HOUSES
LUKE
I gripped the steering wheel like it might try to get away from me. Jess sat quietly beside me, her arms crossed as she leaned back against the seat.
“I still don’t see why I couldn’t drive,” she muttered, glancing at me from the corner of her eye.
“Because the last thing I drove was a boat,” I replied, my voice. dry. “And I just need to drive a car… that works on a smooth road…”
Her lips twitched like she was fighting a smile, but she didn’t argue further. We hadn’t spoken about the island, but our eyes lingered on Jess, her belly holding my child. Without thinking, I reached out and placed a hand over the one resting on her belly button.
In the back seat, Josh stretched his injured leg out over Laura’s lap, his face contorted in discomfort, Laura sat stiffly, adjusting the blanket around his leg for the tenth time. She whispered something to him that made his expression soften, but he still looked miserable.
I pulled into the driveway and killed the engine, letting out a deep breath as the house came into view.
Home.
Jess shifted in her seat but didn’t move to get out. Instead, she
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turned to look at me, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“When were you planning on telling us?”
Her tone was sharp, but Laura chimed in next, her voice eerily in sync with Jess’s. “Yeah, when exactly were you going to tell us?”
Josh and I exchanged a glance, completely lost. “Tell you what?” I asked, my brow furrowing.
Jess didn’t answer. She simply pointed out the window, her finger trembling slightly as she gestured toward our house–the one I bought and put in her name
It is conveniently located right next to her old house, which Josh bought and sold in Laura’s name the same day.
I felt Jess’s gaze boring into me as her lips trembled. Her eyes shone with tears she hadn’t yet let fall.
“When were you planning on telling us this?” Jess demanded, her voice cracking.
Josh scratched the back of his neck, looking everywhere but at the girls. “Uh… I thought I mentioned it?” he mumbled weakly.
“No, you didn’t,” Laura snapped, her hands planted firmly on her hips even though she was still sitting.
Jess’s tears started to fall, and I finally turned to look at her. She wiped them away angrily, sniffling as her voice wavered.
Josh looked at me like he was hoping I’d take the lead. Traitor. I cleared my throat, raising my hands in mock surrender.
“Okay, first of all… Surprise.” I said carefully, trying to keep my
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voice calm.
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Josh and I were at an event a few months ago, having whiskey, and he said something about missing living next to me. And, well… I felt the same. That’s it.
“The houses we bought were purely selfish decisions.” I shrugged, giving Jess my best innocent look.
“Selfish?” Jess repeated, her voice rising an octave.
I nodded, shrugging as I forced a smile. “Absolutely nothing to do with starting families next to each other or anything. Just two guys who didn’t want to stop being neighbors. Purely selfish.”
Jess stared at me like I’d just grown a second head, and her bottom lip quivered.
My chest tightened as her gaze flicked to the house again.
And then she laughed. A short, sharp sound that caught me completely off guard.
“If you told me,” she said, her voice breaking between laughter and tears, “that my brother’s best friend and my high school bully would one day be the love of my life and buy a house so I could live next to my brother and my best friend…”
She wiped at her face again, shaking her head. “I would’ve said it was never going to happen.”
Josh snorted behind us. “I mean, technically, it’s just a coincidence and Luke wasn;t that mean. Was he? Otherwise I ow you a ass–woopin man!”
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“Shut up, Josh,” Jess and Laura said in unison.
I glanced at Jess, watching her shoulders shake as she tried to pull herself together.
“It’s not a coincidence,” I said softly, surprising even myself.
Her head snapped toward me, her tear–filled eyes wide.
“It’s not a coincidence,” I repeated, my voice steady this time. “It’s… just us. This is how it was always supposed to be.”
Her face crumpled as more tears spilled over, but this time, I didn’t hesitate. I reached for her, pulling her into my arms as she clung to me, her face buried in my chest.
Laura sniffled loudly in the back seat, and even Josh looked like he was trying not to cry.
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