Chapter 32
thirty-two
Lachlan
“ A insley!” Rose yells as she runs off the porch toward us.
“Rose!”
The two of them hug, and Rose looks up at me. “Is she staying with us, Daddy?”
“She is.”
“Yay!” my daughter says, and the two of them laugh. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too.”
“I missed you both,” I say, joining in.
However, neither of them pays me any attention. Typical.
“Are you going to live with us? Daddy said he was going to bring you back so you could stay here all the time, if you wanted.”
Ainsley’s face grows serious. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
Rose nods. “I hope you stay forever.”
Ainsley takes both of her hands and smiles. “I hope the same.”
So do I.
We left New York early this morning with some of her things. There’s a lot of stuff, and there was no way we were going to get it all figured out in a day. We’re going to go back up a few times in the next month, which is what she has left on her lease anyway.
“Daddy, can Ainsley come to Becky’s house with me? I have to tell her that she’s back and is going to live with us.”
“I think we have to get Ainsley settled, but she’ll be here when you get home. Becky’s mom won’t be here for another hour, anyway.”
Delaney comes out with her bag on her shoulder. “I’ll send you a bill.”
I laugh once. “Okay.”
She turns to Rose. “I’ll see you soon, kid.”
“Are you coming to the carnival?”
Delaney shrugs and tosses up a peace sign as she leaves. I really don’t know why my daughter loves her so much.
The three of us head inside, carrying what we can. Ainsley stops at the door where her room was and starts to enter, but I stop her. “Where are you going?”
She looks back to me. “Umm ...”
“You’re not moving in and staying in the guest room.”
“Lach . . .”
“You’ll be with me.”
Her eyes move to Rose, who is beaming, clearly over the moon about Ainsley and me dating. Before I went to get Ainsley, Rose and I talked. I explained that I loved her, the way a man loves a woman and wants to be with her. She asked if we were getting married so Ainsley could be her mom, to which I said not yet, but we were going to live together first.
My daughter couldn’t have smiled any bigger. It’s clear that they formed a very strong bond and she’s very happy to have Ainsley here.
“Okay, then.”
All of us cram into the space, Rose jumps on the bed, and Ainsley flops beside her. The two of them giggle, and I swear my heart grows from this scene.
“What are you girls doing? We still have boxes to move.”
Ainsley rolls onto her stomach, and Rose mimics it. “The boxes can wait. Come lie here with us.”
“Yeah, Daddy, come lie with us. ”
I’m in so much damn trouble with these two.
I turn and flop between them on the bed. “Now what?”
“I think we should tickle him,” Ainsley suggests.
“He’s not ticklish,” Rose informs her.
I smile and Ainsley makes a humming noise. “Are you sure?”
Rose nods. “I tried.”
I chuckle. “Nope, not ticklish.”
Ainsley leans over and whispers to Rose. Great, this is definitely not going to go my way. The two of them come to each side of me, and both kiss my cheek.
In this single moment, my entire life changes.
Call it stupid.
Call it cheesy.
Call it whatever you want, but it does.
I have the two women I love the most on each side of me.
They break apart and both laugh. I push up and make a large show of chasing them, and the three of us laugh, running around, forgetting about the boxes in the car.
“Well, it seems someone isn’t so stupid after all,” Miles says as we walk up Main Street toward the carnival.
Ainsley grins up at me. “Aww, did your friends think you were stupid?”
“Maybe.”
“I agree, Miles, he totally got smart.”
“I hear an official welcome to Ember Falls is in order?”
I roll my eyes. “You already know she moved in and we’re together.”
“Yes, but did she get a welcome basket?”
Ainsley gasps. “A basket? I get a basket?”
Miles cuts in. “You do, and you get to know the official town secret.”
“Just how many town secrets does this place have?” she asks, since she already knows about the falls .
“You told her about the falls?” he asks.
“Oh, please, don’t even. They’re on my land.” I turn to Ainsley. “Way to sell me out.”
“Listen, I’m not good with authority, and he’s a principal and former military. It’s just kind of the way I am. Blame the Admiral.”
“Speaking of your dad, when are you planning to tell him about your move? Maybe we should call him now,” I suggest, pulling my phone out.
She grabs it and puts it in her bra. “Not today, Satan.”
I chuckle and pull her to my side. “Tomorrow then.” I kiss her temple, and she stares up at me with so much love in her eyes it’s almost overwhelming.
“Tomorrow.”
The last two weeks have been so easy, as though we’ve been together for years.
We’ve settled into a great routine, and Ainsley’s former bedroom is now her office. We moved the rest of her things down last weekend, and we’ll probably need one more before she’s fully out of the apartment.
Each morning I wake up with her breathing in my face, hair whipping me across the cheek when she flops over, and I’ve never been happier in my life.
“As much as it’s been an absolute pleasure running into you, Miles, we have a lot of carnival to cover,” I say, placing my hand on her back.
“Where’s Rose?”
“She’s with Rickie, Maddy, and Veronica’s families,” Ainsley says with a smug smile.
Turns out Rickie does like Rose, but she didn’t think she liked her, or some other girl nonsense. I stopped listening after she said they were friends again.
“Well, I’ll let you two lovebirds make the rounds. I’m sure the town will all want a piece of the new girls.”
“Girls?” I ask.
“Yeah, Hazel just hired a new manager who moved into town.”
“Really? I hadn’t heard.”
Which is strange, since I swear the firehouse could double as a gossip mill most days.
“Yeah, her name is Penelope. She’s a single mom, moved from somewhere in Illinois,” Miles explains.
“Oh! Hazel mentioned it when I was in there the other day. Said she’s super sweet, and her son is about Rose’s age. Do you know where she’s staying?” Ainsley asks. “Please tell me it’s not that cabin I got stuck in.”
Miles laughs once. “No, I asked. Hazel said she’s renting one of the old ranchers’ houses on the Mitchells’ land.”
“Not much better than the cabin,” I note.
The ranchers’ houses are tiny, but at least they’re up to date with running water and electricity.
Ainsley looks to me. “Maybe it would be a good thing to meet her and introduce Rose to her son? I’m sure it’s hard for him.”
“I met her when she came to register him for school. He’s a cute kid,” says Miles.
“Okay, well, I’ll ... make a point to go get coffee, and we’ll find a non-creepy way to introduce her to Rose. On that note”—I take Ainsley’s hand in mine—“we’re going to find my daughter.”
“Have fun,” Miles says as he walks off.
“This is really cute,” Ainsley notes.
“You’re really cute.”
“We’re ridiculous, you know that?” she asks while resting her head on my arm.
“Why? Because I love you?”
Ainsley glances up at me through her long lashes. “No, that’s definitely not ridiculous. That’s kind of perfect.”
“So then what makes us ridiculous?”
“You know what? Nothing.”
I stop, pulling her into my arms and staring down at her beautiful face. “If a man telling the woman he loves that she’s cute or perfect or anything else is ridiculous, then prepare for me to be the most ridiculous man in the world. I never want you to question whether I love you or what I think or what I want. You’re everything to me, Ainsley. Every fucking thing that matters.”
She lifts her hand to my face, brushing the scruff there. “You’re not ridiculous. You’re sweet and caring, and I love you with all my heart. You can tell me anytime you want just how much you love me.”
“Good.”
I lean in and kiss her.
“You can do that too.”
“Oh, I plan to.”
She giggles. “Come on, Sparky, I have rides to ride.”
“I have a ride you can get on anytime you want.”
“Does it get hard?” she asks with a mischievous smile.
“Only for you.”
“Well, then, when we get back home, I’ll have to give it a spin and see if I’d like multiple turns.”
That’s it.
I grab her hand and start walking her back toward the car as she laughs and yanks me the other way.
“Lachlan!”
I turn and toss her over my shoulder, which of course causes several people to stare. Ainsley wiggles until I put her back down, her body against mine, and I work really fucking hard to not have a raging erection in the middle of the town.
“You’re trying to kill me.”
“Not even a little, just giving you something to look forward to.”
Every single day she gives me that. When I’m at work, I can’t wait to walk through that door and have the girls run to me. When she’s at the coffee shop, I count down the minutes until she’ll be back and I can watch her work. No matter what it is, I long for her.
“You’re my something to look forward to, Ainsley.”
“And you’re mine.”
I kiss her nose, and then I head back to the carnival with the most amazing woman on my arm.
“Why do I feel like I’m walking in to face a firing squad?” I ask Ainsley as we’re outside her father’s door.
“Because you basically are.”
Right.
“Maybe we don’t need to tell your dad until later.”
She scoffs. “Are you nuts? The longer we wait, the worse it is.”
Her logic is sound, but there’s still a little dread pooling in my stomach. My father was obviously happy for us, since he was the catalyst for me to get my head out of my ass. Now it’s time to tell the Admiral that we are not only dating, but living together.
Ainsley thinks that last part is going to be what pushes him over the edge.
“I’m rethinking leaving Rose at my father’s house. That would’ve ensured he doesn’t kill me.”
Ainsley purses her lips. “We didn’t consider that angle.” She shrugs. “Oh, well. Too late now. Let’s go.”
Before I can say anything, she rings the doorbell and then enters. “Daddy,” she calls out.
“Ainsley? Is that you?”
“It is. Lachlan and I are here.”
Her father emerges from the back, where his office is. He smiles when he sees us. “I didn’t know you were coming.” He kisses her cheek and then extends his hand to me. “Lachlan.”
“Admiral.”
“Come in, I was just working on my coins.”
Ainsley smiles. “Always working on those coins, Daddy. You know they don’t change by moving them around.”
Challenge coins in the military are really special. My father has maybe a hundred of them that he’s exchanged over the years. It’s a commemorative coin that is unique to either the person or the team. I have one for being a fire chief that I hand out to other chiefs or law enforcement agencies. Where I may have ten, the Admiral has probably a thousand. Everyone wants to trade coins with the Admiral .
“I like to remember where each one came from,” he says with a hint of defensiveness.
Ainsley rubs his back as we walk into his office.
On the wall, where photos of Ainsley’s mother used to hang, are now rows of shadowboxes with the coins proudly displayed.
“This is incredible,” I say as I look at the first box.
“Those are the ones I got from Congress and the Senate.”
It’s impressive. “And these?”
“Those are deployment traded. I did my fair share of those and always left one coin with a sailor who went above and beyond the call of duty,” he explains. “So what brings you both here, and where is Rose?”
“Rose is next door. She’s spending some time with my father.”
The Admiral’s eyes widen, and then he smiles. “You spoke with him?”
“I did. A few weeks ago, I came here, and we discussed a lot of things that needed to be said.”
“I’m proud of you, Lachlan. I know you’re not my son, but it takes a strong man to face his demons and overcome them.”
I nod. “Thank you, sir. I’m hoping he and I can find a new way forward.”
“You will.”
He says it as though he has no doubts about it. While my father and I have a lot of things to overcome, we both are making an effort to work through the past and focus on a future. He wants to be a part of our lives, and he’s the only family I have left.
Ainsley looks over at me with a smile. “I’m proud of him too.”
The Admiral looks to her and then to me. Well, here we go.
“Sir, I came with Ainsley because we wanted to talk to you.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not sure I want to hear this.”
This is going just about how I expected. “We don’t want to lie to you, but I love Ainsley, and she and I are together.”
Ainsley looks at her father, and with zero finesse she blurts out the rest. “We’re living together also. I tried to quit my job, but they wouldn’t let me. So I’m working for Metro NY still, but in Ember Falls, and living with Lachlan and Rose.”
I swear I think she wants her father to kill me.
His gaze moves to her, then to me, then back to her. “You’re living with him?”
“Yes. I love him, and since I was staying with him anyway, this was just the easiest way to move forward.”
He sighs and leans back in his chair. “You couldn’t just get your own place?”
“I’m sure I could, but again, this was easy, and as a grown adult, this was the choice I made,” Ainsley explains.
The Admiral turns to me. “And what happens if this doesn’t work out?”
“I have no intentions of that being the reality.”
“You plan to marry her?”
This isn’t exactly the way I planned this, but I should’ve expected as much. “I do, at some point. I’d like to marry her and become a family.”
She reaches out, taking my hand. “I’m in no rush, Lach. We’re a family without a ring.”
Her father coughs.
“Like I said, my intentions are clear.”
The Admiral gets to his feet, and the two of us do as well.
“Daddy, I don’t want to fight with you or anything like that. Lachlan and I wanted to be honest with you because we respect you.”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I appreciate that. It’s not how I would’ve liked things to go, but I realize that my wants aren’t what matter here.”
Okay, I didn’t think that was going to be what he said.
He comes around the desk and extends his hand. “Thank you for being honest.”
I shake his hand. “Of course.”
“She’s a lot of work.”
“I know. ”
“She’s a lot like her mother, which means you’re going to need a lot of patience and tolerance.”
“Tolerance?” Ainsley cuts in.
“I’m aware. She’s very opinionated as well,” I inform him.
“She gets that from me.” He chuckles. “I want to warn you that she’s also very expensive.”
She scoffs. “Please. I’m so low maintenance.”
Her father grins at her. “You forget I have been the one who paid your bills for years. There’s nothing low maintenance about you.”
“I’ve been paying my own way for the last how many years?” she reminds him.
“She’s learning because those funds were cut off. A word of advice—always tell her you’re broke. It helps.”
I laugh. “Thanks, sir.” I reach into my pocket and grab my challenge coin. Ainsley suggested I give it to him, since he appreciates it so much. I extend my palm. “I’d like to give you this. While you’re giving me something much more valuable, this coin was made after I saved that girl and Ainsley came back into my life. It’s important to me and holds a lot of meaning.”
He takes it and looks it over. The coin is two-sided and acts as a bottle opener. On the one side it looks like a Frisbee and says “Disc Jocks,” since that’s what ultimately brought Ainsley to me. The other side is the fire chief part. It has EFFD for Ember Falls Fire Department and the axes.
He reaches across his desk. “While you may have one of the most valuable things I own, here.” The Admiral gives me his coin. “Keep both of them safe, Lachlan.”
“I will.”
The Admiral walks back behind his desk.
Ainsley comes beside me, wrapping her hands around my arm. “Look at that, he didn’t kill you.”
Then he laughs. “I will if he breaks your heart.”
And I don’t doubt that for a single second.