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When they reached the store, Kodi stopped to admire the front window. It didn’t only stock jewellery, though there were some beautiful pieces. There were also delicate china figurines, wooden and precious metal trinket boxes, and many other trinkets that glittered and enticed a person inside.

Something had caught Kodi’s eye by the way he pressed his nose against the glass. Derick couldn’t decide what it was. “Want to go in?”

“Yeah.” Kodi had the door open and disappeared inside before Derick had taken two steps.

The floral scent of freesias tickled his nose as he closed the door behind him, his gaze sweeping the interior of the shop to find Kodi shaking hands with Dariel. “Dad says you’re great at picking gifts, I need your help.”

Dariel wore a bemused, polite smile as Kodi barreled on, “I want something that says you’re special, like every time I leave you I don’t want to, but that’s not too in your face. It also has to make a statement like ‘this guy isn’t single’ without being obvious.” Kodi’s toothy grin was full of hope.

Dariel looked over to where Derick stood. “I see I have you to thank for this.” The twinkle in her gray eyes was unmistakable.

“I know you love a challenge, Dariel.”

Her giggles were youthful and belied her age, which Derick guessed to be around seventy. He had been coming here for over a decade, since she’d moved into the mall, and before that had been going to her shop on the high street for a further twenty years.

“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Derick. I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon, I take it Lane liked his anniversary gift?” she enquired, making her way from around the counter to come and hug him, like always. She barely reached above his waist, and he was careful not to hug too hard.

Kodi watched them with interest. “What did you get Popi? He never showed us.”

Dariel, the wonderful woman she was, came to his rescue when Derick was not prepared to answer that question. “I think I might have just the gift you are looking for, young man.” She slipped her arm through Kodi’s, taking him towards the window display.

The Prince Albert piercing Derick had bought a jewel for was not something he wanted his sons to know about—ever.

An hour later, back in the car with Kodi, whose wallet was now forty thousand dollars lighter, Derick got the same feeling as earlier as they drove down suburban streets in a lovely neighbourhood. He didn’t need to hazard a guess when Kodi pulled into the drive of a beautiful, three-storey family home. It was picture pretty.

When Kodi turned off the ignition, the silence lengthened between them. Derick switched his attention from the house to Kodi.

“What do you think?” Kodi asked. The nervous tick to his left eye he’d developed as a child when he was worried appeared.

“It’s beautiful. A perfect home to… start a family.”

“Yeah?” Kodi opened the door and stepped out.

Derick followed and stood in front of the hood of the car, next to Kodi. “You never mentioned you were buying a house.”

“I started looking when I came home. Living with everyone again and my…” He gave a non-committal shrug. “Just thought I would like my own place to bring… Lennon.”

“Has one of the boys said something that brought this on?” Derick was frowning when he met Kodi’s gaze, searching for answers.

“Nah, I just know I can be a lot… and before you start,” Kodi muttered, kicking at the ground between them, looking awkward. “I do want my own place. Lennon’s apartment is nice, but it’s not big enough… you know… if we wanted to invite people over.”

You sweet, sweet boy.

He glanced around the tidy garden. “I don’t see a sale sign. Have you bought it already?”

“They accepted my offer, so I told them to take it down.”

Just like Kodi, he chuckled under his breath.

“We’re doing the legal crap now. Looks like it will be the beginning of December before we sign contracts, though. No idea why everything takes so damn long.”

“So the lawyers can make money, son.”

Kodi groaned aloud. “You got that right.”

Derick stepped towards the house. “Are you able to show me the place?”

“Yep, I rang before we headed to the mall. They’ve left a key under the plant pot for me.”