Gavin slammed on the brakes and came to a stop in front of Regan’s little house. It was looking better than it had just a few weeks ago, with the dead tree limbs cut back and the paint fresh and new. The little house had been a labor of love for Regan, breathing fresh life into it while she was figuring out her next steps.

He was angry with her parents, but not surprised. They had always been more concerned with their own agendas than anyone else’s. Sadly, that included their children. Well, maybe he was a little surprised that they’d invited her ex to Thanksgiving, especially after she’d sent him packing only a couple weeks before. He couldn’t imagine what would possess someone to do that, let alone to someone they loved. Regan’s voice had been clear and strong when she’d called, but he’d been able to hear the hurt under the anger.

He’d grabbed his coat and was out the door before she’d finished telling him what happened. Gwen had clued in instantly that something was wrong and had begun making plates, their mom jumping in to help. The rest of his family wasn’t far behind him. He wasn’t sure if Regan would be up for a full-on McCabe invasion, but that’s what she was getting.

At the sight of her little car rounding the corner, the band that had gripped his chest eased at the sight of her behind the wheel. She was okay. He was going to make sure of it.

She parked and opened the door, sliding one leg followed by the other, encased in the sexiest boots he’d ever seen. His mouth went dry. This woman didn’t understand her own appeal. He pushed off the truck to meet her as she stepped the rest of the way out of the car. “You made good time,” she remarked, tugging her sweater down in a nervous gesture under her open coat.

Cocking his head, he didn’t say anything about how fast he’d driven. He was just lucky Connor hadn’t seen him and given him a ticket. Once he was near her he opened his arms and she fell against him. “Thank you for coming,” she mumbled against his coat.

“You don’t have to thank me,” he whispered, tugging her closer and rubbing her back. Her eyes were puffy and the tip of her nose red from her tears. Damn her parents.

“I interrupted your family dinner,” she sniffed. “I didn’t even think about it until I saw you standing there. Your mother will never forgive me.”

Gavin snorted. “My mother would never forgive you if she found out that you came home and sat here by yourself.”

“But—”

“No buts. None.” He saw his dad’s truck turn the corner and bit back a smile. “Besides, you didn’t think you could call one of us and not have all of us come, did you?”

Regan’s mouth dropped open as she caught sight of his parents piling out of their own truck, arms full of foiled-wrapped turkey and all the trimmings. Before he knew what was happening his mother had elbowed him aside and wrapped Regan in her arms. “Gavin, go help your father with the rest of the meal. Regan, you come with me. I’m going to fix you one of my aunt Mary’s specialties.”

Eyes wide, Regan looked between all of them. When she finally landed on him again he leaned in, right over his mother’s shoulder, and gave her a soft kiss. “I told you, you’re not alone. Not anymore.”

She gave an inelegant sniff. “Thank you,” she whispered before pulling back and looking at his mom. “Thank you all for coming. I didn’t realize how much I was looking forward to today. To having a family dinner.”

Gavin watched as his mom gave Regan another squeeze before hustling her into the house for what was sure to be one of the strongest bloody marys ever made. His own emotions clogged his throat. He wanted to slay all her dragons and make everything right for her. Hopefully, this would be a start.

Gwen came up next to him and shoved a basket into his arms. “I called the others, too,” she told him, continuing through the door. He followed.

“You’ve been busy.”

“Well, Regan needs to be cheered up and we needed the muscle to keep you from going after her ex.”

“I’m not going to go after him.”

“Right. The second you make sure she’s safe and taken care of, you’re going to want to fix this for her. You can’t really take on her parents, but you can get rid of the competition.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, unloading the various dishes from the basket and handing them to Gwen. “He’s not competition.”

Gwen scoffed. “He had her for years. And he was a jackass, so she finally left. Now he’s here. What possible reason could he have for coming unless he was going to try to apologize again? To win her back? Wake up, Gavin. He’s competition, whether you want to believe it or not.”

Gavin opened his mouth to argue, but his sister just talked over him like she had from the time they were small. “And once you realize it, you’re going to go all caveman and protect what’s yours.”

He couldn’t argue with her there. It didn’t feel right standing back and doing nothing when Regan was hurting, but there was no need to call in their friends to keep him from doing anything stupid.

He hoped.

Before he could argue further the door opened and Mitchell stumbled in, his arms loaded with even more food, followed by Erin and her grandfather Jake, the current mayor of Sapphire Creek.

The other member of the security team, Logan, brought up the end of the little parade, hauling a cooler. Gwen grabbed the food and led the way to the kitchen, which was quickly filling up with smells and sounds of the holiday. Bethany and Connor arrived next with their son and Bethany’s mother. “Hello dear,” she greeted Gavin, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek after he’d taken her coat. “Aren’t you being a gentleman, swooping in to save the day.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, hanging her coat in the now-overstuffed closet before leading the way to the back of the house where everyone was gathered.

She gave him a tap on his arm. “Don’t be modest,” she told him. “Bethany told me about what happened when Regan showed up at her parents’ house and how you wanted everyone to come here to make sure she had a better holiday memory.”

He should have thought of that. Damn it. She patted his arm again and smiled. “Don’t worry. That’s why you have friends,” she told him. “They will make sure Regan knows you thought of it.”

“But I didn’t,” he whispered.

“You would have,” she said. “You’re a good boy and she deserves the best. Your friends will help you give it to her, whether you ask for their help or not.” With that, she abandoned him and walked into the dining room to greet everyone, accepting a glass of wine from Erin’s grandfather. The room had been transformed, with the table extended and loaded down with the food from three different houses.

Regan caught Gavin’s eye and gave him a smile that had his chest swelling. Despite the start to the day, she was happy.

And so was he.

Regan couldn’t believe it. She’d left her parents’ house an hour ago, feeling alone, abandoned by the people who were supposed to stand by her. Now, she looked around the table and saw the love that surrounded her. She’d been looking for a sense of belonging, something to let her know she was on the right path. Seeing her friends here, at her table, filled her with the knowledge that no matter what happened, these were the people she wanted in her life.

She was overwhelmed that they would give up their holidays to come to make hers better. Standing, she lifted the glass of wine Bethany had put in front of her. “I want to thank all of you for coming here today,” she began, not really sure how to express how much they all meant to her.

“I came back to Sapphire Creek not sure what I wanted to do. It was a pit stop that was familiar and safe because of all of you, and having you all here to help me through today just proves that I made the right decision. You’ve welcomed me and encouraged me to look to myself to figure out what I needed.” She caught Gavin’s eyes and gave him a smile. “With your support and love, I’ve made a decision.”

“I look forward to hearing it.”

The voice wasn’t welcome.

“Dad.” Her father’s face was flushed and his mouth set in a grim line. “What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Nicholas Sinclair asked, incredulously. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to be at the house with your family,” he said, shooting a glare around the table, “not leaving us hanging while you throw your family over for your friends. I thought you were more loyal than that.”

Gavin surged to his feet, ready to defend her, but Regan held up her hand, pleased when he stopped. Taking a deep breath, she faced her father. “My loyalty is not the one you should be questioning,” she told him, struggling to keep her temper in check. “I was at the house this morning. I saw the ambush you’d set up so I decided to leave and spend the day by myself.”

Nicholas snorted and waved to the gathering. “Don’t play me for a fool, Regan. Your mother is disappointed and your sisters feel like you’ve abandoned them again. I thought this would be an opportunity for you to repair your relationships with them, but your selfish need to be coddled has devastated them all over again.”

“I’m not the disappointment,” she said between clenched teeth. Someone placed a comforting hand on her back, but she couldn’t stop herself from taking a step forward to confront her father. “You are. The fact that you won’t accept me, accept any of us for who we are, that you manipulate us emotionally and insist on dictating how our lives should be lived. No, Dad, I’m not the disappointment here.” Regan let out a breath and locked her knees together. She couldn’t spend too much time thinking about what was happening or she was going to wind up in a puddle on the floor.

Unable to hold his gaze any longer, she turned and looked over the gathering. Her friends. People who dropped everything and came to her when she needed them. They were her real family.

She sank into her seat and brought her glass to her lips, refusing to back down from the line she’d just drawn. The tension filled the room as her father continued to stand there for several more heartbeats. Regan waited, wondering what he could possibly say next, but he turned on his heel and left before saying anything more.

Regan’s shoulders sagged in relief. Erin’s grandfather refilled her wine glass. “Don’t worry about it, honey.”

Smiling her thanks, she lifted the glass. “Worry about what?”

“For standing up for yourself. For letting them know you will be making your own decisions. For being happy. Take your pick.”

“That boy has had a stick stuck up his ass for as long as he’s been alive,” Bethany’s mother, a retired teacher, snorted. “It’s amazing he ever learned to walk.”

A startled laugh erupted from Regan’s mouth. With wide eyes and a hand over it, she looked around and saw everyone staring at the woman with various degrees of shock and amusement. Gavin dropped a quick kiss on her head and took his own seat next to her, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

Andy, Connor and Bethany’s son, dropped his fork with a clatter, making everyone jump and shattering the tension even more. This was how Thanksgiving was supposed to be. Full of laughter and love, support and friendships, not recrimination and guilt.

Opening her mouth to thank everyone again, Regan was interrupted by a loud boom cracking the silence, followed by shattering glass.