AN: Hello, all! I'm back with a new story that I hope you'll all enjoy. Reviews are very much appreciated.

PROLOGUE

Will was already late for work.

Balancing his coffee mug in one hand and his folder against his chest, Will pulled the front door of the new house closed behind him, and made his way to his lonely car in the double driveway. The path seemed so wide now that Emma's car wasn't parked there each morning.

"Good morning, Will."

Will looked up to find Allie on the other side of the picket fence, her hands buried in the earth and a number of pot plants surrounding her on the grass. Her eyes shone with a calmness Will envied, and her expression, so youthful and vibrant, was always so uplifting.

"Hey, Allie," Will called to his neighbour. "I'd love to chat, but I'm really late for work."

Allie smiled. "I can see that." She nodded to his folders as he struggled to lift the strap of his briefcase over his head as he placed his coffee mug on the roof of the car. "I'll leave you to it," she chuckled.

"Allie?"

She looked up front the fence. "Yeah?"

"You have dirt here," Will gestured with his hand and wiped it across his forehead as he unlocked the car.

She laughed as she brushed at her face, and for a brief moment, Will entertained the thought he'd had last Friday, that this woman, his young, blonde, undeniably sexy neighbour, was having an effect on him. He swallowed and smiled as he placed his briefcase and folder in the front seat. She was the kind of woman he'd always imagined starting a family with. Perfect domestic bliss he thought he'd found with Terri. The type of domestic bliss he'd wanted for himself and Emma.

"Nothing a shower won't fix," Will heard Allie call back as he started the engine. "It's only seven am and I'm already sweat—" Will took a sip of his coffee and watched, amused, as Allie shook her head, the two plaits of her long, blonde hair flying across her chest. "You don't need to hear about how gross I am."

Will grinned. You're certainly not gross. He watched her crouch down again, her low cut shirt revealing slightly tanned, ample breasts. Will bit his lip, and forced himself to drag his gaze away.

Will quickly placed his coffee cup back in the holder, the brown liquid splashing up the sides as his house keys slipped from the dashboard and hit the cup.

A thought hit him. Had he locked the front door? Emma's old keyring dangled against his palm as he looked back at the house, trying desperately to remember if he'd turned the key in the door.

Will threw the driver's door open and jogged towards the double-storey house. He climbed the three steps to the porch Emma had so admired the moment she set eyes on the home. It was almost a year ago when they had first driven all the way from Lima to Dayton because Emma had seen the home listed online and had instantly fallen in love with it. After he'd proposed to Emma, they had been quick to search out new homes, opportunities for their future. For a family. And when Emma got tenure, their horizons brightened. So they drove to Dayton. And when they arrived in Dayton and saw the white picket fence, the maple tree on the sidewalk and the large porch, Will assured her they could make the drive to work in Lima each morning and afternoon. It was far, but they'd get used to it. And the house was perfect for them. Three months later, they had moved in. A month after that, Will had realised that his concerns before he proposed were more than just concerns. They were problems. Huge problems.

Will sighed as he tested the handle. The door opened. He pulled out his keys and turned them in the latch. Emma's voice played in the back of his head.

"We have the most attractive home in the street, Will."

"Yeah, in the safest part of town, Emma."

"Honey, I always check twice. And so should you, because— Don't roll your eyes at me, Will!"

"It's hard when we have to do this every morning."

"Don't snap at me. I'm just being cautious, Will."

"Sir?"

Will turned from the door to find a delivery man on the path below the steps, a large starch white envelope in his hands.

"Sir, you have mail that needs to be signed for upon delivery."

Will nodded and reached for the pen, thanking the man as he collected Will's signature and left.

"Someone's important," Allie called jokingly as Will turned the envelope over with a smile, curious to see through the confidential letter was from.

"It's from a lawyer in Lima," Will said as he stepped closer to his car and emptied the contents of the envelope onto the bonnet. A few papers slipped out, and the engine hummed beneath his fingertips as he picked at the papers, trying to figure out which one was supposed to be read first.

"Lima?" Allie asked. "Didn't you move from there last year?"

"Yeah. I did." But my ex-fiancee's gone back there. Without me. Because I broke her heart, Will opted to leave out.

LANCASTER & Associates

16 Allentown Road

Lima, OH 45801

Mr William Schuester

2 Williamsburg Street

Dayton, OH 45402

To Mr William Schuester,

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of the late Shannon Bieste, I wish to notify you that the late Shannon Bieste made you a beneficiary to her will. She has left the property of Bieste Manor in Seattle, Washington in your possession to be shared equally with Miss Emma Pillsbury. At the time of valuation before Ms Bieste's passing, the property was valued at Nine Million, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars.

It is requested that you attend a meeting at Bieste Manor in Seattle, Washington on the 14th of August, 2013. All beneficiaries to the will are required to be present on this date in order to officiate and finalize all legal documents.

Please, if I reach you as I am hopeful, endeavor to respond to me as soon as possible to enable me to conclude my job.

I await your prompt response.

Yours in service,

Morgan Lancaster

LANCASTER & Associates

"Is everything okay, Will?" Allie asked. When Will looked up, he found concern etched in her expression.

"I've umm…" Will faltered. "My very close friend has passed away."

Allie braced her hand against the waist high fence. "Oh, Will," she sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. Me, too," Will choked. "She left me an estate in Washington." He cleared his throat. "To share with my ex-fiancee."