“Delivered. Can you do it today?”

“For you? Of course.”

“Can you add some sweet peas into the mix? I want lots of fragrance. Roses, fuchsia, maybe some lilacs?”

“Any lilies?”

“Yes. Make it spectacular.”

“And fragrant. Gotcha. Must be a special lady.”

I grinned. “Very.”

Around five, I was heading toward the office to make a few calls and change for tonight when my phone buzzed. I read Paige’s message, frowning at her words of having to cancel tonight. Then Ronan called, his voice thick with anger.

“Can you come to the house?”

I knew he meant Paige’s place. “What’s wrong?”

“Evan got pushed around this afternoon. Some bullies at school.”

“Fuck,” I swore, immediately turning the truck around to head that way. “Does he need to go to the hospital?”

“No, but he needs us.”

“I’m on my way. I’m about thirty minutes with traffic.”

“I hate to ask, but—”

I cut him off. “Paige already canceled. I’ll bring dinner. We’ll help Evan tonight.”

“Thanks, Liam. I owe you.”

“Nope,” I replied. “This is family.”

We both spoke at the same time. “It’s what we do.”

Our father and uncles had drummed that motto into our heads all our lives. Family came first. Always.

I hung up, shaking my head. Evan was a good kid, and he didn’t deserve to be picked on. Paige loved him like a brother of her own. She would be upset. Beth would be beside herself with worry.

I gunned the engine, changing lanes.

Not the evening I had planned.

I arrived, stepping from the truck and approaching Evan and Ronan, who were sitting on the steps. Evan’s face was a mess, but he was being brave. I had him tell me what happened, and as he explained, I felt the anger build at these faceless little shits who picked on a kid less fortunate than themselves. My father had always told us, especially given our size, it was our job to watch out for those who couldn’t defend themselves.

“You protect, never hurt,” he said over and again. “You help people. You never tear them down.”

I sat next to Evan and Ronan as he described what occurred. The way the boys surrounded him and why. All because he told the truth about meeting our family. They called him a liar and pushed him around, kicking his crutches out so he fell.

I met Ronan’s eyes over his head. My brother wasn’t going to let this rest. “Beth is going to talk to the principal,” he said. “Again.”

I nodded in understanding. It wouldn’t help if she’d already tried. I clapped Evan on the shoulder. “I brought Chinese for dinner. Ronan said it was your favorite. I got you extra spring rolls.”

A real smile broke out on his face. “Awesome.”

“You go inside and wash up. We’ll be right there.”

He got up and went inside, his limp more pronounced than ever. No doubt, he was aching head to toe from his fall earlier. I headed to the truck, getting the bags of food.

“I’m going to contact the teacher that Evan likes. The one who was having the discussion about BAM today,” Ronan said.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I think one of our company community visits is in order.”

“The power of BAM, you mean?”

He nodded.

“I’ll call Bentley and rally the troops. You know he’ll support this one hundred and ten percent.”

Ronan nodded, looking grim. “That’s what I’m counting on.”

Paige looked surprised to see me, but she accepted my kiss, her hug tight as I pulled her close. I dropped a kiss on her head. “It’s okay, Sweet Pea. We’re here. We’re going to figure this out.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” she admitted. “But I’m not sure what you can do except talk to Evan.”

I slipped my fingers under her chin and smiled. “Trust me on this. There is a lot we can do.”

She looked confused, but she went along with it. “Okay.”

I dropped another kiss to her mouth. “Good.”

“My flowers,” she whispered. “They are so beautiful, Liam. I’ve never gotten flowers before.”

“Ever?”

“Not once,” she confirmed. “I was sure they were for Beth or the wrong address,” she admitted. “Until this happened, I couldn’t stop smiling.”

“I always want you smiling.”

She hugged me again, her arms tight around my waist. I wrapped her close, letting her know I was there and she wasn’t alone in this or anything else.

“I’m here,” I said quietly. “Not going anywhere.”

Her sigh was shaky and low. “Good.”

We made Evan smile during dinner. The spring rolls helped. Lucy was attentive, sitting between Evan and me, fussing over his “boo-boos,” which she thought he got after his crutch slipped. She helped him with extra plum sauce and made sure he had lots of crunchy noodles on his chow mein, which meant a pile over his entire plate. He ate it all, not once impatient with her. After dinner, the girls went for a walk to get ice cream, while Ronan and I talked more with Evan.

Tags: Melanie Moreland Vested Interest - ABC Corp Romance
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