Page 55 of Home Is Where You Are

Later, I was going to suggest we talk.

After dinner, everyone helped clear the table and took all the dishes inside. Ainsleigh stayed far away from me while her and Aspen insisted they do the dishes.

“Do y’all want to light a fire outside in the fire pit and make s’mores?” Holden suggested as Leo and Brooks stood in front of the island.

“I’ve never had a s’more,” Aspen admitted, causing Leo and Brooks to gasp in disbelief.

“That’s an atrocity we must remedy. You can’t live your whole life and never have a damn s’more. That settles it,” Leo insisted.

The brothers grabbed the graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows from the pantry as I grabbed the skewers from the drawer of the island.

The four of us took all the supplies outside and placed everything around the fire pit that was just off to the side of the pool.

Holden turned on the lights outside so that we could all safely see and turned the lights on to the pool. We often came out here at night in the years Ainsleigh was gone and drank a few beers and just talked about random shit. I was thankful every day her brothers still accepted me into their fold with her gone. I truly felt like a part of their family, never the outsider that they could’ve made me. Especially with my family still hating theirs so intently.

Ainsleigh, Aspen, and Dylan came outside a few minutes later, just as her brothers and I had sat down after we got the fire going.

I looked over as I heard them approaching and noticed that she now had a cover-up over her bikini and several thin blankets in her hand. The air outside was still hot, but Ainsleigh always ran a bit colder than most and loved cozying up with a blanket by the fire. We’d done that so many times after she had to stop sneaking around. I, of course, always had to sneak over here when we were younger because my parents made it blatantly clear they would never accept our relationship. The Courtright’s had money, and my family didn’t. They didn’t want me to see how the other side lived and always thought us being together was a mistake. Which they made clear shortly after Ainsleigh left.

Dylan sat beside Holden, and Aspen took the seat next to him. Leaving Ainsleigh to sit by me yet again. This time we hadn’t planned it, but I was thankful nonetheless.

Brooks held his phone in his hand and had a serious expression on his face. Something had him bothered. Especially if he had his phone out. That man hated technology, and his phone could often be used as a paperweight with how little he used it.

“What’s going on, Brooks? Why the long face?” Holden questioned, speaking what we all were likely thinking as everyone stared at him.

“Callie just texted me about someone bothering her at Whiskey On The Rocks while she was trying to leave. She’s scared the creep is going to follow her home,” Brooks answered, never taking his eyes off his phone.

“Tell her to come here. No one is going to have the audacity to mess with her if she’s seen pulling up into our place,” Leo replied as a serious expression marred the playboy’s features.

“Who’s Callie?” Ainsleigh asked.

“She moved to Haven Valley about six months ago. She lives in the neighborhood, just further down the street. She works at the bar. Brooks here seems to have taken a liking to her and is very protective of her,” Leo replied with an emphasis on the word very. He grinned over at Brooks who gave him a deadly stare, communicating to him without words that he’d better shut his damn mouth if he knew what was good for him.

“Protective huh? What’s that about, Brooks?” Ainsleigh asked with a hint of laughter in her tone.

She wanted to rile her brother up, and bringing up Callie would achieve that goal. Anytime any of us razzed him about it, I thought he’d bust a blood vessel in his neck or forehead with the way the veins would protrude.

“She’s got no one here. I’m just being friendly,” he bit back as he answered his sister.

“Lots of people have no one when they move to Haven Valley. Hence the name. I don’t see you getting all protective over them,” Ainsleigh goaded.

She had a point. She was just the only one with enough guts to confront him about it.

“Nothing, and I mean nothing is going on between us. She’s as young as you are, Ainsleigh. We’re just friends.”

“I believe someone doth protest too much,” Ainsleigh replied, this time not containing her laughter as she doubled over in her chair.

The sound of her laugh always did something to me.

As Ainsleigh reined in her laughter, the siblings continued to razz each other. I missed hearing them rile each other up. The brothers still picked on each other, but having Ainsleigh here to participate felt like we were coming full circle.

The back door of the house opened, and Lillian pointed outside to where we all sat.

Callie warily walked in our direction, her eyes finding Brooks.

Brooks jumped out of his chair and rushed over to her.

They spoke in hushed tones, and everyone turned their heads, trying to figure out what they were speaking about.