She blinked at the open doorway. Three women walked in chatting and giggling, each more beautiful than the next.

“Walker, welcome home! I thought you were coming back tomorrow! We brought dinner--" the first woman called. She stepped through the door to the kitchen, gasping as she spotted Ashleigh with Walker.

She was a blonde-haired woman with blue eyes. The kind of woman that made heads turn, and men fall to their knees at her feet. Her face was open and kind though, like she was completely unaware of her own beauty.

The other two women also stilled when they saw her standing awkwardly against the kitchen counter. Ashleigh's cheeks were still flushed from Walker’s contact just seconds earlier.

There was another blonde one, almost as beautiful as the first, and clearly related to her. A striking dark-haired woman with shining eyes rounded out the trio.

The door slammed as two men followed the girls inside. As soon as she saw them, the pieces fell into place. She sucked in a breath as she realized that they were almost identical to Walker. They had the same brown hair, the same gorgeous eyes. They were just as tall and muscled. 

They must be Sawyer and Colt, she realized.

The only thing that allowed her to tell them apart at first glance was that they wore their hair differently. So these women must be their wives... and another woman who was close to Walker. 

She panicked as her eyes shot to Walker. Could this be his girl? Was this a trick to get her here, to make this girl jealous or something?

He immediately moved to Ashleigh's side, placing a hand on her lower back. He nodded toward them.

“This is Remy,” he gestured to the first blonde, who flushed as she stepped forward to shake Ashleigh’s hand. 

“I’m so sorry, we didn’t realize he had company,” Remy apologized.

“Uh, no problem. It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you,” she said quietly.

“And this is Rose, and Shelby. And those two sorry sacks of muscle are Sawyer and Colt.”

The one he’d introduced as Colt moved toward her first, his eyes twinkling mischievously and his full lips grinning widely.

“And who might you be, darlin’?” 

Rose pulled him back and elbowed him in his ribs, but he shot her a smile and moved to hug his brother.

“I was getting to that, kid,” Walker said. His voice took on a tone she hadn’t heard before, more reserved.

“This is Do--" he started, but she quickly interrupted him.

“Ashleigh,” she offered instead. “It’s so nice to meet y'all. Heard a lot about all of you.”

“Well, we’ve heard absolutely nothing about you,” Colt quipped but pulled her in for a hug anyway. 

Sawyer moved toward her next, but his eyes were more guarded than Colt’s had been. Not unfriendly, just confused.

He gave his brother a one-armed hug and then cautiously reached out and gave Ashleigh a quick, gentle hug. Actually, more of a pat on the back with his arms around her.

“So Walker, seems you’ve been holding out on us.” Sawyer shot a look at Walker as he and Colt corralled him and led him over to the fridge. 

Beers were passed around. The men disappeared as Remy pulled Ashleigh toward the dining room table. The girls started setting out the food they’d brought with them.

“Tell us everything!” Remy exclaimed. “How did you two meet? When did you meet? If you’re here, it must be quite serious by now.” 

She took Ashleigh’s hands in her own, and her eyes shone with happiness. 

“I’m just so glad he finally found someone again!” Then her finger brushed the ring on Ashleigh’s hand, and her eyes grew impossibly wide. “Oh. My. God!” 

Remy stepped back and lifted Ashleigh’s left hand to examine the ring. The breath audibly whooshed from her lungs as she took it in, and she paled just a shade.

What now? 

Ashleigh didn't have much experience with girlfriends and getting engaged and rings. And these girls weren’t her friends, of course... but she was quite sure that was not the ordinary reaction.

Rose’s eyes darted between the ring on Ashleigh’s hand and Remy. Still, she smiled at Ashleigh and pulled her into a hug. 

“Congratulations!” Rose said softly. “This is wonderful news. You got yourself a great man there, girl!”

Ashleigh frowned. Wasn’t this the more appropriate reaction? 

Shelby seemed to know what had caused Remy’s reaction, her eyes as wide as saucers.

“Of course she did!” Remy said, seeming to recover from whatever had just happened. “Welcome to the family, I suppose is in order.” 

She grinned, but her eyes still seemed nervous. Never more so than when the men reappeared.

Sawyer and Colt both seemed to assess the scene playing out before them. In milliseconds, both pairs of eyes dropped to her finger at exactly the same time. Sawyer had a similar reaction to Remy, drawing in a deep breath and paling some under his tanned skin. Colt looked like someone had hit him in the face, or doused him with ice water.

Walker moved to her side, pulling her close to him. His jaw was set and his eyes held some sort of challenge to his brothers.

Beyond confused, she could only look on at whatever was happening. Colt met Walker’s eyes. Walker gave a small nod, and Colt's easygoing grin spread again. Colt's eyes lit up as he bounded over to them.

“Finally, dude!” 

He pulled Ashleigh and Walker into a giant hug. Walker’s posture remained stiff, but Ashleigh returned the hug awkwardly.

Sawyer was more reserved as he congratulated them, but he seemed genuinely happy for his brother.

Why does he want to lie to these people? she wondered.

It was clear that everyone in this room loved him unconditionally. Sure, he’d said that they were also pressuring him to settle down. But she was certain just from this one interaction that they wanted him to be happy. For real. 

They wanted something for him that she couldn't provide, ultimately. When it came down to it, she was a terrible choice.

She pushed the unbidden thought from her mind as quickly as it had taken hold. His motives were none of her concern.

For now, she was here, and she was safe. She wasn’t worried about perverted men trying to cop a feel. She wasn't being sold off and shipped to other side of the world to join a harem. Besides, she was no stranger to lying.

“Let’s eat!” Rose clapped her hands together as she sank into a chair that Colt had pulled out for her. “Seems we’re celebrating!” 

"Apparently so," Walker said.

“I wish you’d told us, we could’ve gotten champagne! Though maybe, if I shake the bottle of wine we picked up, we can get it sparkly.” 

She glanced toward Colt hopefully, but he chuckled as he shook his head at her.

“It may not be the best bottle of wine, but I don’t think that’s going to work, sweetheart.” He slung his arm around the back of her chair and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth.

“I know, but we could give it a shot and hope for the best?” Rose smiled up at him, her eyes never leaving his face.

“Such an optimist!” He smirked, leaning in to her kiss her again. It was clear to Ashleigh that these two were very much in love.

Her eyes darted to the other side of the table, where something was passing wordlessly between Sawyer and Remy. The way in which their bodies were almost molded together, as comfortably as if they were two halves of one whole, spoke volumes about the couple. 

Ashleigh remembered Walker telling her that they’d been in love since forever. They'd had to brave several storms to get to where they were today. It showed in every one of their glances, their movements.

Ashleigh felt a pang in her heart as she observed them. She was surrounded by the kind of honest, true love that she had previously thought existed only in fairy tales. And here she was, a complete fraud. She was a traitor in their midst, a washed out stripper who would never experience that kind of love for herself.

She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to keep herself from frowning.

Walker had seated himself next to her. He had his arm slung around the back of her chair, but his posture was stiff, his jaw tight.

Shelby, on the other hand, seemed to be doing her best not to look at any of the couples around the table. She was intently moving her peas around her plate.

“So,” Remy said, her exchange with Sawyer apparently completed, “Walker, will you please say grace? Then tell us every single thing about the two of you.” 

Her lips twitched up in a smile and Sawyer gave a light tug on her ponytail, rolling his eyes at her but still grinning.

Walker complied with the first part of her request, but then fell silent. It struck her as strange how stoic he acted around his family. He’d only known her for just about a day, but he’d been semi-talkative with her so far.

She remembered their conversation earlier in the day, what he’d said he needed. So she rested a hand on his thigh, trying to make it look like a comfortable, intimate gesture. It felt like she’d failed horribly; he was wound as tight as a drum with his muscular thigh under her hand, but no one seemed to notice.

She jumped in, since Walker seemed to be without words.

“We met a little while back in New Orleans when he was there for work. We’ve been keeping in touch, seeing more and more of each other every time he came to the city. Somewhere along the line, I couldn’t resist his charms anymore. Our friendship just kind of naturally turned into something more.” 

She stole a quick glance at Walker. He was listening to her talk with wide eyes, barely managing to conceal his surprise. There was a small smile on his face, which she took as encouragement to continue.

“His charms? What charms?” Colt joked. “You’re into the strong and silent type then, huh?” 

He chuckled, but Walker’s eyes turned dark.

She gave his thigh a little squeeze, feeling the muscles there twitch. She couldn’t tell whether it was from surprise at the gesture, or something else. Maybe it was as simple as a man responding to a woman's touch? She blushed a little. She couldn't deny a spark, though that just might be on her side only.

Sawyer must have caught on to her momentary desire, because he smirked and said, “Oh, those charms!”

This set off a round of giggling from Rose and Remy, while Sawyer and Colt exchanged a knowing look. They chuckled loudly.

“Well, we all know the Roman men don’t lack those charms,” Colt said, still chuckling while Rose turned a deep shade of red.

“That’s for sure!” Remy agreed. “I’ve had to endure eighteen months of pregnancy as a result of those charms.” 

She gave Sawyer a pointed look, but couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

“How about another nine months?” His hazel eyes lit up as he suggested it.

She jumped a little as she elbowed him. “Not a chance, Sawyer. Not right now, anyway. Stop talking about it!”

Sawyer sighed. He turned back to Ashleigh and Walker, nodding at Ashleigh to continue. “You were saying?”

Ashleigh flushed as all the attention returned to her. 

“Oh, right. Yes. So, we’ve been talking for some time about how difficult the long distance thing has become as we've grown closer. Then, last night, he slipped out early from the bachelor party and came to find me.”

This part was partially true, at least. She grew more confident in the story as she continued to tailor the truth. Hey, at least all of this had actually happened, even if it was slightly different.

“We went back to his hotel room and talked things through last night and this morning.”

“Yeah, talked. I’m sure.” Colt smirked while Walker glowered at him. 

She flinched when she saw his reaction to the insinuation that he’d done something more with her than talked. 

Burn. He agrees that you are a whore, she chided herself. He’s smart, rich and sexy; he wouldn’t fuck you with someone else’s dick. 

That much had become clear to her in that one scowl.

She faltered in her story. She swallowed down a lump that had formed in her throat at this realization. Everyone around the table was still looking at her expectantly.

Walker seemed to sense that she wasn’t able to continue immediately, so he surprised her by taking over.

“Yeah, we talked things through.” He emphasized the word talk again, causing the lump in her throat to grow.

“We realized that we both wanted to be together. That we needed to, even... and The Colonel gave me mom’s ring a couple of weeks ago, so I had it on me. I realized there was no one else I wanted to wear it, never had been. So I dropped to my knees and asked her to make an honest man out of me.” 

He grinned, then turned to face her. His eyes were tender as he fixed them to hers and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

In the three sentences that he had spoken to complete the story, she’d learned three things about him:

1. He’d also gone for the tailoring the truth option, so they had at least that in common;

2. It was his mother’s ring sitting on her finger, which explained the reactions of the others. She had no idea why or what that story was about, but she was going to find out;

3. He was either being ironic by choosing the words ‘make an honest man out of me’, or just a big fat liar. Either way, it reminded her that they were in this thing together. They shared this secret, and she’d never had anyone to share anything with. 

Her eyelids fluttered shut as she felt the soft pressure of his full lips on her forehead. She relaxed against his strong chest when he pulled her closer after the moment had passed.

Walker stayed glued to her side for the rest of dinner. They answered a barrage of questions together, as a united front. She did notice, however, that he was carefully avoiding all questions about her past. She couldn't blame him for hiding her former job, but...

Shame crept in, settling in a heavy ball in her stomach. It spread out through her limbs until her cheeks burned. Her appetite disappeared.

Of course he’s embarrassed of your past, her inner voice sneered. Refer to the conversation from before... He’s a decent, sexy guy from a family who dedicated their lives to defending their country. You’re a strip club waitress contributing to the perpetuation of its dark underbelly! 

She fell silent. When Remy asked if she was okay, she claimed to be tired and a little overwhelmed from the events of the day. She sighed, realizing that these half-truths were going to be her life, for now.

“We’d better get going anyway, we still have to pick up the kids,” Remy said as soon as they helped clear the table.

Sawyer drained the last of his beer and nodded his agreement.

“Yeah, we’d better get going, too,” Rose added.

Colt's eyes twinkled again. It was easy to see he was the slightly naughty, fun-loving brother. It made sense, despite the slight limp that only barely hinted at the limb Ashleigh knew to be missing. 

“Yeah,” Colt agreed. “We’ve gotta go practice making some kids.” 

He laughed when Rose blushed and gave him a warning glare. He ignored it and pulled her into a deep kiss.

“That’s quite enough of that,” Sawyer said, and Remy laughed. “Keep it in your pants till you get home, kid,” Sawyer said with a smirk.

“Well, luckily for me, home isn’t too far away!” Colt threw back at him. “But I still can’t promise anything.” He winked. “And stop with the fucking kid thing!”

Walker stayed silent, but he seemed amused by Colt and Sawyer’s easy banter.

“Colt and Rose are our neighbors,” Walker explained to her as they headed for the door. “They’re the next house over.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Welcome to the neighborhood, Ashleigh.” Rose smiled, dragging Colt out of the house. 

“Good night, lovebirds!” Colt called. “Try to keep it down with the newly engaged--"

He was cut off by Rose’s embarrassed voice. “Stop that, Colt!”

Remy shook her head at him, but exchanged a smile with Ashleigh. 

“You’ll get used to it,” she assured her. “Good night. We’ll see you tomorrow, probably.”

Sawyer and Walker gave each other another quick one-armed hug. Sawyer nodded good night at her as he followed Remy out the door. 

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Roman brothers were super close. She wondered what they would do if they ever found out that Walker was lying about being engaged... 

She had no doubt that it would not be good.

“Earth to Doll!” Walker’s gentle voice broke through her thoughts. “I know they can be a bit much, but they mean well.”

She turned to him, trying for a reassuring smile.

“No, no. They’re great. They seem really friendly.”

“Yeah, they are. You ready for bed?”

“Sure, yeah. Let me just clean this up.” She motioned toward the pile of cutlery and crockery on the counter.

“We’ll load in the dishwasher in the morning. It’s been a long day. I think we can allow ourselves one little indulgence.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah, let’s do that then.” She followed him down the hallway as he flicked off the lights and led her to the bedroom.

He gave her plenty of space to wash her face, brush her teeth and change into her newly acquired sleepwear. She chose a simple tank top and shorts, changing quickly before giving up the bathroom.

When he emerged a few minutes later, he was shirtless and wearing only boxers. “You okay if I sleep in this?”

Her mouth had dried up as soon as she was confronted with his chiseled torso. The air seemed to crackle between them when he noticed her raking her eyes over his half naked body.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she reminded herself of the nature of their relationship. 

“No problem,” she muttered at the same time that he said, “I’ll just go grab a shirt.”

She laughed when she realized they’d done the exact same thing they had this morning. Walker seemed equally amused, but he didn’t move.

“You sure? I don’t mind putting on a shirt.”

“I’m sure. Really.” 

She ripped her unwilling eyes from the lines of his hard body, but not before seeing what she was sure was a hint of desire in his eyes.

He slid into bed with her, careful to keep to his side of the bed. Disappointment, however unplaced it may have been, coursed through her body. The shame she'd felt earlier took hold again.

He flipped the switch on the lamp on his bedside table, plunging the room into darkness. She heard a low sigh before his voice whispered in the darkness. 

“Good night, Ashleigh.”

Her heart skipped a beat as he said her name for the first time. She’d never heard it sound more beautiful. Somehow, it made her feel like a woman, like more than just the strip club waitress she knew herself to be.

She drifted off to sleep, idly wondering if there was any universe in which she could be Ashleigh. A life in which she could leave Doll behind for real, and forever.