Page 58 of By the Letter

“Ben?”

His name escaped my mouth without thought. It couldn't have been loud, but his head swiveled in my direction, and when he found me, his entire being lit up.

“Shira!” he called. “Get over here.”

Confused, I rose from my swing and made my way down my porch steps. Ben had my gate open for me by the time I made it across my small front yard.

“Long time, no see.” He alighted on my bump and gasped. “Holy shit, look at you. I was half convinced Roman had made this baby thing up. Seeing is believing.” He looked over his shoulder. “Nate, get over here and meet Shira.”

The second man, who shared Roman and Ben’s dark curls and square jaws, was almost as tall as the twins but nowhere near as broad. He was more sleek than rugged, and if I had to guess, I would say the eldest of the Wells brothers.

He offered me his hand. “Shira. It’s nice to meet you after hearing so much about you.”

His hand engulfed mine in warmth, his shake neither weak nor overly powerful. Often, men barely gripped my fingers. I appreciated Nate giving me a real handshake.

Still, I was confused about why they were here.

“Did Roman send you to check on me?” I asked.

Ben rocked back on his heels. “No, he did not. Boy, do I have a surprise for you.”

“Ben…” Nate groaned.

“Will you come next door with us?” Ben asked.

I glanced at Bev and Donnie’s former home. “Are you my new neighbor?”

He waggled his brows. “Not me.” He put a big hand on my shoulder. “Come on, let me show you.”

The brothers surrounded me, and seeing the two together, I understood why Roman had been worried about my first couch. Add two more of these guys, it probably wouldn’t have survived.

I walked next door with them, a million thoughts whirling around my head. One kept trying to make its way to the forefront, but I refused to believe it.

Until Roman stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, amusement tipping his lips.

“Heeyyy, Goldie. Aren’t you gonna welcome me to the neighborhood?”

Chapter Twenty

Roman

Nate told me Iwas crazy.

Adrian was convinced I’d lost my mind.

Ben was all for the idea.

That should have given me pause, but once I’d made the decision, it had been full steam ahead.

The idea of moving to be near Shira had seemed ludicrous when it was first suggested, but that day on the elevator, after three weeks of not seeing her and all the changes that had happened, had filled me with a great sense of loss.

I didn’t like it. I’d missed the first trimester; I’d be damned if I didn’t have front-row seats to my son continuing to grow inside his mother. I’d do anything to have that. Including eating Shira’s barely edible dinner experiments so loaded with garlic andpepper I was liable to develop an ulcer. And grossly overpaying for a house in a neighborhood I was dubious about.

I’d pulled Shira into my new place, and Ben and Nate had followed. She’d been quiet while I’d shown them what I’d planned to do with the kitchen when I gutted it. She’d chewed on her bottom lip when I’d walked them around upstairs so they could see the bedrooms. When I’d dished out the dinner I’d cooked—no garlic in sight—she’d sat on her hands and rolled her lips over her teeth.

She only spoke once Ben and Nate had disappeared into the living room with their plates and we were alone in the kitchen.

“You bought Bev and Donnie’s house?”

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