As he stirred the tomato sauce into the aromatics on the stove, Ken looked over at Daisy. She propped her chin in her hand and watched him cook with confidence. “I’ve never seen anchovies as the base of a sauce before,” she remarked.

He winked at her. “Trust me. Briny, salty, garlicky.” He kissed his fingertips. “They build the best sauces.” He slid the bass fillets into the pan and put a lid on the skillet. Daisy resumed chopping the cucumber for the salad as he stirred couscous into boiling water.

The ease with which they made this meal in her kitchen filled her with a sense of security. She’d told him, and he was still here. What did that mean? Dare she hope for a future with him?

Everything her little fifteen-year-old heart had longed for had started coming true. Except for one thing.

Ken put the lid on the couscous and walked over to her. She sat across the bar from him, perched on a stool. Ken had hooked up his phone to her Bluetooth speakers, and a popular song from the eighties played quietly in the background. He slid the salad bowl into the center of the bar and filled it with the contents of a bag of rinsed lettuce.

“How’s the house coming along?” she asked.

He rolled the top of the bag closed and put it in the fridge. “Steady. Drywall’s up in the first floor. Working on the second floor. Lot’s to do.” He grinned a sheepish grin. “I’d get more done if I didn’t enjoy being with you so much.”

“So, it’s my fault,” she chuckled. “Good to know.”

She slid cucumbers and tomatoes onto the lettuce, then carried the bowl to the table. A few minutes later, Ken carried plates with the fish and the aromatic sauce sitting on a bed of couscous to their spots at the table. Her mouth watered as she took his hand and bowed her head, listening to his voice as he asked God’s blessing over their meal.

At the first bite, the salty, rich flavor filled her mouth in a beautiful way. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed it, then opened them to watch Ken staring at her with a very stoic expression on his face. “It’s so good,” she said, gesturing at the fork halfway to his mouth. “Taste it.”

He smiled and nodded. “I plan to.”

Heat flushed her face, but she didn’t reply. She just kept enjoying her dinner.

An hour later, with the kitchen clean and the sun setting around them, Daisy sat nestled against Ken on the swing on her front porch.

“I really enjoyed going to church with you yesterday.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “It was nice to sit next to you.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Think you can sit through a sermon again this Sunday?”

She chuckled. “I could be persuaded to if you were sitting next to me.”

“Hmm.” His arm squeezed her close. “Your place or mine?”

“Either or both. I’m good.” Despite not wanting to, she shifted away from him. “It’s getting late.”

“Yeah.” He moved slowly as if fighting against a force trying to keep him down. She stood with him so she could kiss him goodbye. He cupped her face with his hand, giving her the slowest, sweetest kiss. “Good night, Daisy.”

Nestling her head under his chin, she said, “Good night, Ken.”

After squeezing her shoulders, he set her away from him and walked to the stairs. Before descending, he paused and turned back to her. “You free tomorrow night?”

She thought about it. Nothing came to mind, and the idea of spending more time with Ken definitely appealed. “I’m free. Why?”

“We’re getting together tomorrow at Brad’s to plan Jon’s wedding. I hoped you’d want to come.”

“Me?” She slipped her hands into the pockets of her shorts and leaned against the porch railing. She’d met Alex briefly yesterday. She and Jon had come home from New York as Ken walked her out. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Because we’re together.” He tapped his chest above his heart. “Also, thought you might want to recommend Camila for the flowers. I checked with Jon today. They hadn’t looked at florists yet.”

Ken’s thoughtfulness astonished her. It shouldn’t have at this point, but he continued to surprise her. Camila would flip for the chance to do the flowers for a Dixon wedding. Ken was so quiet, but a lot was going on beneath that calm exterior. He was so thoughtful and observant. She realized she hadn’t answered him. “Sure. Of course. What time?”

“After work. I’ll pick you up.”

“I’ll meet you. That way I don’t have to leave my car at work.” She pulled out her phone. “What’s the address?”

Anticipation made jitters run up and down Ken’s spine. He and his brothers shared a bond born of the special circumstances of being identical triplets that most siblings would never understand. They knew how the others thought, reacted, felt.

Brad had married the girl he fell in love with as a young man. Right before their freshman year of high school, Valerie and her uncle moved out of the guest house on his parents’ estate and into their own home, causing Valerie to change schools. It ripped her away from them, and they went from seeing her daily to seeing her on holidays. The day before they moved, they all wrote their secret wishes down, placed them in sealed envelopes, and hid them in the gazebo.

At Brad’s wedding, he pulled out the box that contained the wishes and read his. “To marry Valerie…”

Ken saw Jon the day after he met Alex. He could see the change in his countenance, in the look of his face, in the tone of his voice. When he spoke of Alex, everything softened, and the pain that Jon carried with him from his time in Egypt just fell away as if removing a cloak. Knowing his brother, knowing how he felt and what he thought, he knew that Alex was the woman for him, the person who would complete him and make him whole.

Ken knew that Daisy was to him as Valerie and Alex were to his brothers. At this moment, his heart’s desire was that the women would all become friends in a way that would eventually bind them all as sisters. If he had his way, Alex and Valerie would be aunts to Daisy’s baby, and Daisy would be an aunt to his brothers’ children. He prayed all last night and throughout his day today. Would Daisy like them? Would she want to spend the rest of her life with them and be a close part of it?

As they entered Brad and Valerie’s kitchen, he immediately smelled coffee and cinnamon. Everyone sat around the table, slices of cake and steaming cups at their elbows. Valerie came forward and hugged Daisy. “I’m so happy you came with Ken!”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Alex stood and walked over to them. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you again. I’m excited about y’all’s wedding.”

“Me, too. But as we’re planning, I realize we might should have pushed it back a week. Back home, I could throw together a do in a week. Here, I started with two weeks, but one is half up already, and I don’t know the local caterers or florists.”

Valerie slipped her arm over Daisy’s shoulders. Ken felt the stress start to subside at Daisy’s smile. “We do. Trust us.”

“My cousin is a florist. Have you already contacted one?”

“No! Oh, please call her!” Alex leaned closer. “Do you think she also knows a caterer?”

“Oh, no, Honey. That’s covered. I’ve already called Calla,” Valerie said with a confident wave. “She’s my friend with the restaurant. She already knows what to do, how many to do, and gave me a list of bakers who could have a cake for you by next Saturday.”

The women started talking over each other, and Brad and Jon stood and maneuvered their way toward the sliding door that led out to the back yard. Ken inched around the girls and joined his brothers.

Brad gestured with his thumb. “Uh, we are just going to be outside if you need us.”

Valerie and Alex both waved them away as Daisy pulled a notebook out of her purse. They moved to the table, and Valerie handed Daisy a coffee cup. “I’m sorry to say it’s decaf,” she said. “I finally gave in just for the taste of coffee.”

Daisy smiled and took it from her, then looked at Alex. “What flowers do you want?” she asked as she poured coffee into her cup.

Outside, Ken sank into a lawn chair. “Well, I reckon I was worried about nothing.”

Brad raised both eyebrows. “Worried about what?”

He shrugged and pulled the ring box out of his pocket. “Asking Daisy to marry me. I was worried she might not get along with Val or Alex.”

Jon looked over his shoulder through the glass door. “They seem like fast friends.”

“An answer to prayer,” Ken said.

Jon gestured with his chin. “So you’re getting married, too. So soon?”

“Haven’t asked yet.” He couldn’t betray Daisy’s confidence. He’d tell his brothers about the baby when the time was right. “I’m keeping this with me so the perfect moment doesn’t catch me unprepared.”

Brad chuckled. “If it was anyone but you, I’d advise caution. But you’ve been cautious with your heart your entire life. Clearly, Daisy is right for you.”

“I have no doubt.”

“What does she say?” Jon asked.

“She says she was in love with me from afar back in high school.”

Brad snorted. “I know what that’s like.”

With a smile, Ken said, “That’s right. You do.”

Jon asked, “And now?”

Ken shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out soon.” He sounded more confident than he felt. He squeezed the ring box and slipped it back into his pocket. “Hey. Y’all want to come hang the last of my drywall so we don’t get roped into going back in there?”

Jon looked at the door and back at him. “I don’t know. I think we should—”

“Stay out of their way,” Brad said. He stood and pulled his truck keys out of his pocket. “Come on. It’s less than a mile away. If they need us, we can get back in five minutes.”

“Don’t tell them we’re leaving until we’re there,” Ken said, standing with his brother. “In case they say no.”

Jon chuckled. “Fine. But I want it on record that I dissented.”

“Course you do.”

Once they hashed out the wedding’s details, the women moved into the living room and sat around in couches and chairs. Alex took a sip of the decaffeinated coffee and closed her eyes. “I know I shouldn’t enjoy this so much, but I do.”

Valerie toasted her with her cup. “Auntie Rose figured out I was pregnant because I wasn’t drinking coffee.” She laughed. “That’s one astute woman there.”

“Where did the guys go?”

Valerie looked at Alex. “Probably to Ken’s house. It’s just down the road, and him sitting around staring at his brother’s faces when he probably has a thousand details to handle tells me that they’re over there working.”

Alex chuckled. “Do they ever stop?”

Valerie shook her head. “No.” She looked at Daisy. “How are the plans going for building that house?”

She realized they meant the Labor Day weekend house project. “Everything’s all set up. We’ve done this many times before, so the biggest part of it at this point is the organization during the actual weekend, and I have that nailed. Since it’s Labor Day weekend, we get an extra day. I have some extra donations going toward that house, so I have painters coming in Sunday night that I’m actually paying instead of volunteers. They will get the house ready for all the final trim and everything Monday. Adding that extra twelve hours on Monday makes me think I should always do them on holiday weekends.”

Valerie propped her elbow on the armrest and rested her temple against her fisted hand. “I can design a house. That was part of getting my architect’s degree, obviously. I don’t. I preferred the interior design aspects. But I don’t think I could organize a crew to build a house in three days.”

Alex shook her head. “I can’t fathom the kind of organization it takes to do that. My skill set lies in taking pictures and throwing high-class parties for Connecticut’s elite.” She laughed and took a sip of her coffee. “I sit here among great women.”

Daisy watched Valerie and Alex as they interacted with each other and with her. She thought of their interaction with Brad and Jon and realized that she liked these women. A lot. The thought of being in their circle gave her a warm glow.

“I wouldn’t know how to throw a party for the elite of Connecticut.” Daisy smiled. “I hire someone to do those kinds of things. My fundraising organizer is brilliant, and I’m thankful for her. Because there’s no way I could do what she does.”

Valerie nodded. “I think it comes down to the same thing that building a house and designing a house does, and that’s organization. Lists.”

Alex lifted her hand. “Lists! Yes!”

“My list will be permanently affixed to my hand the entire weekend we’re building that house.” Daisy chuckled. “With all different colors of markers.”

Alex turned to Valerie. “You have been wonderful. Thank you for being so welcoming to me. I think that knowing I have a friend is making this transition easier.”

Valerie shifted her body and rubbed her hip. “It used to just be those boys and me. Everywhere we went, all the time, people called us Valerie and those boys. I love those brothers. Since I came back to Atlanta, it’s been my prayer that they find amazing women who can love them the way I love Brad. I think it’s incredible that Jon found you and recognized you. That’s all God. I hope you know that.” She looked at Daisy. “And I’m not afraid to be frank and tell you I have never once known Ken to date. He’s thirty-two years old, and you’re the first woman he’s ever actually introduced me to. I like you. I hope you keep him.”

Daisy didn’t know how to respond to that. “I fell in love with Ken when I was fourteen.”

Alex said, “Aww. I love that.”

Daisy shrugged. “He didn’t even know I existed. I was just his friend’s little sister. I remember him coming back from some mission trip, and he had this present in his hands, and he was handing it to me, and the whole time I thought, ‘Oh, it’s for me. He’s finally going to admit these feelings for me that I know for sure he has.’ I then went to this whole dialog in my head about how I would accept the offer of his heart, and we’d be together forever. But as he was talking, it occurred to me he was asking me to give it to my mother. It’s a basket she uses as her fruit bowl.”

Daisy and Valerie put their heads back and laughed. Valerie said, “I knew him at that age. He’s not the same man he was then, either.”

Daisy smiled. “It still would’ve been nice to grow together, wouldn’t it?”

Valerie’s face grew serious. “Yes. I left after high school and came back a different person. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I had recognized Brad’s feelings for me and stayed.”

Alex interjected. “It’s interesting how God maneuvers us, isn’t it? It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the last few weeks. I haven’t grown up in a godly state of mind. To my family, who are Jewish, it’s all about culture and tradition and not about a relationship. But I was in a terrible situation in Egypt and took a picture. It was published, and I was nominated for an award. The crazy thing is that Jon was in that picture.”

Daisy gasped and asked, “Did you meet him that day?”

Alex shook her head. “No. But when I met him, I felt like I had seen him before. It wasn’t until he showed me the picture that I realized why he looked so familiar to me.”

Valerie said, “I’ve seen the picture. Even though he’s not the subject of it, you can still see him very clearly. It’s incredible the serendipity that brought you two together.”

Daisy set her empty coffee cup on the table in front of her and brought the conversation back to something Alex said. “So, you recognize that God wants a relationship more than tradition and culture?”

Alex looked above Daisy’s head as if forming her thoughts. “I think I’m becoming more aware of the fact that He is way less detached from my day-to-day than I would have thought. Six months ago, I think you could’ve told me God didn’t actually exist, and I could have been convinced. Now I think I would stand and fight to the bitter end because I know for a fact that He does exist. Does that make sense?”

Valerie cocked her head. “I think that makes a lot of sense. It also makes me very happy. Jon has struggled, and it comes from his experiences in Egypt, stemming from his observations of the poverty and desperation he has witnessed all over the world. To know your faith is growing and firming up, and his faith is strengthening, tells me you two will be completely fine together. And that God’s got you both.”

The front door opened, and the sound of the brothers’ voices floated toward them. She turned her head as they came into the room. Drywall dust sprinkled on their boots gave evidence of where they’d gone. Valerie had called that one.

“So! Wedding all planned?” Jon asked. He walked over to the chair where Alex sat and perched on the arm of it.

Alex grinned up at him. “All planned. Thanks for all your input and assistance.”

He grinned. “I’ll be wherever you want me to be whenever you want me there.”

Daisy looked up at Ken, who had come to stand next to the couch. “Did you get the last of the drywall hung?”

“Yep. Many hands make light work.”

She chuckled. “That is one of my mantras.”

Jon and Alex stood. “We are going to head back. See you all for family dinner tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Valerie stood and stretched her leg. “What about you, Daisy? Are you coming to family dinner?”

“I, uh, don’t know.” She glanced over at Ken. “Am I?”

The smile that covered his face lit him up like a light bulb. It made her heart twist almost painfully in reaction. “If you want to come to family dinner, that would make me very happy. Besides, it’s Jon’s turn to do dishes, so we’d have it easy.”

Jon laughed. “I think you need to consult that list of yours one more time.”

Daisy stood. “I guess I’ll see y’all tomorrow. Thank you, Valerie, for your hospitality. I really enjoyed it.”

Valerie walked up to her and hugged her. “It was great to spend time with you.”

Daisy looked at Alex. “Your wedding is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”

Daisy hugged Alex, and then Ken put a hand on her lower back. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

As she walked out of the house, Daisy realized that she hadn’t once thought of her pregnancy tonight. She actually felt drawn into that community of the family and felt like she had a place there.

At the car, Ken leaned his hip against the back door. She opened the driver’s door and tossed her purse inside, then turned toward him. “Thanks for asking me to come tonight.”

He slipped his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “I’m happy you got along with them.”

She smiled. “We got along great. It probably helps that you guys abandoned us to our planning.”

She was teasing him, and he knew it. He brushed a piece of hair off of her cheek. “Hanging drywall was better than picking out flowers.”

His arms came around her easily. But even as she raised her face for his kiss, she wondered how much longer she could keep this up. Once his family knew, they wouldn’t accept her the same way he did.