AN: Plot points and their order become very important from here on, so it's possible that I might forget to put something in that's important, because so many things have to happen in a certain order, and have to be said or done by certain people at a certain time. As you know, what I write here on Wattpad are basically rough drafts of what I publish for sale in the real world, so if I forget to put something in, I'm just going to go back and put it in after; this means that if you read something and don't remember it happening, chances are that I simply forgot to write it, and have gone back and written it in since, okay? And I apologize in advance.
So, if I reference a convo between Ned and Mara that took place after dinner one night, for example, that you don't remember happening, chances are that I went back to a likely place and stuck it in. I try to avoid this kind of thing whenever I can, but like I said, there's so much going on from here on, and every event is crucial, so I might slip up. Again, I'm sorry if I do!

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Chiara and LeeAnne swapped their watches back at breakfast the next day, though LeeAnne seemed sad to give Chiara's watch back.

"God, Drew, maybe if we get to be friends, you'll get me one of them, too," she said with a smile as she handed Chiara's watch back to her.

Drew stared at her. "I think not," he said, sounding very British and offended, which made Chiara laugh into her teacup.

"I don't think it's very nice to laugh at me," LeeAnne said.

"I wasn't, I was laughing at Drew," Chiara assured her.

Today LeeAnne was wearing a very tight fuzzy sweater and equally tight pedal pushers, along with white sneakers. She looked like a girl from the 1950s, with lipstick in the same shade as her peach colored sweater.

"Hey, lads, I've had an idea for the bridge for New Crush," Gary said, while they were sitting over second cups of tea.

"Oh god, not more music talk," LeeAnne said petulantly, pushing her chair back with a noisy scrape, making Sienna, whom Chiara was holding, jump with surprise.

"That's why we're all here," Luke said, his tone sounding like he was speaking to a child. "If we don't write new music, there's no money to pay for all the stuff you and your baby need to get along, yeah?"

"I know that," LeeAnne answered, stung, reaching for the baby in question. "I just don't see why we have to talk about the album all the fucking time, the album, the album, the album! I'm sick of it, you know?" She looked around at everyone, hoping for support.

She didn't get any. The boys, obviously, were there to work, and Mara and Chiara knew this.

"Well, sorry to leave so abruptly," Chiara said, trying to sound sorry and feeling anything but, "but I have to go and see about a property today."

"Really?" Ned asked. He looked outside, where there was still a good six inches of snow on the ground.

"Yeah, a branch broke or something, I have to go clear it out," Chiara said. "Not a big deal, it was an old branch, I was going to clear it out this spring anyway."

"That sounds like heavy work, don't you need help?" Ned asked, looking concerned.

"No, silly, I'm probably stronger than you are," Chiara answered with a smile.

"No joke, mate, she's seriously strong," Drew put in, putting an arm around her.

LeeAnne gave a delicate shudder. "I wouldn't want to go out on a day like today, especially to chop down trees," she said, making Chiara feel shaggy as all outdoors, hearty as a grizzly bear.

"Well, lucky you, you don't have to, do you?" Mara said, taking a drink of her tea. "You lucked into a sugar daddy who will pay for you to sit around and wear jewelry. Chiara has to work for her living, so she'll be slogging about, hacking at branches in the snow."

"Just a minute, I work, I take care of a baby," LeeAnne retorted indignantly.

At the same time, Drew spoke up as well. "Chiara absolutely does not 'have to slog about in the snow hacking at branches,' I'll have you know. I'd gladly have her sit about and wear jewelry as well, but she won't let me!"

Chiara burst out laughing at his words. "Oh god, Drew, you're so cute, just absolutely the most adorable thing I've ever seen!" She rose and kissed him on the cheek. "I have to stop at mine for a few minutes and get some warmer clothes before I head out. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

LeeAnne spoke again after Chiara left. "I don't think she should make fun of you," she said to Drew. "If you were my boyfriend, I'd never make fun of you if you said something nice to me like that. If you wanted to pay to keep me, I'd let you for sure." She nodded for emphasis.

"Don't worry, LeeAnne, we believe you," Mara nodded back ostentatiously.

"Oh, and we worked out the parking with the villa in Lake Como, you guys," she continued. "So the original venue is back on, okay?"

Ned looked blank.

"Remember, Neddy? We weren't sure there'd be enough parking at the original villa that's right on the lake, so we were possibly going to have to move to a smaller villa on Lake Lugano? With a smaller garden?" Mara voice held amusement, because Ned was notorious for forgetting things. "In Italy?

"Anyway, it's all been worked out, and the original venue is back on for the wedding."

Ned smiled. "As long as the date hasn't changed, I'm in, no worries," he told Mara and Luke cheerfully. "I'll be there with bells on, you two, I've had it marked on my calendar for the past eighteen months."

"Of course the date hasn't changed," Mara said, eyes opening wide. "That would be a catastrophe."

"Heaven forfend!" Luke said, picking up Mara's hand and kissing it.

Mara looked at her fiancé, eyes narrowed, sensing she was being made fun of.

"Hey, I'm like Neddy at this point," he told her. "I'm just going to show up on the appointed day in a killer tux and say 'I do,' to whomever's facing me in the white dress, you know? I lost track of the details long ago."

Drew laughed, but he was abstracted. He'd suddenly had a vision, of his Chiara, his lovely dumpling, in a beautiful, billowing white dress, facing him in the rose garden, hands clasping his, saying the time honored words in front of his mum and Noah and these boys that he loved so well.

"When is it?" LeeAnne was asking when he tuned back in to the conversation. "So I can mark it on Gary's and my calendar."

"You're not invited," Mara said firmly.

LeeAnne blinked, both at the tone and the words.

"That's so mean," she said. "Why? I mean, why not?"

"This is ridiculous," Mara said. "You and Gary had a baby together, but you're not a couple, so let's not pretend you are." She gestured between the two of them. "You don't even share a room, you haven't since you arrived here, over a month ago!

"It's an expensive wedding, but it's not a big wedding," she continued. "And it's certainly not open to the general public. It's only for very close friends and family, and you are neither. And it's not like we're friends, are we?"

"I like you," LeeAnne said plaintively, hugging the baby close to her. "And I thought you were beginning to like me, too." Tears formed in her eyes. "You're certainly not very nice, that's for sure."

"Oh god, whatever," Mara said. "It's too early for me to cope with this, Luke, honestly."

Drew sighed and rose to clear away the breakfast things.

Later, while they were in the music room, Gary's phone buzzed with a text.

He picked it up and read it, muttering, "Fuck," quite audibly after.

"What?" Drew asked him.

"I hate to ask," Gary said, turning to him. He sighed. "LeeAnne wants her half-sister Nicholle to come stay for a few weeks."

Drew made a face. The thought of one of LeeAnne's relatives coming to stay didn't sound like fun.

"No, it might be good," Gary cajoled. "They'd have each other for company, and they'd leave us alone, probably. Nicholle's older, and calmer than LeeAnne, and she'd help with the baby as well. They'd probably go up to London for at least a week, yeah?" Gary looked at Drew appealingly. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it would help, old man."

Drew considered. It wasn't as though they didn't have the room, with Noah gone. And if it were even possible that she'd be less of a bother, then what was there to lose?

"Sure, okay, bring her over," he told his friend.

"Thanks, mate," Gary said gratefully. "I'll let her know right now--" and he sent back a quick text.

When they broke for lunch, LeeAnne went straight to Drew, hugging him and even kissing him on the mouth. "Thank you Drew, you're so nice to agree to let my sister come, thank you, thank you, thank you!" And she kissed him between each declaration of thanks.

"Don't mention it," he told her, trying to back away from her effusiveness. "Gars is paying for all of it, I'm just giving her a place to stay, which is not a big deal, honest."

"Well, you're much nicer than some people around here, that's all I can say," LeeAnne answered, giving Mara a hooded look.

The boys ate quickly and got back to the music room as soon as possible, leaving the sparring women to their war of words.

And through the afternoon, while the boys hammered out lyrics and chords, working on key changes and rhythms and beginning to lay down tracks, Drew thought about Chiara, out in the elements, working with her hands, wielding a power saw and cutting the downed branch and clearing it away. He wondered if she'd even remember to take a lunch break, or stop for a cup of tea to warm up. He sent her a text to remind her, and got a smiley face and heart back, but that was all.

"Will you be back to eat with us?" he asked in the late afternoon.

"I don't think so. Some other stuff came up, and I should take care of it while it's light out, and while I have all the equipment."

"Okay. See you tonight, then. Love you."

"I love you, too, Drew."

Drew wasn't used to this. Normally, any girl he was involved with was all over him, phone calls, texts, emojis, and in person. She usually wanted to see him and be with him all the time, and wouldn't leave him alone.

In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he wanted to see a girl, be with her, and he couldn't.

"Where's Chiara?" LeeAnne asked while they were eating. Tonight it was just pizza.

"She's still working, on the other side of the county," Ned told her before Drew could answer.

"How'd you know that?" Drew asked.

"She told me," Ned said, picking up his phone. "I asked when she was coming back, if we'd see her for tea, you know?"

"Oh."

"Wow," LeeAnne said. "I'd never leave you alone for that long, Drew. Why would she want to go out and cut down trees or whatever when she could be here with you? She must be nuts."

"Ever hear of a work ethic?" Mara asked acidly. "Some people have it, that's all."

Around seven o'clock, Drew got another text from Chiara.

"What's up?" Ned asked. They were watching a movie.

"Her truck broke down," Drew told everyone in the room.

"No, sit down," Drew continued, as Ned was already half way up to go get his shoes and coat. "She says the repair people are already there, and she'll be on her way home before we'd get to her."

"Really?"

Drew nodded. "That's what she says. She says she'll be back by nine."

"Nine? So late?"

Drew was irritated with Ned and his sincere concern. He, Drew, would be the one who was worried about her, thank you very much.

LeeAnne handed the baby to Gary and came to sit next to Drew, putting an arm around him and pulling him close. "I'm sure she's fine," she said in a comforting voice, pulling his head on her shoulder.

Drew pulled away from her. "I know," he said, trying to hide his irritation with both her and Ned. "She'd tell me if anything were wrong."

"I'm just trying to help," she said, looking around. "No big deal."

"I'm going to take a shower," Drew said abruptly, rising and going upstairs.

He tried to wash away his annoyance and worry, and was marginally successful. When he pulled on his sweats, however, and went into his bedroom, he found LeeAnne seated on his bed, wearing a negligee which was much too skimpy for the late January weather.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked bluntly, making no move to approach her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said. "You left so quickly, and you seemed angry and upset."

She rose and walked toward him, hips pulling the material of her negligee taut diagonally with every step she took. Her breasts were lovely and pert, like the rest of her, but Drew felt not the slightest twinge of desire for her.

For the first time in his life, Drew felt nothing for a beautiful woman who was standing in front of him, making herself available in every way. His thoughts were only for the woman who was making her way home to him in the cold night, driving a dodgy vehicle that hopefully wouldn't break down again. Just thinking of her, alone and vulnerable and belonging to him, made him weak and strong at the same time, made this person standing in front him less than nothing, a superfluity, a bother to be gotten rid of before the person of his dreams came home to him.

"I'm fine, LeeAnne, please leave our bedroom before Chiara comes back and sees you here."

"Why, are you worried she'll jump to the wrong conclusion?" She reached out and stroked his cheek. "Or maybe the right conclusion?" She smiled, showing a tiny bit of her perfect teeth.

"No, I'm not worried about anything like that, it will just be bothersome, just a mess that will need clearing up," Drew assured her.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Chiara entered, bringing a gust of cold air with her.

Drew immediately turned to her, reaching her in about three strides.

"CC, thank god, thank god, I've been worried sick!" He swept her up in his arms, even though he was shirtless and she was very cold to the touch.

Chiara grabbed him back, looking at LeeAnne over his shoulder.

"What's she doing in here?"

"She wanted to see if I was okay because I was so worried about you," Drew answered, putting enough emphasis on his words that Chiara understood what was going on very clearly, just from what he said. "She was just leaving," he said, effectively dismissing her. "Weren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so," LeeAnne answered, her tone truculent and pouty.

"Oh. Good night," Chiara said, her voice like sunshine.

"Come here, you," Drew said to her as he carried her to the bed. "Let's get you out of these clothes and into a hot bath, yeah?"

"Yeah, sounds marvelous," LeeAnne heard her answer as she pulled the door closed behind her.