the same as tending to pets, but I can assist them if they ever need help with their practice. Pierce and I are going to start looking for a lot where I can build an animal hospital.
Hopefully it’s a place not owned by the Aldridges, because I don’t want to worry about these guys leaving town and losing my business. I’m sure that deep down they are friendly people. However, the young ones don’t seem too sold with the whole, let’s stay here for almost two years.
Today we’re organizing the household chores.
Everyone is going to have to pull their weight in the house and the companies. I hope that doesn’t include working at The Lodge for me because I’m still not fond of people. As we’re trying to decide how we’re going to split everything, the guys begin to complain.
“I refuse to clean the toilets,” Beacon says.
“I don’t know how to cook,” Pierce grumbles.
“You know how to grill,” I amend.
He glares at me. I grin and shrug.
We’re an alliance, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let him get away with stuff. Now, what kind of almost ex-wife would I be if I didn't put him in his place?
“You know what we need?” Beacon asks.
“A maid?” Hayes answers.
“Well, yes, we need that too,” Beacon agrees.
Pierce sighs and says, “We can’t hire anyone to help us with house chores.”
“You’re just making shit up,” Mills complains. “After you almost ducked this up by missing a date, I don’t believe the shit you say. How hard is it to count to thirty? Even Arden could do it. From now on, I need someone to verify your work.”
All the brothers laugh. Blaire and I roll our eyes. Arden can say five words, but these men are just trying to see who taunts the other one better.
“Ducked?” Henry glares at Mills.
“We have to be cautious about the words we use around Arden,” Mills explains, giving a warning glare to everyone in the room.
“It was an oversight, and we made it,” Pierce glares at him, and I point at Arden before he starts yelling. He runs a hand through his hair, takes a deep breath, and says, “This is the last time I’m going to repeat it. I can’t control my mother. It pains me more to know that I can’t trust her than it affects you. Secondly, I was focused on other tasks, including my departure from the firm. When I say we can’t hire help, believe me, it is with a heavy heart. I don’t enjoy cleaning toilets either.”
Henry sighs and says, “Okay, she’s here.”
“Who is here?” I frown.
“Sophia,” Blaire answers and smiles at me. “She makes these men more manageable.”
“Because you have trouble handling us?” Hayes arches an eyebrow and then pulls her into his arms.
I cover Arden’s eyes and say, “Go and kiss somewhere else. There’s a baby here.”
“You want me to take him?” Mills asks me.
Hayes shakes his head and clears his throat. “Okay, everyone, I need your attention. Mills’s knee needs a lot of work, but I believe he can recover. However, I need you to be mindful of him. He can’t carry anything heavier than three pounds—that includes our little boy here. Try to keep him busy at The Lodge or Aldry’s Sweets. Just remember that he can’t be standing for a long time either.”
“So, in other words, he’s crippled until you say so, and we have to serve him?” Pierce takes a shot at Mills.
They’ve been insulting each other since yesterday. I’d be surprised if I haven’t seen them interact in the past. They just lash at each other like little children. I have so many questions about how they were raised. How those weeks where they had to get together happened in the first place? Why none of the adults tried to push them to be a family before?
“Well, then I know where to place him,” I hear a female voice, and when I turn around, there’s a woman with dark hair that contrasts her white top, and the high heel boots she wears are super cute. “I prepared this for you during my flight. Blaire and Leyla discussed the house chores on Friday. I thought we needed a process, so I copied what Mom had for us while growing up.”
She points toward the whiteboard Henry is carrying with him. She used thin tape to create a grid, and it already has the days of the week, the chores, and even a bunch of magnets with our