Page 33 of Keeping My Wife
Leaving her was the hardest thing I’d had to do in a long time. When I locked up after myself, instead of going to my truck, I followed the path to the back of the house. Two trucks were already on the crunchy grass, blocking the carriage house. A pair of work lights were set up for the saws.
It was a cute little bungalow house with two bedrooms and a cozy living room.
I’d been living in a container unit, so it felt positively huge compared to my tiny place. I heard the hydraulic snap of a nail gun and a power saw the closer I got to the house.
Sully and Gus were hauling in fresh cuts of trim into the house.
I followed them inside, the music loud enough to reverberate in my chest.
Eloise and Nora were rolling paint over the faded industrial beige color it had been.
“Look out.”
I turned to find Cash and Ripley carrying an oversized couch that I’d ordered. I hurried out of the way.
“Not that wall!” Nora called out. “Still wet.”
Ripley grunted as Cash shifted back and they set it in the middle of the floor instead. My eldest brother did a slow turn. “This place is pretty damn nice.”
“Alexa, volume down,” Sully called out.
The thumping bass of Frank Turner reduced to a merciful decibel.
“Now that groom boy is here, pizza break,” Lexi called out from the miniature kitchen.
My stomach growled in reaction to the word. I’d been so intent on seeing Maxie that I hadn’t thought to eat.
Parker, my brother Cash’s other half, came out from the back. “I’m almost done painting the bedroom.”
“A little help here?” Kai, the youngest of us called out from a ladder.
I laughed and hustled over. “Where did you find that fixture?”
“Isn’t it cool? I had to take out that stupid nipple looking light.” Kai glanced down at me. “How the hell are you taking the plunge before the rest of us?”
“A meddling grandmother from the grave.”
“Huh?”
“I know. It sounds wild just to say it. I’ll explain while we eat.”
“Okay.” He handed me down the funky frosted shade. “I thought I was the impulsive one.”
“Oh, you still are.”
He twisted the wires. “Okay, that’ll do until we can flick the breaker on. I’m freaking starving.”
I set the glass shade on the shelf in the tiny reading nook my father had helped me with. I’d been working on the space myself mostly, but between the roster of jobs for Murdock Brothers and the irresistible pull of Maxie, it was hard to find the time to finish it all.
Thankfully, the SOS call to my family had worked.
I knew I could count on them, and I wanted to show Maxie that people could come together for her.
And a place for us to call home when the renovations at the big house started.
I met up with my family in the tiny kitchen. There was barely any room to stand let alone sit. I reached around Cash and filched a slice of meat lovers.
“Thanks for coming guys.”
