“I promise.”
“Can Livy have another wish? It’s not fair that her birthday wish won’t come true.”
Luke tipped his head back and stared up at the sky. As long as he lived, he wasn’t sure he’d ever understand how kids’ minds worked or how they could flip from one emotion to another in a split second.
“I bet her mom and dad will have another cake for her on her real birthday.” It might not have been his place to jump into the conversation, but he feared if he didn’t, Eli might think Luke was avoiding him. “That means she automatically gets another wish, okay?”
“But if she always gets two, she should get a redo,” Eli insisted.
Now that Eli had his mind made up that her wish wouldn’t come true, he wasn’t going to drop this until she got another wish. Luke reached across the table for one of the candles Megan had pulled out of the cake. Drew appeared next to him with the lighter. “Here, we’ll put this in her piece of cake, and she can make another wish. But, Livy, remember, you’re not supposed to tell people your wish if you want it to come true.”
She closed her eyes and blew out the candle. As she did, Luke offered up his own wish for her to keep her well-meaning trap shut about her redo wish. Eli seemed satisfied once the candle was blown out and Livy started eating her cake and ice cream.Luckily, the rest of the afternoon went off without any other drama.
As the party wound down, Livy said goodbye and thank you to her friends before running off to play with Eli on the other side of the backyard. Luke and Noah gathered dirty plates and deflated balloons. With that done, Noah wandered off to help Drew load the folding tables into the back of his truck to take back to the church, leaving Luke with nothing better to do than think about how seamlessly Noah fit in with the craziness of his family.
“Penny for your thoughts?” His mother appeared beside him, dumping half-full cups of lemonade into a pitcher and stacking the cups. “You’ve been rather quiet since the cake incident.”
Luke tried to form words around the warmth in his chest. “I’m scared shitless, Mom. It feels like they’re supposed to be here.”
“That’s because they are.” Cathy’s smile was soft. “And whether you realize it or not, you’ve changed. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see you finally settling down.”
The protest that they weren’t serious died on the tip of Luke’s tongue. That ship had sailed the first time Noah worked up the courage to kiss him. “Don’t start wedding planning just yet, Mom. He’s not out to anyone, and even if he was, he wouldn’t rush into anything. His first priority is Eli.”
“As it should be. But maybe you should tell him that if he’s not ready for everyone to know he’s head over heels for you, he needs to tone down the pining.” Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
He loved how she’d never batted an eye when he came out to them. And even though her matchmaking attempts annoyed thecrap out of him, he could appreciate that her meddling came from a place of love. “And they’re both lucky to have you. I know you worry about being a good partner, but that’s foolishness. You have a big heart and so much love to give.”
Before Luke could respond, Eli’s voice carried across the yard. “Dad! Can Mr. Luke come over tonight? I want to show him my new science kit!”
Luke caught Noah’s questioning glance. They hadn’t discussed plans, but something in Luke’s chest settled at the casual way Eli included him in their evening routine. Noah smiled the soft smile that did dangerous things to Luke’s insides.
“Actually,” Megan cut in, “we were hoping Luke could stay and help clean up.” But her wink told Luke she was giving him an out if he needed space after the emotional roller coaster of the afternoon.
“I can do both.” The words came easily, naturally. “Help here, then head over? If that’s okay?”
Noah nodded. “We’ll order pizza. Give you time to decompress after wrangling sugar-high first graders all afternoon.”
“You coming?” Drew called from near the garage. Luke had forgotten he’d agreed to help Drew lug the tables and chairs to the church’s basement. He wasn’t thrilled about leaving Noah on his own to face his mom and sisters since they’d managed to come out as a couple without saying a single word to anyone. “Or are you too busy making heart eyes at your guy?”
Heat crept up Luke’s neck, but for once, he didn’t feel the need to deflect. Because Noahwashis guy, wasn’t he? And Eli was…something more than just Noah’s son. They were becoming his family, as naturally as breathing.
“You know,” his father said, stopping Luke as he walked across the yard to jump in Drew’s truck, “sometimes the best things in life are the ones that surprise us. The ones we weren’t looking for.”
Luke thought about Noah’s quiet strength, about Eli’s boundless enthusiasm, about how seamlessly they’d merged with his loud, loving family. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I’m starting to figure that out.”
By the time they got back from the church, Noah and Eli were nowhere to be found. Luke hated that they’d left without saying goodbye, but that was stupid since he’d be heading to their place as soon as he was done helping here.
“Damn, you’ve got it bad,” Drew teased. “You keep this shit up, and I’m going to owe your sister twenty bucks. You realize she’s going to be insufferable, right?”
“Did you seriously bet on my love life?” Luke scoffed. Still, he reached into his back pocket and pulled a bill out of his wallet, pressing it to Drew’s chest. “I’d have bet against this shit too. So here, take it. I’ll cover your loss.”
“Does that mean you’re serious about him?” Drew had never been the type to sit around and talk about feelings. He was stoic and closed off with everyone but Megan and the kids. Drew grabbed two sodas out of the cooler, handing one to Luke. “A single dad is a lot to take on.”
“You think I don’t know that?” The fucked-up part was Luke wasn’t sure he missed his old life. His days were consumed with finishing the Tillerman project, and the rest of his waking hours revolved around Noah and Eli. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d gone to Brew & Barrel other than Thursday nightswith Keaton, much less Murphy’s. No, that was a lie. The last time he drove up to Afton to hook up was the weekend before Rachel blasted in, begging him to help her old friend fix his house.
Fucking wild.
Luke perched himself on top of the picnic table at the edge of the deck. He stared out over the backyard, unsure what had come over him but knowing he needed to get this out. And Drew was the safest choice. “I’m scared shitless, man. None of this is what I wanted my life to look like. I was happy being the one-night-stand guy. I was always safe, and it was easy.”
