Page 43 of If This is Love

“Thanks,” Luke said quietly, turning his face to wipe his eye on the shoulder of his flannel shirt. “I wanted to tell you first, and I wanted to tell you in person, so it had to be here.”

“Yep.” Gabe jerked his head behind him. “I’m going to step out while you break the news to all the loud folks, but I’ll be back to say hey to Chloe and Jackson.”

Luke gave him a haphazard salute, and Gabe clicked his tongue at Jax to follow him through a door that opened to a mudroom and then to the backyard. Luke turned to me with that same mischievous grin. “Hey, Ruth.”

I had to laugh, which was useful to pretend like I hadn’t heard the big news before I was supposed to. “Hey, again, friend.”

“Hey,Ru-uth,” he said again, this time lilting my name like he was trying to butter me up, “my brother might be out there trying to sneak a cigarette when he’s trying to quit, and I gotta go back out to the car really quick, so would you mind spying…I meanchecking on him?”

I had to laugh again, shaking my head a little. He wasn’t even being subtle. This adorable, endearing, little punk was trying matchmaker me up with his brother. I gave him a placating smile. “Okay, friend. I’ll go check on him.” I looked down at Gunner, who was patiently sitting nearby, watching my every move—whether that was because Gabe told him to stay with me or he was expecting shrimp, I couldn’t tell. “You wanna go see what your daddy and Jax are up to outside, handsome?”

Gunner stood and slowly wagged his tail from side to side while giving me a big, pink-tongued smile.

I quickly washed and dried my hands. “I’ll come back and finish up with you in just a minute,” I said to Ophelia, then smiled at her. “Sounds like I’ve been given a new task.”

We both laughed, and she shooed me with a shrimp in hand. “I’ve got this. I’ll make Luke help me since he’s sending you outside.”

I gave her arm a friendly squeeze as I stepped away, heading through the mudroom and out the back door. Jax was bounding in circles around Gabe at an opposite corner of the yard while he held up a frisbee. He flicked his wrist, sending it soaring across the yard, and Jax tore off after it like his feet were on fire.

Gunner and I strolled off the patio and into the yard. “Hey, you two,” I said, approaching them.

Gabe looked at me while Jax galloped back with the frisbee. “Hey, Ruth.”

“I hope he’s behaving himself for you.”

“Yep.”

Jax screeched to a halt in front of him, the frisbee clamped between his teeth, tail wagging wildly and looking at Gabe expectantly.

“Sit,” Gabe ordered.

Jax sat.

“Drop.”

Jax spit out the frisbee.

I grinned. “Look at you, baby boy. You learned all kinds of tricks today.”

“Nah, he just brushed off his skills.” Gabe picked up the frisbee and hid it behind his back. “Up.”

Jax stood back up.

Gabe looked at me. “Tell him to sit.”

I looked at Jax. “Jax, sit, baby.”

Jax grinned his doggy grin and wagged his tail.

“Sit, Jax.”

Jax hung his tongue out of his mouth and continued to wag.

“Sit, Jax. Come on now.”

Jax woofed.

I scoffed at him. “Are you serious right now? You’re not even going to sit for me?”

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