Chapter Twenty Two

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The great thing about physical labor is that it literally drains you.

Of energy.

Of sweat.

Of strength.

Of the mental stamina to overthink something.

Of anger and paranoia.

Of all other unnecessary emotions until you're just down to the absolute basic level of what matters.

After about ten hours of framing walls with Jamie and four of our crew with hardly a break, we had the basic structure set up and my mind was done rehashing my confrontation with Stellan this morning.

It was not the black and white scenario of who did right and wrong.

We've both made mistakes.

And we were never that simple together.

And maybe that wasn't going to change.

And maybe that wasn't nearly as important as the fact that no matter how hard, how painful, we both wanted the same thing.

Together and apart, we went through hell and back to keep fighting for the chance to have it again, and to have it all this time around.

At the very least, we deserved another try.

We might still be a little afraid going into it but what we had to live through required an awful lot of courage.

What's a little more to make a go at forever, right?

"You know, I wouldn't mind more projects like this where we get fancy snacks and dinner onsite," Angelo mused before biting into this complicated-looking burger. He'd built it from the spread that Stellan's housekeeper and occasional cook, Letty, had prepared for us on a nearby picnic table just as we were wrapping up. She'd insisted on providing us food since the first day our crew showed up to do work and when I emailed Stellan to let him know it wasn't necessary, he told me to tell Letty myself. The elderly woman was apparently already complaining a lot that other than Stellan (and Lily, at that time) and the rest of the stay-in staff, she had no big rowdy family to cook for. Translation—she'd been badgering Stellan to finally get married and start filling the house with little humans.

So of course, I completely dropped the topic and just told my crew to enjoy it while it lasted but to better not get used to it.

"Is that a take-home pack?" I asked him, eyeing the large brown paper bag next to him on the bench. It had a heart and the word Enjoy! written on it in black Sharpie.

Angelo gave me a sheepish smile. "I might have mentioned that my wife's at home with a newborn baby. Letty practically shoved that bag at me with a warning to make sure the missus gets a chance to eat and sleep. That woman doesn't look like it but she's hands-down scary when she wants to be."

I laughed. "Better not disappoint her then. I'll still pick little Anjo up this Sunday so you two can have some time for yourselves. Between Carmela and I, we should be able to handle him for a full day."

Just as we all sat there, finishing our dinners and chatting, I caught sight of Winslow walking from the staff quarters toward the main house.

"You guys can go ahead when you're done," I told them after quickly downing my iced tea and wiping my mouth and hands with a cloth napkin. "We'll meet back up here tomorrow. I just need to talk to Stellan."

"Could'a talked to him at least twice today," Jamie said, giving me a side look. "When he spent half an hour watching you."

Stellan never walked over but I did see him at least twice from the balcony, observing. "He was just making sure we were doing a good job."

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