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“Appreciate it, but I wanna do some finishing touches before tonight.”

“Alrighty. See you soon, right?” He pops a brow.

“Yep. Probably late tonight.” I wave goodbye as he cranks his truck, then reverses out of the driveway.

When I go inside the house, I clean up around the place. I sweep up the sawdust and get rid of the scrap wood. At some point, I take a break to eat and call Gemma.

“Hey!” she says in a high-pitched voice after the first ring.

“You can’t bethatexcited to talk to me,” I tease.

“Of course I am. You’re my favorite brother.”

“I’m your only brother,” I remind her.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot,” she says with a laugh. “What’s goin’ on? Hold on.” Gemma pulls the phone away from her ear and yells Tyler’s name. “It’s Noah!”

I hear shuffling in the background.

“Am I on speakerphone?” I ask.

“Yes,” Tyler says loud and clear.

I roll my eyes. “Well, since you’re both here, just thought I’d let you know I’d like to come back to work on Monday. I mean, if you still want me around,” I offer, giving Tyler a pass, especially after the window incident.

“Of course we do. You can come in today if you’re free,” Tyler tells me.

It makes me laugh. “Thanks, man. I’m busy today but looking forward to returning. You two should see what I built for Katie.”

“Uhh,” Gemma hesitates nervously.

“Don’t worry. We discussed it, and she was okay with me helping. Now, I did kinda take it upon myself to build her a pantry, but she showed me pictures of what she wanted,” I explain. “And I nailed it based on her Pinterest board.”

“And if you didn’t…say goodbye to your balls,” Gemma warns.

Tyler laughs. “Yeah, I wouldn't want to cross her, especially since she’s learned how to use power tools and hammers. I bet she has a helluva swing.”

I snort. “I’ll send you a picture, and you two can be the judge of it.”

“Has she seen it yet?” Gemma asks.

“Not yet. I’m showing her today after she gets off work.” I run my fingers through my hair, hoping she doesn’t kill me.

“I’m sure she’ll like it,” Tyler encourages. “Send over that pic.”

“I will. And if I disappear after today, you know Katie did it,” I joke. “Dad said things have been really quiet, so I’ll probably be home later tonight. I’m excited to work again and help y’all finish the gym.”

“Hell yeah,” Tyler says.

“Anyway, I’ll let y’all go. See you sooner than later,” I say, not wanting to linger on this call much longer.

After I hang up, I send them some pictures. Gemma replies instantly, telling me she loves it and wants one in their future house. I go to the bedroom and pack up my belongings. After I undo the stopper in the air mattress, I fold the blankets, then stack the pillows. Letting out a breath, I realize how much I’m actually gonna miss being here. It wasn’t ideal, but it gave me the opportunity to see and speak with Katie every day.

Things will probably change after I leave, but hopefully, we won’t take two steps back from how far we’ve come.

I keep myself busy until I decide to hop in the shower. Just as I’m putting on some clean clothes, Katie’s car pulls into the driveway, and my nerves get the best of me. Though I’m confident I made it as perfect as I could for what she wanted, I’m still worried she’ll be upset. Though the house has a chill, I feel as if I’m sweating.

Moments later, the front door swings open, and Katie enters with Owen trailing her. As soon as he sees me, his face lights up with excitement.

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