Monroe Golden is officially sick and tired of her life when she decides to move to New York. Moving to New York from South Carolina all alone with her baby, was definitely a horrible idea.
However, staying in South Carolina was no longer an option...
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TAYLOR
"Thanks for dinner." Austin hugged me as we stood on the front porch of his house.
"Welcome."
The macaroni and cheese I'd made Monroe last week had given me a craving, so I'd made a huge batch today with plenty to spare. Before seeing Austin and Ellie with a pan for dinner, I'd also dropped one off at Mom and Dad's place.
"Nice night." Austin drew in a long breath. The scent of leaves and rain and cooler temperatures was in the air.
"Sure is." I leaned against one of the wooden beams, glancing across the land as I took a sip from my beer.
Surrounded by trees with the mountains in the distance, Austin's place was the reason I'd built my own. I'd wanted my haven away from the bustle of town. Our styles were entirely different. Aussie preferred a traditional look with an abundance of wood, while I favored the sleek, modern lines of glass.
Though our houses were different, the setting was the same.
Rugged mountain countryside. Evergreens with the year-round scent of pine. Sunshine and blue sky. Home.
A cry came from inside the house and Austin straightened, turning toward the front door as Elle came outside with my two-month-old nephew, Desmond, fussing in her arms.
"Tag, you're it." She handed her son to his father. "He wants me during the day but only Aussie at night."
My brother nodded at his son. "We've got lots to talk about at night, don't we, cowboy? And sometimes you just need a new set of arms."
Desmond's fussing ceased as my brother walked the length of the porch.
My heart twisted at the sight.
I loved Desmond. But his birth had triggered memories I'd done my best to forget these past five years. Memories that weren't as buried as I'd once thought.
Austin hadn't known Bonnie, nor had any of my family. Mom and Dad had met her once on a vacation to San Francisco, but that had been before Niko. My family knew what had happened, but it was something I'd refused to discuss after I'd moved home.
No one knew how hard it was to be around a baby.
"Dinner was amazing." Elle gave me a sleepy smile. "Exactly what I was craving."
"Anytime." I winked as she pressed a hand to her belly.
It was early in her second pregnancy, but I suspected before too long they'd all come to the restaurant more frequently. While she'd been pregnant with Desmond, I'd taken it as my challenge to feed my sister-in-law's cravings.
"How are things at the restaurant?" she asked, sinking into one of the porch's rocking chairs.
"Good. Busy." Anita was running the show tonight. Wednesdays were typically slow this time of year, so when she'd told me to stop hovering and head home after lunch, I'd listened.
