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“Yeah, Kit has the same rule at our house. That wetsuit, however, stinks to high heaven. For some reason, Kit can’t smell it. I don’t get it.”

I laughed. “What can I do for you? You want some coffee?”

A thrill raced down my spine at the idea of having River in a house that was kind of mine. It was nice to invite a guest into my space for a change.

“Sure. Please say you’ll help me get things ready for this party. Kit said the firefighters will bring the food, so we just need to go to the store and get some ice and snacks. I think some beer and seltzers should do the trick. Some soft drinks too.”

What the hell? “Why are you and Kit hosting Thatcher’s work friends? He mentioned having them here, and I was going to come to your house while they had their party. Now they’re at your house?”

Riv sighed. “Look, you just moved in here with Thatcher, and I guess he wants you to be comfortable, but I talked to Goldie and Arlo, and they want to thank the firefighters and paramedics for everything they did for us that day. Kit thought we’d all feel better at our house. We have a copper pit where we can have a bonfire, and I thought maybe we could do a singalong. Please come, JD. We owe these guys our lives. If that tanker had gone up, we’d all be dead, along with many of them.”

A shiver rolled down my spine at his words. I knew he was right, but it still hurt to hear it. “And if I hadn’t dragged Hardy out of the wreck, he wouldn’t have died. His spinal cord injury wouldn’t have been bad enough to kill him. I killed him, River.”

My friend’s face morphed into an expression of horror. “What? You think what?”

“I found Hardy after the collision, and I pulled him out of the wreck, Riv. I’m the reason he died.”

River shook his head quickly. “You’re wrong, JD. Hardy was already dead when you found him in that wreck. His spinal cord was already severed, according to the coroner who spoke to Hardy’s sister. She called Sandy and told him what the coroner said, and Skylar called to tell me. That’s why that fucking truck driver is going to prison for life.”

I tried like hell to catch my breath at his words. “You don’t know that, Riv. None of us know that for sure.”

“Look, let’s just get through this party tonight, and we’ll figure out how to go forward. We’re brothers, JD. We’ll all work through this together.”

I wasn’t so sure, but I’d do anything for my friends. I nodded. “Tell me what we need to do.”

River was like a powerhouse. We went to the store and bought a variety of alcoholic and soft drinks, along with bags of ice. The cart was filled with various snacks, charcuterie platters, and several kinds of dip.

I was sure we had far too much food, but Riv said it was fine. I pushed the cart to Kit’s truck, where we loaded everything into the back seat and then put the bags of ice in the bed so the seats and floorboard stayed dry.

River drove us back to the beach, and Kit came out to help us unload the truck. When I carried a bag of ice through the house, I was greeted with an amazing sight. Arlo and Goldie were setting up a badminton net and a cornhole game.

There were coolers and chairs in the sand, along with a fire pit ready to go when the sun went down. Actual tiki torches surrounded the chairs, and it looked like a fun beach party.

How did I get so lucky to have people around who were willing to go to so much trouble for me? Wait, it wasn’t for me, was it? It was for Thatcher’s crew.

Oh, fuck! I was going to meet Thatcher’s crew.

There was a knock on my room’s bathroom door that startled me as I combed leave-in conditioner through my hair after I’d dressed in cut-off sweats and a T-shirt.

I’d returned to Thatcher’s little blue house to shower after I helped River set up the party space. I still hadn’t decided whether I’d go back, but at least I’d helped get things ready.

I opened the ensuite door to see Thatcher sitting on my bed.

“Uh, hi.”

Thatcher’s grin was bright. “I’m sorry to invade your privacy, but I wanted to ask you personally to come with me to Kit and River’s house so you can meet my crew. I won’t push you, but I’d appreciate it a lot if you’d go with me.”

He was wearing a pair of navy shorts and a white T-shirt, clearly preparing to go to the party. He was sex on two very muscular legs, and he caused me to whimper with longing. It was embarrassing.

“Why do you want me to go?” It was an honest question, and I wanted an honest answer.

Thatcher placed his hands on my biceps. “My crew wants to meet you and see that you’re okay. They’ve been worried about you since the accident, okay? I want you to get to know the people who worked to make sure you and the band survived that crash. You’re important to them, just like you’re important to me.”

My heart rate picked up. I considered what Thatcher had said, and as I looked into his gorgeous blue-gray eyes, I wanted to please him. I wanted to make him happy, though I wasn’t quite sure why.

“Okay. I’ll go with you.”

His smile was like the sun breaking through a cloudy sky. “Great. I’ll wait in the other room.”