“Great,” I tell her. “See you soon.”
* * *
Millie’s house reminds me a lot of Mom and Dad’s house. There’s a more homely feel, Herringbone floors, and white furnishings even though she has three boys. It’s that Hamptons vibe, unlike Ava’s place, which is much more modern.
“How’s the new job?” Millie asks, placing a fruit platter down between us.
“It’s good, challenging, but I’m managing.”
“I’m glad to hear. First corporate jobs are massive learning curves. Still, I was lucky to work at Mom and Nikki’s firm.”
“Yeah.” I nod, picking on a piece of melon. “So, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“When you first started having feelings for Will …” I slowly speak, but then rephrase my question. “I mean, when you started looking at him differently, did you think it was weird because he was older than you?”
“Of course,” Millie tells me, her emerald eyes bright as she fondly remembers their past. “It felt wrong, you know. I was still kind of going out with Austin, and feelings for Will just started to take this turn. I’d always looked at him like some older cousin, then all of a sudden, he’s this sexy man in a suit who I imagined doing dirty things to.”
All of what she said is exactly how I feel right now. The only difference is that he wasn’t her boss or bestie's stepfather. I do remember when Dad found out about Will. They were in New York, and Addy was back home with me. Addy said Mom told her she’d never seen Dad so mad in her entire life. It makes sense. You find out your business partner is screwing your young daughter behind your back.
“You tried to talk yourself out of it, right?”
“Many times,” Millie confesses. “I felt like some dumb kid with a crush. Will was more experienced. You know, he was adulting with Dad.”
I stare at the table, then release a sigh. “Please don’t say anything to Ava, promise?”
“Promise.”
“Hunter, I mean Mr. Cash.” I shake my head to gather my thoughts. “There’s this weird tension between us.”
“Oh,” Millie mouths. “I see.”
“Nothing has happened. It’s just …”
“I get it, I really do. Alexa, just be careful. He is your boss, right?” She questions then I nod. I’m not at all offended by her warning since Millie is a logical thinker. If this was Ava, she’d be telling me to take my clothes off and report back. “And isn’t he married?”
“Yes to everything. I knew you would give me the reality check I needed.”
The back door opens, and all three boys come running in, covered in dirt.
“What happened?” Millie asks in shock.
Will lets out a huff. “There was a swing incident. Someone fell, another one tried to rescue him, then they got knocked over into the dirt.”
Millie crosses her arms. “How do you explain your third son?”
“He just thought it would be fun to play with his trucks in it.” Will rubs his face with his hands. “I’ll take the car later to the car wash. You should see the inside.”
“Boys,” Millie yells. “Straight in the bath.”
Millie disappears to bathe the boys, leaving me with Will. The morning must have exhausted him since he makes himself a coffee and adds three shots to make it super strong.
I’ve watched over the years as their family dynamics have changed. I truly admire them for adopting Ashton, given the circumstances of Will sleeping with Ashton’s mom when he and Millie were broken up. In the end, Ashton deserved a family who love him, and he’s so lucky he has that.
Even though it’s chaos in this house, Will and Millie just make it work. They also make it look so effortless, which I know it’s not. Three boys are three boys. I was tired from looking at them run around with endless energy.
As for Will and Millie’s age gap, no one would even know. Will looks young for his age, and Millie is more mature, so it somewhat evens out. They’re both career driven but also put their family first. They remind me so much of Mom and Dad.