Pride fills my chest. We do a lot of cooking together, but somehow this feels different, more important.
Everyone else digs in, and it’s silent for the next fifteen minutes while we eat.
Once we’re done, leaning back against their chairs and sipping more wine, I speak up.
“So, Sheriff Arlo stopped by, asking if I had seen a new guy hanging around.” Rina shoots me a dirty look, but I’m curious if anyone else knows anything. Whatever is going on between Rina and Arlo is not something I’m privy to.
“What exactly did he say?” Willow sits up and leans in closer. Her little, thriller author heart loves this, and I may have just inadvertently piqued her interest in a story I know nothing about.
I tell them all what he said, and Willow pulls out a notebook out of nowhere and starts taking notes. Rolling my lips inward, I use every ounce of control to not laugh.
“That can’t be right. There’s no way something like that is happening here. Bluebell Falls is boring, and there are too many nosey old folks to actually hide anything here,” Lennox observes. He’s not wrong, but Ledger and I hid our relationship for a hot minute, so it is possible.
“I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow, see if he needs help,” Ledger adds.
“He’s fine. You should just let him go around in mindless circles by himself. It might help his personality a little,” Rina says.
She’s trying a little too hard to say bitchy things about Arlo, and it makes me think there is significantly more to this drama between them.
Everyone seems to ignore Rina and talk about what they’ve got upcoming in the week. Ledger talks about some projects we’ve got coming up, and it pulls my brain into work mode a little.
We have so much to get done. Jenna’s project is just the start. We’ve got five other projects lined up in the next month, and that’s not counting what we’ve taken on locally. I zone out. My head is mentally tallying up expenses and timelines, and I don’t realize everyone is leaving until Rina and Willow bend down to give me a hug.
“Oh shit, let me walk you out!” I try to jump out of my chair, but Ledger stops me.
“I’ve got it. Relax, baby,” he says, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead.
I watch as he walks his siblings out, thinking about how lucky I am to be a part of this whacky group of people.
“Come on, let’s head to bed,” Ledger says as he joins me again.
Leading me to his bedroom, he shows me exactly how appreciative he is of this particular family dinner—all night long.
Chapter 39
Ledger
Ihave a surprise for Ainsley, and it’s making me freak the fuck out, honestly. I haven’t been this nervous since the first time we were face to face and I said my name was Dean.
For the past six months, the addition to my—now, our—house has been in progress. After the initial planning period, I made Ainsley promise to stay away so it could all be a surprise. With a little reluctance, she agreed, and I was thankful. Because I didn’t give a shit if she saw the progress on the house. What I needed to surprise her with is what I’m currently looking at from the newly built back porch.
Wildflowers as far as the eyes can see stretch to the trees backing up to our backyard.
It was the one thing from the rental house she was sad to have to leave. The same house we’ve been living in until everything was done over here. Every morning, she sits on the back porch with her coffee and stares at the wildflowers. Every evening, she takes five minutes to decompress with the wildflowers.
I couldn’t take it away from her. I knew as soon as we agreed we would permanently move into my house that I would turn our backyard into the wildflower field of her dreams. And I must say, it’s better than I ever could have planned for.
“You ready for this?” Lennox steps up next to me.
“Yes and no. I’m not as nervous as I thought I’d be, but I’m hoping I did the right thing with the field.”
“She’s going to love it, and you know it. This field is, like, ten times better than the one at the rental.”
“Yeah, well, the good news is I don’t have to wait too long to get her reaction.”
“Rina and Willow should be here with her in five minutes. Everything is good to go.” He claps the back of my shoulder. It’s a bizarre day when Lennox is the one supporting me. But a lot has changed recently.
He leaves me to my thoughts, and I take the five minutes to clear my head. Walking around the house to the front, I wait for the girls on the front porch. When they finally pull up, Ainsley hops out of the car as Lennox takes her spot, and they all leave as quickly as they came.
