While he was waiting for the rest to arrive, Eddie calls his 'connections' and makes arrangments to have Kirstie's house cleaned and repaired.

Avi called and rented out the entire lodge in the mountains for two weeks.

This was the first time in ages that everyone was going to be gathered together at his house so Eddie thought he would just have a bar-b-que.

Nothing like bbq ribs and beer to celebrate their freedom.

Eddie had the beer on ice and the grill fired up by the time Chance and Austin arrived.

Esther was overjoyed that everyone made it through the ordeal with Olena without anyone getting injured. So she made sure to hug each one as they arrived. Even though she was quite surprised to see Austin, she made him feel at home and welcomed.

Chris was the next to arrive. Esther welcomes him with a hug and then leads him to the backyard where everyone was relaxing around the firepit.

"Where's Bossman at?" Chance asks with a smile.

"They were getting ready when I left. They'll be here soon." Chris says as he opens him a beer.

"Did they keep you awake last night with their groaning?" Avi chuckles.

"No, actually, I think they were both out like a light the minute their heads hit the pillows." Chris grins.

Tim and Adam arrive and are greeted by a crushing hug from Esther.

She leads them out to the patio where everyone was.

"TIMBO!!" Avi yells running and grabbing Tim into a hug. "I'm so glad you finally made it!"

He then turns to Adam and gives a playful overacting eye roll. "Oh, hi, Adam."

"Glad to see you too, Avi." Adam laughs.

"D*mn, something smells good." Tim says walking over to the grill and peeking inside. "Wow, some of Eddie's famous bbq ribs?"

"After the hell that you guys has been through lately, I thought a celebration was in order." Eddie smiles handing Tim and Adam beers.

"Well, that's mighty kind of you, Bro." Tim smiles. "We appreciate it."

Esther went back inside. She and Kirstie were fixing the side dishes to go with the ribs.

"Is Chris gay?" Kirstie asks out of the blue.

"No, why?" Esther laughs.

"Well, he needs to find him a girlfriend so that we won't be the only girls." Kirstie says with a smirk.

"I don't know. I kinda like us being the only girls. I mean, look at all the gorgeous men that we're surrounded by." Esther giggles. "That's any girls dream."

"True. Plus she would have to meet our expectations." The smaller girl smiles.

"Y'all need some help?" Austin asks coming into the kitchen.

"I don't know. Can you cook?" Kirstie asks crossing her arms across her chest, giving him a sassy look.

"Tim used to be skinny. Does that answer your question?" Austin sassed with raised brows.

"He can cook." The girls say in unison and laugh.

~~

The guys were all sitting around the firepit, drinking beer and chatting.

"Sooo, how'd it go with Austin last night?" Avi asks, turning his attention to Chance.

"We slept in separate bedrooms if that's what you're asking." Chance chuckles. "But, I guess it went alright. He really doesn't want to rush into anything. He doesn't want to feel like he's using me, how can I say this." He chuckles. "To get over past relationships."

Tim was lighting a cigarette when he glances up to see all eyes on him.

"What?" Tim asks. "Why are y'all looking at me? Olena was his last relationship."

"But maybe he wasn't really in love with Olena." Adam says. "Like he was you."

"I really don't mean for this to sound cruel or anything. But our breakup was his decision." Tim says. "He knows I've moved on and he will too. It's not easy. Cause if you remember correctly, Adam, I was also afraid that I would be using you as a rebound to get over Austin. But you didn't give up and now look at us."

"And you two still haven't had sex." Avi laughs.

"Screw you." Tim laughs. "Shut up." He adds as he sees Avi open his mouth fixing to say something.

"We'll have our time." Adam says leaning into Tim, kissing him on the cheek. "And it will be magical."

A loud "AWWWWWW!" came from the other guys around the firepit.

Tim chuckles and shakes his head, clearly embarrassed.

"So. Did you rent the rooms at the lodge?" Tim asks quickly to get the pressure off him and Adam.

"Actually, Avi rented the entire lodge." Eddie says, getting up to check on the grill.

"Yeppers, it'll just be us. Nobody else." Avi smiles. "We're gonna have a blast. The whole place to ourselves. We leave the day after tomorrow."

Soon the food was done and they all gathered around the large picnic table that Eddie had in the back yard.

They ate, laughed, talked about old time and their upcoming vacation.

"I'd like to say something." Tim says, standing to his feet, his speech slightly slurred from the alcohol. "I have never met a greater group of people in my life. People that have risked their own lives for me. When I needed you, you were there. Each of you has shown bravery beyond belief. And I could never thank you enough. You guys and ladies are my family and I love each and everyone one of you very much. We've been through several rough times together, Silas and Tammy, McGriff, Olena. And I'm sure the list will get longer. Our rough times are not over, so never let your guard down. Always keep looking over your shoulder. Cause I don't want to lose any of you. But as long as we watch out for each other, we'll be alright. I'm very proud to say that I have one bad-ass group of people here. So." Tim lifts his beer. "To us."

"TO US!"

************

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