Page 70 of Never Really Mine
I nod. “Yeah. We thought it was going to sell right away, but it hasn’t. I told myself if it was still on the market by the time Marley hit twenty-seven weeks, I would get pre-approved and put an offer in.”
A realization dawns on Thomas’s face. “So… how many weeks is she? Does she know about this?”
“Thirty, and no.”
“And did you put in an offer?”
“Yep.”
“Dude, you gotta give me more than that. What now?” Thomas fidgets in his seat. This is the first time I’m saying it out loud. I haven’t breathed a word of this to Marley. Things are slowly settling into place between the two of us and I don’t want to create a rift.
“They accepted. Closing is in a month.”
Thomas is silent, which doesn’t happen often with him.
“Well?” I prompt.
“Well, this house better be fuckin’ awesome, or Marley’s going to kill you,” Thomas says, his laugh relieving some of the tension lingering in my shoulders.
“It is awesome.” I list off all the important information, giving Thomas a little bit of insight to the house as we drive toward it. It’s just about ten minutes from town, so not a bad drive at all. After my conversation with Marley a few weeks back, my brothers and I spent a weekend at my house, clearing it out and getting it ready to go on the market. I listed it a few days ago after a few repairs, and I already received an offer for just over the asking price.
We pull into the driveway of the two-story home, and it’s as perfect as it was the first time I saw it. I had a small fear that when we arrived it wouldn’t be like I remembered, or I would panic, realizing I’d made a mistake. Only, the fear’s not there, and I’m not panicking. I only feel pure joy, excitement, and a sense of peace over the next chapter of life.
Turning my car off, I climb out, and Thomas follows. The driveway crunches under my tennis shoes as I squint into the early spring sun. It’s “fake spring” right now, which really means that in about a week, we will get another cold blast, and a footof snow. Right now, it’s forty-three degrees, which is T-shirt weather.
The front porch steps are sturdy as I climb them, no warping, or visible damage. The front door is locked, but I have the key code to get into the lock box. Once it’s unlocked, I open the door to the now empty home.
Our footsteps echo off the hardwood floors and high ceilings. Thomas whistles lowly. “Damn. You sure I can’t buy this?”
I glare at my older brother. “Yes, I’m sure.”
He chuckles, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just giving you shit. Honestly,” he pauses. “It’s perfect for you guys. Does this mean you two are…”
Thomas doesn’t finish his sentence, but it was obvious what he was going to say.
I sigh. “To be honest, I don’t know what we are right now. But I have made my intentions clear from the start. I don’t want to start a life with her only because she got pregnant. I’ve wanted it for a long time, I was just too cowardly to do something about it.”
“What was holding you back?” Thomas asks as he explores the kitchen. The appliances are all updated, which is definitely a plus.
I scoff. “When I was eighteen, shortly before we went to college, I kissed her. The day we got our ‘Dead Sea’ tattoo, actually.” I lead Thomas up the stairs to the second floor.
“You kissed her? Why didn’t you start dating then?” Thomas glances into the first bedroom off the stairs, the room I imagine might become the nursery.
“She shut down right after. Told me we shouldn’t continue if we wanted to keep our friendship. At the time, I agreed, figuring I’d convince her one way or another. So, I went over to her house one day when I knew she was working. I had plans to ask Gabriel permission to date her.”
“No way, you did?” Thomas sounds incredulous.
“Sure did.”
“Obviously, he said yes,” Thomas says.
“He actually didn’t. Dad was there too, and they both agreed it would be best for us to stay friends. I took it as they didn’t think I was good enough for her, so I shut down, and never brought it up again.”
“Shit,” he says with disbelief. “I can’t believe they said that.”
“I couldn’t either. But, long story short, after things went down at the wedding, and before I found out she was pregnant, I went to Gabriel again. He laughed, told me it had taken long enough.”
Thomas laughs wholeheartedly. “I coulda told ya that. We’ve all been waiting for this forever.”
