“Pop would have loved motorcycles,” Cain said quietly. “Ma said the minute you got one, then I did, she wasn’t surprised because she knew if he had the chance he’d get one too and his boys were both just like him.”

That was a hit too.

But this time, it felt fucking great knowing it.

“How about we share over bourbon?” Delilah suggested.

“My baby likes Kentucky’s finest, but you got vodka, this sister will be grateful,” Teona said.

Delilah gave her a huge smile, moving around and tucking her arm through Teona’s.

“We’ve got everything. Let’s get you set up!”

Then she led Teona out, and as she did, Teona threw a sexy, happy grin over her shoulder.

Delilah threw just a happy grin over hers.

Abel tossed out an arm and muttered, “Let’s get set up.”

His blood brother jerked up his chin and moved forward.

Abel followed.

And he did it knowing he, too, was wearing a happy grin.

* * * * *

“It no longer matters,” Jian-Li whispered to the window.

“Sweetheart,” Abel whispered to her profile.

“It no longer matters,” she repeated, not looking to him.

Abel had just told her about Ming.

“Ma—” Chen, close to her other side, started.

But he stopped when she suddenly turned her head and tipped it back to look up at Abel.

“He would die for you.”

Abel clenched his teeth to beat back the emotion her words caused, emotion that was threatening to bring him low.

“He would, tian xin, for all of you boys,” she told him gently. “He’s at peace having died for you, Abel. And you know this is true.”

He knew it was true.

Wei and Xun, who were at their mother’s back, close to their huddle, got closer.

They knew it was true too.

Abel lifted his hand and touched her chin with his finger. When he did, it was the first time in a long time sadness didn’t sift into her eyes. Her gaze simply held his steady.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“You had no control over it,” she replied.

“It was senseless,” he told her cautiously.

“Nothing is senseless,” Jian-Li returned. “We may not be able to make sense of it, my Abel, but that doesn’t mean it was senseless. We moved soon after that. We moved to a place we were all much safer for we were all possible targets. If that’s the only purpose of my husband’s death, and he knew it, he would die a million times to make that so.”

That was true too.

Knowing it, Abel swallowed and slid his finger along her jaw to curl his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her into his chest.

She wrapped her arms around him.