Page 39 of Together Is Where We Belong

“That’s great. Is that what you did before you moved back?”

“She worked in the hospital and helped sick people feel better,” Luke proudly said. He loved telling all of his friends how I helped people. He was my little hype man, and I loved it.

“I worked in the emergency room,” I told Leo.

“That’s a different change of pace for you,” he responded.

“I don’t mind it. I’m home with Leo more in the evenings.”

I fidgeted with the rings on my left hand. I wasn’t sure why I still wore them here when I didn’t need to. It was out of habit more than anything.

Leo looked down at my hands and grimaced before he masked it with a thin smile.

“Sounds like you found your callin’,” he said between bites.

“Yeah, I did,” I admitted as I stood and took the pizza over to the counter.

My phone ringing in my bag diverted my attention and I walked over to the counter to grab it. After I fished it out of my purse, I looked at the screen and noticed my friend from South Carolina was calling.

“I need to take this. Do you mind making sure Luke finishes his dinner?” I asked reluctantly, not sure of how he’d feel about me stepping away.

“Sure, no problem,” Leo said as stared at me with a questioning glance.

“Hey. How’re things going?” I said as I answered Lexi’s call and walked toward my room, so Luke didn’t hear who I was talking. He loved Lexi and would want to speak to her, not that I’d mind, but I didn’t want him to get upset that he couldn’t see her.

“Everything’s going well. Neil and I got your place packed up,” she explained. I loved that she offered to pack up anything important I had to leave behind in my haste to get away.

“Already? That was fast,” I replied, shocked that they’d done so much in just a week’s time.

“We packed every day after our shifts and did little by little until it was all done. How’re you and Luke settling in?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

Lexi and Neil had been the first set of friends I allowed myself to get close to when I settled in South Carolina. They went from friends to a couple within the first year I’d known them, and they helped me raise Luke.

“We’re all moved into our new place. It’s a little sparse, but once you ship the stuff I wanted to keep, it’ll feel like home,” I told her.

“Any word on the Leo front?” she asked, and I laid back on the bed with a groan.

“Yeah, he knows,” I admitted, realizing I hadn’t messaged her since Leo had found out.

“What do you mean he knows? Explain, sister,” she said, and I imagined her sitting up on the couch, a glass of wine in hand as she waited impatiently for my reply.

The image in my mind caused me to chuckle, and she huffed into the phone causing me to laugh even more.

“I’m not sure what’s so funny. Spill the beans,” she demanded.

“Never mind,” I told her as I went on to explain how Leo had found out and that he’d come over to eat dinner with Luke.

“He’s there now?” she asked shockingly.

“Yes. He’s at the table making sure Luke finishes his pizza,” I explained.

“And how does that make you feel?”

I let out a frustrated sigh. Even though I knew my best friend would ask, I wasn’t ready to talk about my feelings about the situation. I’d rather just ignore them the same way I’d been doing. It'd worked so far.

“I’m happy for Luke,” I admitted, as I avoided what she really wanted to know.

“Okay. I see you’re going to play it the hard way, so I’ll be more specific. How do you feel about being around Leo again? You tried to play it off, but Neil and I both know you never got over him,” she countered.