Restoring Romance (Welcome to Romance 1)

“I’m not complaining. Best Thursday pool night I’ve had in ages. I enjoy winning, for a change.” Daniel hung his cue stick on the wall rack. “Honestly, Bro, I think Ash is messing with your head. You haven’t talked about anything else.”

“That’s

not true. I told you about my research on Queen Anne house colors.”

“Yeah, thanks so much for that fascinating account,” Daniel said sardonically. “You know how much I love it. Anyway, the only reason you looked that stuff up was to prepare for your meeting with Ash tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, I wish you’d been there to see her face when I told her she’d have to get her approvals from me. It was hilarious.”

“So you’re not going to let her change the outside color?”

“I never said that. As it turns out, it was unlikely the original Scott house was white, anyway. The houses were usually colorful, to show off the trim and details. I think someone painted it all white a while back because they were lazy, and it’s never been properly restored.”

“Then you’re going to let her paint it however she likes?”

“I didn’t say that, either. I thought Ash and I could consult together and come up with an acceptable palette.”

Daniel went to the game-room fridge and grabbed a can of cola, popping the top open. “From the way you described your little lunch meeting, I don’t think she wants to consult with you.”

“I’m trying to help her.” Adam scowled, wondering why his family seemed to be ganging up on him.

“Your frowny face doesn’t intimidate me, so don’t bother.” Daniel swallowed three big gulps in a row. “I’m only stating the obvious. You have a thing for Ash, and she doesn’t share the feeling. In fact, I think she’s terrified of you.”

“First of all, I don’t have a thing for Ash. But I think you may be right about her being scared of me. When we first met, she was stubborn as a bulldog, but now she seems to say whatever, just to appease me.”

“No wonder you like her. You can boss her around, just like Darla.”

“I didn’t boss Darla around.”

“Adam you have a distorted memory of things. Just think back to the three years when you guys were dating. Did you ever once make a decision based solely on what Darla wanted?”

“We didn’t have to... Darla and I wanted the same things.” Adam crossed his arms, daring Daniel to defy him.

“Which is impossible, so you just proved my point. She let you have your way and convinced you she wanted the same thing, trying to make you happy.”

Was it true? Had he squelched Darla’s personality? “I never asked her to do that. I never asked anyone to do that.”

“I know. And I also know you don’t mind a little debate. In fact, you’ve always enjoyed butting heads with me and Tristan and Elias. We’ve never cut you any slack, and neither did Mom and Dad.”

“Ha! That’s an understatement.”

“Well here’s your chance to change your ways, Bro. You need to find someone strong enough to stand up to you. And then you need to accept that you can’t win every disagreement. Compromise is the key word in relationships.”

“You’ve only been married a few weeks, Daniel. What do you know?”

“I may not be an expert on marriage, but I’m an expert on my twin brother. I think I understand you better than you understand yourself.”

“Or maybe you’ve been watching too many chick flicks.”

“Go ahead and make fun. I know what’s in your secret DVD collection. An Affair to Remember... Casablanca...”

“Those are classic films.”

“Whatever. We’re not as different as you pretend we are.” Daniel swallowed the last of his cola and ambled through the kitchen toward the back door, where he stopped, sweeping his hand in a grand gesture. “You know, Adam, this is a great house to raise a family in—huge kitchen and family room, game room, lots of land, cows, horses...”

“Thanks.” Confused, Adam rubbed the back of his head.

“And you’re going to be a great father someday. It’s been years since you and Darla broke up, and it’s time you started dating again.”