I drew a breath and hugged him tightly.
“We don’t get enough time on this earth to waste our lives holding back.”
I nodded once and kissed his neck. “So with the time we have left…”
He hummed and slipped his fingers into my hair, and he grabbed a fistful and tugged me back.
Eye-to-eye, I saw the wolfishness mingling with the devotion.
“We’re gonna love each other like crazy and face every fear together.”
That sounded perfect to me.
Once Dylan and Hallie arrived, Ash and I were ready to track down the other kids.
We found Micah inspecting the empty pool, and he had questions about when we could fill it with water and pool toys.
As soon as possible, Ash promised. He was gonna make some calls tomorrow.
Dylan was “starving,” so he asked Micah to go with him to the kitchen so they could prepare snacks. I couldn’t help it; I gave Dylan a quick squeeze and thanked him. Ash did the exact same thing.
Our teenager brushed it off with a smirk and called us dorks.
That was okay.
“Let’s head upstairs.” Ash threaded our fingers together and took the lead.
It was difficult visualizing our old furniture fitting in here. Our years in the other house had been so much about making the most of things, buying the cheapest furniture we could find, prioritizing the children’s sports and activities—which were far from free—and going places when we needed a break from the mundane. But here…? This was a place I was going to love. I loved the colors Ash had chosen, warm and muted shades,I loved the furniture he’d bought, everything was new and upgraded, and I could feel the work he’d put into this house already. Because new didn’t mean he’d bought everything from the nearest furniture store. Ash was a pro at finding pieces he could give new life to. And I supposed our separation had given him moments to fill with distractions.
I’d joined a gym.
The dresser by the window on the second floor—I bet he’d found that for cheap at a yard sale or something. It looked old and sturdy.
“You painted that, didn’t you?” I gestured at it.
He followed my gaze and smiled. “Yeah. It was a hideous orange color before. Bought it for thirty bucks. Plus, I had leftover paint after finishing the kitchen.”
And now it was a nice moss green—or whatever a lighter version of moss green was called.
I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, and we continued to the bedroom, in which we found Lily lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.
“What’cha doin’, princess?” Ash chuckled.
“I live here now,” she replied frankly. “But I don’t have my bed or my desk.”
I smiled widely, so relieved. I mean, we’d assumed she was going to like it, but we could never be sure with her.
“You know what comes first?” Ash continued. “You have to decide what color you want on the walls.”
Lily immediately looked his way, and her mind started spinning. She had her tells. Mainly, she nibbled on her lip and looked like she was miles away.
“Your sister picked purple,” I offered.
“She has a grown-up purple,” she said. “Grown-up purple is less purple, Daddy.”
Oh. Did not know that.
“Are you talking about colors?” Micah hollered, running up the stairs. “I want blue! Like the blue I have on my T-shirt.”
