Page 154 of Ransom

Ransom's breathing gets ragged as he struggles to maintain control. He rakes his hands through his hair, then stands, pacing away from the group. No way, I'm letting him run from us.

I cross the room and grab his shoulders. "Listen to me. We all have shit in our pasts. Things we wish we could change. But you're the one who taught us family means never having to carry that weight alone."

Tears spill down his cheeks as his careful control finally breaks. I pull him into a fierce hug, feeling his shoulders shake. Even now, he won't allow himself to fall apart completely.

"We love you, brother. Nothing changes that. Nothing ever could," I whisper into his ear.

One by one, my brothers join us until we're all wrapped around Ransom in a messy group hug.

I watch as Ransom's breathing steadies, his shoulders no longer shaking under my grip. Then a fart rips through the group, and the stench hits us. I glare daggers at Zach and Declan, but only Declan meets my eyes. I kick at Zach, making him dance away. "Way to kill the fucking moment, asshole."

Groaning, Ransom steps back from our group embrace, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. The gesture hits me hard—how many times had he been there when one of us broke down? Never once did he make us feel weak for it.

My own dad would've knocked me across the room for showing tears. John learned that too, then prison taught him to be ice cold. But Ransom? He taught us it was okay to feel, to hurt, to heal.

Holly appears beside us, Noah sleeping peacefully in her arms. Without a word, she transfers my nephew into Ransom'shold. "Hold the baby," she says softly. "He'll make you feel better. Come back and talk to us."

The tension visibly drains from Ransom's body as he cradles Noah against his chest. He moves carefully back to his spot on the gym floor, sinking down with the precious cargo.

"God, Ransom." Evie's voice is thick with emotion. "Living with that kind of guilt all these years... I get it. Kids shoulder so much responsibility, take on blame that isn't theirs to carry." She takes a shaky breath. "But that one mistake doesn't define your whole life."

My wife meets my eyes across the circle, shining with love. I’m never going to get tired of her looking at me like that.

And I’ll never take it for granted. Ransom helped me become the man I am today. A man almost worthy of her. Every fucking day I wake up, thank whatever God sent her to me, and work my ass of to deserve her.

"I'm thankful every day that you built this family," Evie continues. "You saved Colton. You helped save all of us in different ways."

"If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead in some alley," I admit roughly. "Instead, I have a wife, a daughter, and a real future."

Holly nods. "No one else would have stepped in and been there for Micah the way you were. The way all of you were."

"You showed me what family really means," Nick adds. "I didn't think I deserved any of you after my Abuelita died. But you didn't give up on me either."

Ransom cradles Noah, his fingers gentle as they brush the toddler’s head. The tension in his shoulders eases slightly with each rise and fall of Noah's chest.

Maya's voice breaks the silence. "Tell us more about your sisters. What were they like?"

Ransom swallows hard, his eyes fixed on Noah. "Julie was seven. Sweetest kid you'd ever meet. Always trying to make everyone happy." His voice catches. "And Katie—she was nine.” He glances up, giving Cadence a small smile. “God, Cady, when I first met you, you reminded me so much of her. That wild hair, always bouncing around like gravity didn't apply."

Cadence touches her curls, tears shining in her eyes.

"Katie could find the bright side of anything, just like you," Ransom continues. "Even when I was being a complete ass about sharing a room with them." He shakes his head. "I complained constantly about it. Three kids crammed in one bedroom—I thought it was the end of the world."

Cara lets out a watery laugh. "Oh god, remember our shared room, Bree?"

"Worst years of our lives," Bree agrees, wiping her eyes. "You used to draw a line down the middle with masking tape."

"And you'd still leave your shit everywhere," Cara shoots back.

"It's what siblings do," Bree says softly to Ransom. "Fight and complain and love each other anyway."

"Julie used to steal my comics," Ransom says, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "She'd hide under her blanket with a flashlight, reading them after bedtime. I'd get so mad, but then she'd look at me with those big brown eyes and say, 'But, Ranny, I just wanted to see what happens next.'"

"Ranny?" Becca raises an eyebrow.

"Shut up," Ransom mutters, but there's no heat in it. "Katie started it when she was learning to talk. It stuck."

"That's adorable," Maya says.

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