Chapter 6 - A Home Called Ours
One year later.
The morning sun over the Ashford estate was warm, bright, and filled with the joyous, chaotic symphony of six young girls playing in the gardens.
The manicured lawn, which had once been a pristine, untouchable display of corporate wealth, was now delightfully alive with human existence. A massive wooden play structure sat near the oak trees, built by hand by Marcus over two weekends. A garden patch with tomatoes, sunflowers, and strawberries thrived near the patio.
At the edge of the terrace sat a long, rustic wooden table.
Catherine sat at the head of the table, wearing a comfortable white linen dress, her dark hair tumbling loosely over her shoulders. She was working on her laptop, but she wasn't looking at stock tickers. She was reviewing the launch plans for the Elena Rivera Foundation—a fifty-million-dollar charitable initiative funded by Ashford Systems to provide housing, childcare, and job training for single parents across Texas.
Beside her sat Marcus, wearing a clean white linen shirt, reviewing blueprints.
With Catherine’s encouragement and backing, Rivera Facilities & Household Management was no longer a one-man operation. It had expanded into a premier enterprise, employing dozens of skilled tradespeople and former domestic workers, providing fair wages, respect, and high-level service to estates across the southwest.
"Mom! Look!"
Lily came sprinting across the grass, holding up a giant, somewhat muddy sunflower.
"I picked it for you!" Lily cheered, crashing into Catherine’s lap.
Catherine caught her four-year-old with an easy, practiced movement, kissing her cheek without caring about the mud on her white dress. "It’s magnificent, Lily-bug! We’ll put it right in the center of the table."
Sophia, now nine, walked up calmly, carrying two cups of fresh lemonade, setting one in front of Catherine and one in front of Marcus. "Maya and I finished our reading goals for the week. Can we go to the park later?"
Marcus pulled Sophia into a half-hug, checking her reading log. "Excellent work, Soph. Park at four o'clock, after Emma and Olivia finish their soccer practice."
"Deal!" Sophia cheered, running back to join Maya, Charlotte, Emma, and Olivia near the play structure, their bright laughter echoing through the warm summer air.
Marcus looked over at Catherine, taking her hand under the table, weaving his calloused fingers through hers.
"You're quiet today, CEO," Marcus teased gently.
Catherine looked out over her garden—at her five daughters, healthy, confident, and deeply loved; at Maya, who was now a cherished sister in every way that mattered; and at the man holding her hand, whose strength and integrity had rewritten the story of her life.
"I was just thinking," Catherine said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"About what?"
"About Nanny Seventeen," Catherine murmured, a bright, happy smile lighting up her face. "The woman who left crying before lunch."
Marcus laughed, his arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her close against his side. "What about her?"
Catherine turned her head, kissing his jaw before looking into his warm brown eyes.
"I was thinking that she was right," Catherine whispered, her heart overflowing with an eternal, unshakeable joy. "No maid could ever last a day in this house. Because what this house needed wasn't a maid."
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Marcus smiled, his lips gently touching hers under the warm Texas sun. "What did it need?"
"It needed us," Catherine promised softly. "It needed a home."
