Present Day

Joe got out of his car and looked at the house in front of him. It was two stories with a gravel driveway that led to the two car garage that was on the left of the entrance to the house. The entrance had a small step from the gravel to pavement that led to a black, Schuyler style front door that reminded him of the steel doors that one would see at a bank, with glass on the right side, a few inches from the handle of the door. The overhead lights were starting to come on as the sun was beginning to set Joe saw the camera that was on the side, like those Ring doorbells. Also like he noticed the cameras that were place on other places around the perimeter of the outside of the house. The lawn and bushes were neatly trimmed and maintained, as did the rest of the outside. Walking in, there's a mud room to the left with an entrance from the garage on the right. Mahogany colored floors that led to a staircase further down that took you to the second floor of the house. The stairs was right across the living room that had a large and spacious grey sectional, with a large flat screen television that was hooked up to the wall, and a table in between that rested on a rug. It was open concept and flowed right into a large kitchen that would be like a chef's dream. Stainless steel appliances, with two ovens and a farmhouse sink that was next to the dishwasher at the large island with marble counter. The cabinets were white and the chairs that were around the island were black. The black splash was subway tiles of different shades of grey. A sliding door that opened to the backyard that was big enough to hold a good amount of people for a get together.

Going upstairs, Joe made it to the room that the rest of the guys were in, along with Paul Levesque. He was head of security and he had just returned recently to full time after having a health scare earlier this year. He was about 6 foot 4 and weighed over 200 pounds with green eyes. He was good at what he does, and he's also a genuinely good person. Looking around the room, it was bigger than his kitchen and living room combined at the first apartment he ever got after moving out from home. Mahogany colored floors with a desk that Paul and his best friend, Shawn sat at. There was a bookshelf on one side of the wall with screens on the other side. It was screens with access to the cameras that were around the house. The windows let in a lot of natural light when the blinds were pulled back, and while Joe introduced himself to the guys, he eventually took a spot next to a guy named Seth Rollins. They had met a few years ago when Joe had first moved to England and they had been friends, ever since. He stood at 6 foot 1 and Joe outweighed him by almost 50 pounds. Seth had long dark hair that he had pulled back into a bun and brown eyes. He also had a beard that had been recently trimmed, as was his hairline.

"Boss is here." One of the guys had said.

Everyone turned their attention to the screen that showed a red wine colored BMW X7 M50i parking in front of the garage with another screen showing a black suv parking nearby with security in that car. About a minute later, the door opened to show a woman stepping out of the BMW, dressed in black and locking the car after closing the door. Without seeing her face, Joe knew it was the woman that he had heard so much about the last few weeks, from the moment he accepted the job, throughout training and today. About ten minutes later, the sound of heels came walking through the hallway and stopped at the open door where she knocked and smiled.

"Hi, everyone." Said Audrey Matthews in a soft and sweet voice before everyone greeted her.

The now 30 year-old CEO of one of the most successful tech companies in the United Kingdom. She had on black dress pants that hugged her long legs and black heels that added a few inches to her already tall frame, and a black button down shirt that hugged her curves, without making it unprofessional. Her chocolate colored hair was pulled back into a neat bun and she had her purse in her hand with her phone in the other. Her green eyes turned their attention to Joe who hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she got to the door. Audrey slightly arched one of her perfectly arched eyebrows as she walked closer to him. She definitely grew up, while still looking younger than her actual age.

"Joe, is it?" She asked.

He stuck his hand out and she placed her hand in his. "Ms. Matthews, thank you for the opportunity."

"Call me Audrey." She says.

Her soft hands fit perfectly against his and he wondered if she remembered him. It had been twelve years since that day, and though they haven't seen each other since, he had thought about her over the years and wondered whatever happened to her after that. Their eyes lingered on each other's before they finally broke their stare.

"Audrey." Joe says with a soft smile.

She spent a few minutes talking to everyone before making her way to Paul and Shawn and quietly speaking to them. Audrey would sneak glances at the handsome man standing a few feet away from her and watched as he spoke to some of the guys. Joe looked the same, but different. He looked older and bigger but more masculine. His beard was neatly trimmed and his dark hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. More serious and she wondered what was going through his head. With his accent, Audrey assumed he had gone back to America, which explained why she never saw him again.

Audrey, Paul and Shawn had known each other since Audrey was a little girl and they had become like family over the years. They were there for her through everything that she had been through and had watched her struggle for years, both professionally and personally while also watching her grow up and learn along the way. Their love and support over the years, as well as their friendship, meant the world to her.

"Alright, Shawn and I are going bowing out for the night." Paul announces after a few more minutes, making sure he has everything he needs before leaving. "Everyone, whether you're staying later or not, please behave yourself and we will see you all tomorrow."

Joe watched as Audrey and Shawn shared a hug, before she shared another one with Paul. He placed a kiss on top of her head and quietly said something that made her smile before leaving. He was the same man he saw that day at the park when he first saw Audrey. She had said that he wasn't her father but that he was like family.

After a few minutes, Joe and two others were left and he had casually made his way down, seeing Audrey come back from the door after locking it. She looked up as she passed the stairs and saw him as he made his way all the way down. Joe studies her face as he does until he's standing right in front of her. He noticed the scent of her perfume and the flecks of gold in her green eyes. Eyes that now had a sparkle to them instead of the look in her eyes and on her face that made him want to change whatever she was feeling at that time because he knew it wasn't happiness. Joe still doesn't know why he felt the need to want to do that, but seeing her again, the want and need to do it came back.

"You don't look sad anymore." Joe softly says.

"It was difficult, but I'm okay." Audrey replies. "Is that why you're here again, to make sure I was?"

He puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs before looking at her again. "It's not the only reason. I hope I'm good enough at the job to stick around."

"Why wouldn't you be?" She asked.

Audrey knew that he was. She saw his picture the day he was interviewed for the position. She made sure to look over his information that weekend, including referrals and previous experience. Audrey was there during some of his training that was done before today. He's great at what he does.

"We're both here, in the same place again after all this time and it's for a reason." She added. "How long are you staying this time?"

"As long as you let me." Joe replies.