And yet, my heart aches as I watch the sun dip. The air is charged, and my heart picks up speed. It’s like I’m waiting for something, but I just…don’t know what.
“Lass, are you staring out that window again?” Dad calls, his voice abrupt but wrapped in affection. “Come eat before Callan helps himself to your plate!”
I huff a quiet laugh and pull myself away fromthe window. “I’m coming!” I shout back, casting one last glance at the horizon.
Whatever I’m hoping for can wait. Dinner, apparently, cannot.
I wander into the kitchen, and the heat hits me first, along with that mouthwatering mix of roasted lamb and rosemary. Mum’s at the stove, cheeks pink from the heat, completely absorbed in the simmering pots. Dad’s at the counter, carving the meat with that careful, patient precision he always has. Then there’s Callan, already at the table, blue eyes gleaming with mischief as he attempts to snag a roll.
“Oi, hands off,” I scold, swatting his arm. “Some of us haven’t even sat down yet. And in case you’ve forgotten, there are actual babies in this family now. They get priority.”
He smirks, tearing the roll in half. “Pretty sure they don’t even have teeth yet.”
As if summoned, the front door bursts open, Knox’s voice booming through the house. “Sorry we’re late. Someone had to change twice before we left the house.”
Juliette trails behind him, both twins balanced on her hips, her hair in a loose braid that’s already fraying.
“Don’t blame me,” she says with a tired laugh, gently readjusting Maisie—always the bold one—as she tugs at Juliette’s earring. “They both have a wicked arm for flinging food.”
Knox leans over to kiss her temple before gently prying a squirming Keira from her arms.
Mum abandons her pots with a squeal, rushing over to scoop Maisie straight out of Juliette’s arms. “Hello, my darlings,” she coos.
Callan leans back in his chair. “Here we thought family dinners were loud before.”
Bree rolls her eyes as she slides into the seat beside him. “As if you’re not the loudest one in the room.”
The room hums to life with clinking cutlery, overlapping voices, the twins babbling. Mum keeps darting around to make sure everyone’s plates are full, Dad pretends to grumble about something, and Juliette manages to snag two rolls at once, cheeks puffed out in triumph.
I sit back, soaking it all in. The chaos. The laughter. The way Knox never strays far from Juliette, always with a hand at her back or ready to swoop in when one baby gets restless. He’s so attuned to her.
Callan cracks another joke that sends Bree into hysterics, and for a moment, the whole table erupts, voices tumbling over each other. It’s messy, loud, and utterly brimming with love.
“Earth to Lucy.” Bree’s voice slices clean through my trance, and I blink, snapping back to reality. “You’re awfully quiet tonight. Everything all right?”
Her smirk says everything I don’t want her to say out loud. She hasn’t forgotten the conversation I dodged the other day.
All eyes are on me. “Oh, aye. Just…thinking,” I say, flashing a small smile in an attempt to ease the sudden attention.
“Dangerous pastime, that,” Callan quips, leaning back with that smug smirk of his that practically screams trouble. “Wouldn’t be thinking about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Grumpy, would you?”
The flush creeping up my neck and onto my cheeks betrays me instantly. No matter how hard I try to keep my expression neutral, it’s clear as day. “That’s ridiculous,” I say with a flustered laugh, reaching for the breadbasket for a distraction. “I was thinking about dessert, actually. Mum’s sticky toffee pudding is far more interesting than…him.”
Callan arches a brow, clearly unconvinced, while Juliette struggles to hide a knowing smile behind her hand. Even Knox looks up from his plate with mild curiosity, and that’s all it takes to make my cheeks burn hotter.
“I mean, honestly,” I continue, trying to sound casual, “what’s there to think about? He’s just…a customer. And a new neighbor. And he’s great with his daughter, but that’s neither here nor there!” I add quickly, my voice pitching up a little more than I intend. “Nothing to overthink, right?”
Callan lets out a low whistle, and Juliette’s gaze softens. I press my lips together, determined not to let Callan get under my skin. If there’s anything he’s good at, though, it’s the way he knows exactly how to hit a nerve.
“I just think people deserve the benefit of the doubt, that’s all,” I say firmly, trying to sound confident, clasping my hands in front of me in an attempt to hide my nervous energy. “Not everyone can be as effortlessly charming asyou, Callan.”
That earns a laugh from Juliette and Mum, who’s busy setting another dish on the table. “All right, leave her be,” Mum says, shaking her head but smiling all the same.
I don’t know why I’m being so defensive. It’s not like Callan’s wrong. Aidan has been creeping into my thoughts more than I’d like. But admitting that, even to myself, feels like stepping onto shaky ground.
How can someone I barely know get under my skin like this? I don’t even know him beyond the gruff demeanor and broodiness, and the way his eyes soften when he looks at his daughter. Yet my thoughts are tangled together in a confusing knot. None of this makes sense. I’m not the kind of person who gets flustered over someone I hardly know, yet here I am, cheeks blazing and heart racing like I’ve just run up the hills outside. I feel…out of control. I don’t like it one bit.
I’ve got no idea what to do about it, if anything at all. All I know is that the few times Aidan’s eyes landed on me, I was acutely aware of my rapid heartbeat, the way the air felt a little too warm, and how my thoughts scattered like confetti.
