes me admire their relationships more.

What does surprise me, however, is how willing I am to be open with them in return. Before I realize what I’m doing, I find myself unloading all of my past with Kai on them, every detail.

Once I finish, everyone’s shock and rage is clear on their faces. Sasha is the first to speak up, rolling her neck before she starts. “I’m gonna say this and I mean this with the utmost disrespect. Fuck your bitch-ass daddy.”

“Agreed. I don’t know if we’ve known each other long enough for me to tell you how many ways I’ve researched how to kill someone but…do with that information what you will.” I don’t let on where my thoughts go at Ciara’s suggestion, but they get very dark for a moment.