Chapter Three
ASH
“Iget why Henny did it—he’s a fucking menace. But why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
A thud came from somewhere off-screen, followed by a sharp wail.
Oliver glanced over his shoulder, half rising from his chair. “Need a hand?”
I narrowed my eyes. “No, you’re not giving a hand. You’re explaining yourself.”
He sighed, turning back toward the camera. “Henny asked me not to.”
We stared at each other for a beat.
“I’m sorry,” I said, tilting my head. “I was waiting for you to discard that blatant lie and come up with a real answer.”
Charlotte swept through the background, juggling a crying Liam and what looked like a half-empty jar of marinara. Amelia clung to her pant leg, while Julia—their nanny—trailed close behind, carrying paper towels and looking defeated.
“I’m good, we’re good! There’s just sauce everywhere,” Charlotte said breathlessly, flashing me a frazzled smile. “Hi, Ash!”
“Hi, Charlie,” I said, raising a brow at Liam’s tomato-covered face. “I’m guessing Amelia’s the artist?”
Charlotte laughed, a little too high-pitched. “Talk to your brother!” She disappeared out of frame with both kids in tow.
I leaned closer to the camera. “You heard the boss. Spill.”
He sighed, slumping back in his chair without quite meeting my eyes. “Maybe I thought the surprise would be… nice.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “A nice shock to my system, you mean.”
He tried for innocence and failed miserably. “Aren’t you happy to see him? It’s Ethan, Ash. I thought you’d be over the moon.”
“Of course I’m happy.” My voice was softer than I meant it to be. “But he’s living here now, and how the hell am I supposed to keep my distance for two more years while he’s in the same city?”
Oliver blinked. “Why would you?”
“You know why.”
He dragged a hand over his face, thumb pressing into his temple. “You’re being ridiculous.”
I barked a dry laugh. “Weren’t you the one who applauded my restraint four years ago? Told me how admirable my selflessness was?”
His mouth twitched, the faintest grimace.
“Yes, okay. But plans change, Ash. Sometimes you’ve just got to ride the wave of chaos.
” He waved behind himself, where chaos was clearly thriving—laundry draped over chairs, toys littering the floor, and a toddler meltdown brewing somewhere in the background.
That wasn’t like him. “Is everything alright?”
He exhaled slowly, eyes flicking to the hallway. “We’re fine. Amelia’s just… going through something. She’s—” His lips pressed into a thin line. “Willful.”
“I’ll say,” I muttered, smirking.
“She’s three. It’s a hard age. I’m sure she’ll grow out of it.
” He ran a hand through his hair. “Liam’s sick, so he’s crying nonstop.
And Charlotte’s Wonder Woman-ing her way through it.
We haven’t slept in days.” He looked exhausted; his voice had that hollow edge that came from running on fumes. “Or years.”
“What you two need is a vacation.”
Oliver snorted. Also not like him. “Vacation? I need four hours of uninterrupted sleep so I can get through the Core meeting tomorrow.” His eyes were shadowed, and the stubble he usually kept neat had grown into the beginnings of a beard.
“Jonathan’s still playing hard to get?”
He nodded, propping his chin on one hand. “Refusing to give us a fair price on the property. I’m this close”—he held up two fingers—“to telling him where he can shove it.”
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it.
Oliver’s brow arched.
“Sorry,” I said, grinning. “Not laughing at your misery. It’s just refreshing to see you so… over it.”
“Yeah, well. Kid number two broke my spirit. I don’t have the energy to care.”
“Why not get a night nurse?”
He waved that off, sitting up straighter. “Char and I don’t want our kids raised by an army of nannies. You know that. It’s just rough right now because they’re both so little. But it’ll get better.”
I offered him a small, unsure smile.
“Besides,” he said, shoulders relaxing as his face softened, “even if they’re feral hyenas ninety percent of the time, when they wake up at five in the morning and smile at you… there’s nothing like it.”
That was disgustingly heartwarming. And like so many times before, I felt that same dull ache: guilt, affection, and a longing to be closer. Not that I was exactly nanny material, but I could at least attempt to help.
“How about you, Ash? How are you holding up?” His tone was careful now, his posture almost bracing as he pushed the question out.
I couldn’t blame him. The rock in my stomach dropped hard and fast, my mouth going dry.
“As well as can be expected.” I shrugged, attempting a smile. “We’re deep in the legal trenches right now, trying to find a solution.”
Oliver drummed his fingers on the table, hesitating again, eyes sharp. “How much of your revenue was tied to state contracts? What’s the loss?”
Through the screen, a burst of distant noise carried over. Amelia’s laugh rang out somewhere in the background, followed by something clattering and Charlotte calling after her.
“Twenty-five percent.”
Oliver’s eyes closed as he swore under his breath. “Let me see if I can think of something,” he said, looking back at me through the screen. “But, fuck, Ash…”
“Don’t worry too much about it.” I focused on the table instead of his face, letting out a brittle huff. “It is what it is. We’re working through it.” I felt like I’d said those words a million times over the past few weeks, and they were starting to lose their meaning. Their hope.
Charlotte reappeared and dropped into Oliver’s lap, dissolving the tightness that had settled between us.
Her chestnut hair was a half-up, half-down disaster, and a red smear stained the side of her untucked white button-down. “What’d I miss?”
Oliver’s arm slid around her waist automatically, and they melted together seamlessly.
He glanced at me, a quick knowing look, before turning back to her.
“Our children are feral.” Oliver lifted his fingers one by one as he recited the list. “We haven’t slept in four years, and he’s mad we didn’t give him a heads-up about E. ”
Charlotte nodded like that summed it up perfectly.
“Are the kids okay?” I asked.
“Oh yeah. Julia’s got Liam in the bath, and Amelia’s trying to help,” she said. “I’ve got five minutes before I have to get back to the battlefield, so make it count.”
They both looked at me, expectant.
I rolled my lips before shrugging. “I’m in a relationship.”
“No!” they gasped in unison.
I nodded once.
“Did you tell E?” Charlotte asked.
Another nod.
“Oh my god.” She turned to Oliver, eyes wide. “I have to call him.”
“Ethan’s fine,” I said. “A little pissed, but fine. We’ll get past it.”
They exchanged identical skeptical looks. The synchronized-couple thing was really starting to grate.
“Is it serious?” Oliver asked.
I gestured vaguely. “Semi.”
He blinked. “What the hell does that mean?”
“We’ve only been together a couple of months.”
“And this is the first I’m hearing of…?”
“Luca,” I clarified.
“Luca, because…”
“Because…” I hesitated, their matching stares pinning me in place. “Because I don’t have to tell you everything. It would’ve come up eventually.”
Oliver’s eyes narrowed. “Right.”
Charlotte crossed one leg over the other. “So you’re going to keep dating him even though my brother just moved to the same city?” Her tone was edging toward accusation.
I smiled. “Is there something you want to say to me, Miss Bennett?”
She mirrored the smile, all sugar and knives. “Not that I want to meddle…”
“Of course not.”
“But are you kidding me?”
“I’m with Char on this,” Oliver said.
I shot him a look, but he just shrugged.
“We haven’t seen each other in four years,” I said. “We weren’t supposed to keep our lives on pause forever. I’m sure Ethan’s had partners too.”
They exchanged a glance instead of answering.
“Right?” I pressed.
“Right,” Charlotte said too brightly, that peppy tone back in full force. “I need to go check on the kids, but it was nice talking to you, Ash.”
“You too.”
She kissed Oliver’s cheek, then disappeared partly from the frame. He caught her hand half off-screen, murmured something soft, and they shared a quick kiss before she slipped away.
He looked back at me, tired and expectant. “So?”
“We’re having lunch on Saturday.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Henny, Luca…” I exhaled. “Ethan and me.”
Oliver’s eyes went wide before he burst out laughing. It started as a chuckle and snowballed into full-on hysterics.
“I’m glad you find this amusing.”
“I’m sorry, Ash.” He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye but made no effort to stop laughing.
“It’ll be fine.”
“Fine,” he repeated, still grinning. “Oh god, you can totally tell you’re not used to Ethan anymore if you think that’s going to be anything but a disaster.”
“I thought you were a fan of chaos now.”
“I am—which is why this is so hilarious.” Amelia’s cry echoed somewhere behind him. Oliver winced, shoulders tensing. “I should probably go help.”
“Wait.”
Oliver leaned back in his chair, though the movement was tight, like his body was already halfway out the door. His attention was a fickle thing these days—understandable—but I needed one more moment of focus.
“What did you mean by that? That I’m not used to Ethan anymore?”
He pressed his lips together, gaze shifting to the side. The moment stretched, filled only by a muffled wail. When he finally spoke, his voice was thoughtful. “He doesn’t really shy away from speaking his mind. At all.”
A slow smile grew on my lips. Attaboy.
I had a feeling Ethan had come into his own.
The version of him that only I used to know was now out in the world.
Back when we were together, he’d stopped censoring himself around me, and I’d loved every second of it.
It was bittersweet not having seen that grow into its full potential, but knowing it had was enough.
“That’s a good thing,” I said.