Sidney sets his duffel bag down by the door, toes nudging it into the wall and out of our direct path.Joey darts down the hall, yelling that he needs to texteveryone he’s ever metabout scoring a goal with Sidney Crane watching.
I stand in the entryway, unwinding my scarf, heart still soft from the game.Still glowing, if I’m honest.
Sidney watches me quietly for a moment.
So…he says lightly, hooking a thumb in his pocket.Should I bring a spare toothbrush to leave next time?
The question hits me dead in the centre of my rib cage.It’s a statement in the shape of a question.
My face heats immediately.You want to…leave things here?
He steps closer.I want a life with you.And Joey.One that doesn’t involve me packing half my bathroom in a duffel every time I come over.Just in case.
God, how is it possible for someone to sound teasing and sincere at the same time?
I mean…technically,I say slowly,there’s not a ton of space in this townhouse.But with your entire career being public, we’ll eventually need better security and maybe more rooms, and—
I stop.Because I hear myself.I’m talking about the future.Our future.One in which we live together.
Sidney’s eyebrows lift.Sounds like someone’s planning ahead.
I cover my face with my hands.I cannot believe I just said that out loud.
His hands slide over my wrists, gently pulling them down.I like hearing it.
Heat prickles my skin.We’re still new.
We’re also old news,he says.My traitorous heart thumps hard.
Before I can assemble something coherent to say, Joey yells from upstairs,Sidney can move in if he promises to make that taco dish every week!
Mortification washes over me.Joey—!Sidney laughs, full and loud and unguarded, as he leans back and looks up the stairs.How the hell did he even hear us?I say mostly to myself.
You drive a hard bargain, bud!Sidney calls back.But I can work with that!
Excellent!Joey responds.Then I support this relationship!
Oh my God,I whisper into my hands.I’m gonna live with two maniacs.
Sidney gently pulls them away again, smiling like he wants to keep the moment forever.Eddie,he says softly,you built something amazing here.A life.A home.A family.I’m not trying to replace anything.I just want to fit into it.
My chest squeezes.You already do.
He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear.Then let’s keep building it.
I step into him, resting my forehead against his.I spent so many years afraid of letting anyone in,I whisper.But with you, it doesn’t feel scary anymore.
His hands come to my waist, anchoring me.It feels like home.
And just like that—in my small townhouse, with Joey stomping down the stairs, demanding to know when the first taco night is—I realize something I’ve never dared let myself believe:
I’m not just surviving anymore.
I’m living.I’m loved.
And I am home.
