Noah POV

An hour later, there was a knock on the door.

Theo’s hands immediately went to Lucy, placing her behind him protectively.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him and went to open the door.

Ethan and Aiden were waiting outside with huge smiles on their faces. They were excited to meet Lucy. We’ve told them about her, but we wanted to wait for her to be comfortable before meeting them.

“Hey, guys.” I smiled and stepped aside so they could enter the house.

I walked behind them to the living room. Theo was still standing in front of Lucy, shielding her from their gazes.

“Hey, Theo.” Aiden said happily. “Is that Lucy?”

Theo nodded reluctantly and stepped aside.

I could hear Ethan and Aiden gasp quietly.

“Fuck, she is pretty.” Aiden mumbled.

“Back the fuck off.”

“Hell no.”

“Thank you.”

Theo, Lucy, and I said at the same time.

Ethan laughed and shook his head. “Hi, Lucy. My name is Ethan. It is good to finally meet you.”

“Hi, Ethan.” Lucy said with a small smile. “It’s good to meet you too.”

“Hi, Lucy.” Aiden said, blushing.

I’m going to have to talk to him. By the look on Theo’s face, he would like to do more than just talk to him.

“Hi, Aiden.” she smiled at him.

We heard footsteps approaching the living room, and Ezra opened the door.

“Hi, guys.” he said with a smile.

"Hi, Ezra." Ethan and Aiden said at the same time.

Ezra walked straight to Lucy, pulling her into his arms.

When Liam and Ezra came home from work and we told them Ethan and Aiden were coming, they were thrilled. I guess they also thought Theo needed time for himself.

“Are you ready, honey?” Ezra asked Lucy, running his hand through her hair.

They made plans to bake cookies and watch a movie together.

“Yes.” she looked up at him and smiled.

I could feel Theo’s nervousness. He pulled her out of Ezra’s arms and pressed her against his chest. His breaths were fast and shallow. I could see his hands trembling slightly.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan and Aiden exchange a confused glance.

“I will be in the kitchen, Theo.” Lucy said, rubbing his back soothingly.

He nodded stiffly and let her go. Ezra took her hand and led her out of the room. She waved at us before closing the door behind her.

I grabbed Theo’s shaking hand and started pulling him upstairs.

Ethan and Aiden followed us with a confused expression on their faces.

As soon as the door to my room closed, Ethan and Aiden started with their questions.

“What was that?”

“Are you okay, Theo?”

I looked at Theo, who rolled his eyes, sat down on my bed and buried his head in his hands.

We’ve never told our friends about Lucy’s past. It wasn’t our story to tell. She is the one who should decide if she wants them to know. We would never take that choice away from her like that. But I think we will have to tell them something. How else could we explain Theo’s behavior.

“Theo is protective, you know that.” I said, bending down and turning the PlayStation on.

“Yeah, we know that.” Aiden nodded. “But why is he scared?”

I turned back around and looked at my brother. He really did look terrified. I sighed and walked over to him. I sat down and placed a hand on his back.

“He is just tired.” I said.

Ethan and Aiden narrowed their eyes at us. I knew it would be hard to keep the truth away from them.

“What is going on, Theo?” Ethan asked, pulling up a chair and sitting across from us. “We’ve been friends forever. We know you. Don’t bullshit us.”

Theo moved his hands away from his face and looked at our friends.

“What would you do if it was Riley?” Theo asked them. “What would you do if someone took Riley away? And then when you finally get her back, someone else is trying to take her away again.”

Ethan and Aiden shared another confused look.

“Would you be scared if it was Riley?” Theo asked them, not giving them a chance to speak.

“Of course.” Ethan nodded.

“I would kill them.” Aiden said coldly.

It was rare to hear Aiden speak like that. He was all happy and bubbly all the time.

“Someone is trying to take her away again?” Ethan asked.

I nodded.

“Who?”

“Why?”

Ethan and Aiden asked at the same time.

“Her stepfather.” Theo groaned and buried his head back in his hands.

“But isn’t that matter already solved in court?” Ethan asked, confusion written all over his face. “Liam is her legal guardian. You are her biological family. Her stepfather can’t fight that.”

Theo looked up at me, and I gave him a warning look. We can’t say anything.

“He is not trying to do it legally, is he?” Aiden asked quietly.

Theo and I looked at him and nodded.

“Oh, fuck.” Ethan mumbled.

“It’s not our story to tell.” I said. “Let’s just say he wasn’t great at parenting. He ran away and we don’t know where he is.”

“We are afraid he will want to take her back.” Theo added quietly.

I guess they didn’t need much explaining because both of them clenched their fists and mumbled curses under their breath.

I just hoped we didn’t betray her trust by telling them that. My heart clenched painfully just thinking about her being mad at us.

“Why isn’t he dead already?” Ethan asked angrily.

“Liam wanted to take a legal course of action.” Theo mumbled unhappily.

“Like that’s going to help.” Aiden mumbled and rolled his eyes.

“He is not going to take her away.” Ethan said sternly. “We are here to help. He will have to go through all of us first.”

“Ethan is right.” Aiden nodded. “We are here for you and we are here for her. She belongs here with her family. No way that fucker is getting to her.”

I smiled at them. It’s amazing how protective of her they already are. I don’t know if it is because they care about us and she is our sister, or because they have a sister of their own and they know what would it be like for them if someone hurt her.

Either way, I’m incredibly thankful to them.

“Thank you, guys.” Theo mumbled.

“Also, she will have Riley.” Ethan chuckled. “She almost bit my head off when I told her she couldn’t come today. She is so excited to meet her.”

“Yeah.” Aiden laughed. “Riley will take care of her. She is small, but she is feisty.”

Theo and I chuckled. Riley really is a force to reckon with.

“Thank you, guys.” I said, smiling.

“Of course.” Ethan smiled back. “That’s what friends are for.”

I nodded, and Theo stood up.

“Where are you going?” I asked, grabbing his hand.

“I want to check on her.” he said.

“No, Theo.” I shook my head. “We’ve talked about this. She is with Liam and Ezra and she is okay.”

Theo shifted from foot to foot nervously.

“What’s going on?” Aiden asked, looking from Theo to me.

“Theo has been a little overprotective.” I sighed, pulling him to sit back down next to me. “He hasn’t been sleeping or eating properly. We were worried about him, and Lucy wanted him to do something for himself. Something to distract him from worrying all the time.”

“Oh, I am more than happy to beat his ass and distract him.” Aiden teased, grabbing the controller.

“You are not beating me.” Theo grunted, focusing on the TV and taking the other controller.

Ethan and I laughed and watched them start the game.

I hope Theo will be okay. I know he is worried. I’m worried as well. We all are. But he is putting himself at risk. He needs rest. He needs food. He needs his friends. Lucy was right.

She will be okay no matter what. We will never let her get hurt again. I will never let her get hurt again.

Because if she did, I don’t know what I would do.