Page 156 of All Too Well
“Yes. I love him, and since I was staying with him anyway, this was just the easiest way to move forward.”
He sighs and leans back in his chair. “You couldn’t just get your own place?”
“I’m sure I could, but again, this was easy, and as a grown adult, this was the choice I made,” Ainsley explains.
The Admiral turns to me. “And what happens if this doesn’t work out?”
“I have no intentions of that being the reality.”
“You plan to marry her?”
This isn’t exactly the way I planned this, but I should’ve expected as much. “I do, at some point. I’d like to marry her and become a family.”
She reaches out, taking my hand. “I’m in no rush, Lach. We’re a family without a ring.”
Her father coughs.
“Like I said, my intentions are clear.”
The Admiral gets to his feet, and the two of us do as well.
“Daddy, I don’t want to fight with you or anything like that. Lachlan and I wanted to be honest with you because we respect you.”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “I appreciate that. It’s not how I would’ve liked things to go, but I realize that my wants aren’t what matter here.”
Okay, I didn’t think that was going to be what he said.
He comes around the desk and extends his hand. “Thank you for being honest.”
I shake his hand. “Of course.”
“She’s a lot of work.”
“I know.”
“She’s a lot like her mother, which means you’re going to need a lot of patience and tolerance.”
“Tolerance?” Ainsley cuts in.
“I’m aware. She’s very opinionated as well,” I inform him.
“She gets that from me.” He chuckles. “I want to warn you that she’s also very expensive.”
She scoffs. “Please. I’m so low maintenance.”
Her father grins at her. “You forget I have been the one who paid your bills for years. There’s nothing low maintenance about you.”
“I’ve been paying my own way for the last how many years?” she reminds him.
“She’s learning because those funds were cut off. A word of advice—always tell her you’re broke. It helps.”
I laugh. “Thanks, sir.” I reach into my pocket and grab my challenge coin. Ainsley suggested I give it to him, since he appreciates it so much. I extend my palm. “I’d like to give you this. While you’re giving me something much more valuable, this coin was made after I saved that girl and Ainsley came back into my life. It’s important to me and holds a lot of meaning.”
He takes it and looks it over. The coin is two-sided and acts as a bottle opener. On the one side it looks like a Frisbee and says “Disc Jocks,” since that’s what ultimately brought Ainsley to me. The other side is the fire chief part. It has EFFD for Ember Falls Fire Department and the axes.
He reaches across his desk. “While you may have one of the most valuable things I own, here.” The Admiral gives me his coin. “Keep both of them safe, Lachlan.”
“I will.”
