“I’ll take one of those.”
“Comin’ right up.”
While he poured her drink, Stevie went into the living room, admiring the space the same way she had the other night when she and Nico were there. What they’d done with the place was remarkable. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine living in a barn, but they’d somehow turned this into something warm and cozy.
“Did they use any part of the old barn to make this place?”
“More than you think. It looks new, but it’s not. Brady and Donovan managed to salvage a good portion of it.”
Stone appeared at her side, passing her a glass.
“Thanks.” She took the glass from him. “What about the loft?”
He glanced toward the stairs at the far end of the room. “Reilly’s got some stuff up there right now, but it’s mostly the same. They added stairs and replaced all the rotted wood, but it’s still there.”
Stevie found herself staring up at the section of the space with a second floor. It felt smaller than she remembered.
“We can go up there if you’d like.”
She cut her gaze to his. “I … uh … Nah. I’m good.”
He gestured toward the couch.
With her drink in hand, she took a seat. She was nervous, and she didn’t know how to hide it, so she did what she usually did: she addressed it.
“This feels weird.”
“Bein’ here?” Stone asked. “Or bein’ with me?”
Stevie heard the uncertainty in his tone and stalled by taking a large gulp of her drink before admitting the truth. “Both.”
“A lot’s changed, Stevie.”
That was an understatement. For one, they’d both grown up. She’d made something of herself, and up until a week and a half ago, she’d been content with the direction her life was going. Stone, on the other hand, seemed to be starting over, and for some insane reason, she was thinking about coming along for the ride.
Rather than fidgeting in the silence, Stevie filled it. “How’d it go with your cousins?”
His smile returned, and it reached his eyes this time. “Good. Travis, Sawyer, and Kaleb gave me their nod of approval.”
“That’s great. Only four more to go?”
“Yeah.”
“You meetin’ with them soon?”
“Not as soon as I’d like. I’m seein’ Braydon and Brendon on Monday at Moonshiners—Brendon’s out of town until Sunday. And I’m meetin’ with Ethan and Beau next Thursday. They invited me over for dinner.”
“That sounds positive.”
“I’m hopin’.”
“That leaves one?” she asked.
“Yeah. Zane.” He chewed on his lower lip briefly. “I’ve reached out but haven’t heard back from him.”
Stevie detected a hint of worry in his tone, but she didn’t push him on it.
“What happens once they all sign off?”
