I nod, caressing Ashlyn's cheek and bringing her face back to mine. "You okay with Darby?"
"Yes."
"No judgment, no stress. I got your back. I'll bring your coffee and your purse. Take your time getting ready."
"Okay."
I take advantage of her scattered mindset and bend down, kissing her mouth from corner to corner, then step away, grabbing my jeans off the bed and a shirt from the dresser.
"Ahhhh, I miss the romance with a new relationship," Darby gushes, rubbing her stomach.
"Take care of her." I flick my wrist, leaving them alone.
"You may need to learn that the Kendrick brothers are bossy," Darby tells Ashlyn.
"I think I got that," she responds through nervous laughter as the door closes.
•—•—•—•—•
"Gotta say, this is not how I saw myself spending the day." Dad settles between Pierce and me, watching Runner chase Cole around the backyard.
"That makes two of us."
"I heard she was pretty, but I think the guys on the crew were holding back."
"They probably haven't seen much of her. Miller's been keeping her out of the house on purpose," Pierce throws in.
"Smart choice."
"Don't you two have somewhere else to be?"
"I know better than to try to pull Jill away right now. She's in her own version of heaven."
I look back through the house at the women in the living room in the same spots I left them a while ago. Maya is sitting on the floor between Darby's legs as Darby braids her hair. Ashlyn is half-laying on the couch, propped up on the armrest, listening to my mom who is talking non-stop. Every few seconds, she glances at Ashlyn, and the happiness Dad's referring to is beaming.
My eyes go back to the relaxed redhead, and I make another mental note to do something special for Darby. No telling what happened in the time those women were in my room, but when Ashlyn came out in the hip-hugging jeans, a face of light makeup, and her hair slicked in a ponytail, she was calm. The best part was she was still wearing my shirt, tied in a knot around her waist. My gut twisted and it took all the control I could find not to drag her back to my room.
She sent me an appreciative smile and slid onto a barstool, sipping her coffee. Pierce stormed through the door less than a minute later, and the madness began. He went straight to Darby, dragging her into my office, and Maya bounced in, waving at me and sidling up to Ashlyn to show her something on her phone like they were long-lost friends.
I loved my niece, but at that moment, I fiercely loved my niece for acting like it was normal to walk in and find Ashlyn.
Any awkwardness of my parents meeting her was lost when Cole ran into the house demanding we turn on ESPN. He gave a half-hug to Ashlyn and passed with Runner at his feet.
Ashlyn's eyebrows shot up when her eyes came to mine, and she burst into laughter. Mom and Dad followed him in, and when I questioned my mom on the impromptu lunch, she shoved a casserole dish at me. Dad unloaded a few bags before they both went to introduce themselves.
I waited, ready to break in if needed, but Ashlyn showed no signs of discomfort. By the time Pierce and Darby returned, Mom and Dad were discussing the renovation casually.
The rest of the day has gone as smoothly. Now I stare at her. Like this morning, she looks natural in my place. I love my family, but I want them gone. I bring my attention back to the yard and start the process.
"Darby needs a daughter." Pierce is the easiest target to ruse.
His head swings to me, and his eyes narrow. "I'll work on that in March."
"Just saying, Darby mentioned missing romance earlier. You may need to step up your game." I'm a dick. Using Darby's words against Pierce is like fueling an already burning inferno. “Isn't the honeymoon period supposed to last at least a year?”
"You're an ass, and I know what you're doing."
"Trying to switch our focus to you? Yeah, I know, too." Dad catches on, zeroing in on me. "But why don't we talk about how you've hidden this for so long?"
An uneasy feeling stirs in my gut, but I keep a straight face. "She's only been here a few weeks."
"You're a terrible liar."
"Who's lying?"
"You know, when Pierce told me you decided to take on this project, something seemed off. It didn't take long for the office rumblings to kick-in, and word has it she's high-maintenance. That isn't your style. But seeing the way you look at her, it all makes sense now."
"Not sure what you're getting at. What makes sense?"
"You boys think your mom has all the instincts, but I'm an observant old man. All those years, it was obvious why Pierce didn't find a woman and settle down, but we couldn't figure out why you didn't. Meet someone, date, get married, have kids."
"Because Pierce was the best form of birth control there was."
"Kiss my ass," Pierce mumbles under his breath.
"Maybe that's true, but you two didn't fool us with your frequent weekend trips out of town. They drove your mother crazy. Before Darby came back and they worked out their problems, we held on to hope that you'd be the one with a normal relationship."
"Did I miss the memo that today is insult Pierce day?" Pierce throws a finger my way. "Don't forget who had your back this morning."
"It's not an insult if it's the truth. After the issues with Connie, we knew you'd be a lifetime bachelor. Thank God, Darby came home. But Miller is a different story." Dad slices his eyes back to me. "All these years, you've openly avoided relationships. That drove your mom even crazier. Charleston is filled with tons of beautiful, successful, and single women. Yet, you never once took interest. Suddenly, that woman blows
