I finally confessed to Autumn that I learned the twenty-year-old lived in Knoxville and after she sent me a picture of herself with our mother from her childhood, I was pretty convinced it was the real thing. The girl, Nina, had the woman’s nose and pale skin color, but I had the woman’s eyes. It was like looking in the mirror.

But I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet the girl or what she was after in the long run. Thankfully, before Autumn could dissect my hesitation any further, the pizza arrived.

It was covered in cheese that dripped off the edges of the slices and grease that made the first bite even more delicious than I imagined.

“Good, right?” Autumn asked around a mouthful of saucy goodness.

“So good. I can see why you raved about it.”

“This place hasn’t changed in years. Even the pictures on the walls are the same.” She laughed, looking over her shoulder with a wide grin.

“It’s nice, you know.”

“What is?” she pondered as she turned to face me.

“Seeing you smile.”

In response, Autumn shoved another piece of pizza in her mouth and I went ahead and grabbed the last slice.

The bus-boy hurried over to collect our dishes and clean the table as we stood. There was a line out the door, even on a weekday, so I wasn’t surprised they wanted the table.

Just as we were about to exit, a little boy tugged on Autumn’s jacket. She bent down until she was eye level with a kid that could be no more than five or six, then glanced up at me.

“He wants to know if he can get an autograph. You’re his favorite player.” She was hesitant in her question and I knew that was because she didn’t know how I would respond. If I start signing for one, I’d have to sign for whomever else asked while we were here.

But I couldn’t deny the hopeful look in the child’s eyes. I’d regret it for eternity.

“Sure, kid. What’s your name?” I asked him as he handed me the restaurant’s paper children’s menu. The back was blank and I carefully wrote out the name Jackson and thanked him for being my biggest fan. With practiced ease, I scribbled my name and handed the sheet back to the kid’s parents, who were standing behind him.

With Autumn’s help, we posed for a picture with the family and then one with me and Jackson.

“Thank you,” the mother said before they went back to their table.

A few other people gathered and I quickly signed autographs and took pictures with them, all while keeping an eye on Autumn as she stood to the side. I didn’t miss her content smile as she chatted with a few of the people seated close by.

Once I finished with the small group, I was pleasantly shocked that no one else had come up. Not that I wasn’t appreciative of every single person who supported me, but I wanted time with Autumn.

“You’re really good with your fans,” she said as I held the door open for her to exit. She barely had to tuck her head as she passed under my extended arm.

“I am eternally grateful for them all. But I’m glad the entire restaurant didn’t line up.”

“I could see how that would be a bit overwhelming when you just want to grab something to eat.”

“Par for the course, I’m afraid. So far that was the first time anyone has approached me in Ashfield, which is surprising.”

“They may be gossipers, but they’ll respect your privacy at the same time. It’s a weird oxymoron, I know.”

“Nah, I get it.”

We settled into my truck and I headed toward both of our homes, eager to find out if I could convince her to stay the night.

But my worry subsided when Autumn’s voice filled the cab.

“Colton, do you think you could show me the things that were found in the house. . .tonight?”

I know it wasn’t her intention, but my cock jerked from behind the confines of my jeans.

“Absolutely.”

Chapter Sixteen – Autumn

In the car, I’d texted my parents and let them know Colton had found some things in the house that I wanted to look at and not to stay up for me. Even though I was twenty-four, I knew that I needed to check in with my parents. It was their home after all.

Of course, not long after the group chat with my sisters lit up with a message from Aspen. I quickly realized Mom had informed her about where I was headed. I ignored their teasing as Colton pulled up to his house. I was certain they were going to make me pay for it later.

It was still strange to think of the house belonging to anyone but me. I’d called it mine for as long as I could remember. But I was slowly learning to accept it despite the ache it left in my chest.

“Everything all right?” Colton asked me as he parked the truck. That was when I noticed there was no one around.

“Yeah. Didn’t you say that the crew works around the clock?” I asked as I jumped down from the truck and strolled up to the front door behind him.

“When I asked you out earlier, I gave the night crew the day off.”

Stepping inside the house that smelled of freshly sanded wood and sawdust, I joked, “I guess I was a sure thing, huh.”

“Not at all. I was just hopeful.”

“Mmhmm,” I mumbled as I headed toward the back of the house, noting how all of the details around the stairs stood out with the freshly painted stain.

“Oh, wow. The kitchen is laid out.”

“Yeah. They were working on installing the new cabinets when I came to get you. They’re in the butler’s pantry too.”

The kitchen layout was fascinating to me. It was so small compared to modern day kitchens with a large porcelain sink beneath the window, but the butler’s pantry was twice the size. That was where one of the original fireplaces still resided.

There were swatches of color on an extra cabinet door, and I loved the choices I’d helped Colton select at our first meeting. The dark blue stood out to me the most and I let Colton know as he joined me.

Across the way, the sunroom was serving more like a storage space, but I could see its potential with the new windows installed. They climbed all the way to the ceiling and gave a majestic view of the land surrounding the farm.

“This place is really coming along. I’m amazed at how quickly they were able to gut and then renovate.”

I knew that most projects took months and one of this magnitude should have taken years, but Colton seemed to have luck on his side. And my father, it seemed. He had spent time and money when the house was vacant, making sure that it didn’t wither away into a pile of rubble.

“Want to check out what we found?” I spun around at Colton’s question and faced him.

“Yes, please,” I replied eagerly, immediately moving toward the front staircase.

I noticed my makeshift tool bag sitting against the wall on one of the steps along with my cheap canvas toolbelt folded on top. Beside that was a small chest no larger than a shoe box that was covered in dirt and grim. The kind you couldn’t wash away with soap and water and it spoke of years of neglect.