“Sure,” Lila said, staring into her mug.
Tilly studied her. “You’re lying.”
Lila gave a small shrug. “Maybe a little.”
Jack appeared behind them, balancing a plate of cookies. “For the record, I’m not touching those ginger snaps again. Grandma added something that’s fighting back.”
That earned a weak smile from Lila. “You’re safe. I think they were meant for Doc.”
Music drifted in from the next room. An old fiddle tune someone had queued up on a portable speaker or stereo. Grandma and Doc were dancing, slow and sure, the crowd cheering them on. The sight warmed Lila’s heart and broke it all at once. Love like that felt impossible now.
The front door opened and conversation dimmed as the Jones brothers stepped inside.
Caleb first, tall and steady. Luke right behind him. He flashed his usual grin. Ethan brought up the rear, carrying a cake.
“Sorry we’re late,” Caleb said, dusting snow from his coat. “We had to make sure Mom didn’t try to send a turkey along with us.”
A ripple of laughter went through the rooms. Grandma beamed and bustled over to greet them.
Lila’s stomach tightened. She wasn’t ready for this.
Tilly whispered, “You good?”
“Define good.”
The brothers mingled easily, exchanging handshakes and greetings. Ethan made a beeline for the dessert table; Luke struck up a conversation with Jack. Caleb’s gaze found Lila’s briefly, warm but unreadable, before he turned to Grandma.
Lila tried to breathe through it, reminding herself that she could survive this. She could smile, say hello, pretend everything was fine.
And then the front door opened again. Snowflakes swirled through the entryway on a draft of cold night air, and TJ stepped inside.
For a second, no one moved.
He looked tired. Jet-lagged, maybe. But his eyes scanned the room until they landed on her. The noise around them faded, laughter softening into a background hum.
Lila’s heart slammed once. Hard.
He’d shaved, but what stubble there was along his jaw caught the light. His coat was dusted with snow, his hair a little mussed. And when he smiled, hesitant and hopeful, it was all over.
“Hey,” he said quietly, his voice barely carrying across the space.
Tilly’s hand slipped over Lila’s, squeezing. “Guess the party just got interesting,” she murmured.
Lila couldn’t speak. Her throat had gone dry, and her pulse roared in her ears.
Grandma, bless her meddling heart, clapped her hands together. “Well, look who decided to join us! The prodigal Jones returns!”
Laughter rippled again, breaking the tension, and TJ stepped fully inside, closing the door behind him.
He greeted Grandma, shook Doc’s hand, nodded to Tilly and Jack. But his eyes never really left Lila.
She rose slowly from the chair, unsure if her legs would hold. “I didn’t think you’d be here,” she managed.
He gave that crooked half-grin she knew all too well. “Honestly? Neither did I. But then I realized I’d left something behind.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
“You,” he said simply.
