A mile or so in, I turn right onto the driveway and wind my way up to the house. The house is vacant but all the exterior lights are on, so we can still make out a decent amount about the property. It isn’t as big as the others I’ve looked at, but the house is on a larger lot with a long, winding driveway and a tree line running along one side that makes it feel private even though it’s still in a neighborhood.
I stop my truck right in front, and I’m struck with the same sense I had last time I was here.
This is somewhere I’d really love to live.
“I like it,” Theo says as he peers up at the porch. “Seems very you.”
“In what way?”
Theo shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s nice but it’s not flashy.” He shoots me a grin, reclaiming some of his typical levity. “Not half as nice as what I’ll end up buying.”
I open my car door and tilt my head toward the house. “Come on. No one’s living here right now. Let’s walk around and see the back.”
Theo leads the way, and I follow him along a stone path that winds through a series of flower beds until it reaches a gate to the backyard.
The gate is locked, but Shelby gave me a key code, so I pull out my phone to retrieve it. Once I punch it in, the gate swings open.
“Whoa,” Theo says as soon as we step through.
I can’t blame him. So far, this is my favorite part of the house.
A covered patio with an outdoor kitchen is situated next to a huge pool, which, despite the chill in the air, is still clean and welcoming. It’s probably heated. Beyond the pool, the expansive green lawn is surrounded by heavy woods. When I was here during the day, I could just barely make out the shape of another house through the trees on the far edge of the lawn, but in the summer when leaves grow in, I doubt I’ll be able to see anything at all.
“I’d probably buy it just for this,” Theo says, his hands pushed into his pockets. “And you’ve seen pictures of the inside?”
I nod. “Yeah, it seems great. At least from what I can tell.”
He stares out at the water for a long moment. “You should do it, then.”
“You think?”
He shoots me a look, one eyebrow raised. “You don’t need my approval. You’ve already been out here twice. Unlessyou’re asking me to live here too. In which case, only if I get to pick my bedroom first.”
I push my hands into my pockets. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring you the first time I came. I think I needed to do it by myself. And I maybe worried it would be weird for you.”
He lifts his gaze to meet mine. “Weird that you’re buying a house?”
“Maybe more that I’m moving away from you.”
We don’t say anything for so long, I wonder if the conversation is over. But then Theo shrugs. “It is a little weird. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be good for us.” He’s quiet for another beat before he adds, “You’ve been looking out for me for a long time, man. I’ve let you do it because you’re the oldest. And you’re good at it. And I’ve definitely had moments when I needed it. But I’m solid now. I can survive on my own.”
“Survive? Yes. Get to practice on time…”
He scoffs. “You haven’t had to wake me up for practice in years.”
“What about the day after Thanksgiving?”
“Practice the day after Thanksgiving is criminal, so that shouldn’t count. And I still would have gotten up. Just because I don’t need thirty minutes to make my bed and iron my underwear before I leave the house doesn’t mean I would have been late.”
“That happenedonce,” I say.
We were sixteen when I very nervously ironed every article of clothing I planned to wear before my first date—including my boxer briefs—and Theo has never let me forget it.
“Once is all it takes, man,” Theo jokes. “But seriously. If you kept this to yourself because you were trying to protectme, stop. I’m fine. I’m happy for you. And maybe you’ll inspire me to do the same thing.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. I maybe didn’t realize Iwasprotecting Theo, but it was pretty uncharacteristic that I came to see the house for the first time without him. He’s the person I ask about everything.
But I guess that’s about to change too.
