Page 68 of Moonlight & Matrimony
Realization dawns, a wide grin spreading across my face. “Oh, so you’re the one who keeps my girl stocked on caffeine and smut.”
Mo throws back their head and barks out a laugh. “Guilty as charged.”
“Mo! Can I be a kitty?” Rylin asks, bouncing up and down on her tiptoes.
“You sure can. What kind of kitty do you want to be?” Ry taps her finger on her chin in that adorable way I’ve come to love. “Can I be an orange kitty like Goose? Or maybe brown and white like Hazel. No wait, I want to be gray like Chance!”
“Ok, sweetie, you gotta pick one,” Mo says with a chuckle.
“I have an idea!” Rylin beams. “I can be Chance, Mommy can be Hazel, and Luca can be Goose.” And that’s how I end up walking around the fall festival with my face painted to look like my sister’s cat. But it’s worth it if only for the utter joy plastered to Rylin’s face. Not so much for the giant photo in the Oak Ridge Gazette the following morning. I might never live that one down.
Chapter 17
Luca
? Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan
Luca: How do I go about this whole super secret surprise the wife thing Cade had going on last year?
Miles: Step 1: Start a group chat. Step 2: Call in all the favors.
Dean has been added to the chat.
Liam has been added to the chat.
Cade has been added to the chat.
Miles: I hereby convene the first ever meeting of the Brofessors. Luca, you have the floor.
Luca: This is weird but ok.
Cade: Your first mistake was enlisting Miles before me.
Miles: Rude but fair.
Liam: What’s the plan?
Luca: Ivy’s art studio needs an upgrade. Meet at the Ridge at 5? We can talk details.
An hour later, Miles, Dean, and I are seated on one side of the bar, with Liam and Cade on the other.
“Dude, the new bar top looks amazing,” Miles says. “I was a little bummed that Cade didn’t ask me, but now I totally understand why. I’m good, but I’m notthatgood.”
I nod, muttering a quick thank you, my thoughts drifting to the extracurricular activities that took place on the surface. I hide a smirk behind my beer, but it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“The fuck are you grinning at?” Cade asks, his brow furrowing as he scans my face. After a beat, his expression sobers. “You didn’t… on the bar?”
I chuckle, and Miles gives me a friendly clap on the back. “Nice,” he says, grinning.
Cade shakes his head, clearly unimpressed. “Fucking wish I could drink on the job,” he mutters under his breath.
Miles pulls a small, well-used carpenter’s pencil from behind his ear, ready to take notes. “Ok. So what are we thinking? Bookshelves? Easel? Murphy bed with some… accessories?” Miles winks, amusement plastered on his goofy face.
Shaking my head, I try not to let my mind wander to the things we could do with a murphy bed in Ivy’s studio. “I was thinking we could do built-ins on either side of a convertible drafting table. Actually, let me show you.” Snatching up the pad and pencil, I quickly sketch out a rough blueprint of the room. “She already has a fancy easel, so that’s covered, but floating shelves for her supplies would be good. The space has a ton ofnatural light, so I want to keep everything as neutral as possible with a light stain.”
I’m nearly finished with my rough sketch when Cade interjects. “This looks great, man. But I hate to point out the obvious, but what happens when everything with her ex is settled, and she moves out?”
The question takes me by surprise. Honestly, I hadn’t even considered it. I’ve gotten so used to having them in my space, sharing not just my home, but a kind of quiet intimacy that I never anticipated. I blink, suddenly self-aware. The question lingers in the air, and I feel a strange tightness in my chest. I hadn’t thought beyond the here and now. The idea of Ivy not being around — of Rylin not running through the hallways or hanging around the kitchen, filling my place with their warmth, their chaos — it hadn’t even crossed my mind.But there has to be an after, right?
