“I ’m not fucking shaving my beard off,” Frankie said, his arms crossed over his puffed-up chest and his legs wide.

The stance was meant to be intimidating but Mia had to hide her smile behind her hand. All she could see was her brother when he was a kid and their mother tried to explain to him why he couldn’t keep the stray dog that had followed him home. Frankie eventually wore Maria down and Buster got to stay, but only after an extensive search for his owner. Now he was trying to make the same stand with Liam, only Liam wasn’t Maria and Mia didn’t think he would...