“You watched?” I asked. Damn if that didn’t hit me right in the feels.
“The guys and I always tuned in when we could get service,” he said with a proud smile. “I’d brag about my old friend who's an internet celebrity now.”
“Oh god, don’t tell her that! She’ll shut down,” Ethan joked. He wasn’t wrong; it felt strange when people got excited to meet me. I was just… me.
The guys fell into the story of the last time a group of fans approached me and I took that as my sign to slip away and check on the rest of the food inside.
“Don’t sneak away without me,” Olivia laughed as she caught up at the back door. “I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.”
“Okay,” I said, giving her the side eye. My poor friend had been through a lot. My stalker had slid into both of our lives and left destruction in his wake. He had hurt me both physically and mentally. Hell, I still had nightmares about his screams as he fell down that mine shaft. But the fact he’d dragged Olivia into it was something I didn’t think I could ever let go. And for her, finding out her boyfriend had used her just to get to me… well I was surprised it didn’t tear us apart, because that was a lot to deal with.
“Nothing bad,” she reassured me. “And stop giving me that guilty look. Neither of us could have known.” She didn’t have to elaborate further.
“Sorry,” I grumbled as I started putting serving spoons in the salad and fruit we’d prepared. “What is it?”
“Sully. I’m worried about him,” she admitted. She leaned back against the counter and started chewing on her bottom lip. Now that I was looking at her I could see the bone-deep exhaustion that clung to her. She put on a good mask for everyone else, but in here with just me, she was relaxed and it was easier to read her.
“What’s going on?” I asked, stopping what I was doing and walking over to her. She let me pull her into a hug and the way she melted into it broke my heart.
“He’s falling apart,” she admitted into my shoulder as she held on tight. “I need help.”
“What can I do?” I asked. “I’m always here for you guys.”
“Mom and dad just keep making excuses and shit, but he’s refusing to leave the house for much of anything. Getting him here wasn’t easy,” she explained as she stepped back. She twisted her blonde hair around her finger, a nervous habit I knew well. “But he can’t find work because his vision is so bad. He’s getting pay from the military since it’s an injury he got while in the service, but he needs something. Therapy is great and he talks to a therapist on the phone regularly, but it’s not enough. He needs a purpose.”
“He can’t see?” It struck me as odd since he wasn’t wearing glasses or holding a guide cane.
“Not well,” she admitted. “I can’t go into details on his story, he’ll have to do that when he’s ready, but the injury took most of his vision. He can make out enough to get around but it’s minimal. You have to be insanely close for him to see you clearly.”
“Oh wow,” I breathed out as my heart broke for the man I’d always considered so full of life. He was a shell of that from what I’d just observed and it now made sense why he’d stumbled at the hug. “So what does he need?”
“To get out. Can he come on this hunt with you?” she begged me. It was such a strange thing to consider. The guys and I were a cohesive team and adding someone else in might fuck with the dynamic. “Listen, I think if you asked him along he’d say yes. He loves this stuff now. I don’t know what changed but he does watch your vlog religiously and has talked about doing hunts someday.”
“I’ll talk to the guys,” I promised. The thought of asking the guys, Lincoln especially, if another man could come along with us was unnerving. He’d be vehemently against it. Not only because he’s a jealous asshole when he wants to be, but because he doesn’t know Sully. Lincoln is slow to trust for a reason. Though at least they’d have their pasts in common, both being ex-military.
“Thanks. I just think he needs to get out before he drowns,” she said as her voice wavered. The fact she was this upset about it was definitely an indication it needed to happen. And frankly, he was family, so I couldn’t not help him. The guys loved me and would hopefully understand.
“I’ll ask him,” I promised. Seeing her whole face light up was a drastic change and one that solidified that I was doing the right thing. There were too many soldiers who came home and were forgotten, and I refused to let Sully be one of them. We could accommodate him however he needed on this trip. I’d ask her for more details later on what we could do to help after we got back from the hunt, but for now I had a mission.
Now that we’d covered the heavy stuff, we caught up while we carried all the dishes outside to the buffet table. Everyone got up and started making their plates the moment I called out that it was ready.
It was nice to have the sound of music and chatter filling our space as everyone ate. The guys and I didn’t socialize enough and I was already mentally planning Halloween parties, Christmas parties, weekend cookouts, the works.
With food out of the way and cleanup left for later, we all moved toward the firepit. I stood to the side watching, feeling full and happy.
“It’s exactly what we needed, isn’t it?” Ryker asked as he wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. I leaned into him as I smiled softly. We stared out at our friends and family for a second before I answered.
“It is. This place needed more people around. I’m glad Sully seems to be fitting in,” I admitted. My attention shifted to the man in question who was talking with Olivia and Ben. He seemed lighter now, less unsure of himself.
“You’ve never mentioned him,” he said. There was confusion in his tone, which was fair since at this point we knew pretty much everything about each other. I shrugged, not sure what to say just yet. My past wasn’t exactly exciting and I hadn’t given him enough thought the last few years.
“He left when he turned eighteen, and I left that town behind when I did too. He hasn’t been a big part of my life since we were kids,” I explained. “But I think he needs us, Ry.”
He tensed at that and my heart slammed in my chest, worried what his reaction might be.
“What do you mean?”
“Liv wants us to take him with us on the hunt,” I admitted. “He might say no, but he needs to get out of the house. He’s not doing well.”