“You didn’t have to do that.” Pepper came downstairs after putting Lily to bed. I scrubbed the dishes in the sink. Cleaning was a nice distraction from the throbbing in my head after spending the day listening to Ansel talk.
“I wanted to.” The house probably would’ve done it, but oh well.
“Are you staying?” She wrapped her arms around my waist, spreading warmth through my spine, up my neck, to the top of my head. The throbbing stopped, and I sighed in relief.
“Yeah. I could use some sleep.”
“There’s something you wanted to say at dinner, wasn’t there?” She kissed my shoulder, and the tension in my back left.
“Ansel came back today.” I finished rinsing the last dish, placed it on the drying rack, and turned around.
“And?”
“He signed the papers. We should begin construction soon.”
“T
