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“Have you ever thought about keeping the bed and breakfast idea, but having staff run the day-to-day operations instead of doing it all yourself?”
I blink at him. The thought is so simple, so obvious, that I can’t believe it never occurred to me. I was so focused on doing things exactly the way Mom envisioned—with me as the hostess—that I never considered alternatives.
“I . . . no actually. I never thought about that.” I pause, trowel in hand, and think. That idea isn’t bad. “I could hire someone who actually enjoys hosting, someone who has that natural warmth Mom had.”
“Exactly. You could honor her dream without forcing yourself into a role that doesn’t fit.” Cole’s smile is gentle. “Sometimes the best way to carry on someone’s legacy is to adapt it to reality.”
Relief floods through me so fast it makes me dizzy. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that,” I murmur.
“You have a lot going on. It’s nice you want to do everything the way she wanted, but you have to live your life the way you want to as well.”
“You’re a really good listener.” I place a tile. “You all are.”
Cole sighs. “You always deserve someone who listens and partners with you. That’s how relationships are meant to work, and you deserve the world.”
My breath catches at the intensity in his blue eyes. The air between us shifts, charged with something that makes my heart gallop in my chest. I swallow, suddenly nervous.
“Lily?”
“Yeah?” The word comes out as a rasp.
“Here’s the next piece of tile.” He pushes one into my hand, his expression completely innocent.
I burst out laughing and the tension breaks like a rubber band. Cole chuckles along with me. That was not at all what I expected him to say.
“You’re an ass,” I tell him, but there’s no heat in the words.
“Yeah, but I’m a helpful ass.”
We settle back into our work, but something has changed. The silence between us isn’t simply comfortable, it’s intimate. The kind of quiet you can only share with someone who truly gets you. Someone who listens without judgment and offers solutions instead of platitudes.
These three men are amazing. They make space for my emotions, my doubts, my dreams. They see me, really see me, in a way that feels both terrifying and wonderful. The realization settles into my chest like a warm glow. Whatever this is between us, temporary or not, it feels right. Like after years of living in Big Ridge, I’ve finally found home.
Chapter Twenty
COLE
I’m lounging in the living room with Lily under my arm and Hudson and Gage spread out on the sectional, all of us nursing our morning coffee and debating what to make for breakfast when three sharp knocks hit the front door, followed by two more. The pattern is so distinct it makes my stomach drop.
My eyes widen, and I shoot to my feet so fast I nearly knock over my chair. “Oh god.”
“Everything okay?” Lily asks from across the table, concern creasing her brow.
Hudson and Gage exchange a knowing look. “Brace yourself,” Gage tells her. The fucker’s lips twitching with barely contained amusement.
“Seriously, prepare yourself,” Hudson adds, trying not to laugh.
I barely register their words as I rush toward the front door, mind racing. I love my parents, but they’re a lot. Especially Mom. She has zero filter and even less concept of personal boundaries. The last thing I need is her scaring Lily off when we’ve barely started.
I get the door halfway open before Mom pushes it the rest of the way and wraps me in one of her bone-crushing hugs.
“My sweet boy! It feels like it’s been years!” She pulls back to study my face like she’s checking for signs of illness or starvation.
“Your vacation was only two months, Mom.”
“Like I said, years! Hudson! Gage!” she calls over my shoulder, already scanning the room for the guys.
Dad steps through the doorway behind her, his weathered face split by that wry grin I inherited. He presses a warm dish of cinnamon rolls into my hands and shakes his head. “Your mother made these this morning and wouldn’t let me have a single bite until she was sure you guys were fed.”
