Teagan spoke up before Evie had a chance to open her mouth. "But she does. Because it's hard for her to reconcile the way she feels now, with how helpless he made her feel. So everybody just lay off her for a bit, okay? Let her feel what she feels, without worrying that you're all going to jump her about it."
Gratitude and love swamped her, and Evie leaned over to press a loud kiss to her sister's cheek. "Thank you, Tea."
"Stop with the mushy stuff already, would you?"
Jason was still watching her, but his expression had lost its hard edge. When she looked over at him, he winked before focusing his attention on Octavius again. The knots in her stomach loosened and she forked up more pancake.
"Sorry," Ro muttered. "I wasn't trying to get you in trouble."
"I know." Practicing some of that forgiveness Jason and the others had been so quick to bestow upon her, she patted Ro's hand and smiled. "And I know this is hard for you, to know someone you love was being hurt the way I was. But Tea's right. You need to let me feel what I need to feel, or I'll never be able to really work through it."
"It's hard. You guys don't see yourselves the way I see you. You're both strong, incredible, beautiful women, and it fucking pisses me off knowing that the hateful people of your past have convinced you otherwise."
"Ro. Language." O's tone was neutral and unhurried but left no doubt that it was a warning.
At moments like this, Evie wondered how she'd ever find room for all the love she felt for these people. Turning to her sister, she laid a hand over Ro's on the island. "That's what we have you for, Ro. To remind us and help us see ourselves the way you do."
"Challenge accepted!" Grinning widely, Ro lifted her glass in the air. Evie and Teagan followed suit, clinking their glasses together before dissolving into a fit of giggles. And when they caught sight of the men watching them with nearly identical expressions of confusion, they broke down all over again.
* * *
When the pancakeshad all been consumed and dishes cleared off, Ro suggested they take a hike together. "Toothpaste needs to blow off some steam, and I need to get out of this house."
"A hike?" Crinkling her nose, Evie dried her hands with the dishtowel before hanging it up by the sink. "As in, walking through the woods with all the animals and the bugs and things?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean, Fancy. Fresh air, communing with nature, clearing our minds."
"You're not going to make us like, clear our chakras or anything, right?" Teagan asked. Evie was relieved to hear the same level of reluctance in her stalwart sister's voice that she felt herself.
Ro waved a hand at them. "No, no. We can do that later. For now, hiking! If you need boots, Fancy, I have a few extra pairs."
"You have more than one pair of hiking boots?" Evie cocked an eyebrow at her sister in what she hoped was a decent imitation of the look their men were always giving them.
"You have like thirty pairs of those silly red bottomed high heels you can barely walk in," Ro shot back with a smirk.
Trying not to be offended, Evie tilted her chin up. "My red bottoms are works of art, thank you very much."
"And they make your calves look amazing when you wear them, but they wouldn't last three steps out there in the woods." Ro held up her hand at her sibling's terrified expression. "Which is why I am offering you a pair of boots." Clapping her hands, Ro shooed everyone from the kitchen. "Get dressed and meet back here in fifteen."
"She's bossy," Evie complained to Jason as he gently pushed her out of the kitchen.
"Maybe, but she's right. Too much time stuck in this cabin together, and we'll all be at each other's throats."
"Then they can go hiking, and we can stay here, where it's warm and dry and there aren't any creepy crawly things." She shuddered at the thought of what might be hiding in the woods.
"Don't worry,tesoro," he teased. "Daddy will protect you from all things creepy and crawly."
He followed her into her bedroom, and she turned to loop her arms around his neck. Giving him her best seductive smile, she tried another tack. "Wouldn't you rather stay here, in bed, with me? Daddy?"
The gray of his eyes heated, and for a moment, she thought she'd won. "That is a very tempting offer, little one." Lowering his head, he brushed a kiss across her lips, and she sighed at the promise in that gentle touch. "Maybe if you're a very good girl, we can have some fun," he nipped at her lower lip, "after our hike."
Disappointment brought her crashing back to reality. "Dammit," she muttered.
"We'll have fun, I promise." Spinning her around to face her closet, he propelled her forward with a loud smack to her bottom. "Dress warm. You have five minutes."
"Five minutes? How am I supposed to pick out an outfit in five minutes?" Grumbling under her breath the entire time, she stalked to her closet and rifled through her clothing options.
Her five minutes was up before she'd even started to narrow down her choices. Jason rejoined her in the bedroom, dressed in a cable-knit sweater in a shade of brown she hoped to never set her eyes on again, jeans, and a pair of sturdy boots. Leaning against the doorframe of the closet, he raised an eyebrow at her. "What's the hold up, little one?"