Because he could see it all too clearly: more dinners like this, weekend projects with Eli, quiet moments with Noah after the kid was in bed. The kind of life his parents had and his sisters had found. The kind of life he’d convinced himself he didn’t want.
“Earth to Luke.” Noah’s voice was amused. “You okay? You looked a million miles away.”
No, he wasn’t okay. Because Noah’s concerned expression was doing things to his insides, making him want things he swore weren’t for him. The only time he’d tried for something real—god, had it really been five years ago?—had ended in spectacular failure. Luke had sworn then that he was done with relationships, done with the mess of emotions and expectations and inevitable disappointment.
But watching Noah help Eli wipe chocolate from his chin, seeing the easy affection between them…made Luke’s chest ache with want.
“Just thinking about the cabinet restoration,” he lied. “It’s going to be a bigger job than I first thought.”
Not technically a lie—the cabinets would be a massive undertaking. But it wasn’t what had him gripping his coffee mug like a lifeline.
“We can look at other options,” Noah offered, and damn him for being so reasonable. “If it’s too much?—”
“No,” Luke said quickly, too quickly. “The restoration’s the right choice. These cabinets deserve to be saved.”
Just like this house deserved to be saved. Just like Noah and Eli deserved someone who could give them the home they wanted. Someone stable, reliable, who didn’t have a history of running when things got too real.
Someone not like Luke.
“Dad?” Eli’s voice was heavy with sleep. “Can Mr. Luke read me a story before bed?”
And there it was—the moment Luke had been dreading. Because he should say no. Should maintain a professional distance.Should remember all the reasons why getting invested in this family was a terrible idea.
But Noah was looking at him with those soft eyes, and Eli’s hopeful expression was a direct hit to his chest, and Luke found himself saying, “Maybe another time, buddy. It’s getting late, and your dad probably wants to start your bedtime routine.”
“But—”
“Eli.” Noah’s tone held no room for argument. “Luke’s right. Time for bed. Say goodnight.”
Luke watched Eli trudge upstairs, shoulders slumped in dramatic disappointment, and felt like the world’s biggest asshole. But it was better this way. Better to establish boundaries now, before anyone got too attached.
Beforehegot too attached.
“Sorry about that,” Noah said once Eli was out of earshot. “He gets fixated on people sometimes. I should have warned you.”
“It’s fine.” Luke stood, gathering his samples with careful precision. “Kids are like that.”
But Eli wasn’t just like that. He was smart, observant, and genuinely interested in what Luke did. He asked good questions, made clever connections, and looked at Luke like he hung the moon.
It was terrifying.
“You’re good with him,” Noah said quietly. “Not everyone is, you know? Especially not…”
“Not what?” Luke’s voice came out sharper than intended. “Not contractors? Not guys who fix things for a living?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
No, Luke knew exactly what Noah meant. Not everyone could handle kids, especially not confirmed bachelors who lived for their work and kept their personal lives carefully casual. Not everyone could slide so easily into family dinners, homework help, and bedtime stories.
Not everyone wanted to.
Except…maybe he did. And that thought was scarier than any haunted house Eli could imagine.
“Just one more thing before I go.” Luke pulled out a final sample, desperately trying to maintain professional distance. “The hardware for the cabinets. We could match the original style, or…”
He trailed off as Noah leaned close, fingers brushing over the aged brass pulls Luke had sourced from a specialty supplier. They were perfect reproductions of what would have been original to the house, right down to the subtle patina.
“These are beautiful,” Noah murmured, and Luke made the mistake of looking up.
