Nova slid her hand into mine a moment later, and without a word, she guided me into the kitchen. Once we were out of earshot, she gave my hand a squeeze. “Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice low and filled with emotion. “It’s hard for him. For all of us.”
“I can empathize,” I said. I squeezed her hand in return, hoping she could feel the sincerity in my words. “I definitely thought you were going to hate me.”
“What?” She clutched her hand to her heart with a laugh.
Before I could say anything else, Luna sauntered over, holding up her glass of wine. “Are you like a billionaire or something? This house...” She let out a low whistle, spinning to take it all in.
Nova groaned and punched her in the arm. “Luna, you cannot say shit like that.”
“Eh.” Luna shrugged, turning to me with a mischievous grin. “Are you?”
I shook my head quickly, laughing. “No, not a billionaire. My mom owns a pecan farm down in Georgia?—”
“So, you’re rich, rich.” Luna whistled again as she strolled through the house.
Nova rolled her eyes.
“What? Have you seen the price of pecans? Jeez.”
I laughed and glanced at Nova. “Is it okay if Austin shows Scar the room we made up for her?”
“Of course.” Nova turned toward the group of men across the room. “Scar! Come here a second.” She grinned at me. “I swear, Luna doesn’t know how to act.”
I chuckled, but the moment made me miss my own friends. I needed to text Jennie and tell her what was happening. They would never believe this.
Austin led the way upstairs, with Scar, Nova, and Luna following, their chatter filling the house.
Ollie lingered, stepping into the kitchen and gesturing toward the sparkling waters I’d set out in a container. “Can I have one?”
“Oh, of course.” I quickly grabbed a bottle and opened it, then turned to the fridge, pulling out a cup with ice. I handed it to him with a small smile.
“Thank you.”
“How, uh, how was your flight? You just got into town?”
Ollie nodded, taking a sip of the water. “Yeah, got my visa situation all figured out, so I’m here to stay now.”
“Oh, nice. Are you doing...” My brain scrambled to remember what Austin had said he did.
What was it? Why couldn’t I remember?My heart sank slightly.How am I messing this up already?
“Rugby,” Ollie said, his lips curving into a small smile. “I worked as an assistant coach for a rugby team, but I found out the league here needed a coach, so I’ll be working for them.” He chuckled softly, leaning against the counter. “Actually, got myself a promotion—I’ll be the head coach.”
“That’s amazing. Congrats,” I said, my smile widening.
“Thanks. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind getting everything settled, but I’m excited to get started.”
I nodded, genuinely impressed. “Well, that sounds like a perfect way to kick off your time here.”
“Yeah, I think it will be,” he said, his voice steady, his eyes meeting mine briefly before glancing toward the stairs. “And honestly, I’m just glad to finally be here, close to them.”
The sincerity in his voice warmed me, and I nodded again, feeling the weight of how much this all meant to him.
“I knew this day would come. One day. I thought Scar would be older, but I knew she’d want to see her dad. I just—” Ollie shook his head, pulling out a stool from the counter and sitting down. “I just wasn’t expecting it to happen this fast. I thought I’d have a few more years, her and I.”
I walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”
He had been there since she was born. He’d raised her.
