"What can I say? She's special."
"Just a few hours with her and I already know that. My question is, when did you figure it out?"
The weight of their stares burns into my skin. I glance through the house and find Ashlyn with her head thrown back as she shakes with laughter. My chest tightens at the sight, seeing her happy, and knowing those walls she's put around herself are nowhere to be found.
"I knew it the night I met her, in April."
"What the hell?" It takes a lot to shock Pierce, but it seems like I’ve succeeded. "April?" he repeats.
There's no way I'm telling them the whole story because it's none of their business and would embarrass Ashlyn. But I highlight some details, hoping they'll drop it.
"The week I was in Chicago meeting Todd. He had an emergency on one of his projects and had to fly out early, leaving me with time on my hands. I met her at a bar. She was coming from a business dinner, and we struck up a conversation. I bought her a few drinks and enjoyed the time until she had to take a call." I cross my arms and lower my voice. "And before either of you ask, she left so fast I didn't get her name."
The story is spotty at best, but I can hope they buy it.
"Are you kidding me? You had a woman like Ashlyn drinking with you in a bar and you didn't get her name? That's amateur hour." Pierce whistles in disbelief. "I don't know what is more unbelievable, that she ends up in Charleston with connections to us or the fact you let her slip away the first time."
"She made an impression, that's for sure. I regretted the mistake."
"Quite a turn of events." Dad assesses, studying me closely. "Few people could believe that type of coincidence."
"That's exactly what it is, a coincidence. But the moment I recognized her, I corrected my mistake. It's taken a few weeks to get through."
"What do you mean get through?"
"She's got some issues back in Chicago that she won't discuss. But I think we finally turned a corner. That is until you guys decided to bust into our day."
"What kind of trouble are you thinking?"
"It may have something to do with her old job."
"I think you're right. Stephanie said something about it, too," Pierce adds.
"I'd appreciate you guys not mentioning our connection today. Give me a chance to give her a head's up that I told you."
"You let us know when you talk to her. We'll wait," Dad assures me.
"Darby's going to be crushed she didn't set you up."
"Yeah, that play didn't go unnoticed. But I'm thankful she brought Ashlyn back into my life."
"Whoa, don't look now, but you're sounding like a man who's dropped his commitment issues."
"No issues, just waiting for her."
"Holy shit, did I hear that correctly?" Pierce tugs on his ear.
"Shut up. Now that you and Dad are finally up to date on my personal business, do you think you can wrap up this family day and give me some space?"
"Since you asked so nicely, I'll start the roundup." He whistles, and Runner responds by trotting our way.
"Can we watch the game now?" Cole requests dramatically. "Grandma promised we could watch the second half."
"We'll watch it at home. Let's go get Darby and your sister."
He leads the way into the house, and realization washes over Mom even before Cole announces it's time to go home. She frowns, opening her mouth to protest, but Dad waves his hand in the air to get her moving.
Ashlyn stands, too, and I go to her, kissing her quickly before tucking her to my side.
Mom doesn't hide her excitement.
Maya giggles loudly while leaning into Darby.
Cole coughs.
And Ashlyn tenses, blushing so red her cheeks are almost purple.
"Calm down, Princess."
She elbows me, trying to get away, but I tighten my hold.
"You did not call me Princess in front of your family."
"Before we leave, I meant to mention a change in the lineup with crews." Dad takes out his phone and scrolls through.
Pierce and I exchange a glance, knowing Dad could easily email or text any changes.
"Electrician will be ready for Ashlyn's house in a week. Need to get prepared."
"Quite a jump in scheduling. What prompted this?" My instincts go on alert.
"Birthdays, vacations, upcoming holidays… We had to make modifications. Can you be ready?"
The answer is complete bullshit. Outside of emergencies, our project calendars don't shift. We build our plans to allow for delays, but bumping up the electricians by three weeks never happens. I tip my chin to Dad, knowing he orchestrated this for a reason. "We'll be ready."
"That's great news, right?" Ashlyn momentarily forgets her annoyance with me.
"It means, this week, my crew is on overtime to get ready for the electricians to rewire your house. It also means you'll get your chance to work."
Her eyes light up with the news, and she bounces a few times. "Exciting."
Pierce clears his throat, raising an eyebrow at me expectantly.
"We'll discuss the rest later."
"What's the rest?" Ashlyn stops moving, twisting between us.
"We'll discuss it later." Much later when we don't have an audience and I can silence her argument my way.
"I'd like to hear it now."
"You can't live in the house while the electricians re-wire."
"Oh," she deflates, blowing out a breath. "It's inconvenient but understandable. I'll reserve a room."
"We'll see," I reply noncommittally, knowing she's not moving into a hotel.
Cole, who has been patiently waiting to leave, perks up, his face splitting into an ear-to-ear grin. "We playing the 'we'll see' game again?"
It takes a minute for me to understand his meaning, and when I do, my eyes fly to Darby first. She tries to remain straight-faced but loses the battle into Pierce's chest and giggles softly.
"What's the 'we'll see' game?" Ashlyn
