Life returned to a rhythm that was familiar, but new. I had been a homebody for the duration of my life, but it was different when there was a fear looming over me that, if I stepped outside alone, I would be killed.

However, I did see a little glimmer of hope. Ed and Marcus felt that, if Fitzgerald was caught, considering he was the one that put out the hit, then everything would settle down and the contracts would be cancelled. So, day after day, we waited for the hoped-for news that he had been apprehended.

Two weeks went by without any more updates on the case, other than the news that Ed and Marcus were looking deeper into Rex, but did not consider him a priority. Everyone was starting to feel closed off, but not too horribly, I didn’t think. I managed to mostly keep busy by taking over the cooking of the house. It had been nice to do something with all the time on my hands. I had never been too much of a cook, but I improved with every meal. And with Roman working from home, I was cooking three meals a day.

I was preparing lunch for Roman when my phone buzzed. It was Edward again. He and Freddy had been texting me for a week, hoping to talk. I hadn’t replied to their messages, but they were beginning to pull on my heart strings.

They were both texting me every day, just checking in, asking to hear from me, that they were hearing troubling things and just wanted to talk so they could know for sure I was okay.

Up until then, I had been holding strong in my position that they were just like my father. They didn’t really care and were just trying to get me to talk so they could be nasty to me.

Yet, as I stared down at Edward’s message, I couldn’t help but think that these weren’t the actions my father would take. He would have never texted me for a week straight just trying to talk.

EDWARD: I hope you are able to read this... I hope you a wonderful day, even if you don’t want to talk to me. I pray you are well. It’s all a brother can ask, isn’t it?

I bit my lip and reread it too many times. Maybe just a single text wouldn’t be so bad. It would give them peace of mind and get them off my back.

I texted back: Good morning. I am fine, thank you for checking in so much. It means a lot.

Taking a breath, I sat the phone aside and went back to my food prep. However, the phone buzzed again.

EDWARD: Thank God you’re okay!! You have no idea how good it is just to get a text back. I know you may not want to hear it after the way Fred and I acted, but know I love you. If it isn’t too much to ask, is Lori okay too?

I bit my lip. I had told myself one text, but I really should have included that Lori was okay, too. I know that she hadn’t spoken to them, and, if they really were worried for me, they would be for Lori, too.

I replied, Lori is fine, just busy. Love you too, but please go about your day now.

As I finished up the meal, I couldn’t stop thinking about the texts. My heart really was touched and, while I knew it might have been naive to trust them, I really couldn’t shake the thought that they were being sincere. Maybe it was more of a hope than a thought, but it was still nice.

I ran the food up to Roman before coming back down and staring at the messages some more. Against my better judgment, I convinced myself to take their olive branch. After all, they were my brothers, and the very least I could do was talk to them and inspect what I believe their intentions to be.

Clicking on his contact and then the call button, I raised the phone to my ear. He picked up right away.

"Hannah? Is that you? Is that really you?" Ed gushed.

It was a little strange, but also sweet, to hear how excited he was to talk to me. I wasn’t sure that we had ever had that as siblings.

"It’s me," I replied weakly. "I just thought I would call and make sure you believed me. Sorry to make you both worry so much, but I’m sure you can understand my hesitance in talking to you."

"Trust me, I do. Hannah, we were such jerks. I hope you can trust in me a little when I say that, now that father isn’t around, Freddy and I are starting to see things differently. I just..." he sounded choked up for a moment. "I feel awful for how we’ve done you, Hannah."

I blinked and leaned back against the counter. I didn’t think I would ever hear my brother say those words. He sounded emotional, sincere, and more mature than he had just weeks ago. While I didn’t think such a total, radical change could be made after a short amount of time, it sounded like he was headed in the right direction.

"It means a lot to me to hear that," I began, trying to gather my thoughts on the matter.

"I hope you can, in time, learn to forgive us. I would really like to get my sisters back, you know? We’re the only family that we have," he said.

"It’s going to take me time, and it may never get there, but I think, one day, I would like that too," I replied.

And on it went. For the next few days, as I made lunch, I would talk to Edward or Freddy. It got to the point that I was starting to look forward to the phone calls. They continuously checked in on my well-being, asking how Roman and I were doing, and made rather charming small talk. After all their bratty ways, I had managed to forget just how cheeky they could be.

On the fifth day, I was smiling before I even picked up the phone to call. "Hey Fred," I greeted when the other end of the phone call picked up.

"Hey, Hannah," he sighed.

He sounded defeated and distant. "Is everything okay? You sound a bit off."

"Well..." he began, but his voice drifted off. "No, no. It’s nothing."

"Go on... Tell me what’s going on," I pushed a little more.

There was silence and another deep breath before he began again. "The business has been taking such a hit since the investigation started. I’m not saying that as a guilt trip or anything, you know? Just as a fact. Ed and I have been doing anything and everything we can think of to fix things but it’s only getting worse. The business is hemorrhaging... We don’t know what to do. I mean, if it doesn’t get fixed soon, we’ll be done for."

I fell silent. I knew what he was getting at. The family business was all that Fred and Ed had ever done. It was their livelihood, and, without that, they would likely flop.

I didn’t even say anything before Fred added, "This takes all of my pride to ask, but do you think you and Roman could give us a loan to save it? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t our only option."

"A loan?" I muttered. "I-I don’t know. I... It’s so soon into us repairing our relationship, Fred. It feels weird. Just, just... Just let me think on it."

Before he could say anything, I hung up. It felt rude, but I was paranoid he would try and guilt me into it.

I tossed the phone onto the counter and rested my head in my hands. I stayed there, trying to sort through my thoughts and feelings, trying to come to a rational decision.

Hands were on my hips then. "Everything okay?" Roman asked from behind me.

"No, not really." I frowned.

He picked my face up and turned me around, hugging me properly. "What’s the matter?"

"I was talking to Fred," I sighed. He had been aware I had been chatting with my brothers in the hopes of a relationship one day, but that I wasn’t rushing it. "Apparently, the business is doing horribly. They’re asking us for a loan. And it’s just, it’s gutting me. We’ve been talking less than a week, you know? And they ask for money? It makes it feel like that’s all they ever wanted while talking with me. The thought of saving my dad’s business also doesn’t sit well with me."

Roman rubbed my back and kissed my head. "If they’re making you feel this way, then maybe it’s time to step back. You gave them a chance, and they bit off a little too much. Give it some room. They’ll figure out the business."

Even with such few words, I knew that Roman was right. It was too much and too soon. I needed some time. They needed to prove to me it wasn’t about money.