Page 3 of When Love And Destiny Collide

"Are you okay?" Sharon's voice is tinged with concern.

“Yeah, we’re fine. Some girl slammed on her brakes in front of us to let a family of ducks waddle across the road. I nearly hit her, and it scared Davey pretty bad.”

“I’m okay, Daddy,” Davey chimes in, trying to sound brave.

“You’ll have to get used to stopping for the local wildlife,” Sharon chuckles.

"So I've heard," I reply with a smirk. "The woman I nearly hit made sure to stick around just long enough to give me a brief lesson on road etiquette—anda thorough tongue lashing."

Jon's loud guffaw makes me laugh, too, as I realize I got schooled by a girl half my age.

“Are you two hungry?” Sharon asks, her eyes twinkling with love.

“We ate in New York,” I say, glancing at Davey. “I’d like to get to the house and unpack, and Davey should take a nap.”

Sharon’s smile widens. “I still can’t believe you bought your family's old house after all these years.”

“We got lucky,” I say, unable to hide my grin. "I'm happy to be home."

"I'll come with you," Jon says. "Do you remember the neighbors?"

"Patrick and Cara Lewis? Yeah, I remember them."

"They’ll be thrilled to see you again," Jon assures me.

"Oh, that reminds me," I say, changing the subject. "When I closed on the house last month, you mentioned something about a tenant?"

"Yes, Lily Cruz," Jon replies. "She’s a family friend and our grandchildren’s babysitter."

"Really? Do you know when her lease ends?"

"Lily doesn't need a lease," Sharon says. "We consider her family."

"Alright," I nod, smiling. "Your family is my family."

"She was Laila's roommate back in Boston," Jon adds. "After Laila and Sam got married, Lily moved here. She's opening a daycare next to Sam's art studio."

“Speaking of," I begin, "how are your girls?”

Jon's eyes light up with pride. “Fantastic. They’re soaking up the sun in Florida right now. We're heading down there next week to join them.”

“Did you keep Mom’s house in Boca Raton?”

“Yeah,” Jon nods with a smile. “It’s our little retreat. We go there a few times a year. When we’re not using it, I rent it out.”

“You stayed behind to wait for us,” I say, feeling a surge of gratitude for my older brother, almost like I did for our father.

He looks at me, his eyes softening. “I hadn’t seen you in nearly two years. I wasn’t going anywhere until you got here.”

I smile and nod. “Thank you for that. It means a lot.”

“I was twenty when you were born,” his voice is thick with emotion. “You've always been more like a son to me than a brother. I love you, little brother.”

“I love you too, Jon.”

“Enough, you two,” Sharon chimes in, her eyes glistening. “You’re going to make me cry.”

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