“Happy Birthday, Ellie!” Damon grins. “The big eighteen, how does it feel?”

Ellie grins, her hair flowing in thick curls around her shoulders.

“It feels pretty damned good.”

“We got you something,” Finn says, stepping forward. “Slater picked it. Although I’m not supposed to tell you that, because you’re not supposed to know just how much he likes you.”

I shoot Finn a look, and he throws me a grin.

Finn doesn’t smile a lot.

But since Ellie, he’s smiling so much more.

And it’s so damned good to see, because maybe she’s just what he needs, something to bring the light back into his world.

Ellie smiles, and her eyes flash to mine. Her cheeks get red. They’ve been doing that a fuck of a lot lately when she looks at me. And things are a whole lot harder now I know she’s eighteen. Now I know I can have her. But fuck, I know I have to stay away. I’m no good for her, she’s better off with Damon, or Finn.

But the thought of that nearly sends me into a rage.

“You picked this?” she asks me.

I shrug. “All of us did, open it.”

She opens the box Damon placed in her hands, and stares for a while, for a long while. She just looks at the inside of the box. And then, she starts to cry. She blinks a few times, and then starts crying even more.

“Shit,” Damon says, “You made her cry Slater.”

“I didn’t make her cry,” I mutter. “Fuck.”

“Someone do something,” Finn sounds panicked.

“For the love of god, you men have no fuckin’ idea how to handle women,” Lincoln says, strolling into the room. He walks right over, and jerks Ellie into his arms, giving her a big hug. “Happy birthday, sweetheart. You’re part of the family now. We don’t know what we’d do without you.”

She hangs onto Lincoln, and a funny jealous feeling burns in my chest, but I shove it away. She’s too young for me. She deserves better.

“Thank you so much,” she says, pulling away from Lincoln and swiping at her eyes, and then she pulls out the necklace that I picked for her, and hands it to me, fingers outstretched, wanting me to put it on.

I walk over, heart racing, and she turns, lifting her hair, sending a waft of that fuckin’ incredible smell my way. Honey, and vanilla, and her own unique scent. I reach around in front of her, and then bring the necklace around her neck, clipping it up. I let my fingers graze her skin as I do, and I don’t miss how it prickles beneath my touch. Fuck. I have to get out of here, or I’m going to do something I’ll regret.

“Happy Birthday, darlin’,” I say, stepping back.

She turns, reaching down and picking up the pendant in her hand, cradling it and staring at it. “What does it mean?”

I picked a string of flowers, all intertwined, winding down in a long stem down her neck, almost dipping into her cleavage. That part was accidental, though I don’t regret it now. There are five flowers.

“Five flowers, all joined. You figure it out.”

I turn and face Lincoln, and Ellie’s soft voice fills my ears. “We’re family now, Slater Knight. I think that’s what it means.”

We’re a fuck of a lot more than family. At least, I wish we were.

“Exactly,” I murmur.

Then I follow Lincoln as he walks out. He gave me a look when he came into the room, a look that said he wanted to talk with me. Now we’re out in the hall, he turns to me. “Gotta talk, you won’t like it.”

My chest clenches.

“Dad’s bills have come in, you were right, we can’t swing it. But, I’ve found a way...”

Fuck.

I don’t like how that sounds, not at all.

“What do you mean you’ve found a way?” I question.

“Got a few jobs to do, will pay the bills, get us ahead. Lettin’ you know, because...I might not be here, and need you not to worry.”

Jobs.

Fuck.

“What sort of jobs, Lincoln? Fuck me, are you selling?”

His eyes flash around, checking to make sure we can’t be overheard, then he meets my gaze again. “It’s basic work, it’ll pay the bills.”

“It’s never basic fuckin’ work,” I growl. “You get into that shit, you don’t get out.”

“It’s a small job,” he hisses, “And I’ve told them I’ll only be doing it once.”

“Bullshit, until the next bill comes in, and then you’ll do it again. Selling hooks people, Lincoln, they make big money and they don’t want to stop.”

“What other fuckin’ option do we have?” he whisper hisses. “You fuckin’ give me one, Slater, because I don’t have one.”

“We get dad out, and do round the clock care until he’s clean. Don’t let him out of our sight. Lock him in a room if we have to. Some fuckin’ thing.”

“That’ll never work and you know it. We’ve tried it, but we have to work, both of us, to keep this house afloat. So dad gets left alone, and it’s too much for Damon and Finn to handle.”

“Then we fuckin’ sell this damned house!”

“Fuck you, Slater. This house is all we have left of mom.”

“Yeah,” I bellow, losing my shit. “And I’m sure this is what she would want for you. I’m fairly certain she’d prefer you to give up the fuckin’ house before you-”

Lincoln grabs my shirt and slams me against the wall, so hard I lose my breath. Rage flares through my veins and I shove back at him. Swinging, I hit him in mouth so hard his jaw cracks and blood spurts forth. He bellows in a rage and throws his fist, hitting me right back. My head swings to the side and blood fills my mouth. I spit it and spin, raising my fist, but Ellie’s voice breaks through the tension.

“If you hit him again, Slater Knight, I’m going to hit you! Now stop it!”

I glance over at her, panting, fist in the air, and she’s standing at the door, arms crossed, looking terrified, yet she’s trying not to show it. Finn and Damon are behind her, both staring at us, both bitterly disappointed. We’re supposed to be their role models, and this is how we’re behaving. Fuck. I drop my fist and stare at Lincoln, who is panting, his eyes meet mine, and fury passes between us, but we don’t say anymore.

We’ll agree to disagree.

For now.

But I won’t let this go easily.

“I need space,” I mutter, walking out of the room.

I need to figure this out.

I have to fix this.

Otherwise my family is going to sink.

And I won’t let that happen.