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“Those little devils worn you out yet?”
“Not yet. But they’re trying their best,” I say with a sigh.
“Well, your folks will be back tonight and you can have a well-earned break.”
“I can’t wait,” I lean back in my chair and smile. It’s so good to hear his voice. I wish that it wasn’t, though.
“I just called to make sure you’re all okay and you didn’t need anything.”
“We’re all good. Thanks, Jax.”
There is a few seconds awkward silence before he speaks again. “You got any plans for the day?”
“I’m taking the boys to the park to let them burn off some energy.”
“You need some help?” he asks and I hate the thought that he is only asking out of some sense of duty.
“No, I’ll be okay. Hugo is coming with me.” Hugo has been great with the boys this week; I don’t know what I’d have done without him.
“Oh. Okay.” Does he sound hurt or am I imagining it?
“I’ll see you tomorrow at work though?” I offer. That is a place where I feel on a more equal footing with him. A place where we can focus on the job and not how awkward it is to be in each other’s company lately.
“Yeah,” I hear the change in his voice. “I’ll pick you up at ten. We have some contracts to sort out downtown.”
“Great. Sounds like fun.” I can barely hide the happiness in my voice and I mentally chastise myself.
He laughs softly and the sound warms me from the inside. “See you tomorrow, Luce.”
It’s almost eight p.m. by the time my parents get home. I stand on the driveway with Matthias and my twin brothers as their car pulls through the huge gates.
“Mommy! Daddy!” the twins squeal and jump up and down in excitement.
“Papa! Nana!” Matthias shouts too, joining in with them. I can barely keep the smile from my face either. I have missed them so much.
When the car pulls to a stop, the boys run to it and my father climbs out first, somehow managing to scoop all three of them into his arms at the same time before smothering them with kisses. One by one they all clamber over to my mom too and she hugs them tightly. Once the boys have allowed my parents to move, I walk over to them.
“Hey, sweetheart.” My mom is the first to pull me into her arms. We spoke on video call twice a day while they were away, but she still hugs me like she hasn’t seen me in months.
“Hi, Mom.” I hug her back. “Did you enjoy your trip?”
She pulls back from me, her eyes shining with happiness. “Yes. London was fabulous. The wedding was amazing. I told your dad we must go back with you and the boys some time soon.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I smile at her.
“Hey, kiddo.” My father comes up behind us and plants a kiss on my head. “Everything okay here while we were away?”
“Of course.”
He winks at me. “You ready for your first day tomorrow?”
“Yes,” I reply, feeling flutters of excitement in my stomach—and they’re not just about starting my new job.
“Can we at least get into the house before you two start talking about work?” my mom chides us good-naturedly.
He arches an eyebrow at her. “Says the woman who took a conference call in the middle of the night while we were in London.”
“That was a funding emergency.” She nudges him in the ribs and he smiles at her. I hope that one day I find someone who looks at me the way he does her.
