Several chuckles ring out around the room.
Legend looks in my direction. “You don’t have to worry about slinking out. Slick isn’t even on the property today.”
“I’m not avoiding her.”
“You are. We know it, and she knows it, too,” Legend argues.
Apollo cocks an eyebrow at me, as if saying I now owe two people an apology.
“Talking about your feelings is very healthy,” Aro interjects. “I try to tell her my feelings every chance I get.”
“Talking to Slick about your feelings is one thing. Didn’t you tell her last week that you got a boner watching a show about killer whales?” I look at Boomer, a little surprised that he’s the one to ask the question since he’s more of a silent observer.
“It’s what I was feeling,” Aro argues.
“Horny. You were feeling horny.” Boomer scoffs.
“And I was also feeling weird about it.” Aro crosses his arms over his chest with an indignant flare, making us all chuckle.
“I got a boner once when I was watching a kid show. Kind of fucked me up,” Spade says, his nose crinkling at his confession.
“Like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or something?” Boomer asks, leaning in like he’s seriously invested in the answer.
Spade jerks his head back in disgust. “No, weirdo. I was watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
“Not a kid show, man,” Legend states.
“Jessica Rabbit gave me a boner, too,” Aro says, his face turning reflective. “I think I may have a problem.”
“Jessica Rabbit started my whole obsession with redheads,” Ugly says with a wide grin, speaking for the first time since they all entered the garage.
“Don’t let Thumper hear you talk about redheads. He’ll kick your ass for looking that way at Cara,” Legend says.
“How about we don’t talk about my sister-in-law in any manner,” Apollo hisses.
“I was talking about redheads in general,” Ugly says. “I’m not the one who brought up Cara.”
“Can we get back on topic?” Apollo asks, his irritation growing when Ugly fakes a dreamy look as if he’s picturing the man’s sister-in-law right now.
“Jessica Rabbit?” Spade asks with a wide grin.
Apollo pulls the tab off his soda can and chucks it at him. The tab hits his chest and falls between his splayed legs.
“We were talking about talking about feelings and how healthy it is,” Boomer reminds us.
“I thought we were talking about boners,” I say with a laugh, regretting it instantly when my words sober some of the guys. I guess they didn’t expect me to make a joke.
“I’m leaving if we’re talking about dicks,” Ugly snaps. “I can handle hot cartoon characters, redheads, and even killer whales, but I draw the line at talking about dicks.”
This draws a round of laughter, and I pretend I find it funny, letting their response to my previous words fade away.
“I saw Dr. Alverez several times months ago,” Legend says, and the laughter in the room dies away.
“Yeah?” Apollo prods.
“I was having a hard time sleeping after Faith was abducted. It’s crazy because she was the one who went through so much shit, and I was the one who couldn’t stop worrying about it happening again.”
“I didn’t know you saw her,” I mutter.
He nods. “It was months after. I had a nightmare about another client of hers going psycho, and it felt like there was this weight on my chest. Talking to the doctor really helped.”
“That’s great, man,” Apollo says, clamping his best friend on the back.
Legend looks up and finds my eyes. “If you’re struggling, you could see her, too. Nothing is a quick fix, but it could help with the loss of Lana.”
My throat threatens to close as tears sting the backs of my eyes. This is the very first time, other than the vague reference Apollo made before the other guys joined us, that one of the guys has mentioned her since she died. Well, other than condolences at the funeral and the memorial we had shortly after.
I shake my head. “I don’t think I’m ready.”
“You could talk to us,” Aro encourages, the energy in the room shifting from joking about Jessica Rabbit to a seriousness I hadn’t planned to face today with the men I work with.
I look around the room, getting a nod of support from each and every one of them.
“So now I have to avoid all of you like I do Slick?” I grin, but my lip wobbles, betraying my sorrowful mood.
Apollo’s hand clamps on my shoulder. “Never avoid us, brother. We’re here for you, even if it’s just for a little escape.”
I nod, swallowing down as many of my emotions as I can manage.
“I appreciate that, guys, and I’ll try not to be so sullen and distant.”
“You feel what you feel, Harley. Just know you can feel however you want while still being around us,” Legend says with a soft smile.
“But not horny over killer whales,” Boomer interjects, and laughter erupts around the room.