Page 82 of Love You Too

“Well, I’ll let you know the second I know if Ella Fieldstone is a go, so you’ll know what she’s up to.”

“What did you just say?” Archer’s voice booms with his usual annoyance and disdain. He’s the last person likely to be wowed by an actress. He spent the year after college living in Los Angeles and says he got his fill of “model-actress-whatevers.”

PJ waves him away like a gnat. “Relax, Mr. Star-phobe. This doesn’t concern you.”

Dash comes in and grabs a mug. “Hey guys.”

Archer doesn’t answer. He shoves between PJ and me and pins his index fingers against his temples like he has a headache. “Did you say Ella Fieldstone?”

“Yeah. She just came to look at the inn for her wedding.”

Archer shakes his head. “No. Absolutely not. She can’t have her wedding here.”

I feel my hackles shoot to attention. We each have our bailiwicks, and he can’t tell me how to run the inn. “She can if her check clears.”

“No, she can’t.”

“Why not?” PJ asks, scrolling through her feed again as though it will provide answers quicker.

“He hates her, that’s why,” Dash supplies, smiling innocently at Archer, who presses his lips together so hard they turn white.

“Why do you hate her? What did she do?” PJ asks me. I shrug.

“She’s awful,” he says.

Before we can pump him for more information, a car screams up the front drive of Buttercup Hill like it’s running from the law. Dash looks up from the coffee machine and raises an eyebrow at me. “Someone expecting a fighter jet?”

“Seriously, do we need to install a speed limit sign?” I look down at where I have Daisy swaddled against my chest. Her soft brown hair is standing up in places, and I smooth it down. Bringing her to work with me is my new way of multitasking, and she seems to love it as much as I do, cooing softly until she falls asleep.

“Do we? Do we need to do that?” My voice goes up an octave as I coo at my sweet girl, whose eyes blink open at the sound of my voice before she falls back asleep.

“You’re ridiculous,” Archer says. “If you caught me doing the baby talk thing, you’d be laughing your ass off.”

“Not if the baby was as cute as this one,” I coo, just for emphasis. I’m treated to an eye roll.

“Just glad you’re happy,” PJ says.

“So happy,” I sing.

In the months since she was born, the Otters have won their first playoff games, and Ren feels optimistic about their chancesof going all the way. His playoff beard is already looking healthy, which only makes me want him more.

The pregnancy hormones have converted into maternal hormones, and I’m just as hot for him as ever. His game schedule is relentless, and so is Daisy’s sleep schedule—in other words, she’s not on a schedule at all, and I’m constantly tired. We haven’t had extended time together at my house, where we’re living, but that will change when the season ends. We’ll be working on the renovation of his house and sleeping at mine until it’s finished. As long as we’re together at the end of every day, my heart will be full.

Then again, I’ll be planning our summer wedding, so there will never be a dull moment.

Dash and I leave the staff lunchroom of the old brown barn to find the source of the noise, only to see our half brother Graham slam the door to his truck. Jax gets out the other side and stomps toward us with a sheaf of papers in his hand.

“We just came from the fire inspector’s office.” Graham waves the pages around.

“This again?” Archer comes down from his office, clearly alerted by the car noise. “And you should learn to drive, by the way.”

“Sorry. I was in a hurry to tell you what they found.” Graham starts pacing and shoving a hand through his hair.

“Dude, relax. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”

Graham starts shaking his head. Or maybe he’s just shaking—it’s hard to tell, given how wound up he is.

Jax shakes his head. “You’re definitely not gonna think that when you see the findings. Someone was hired to start the fires, and he’s already been apprehended.”

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