Page 59 of By the Letter

“I did.”

“Besides Bea, they were my favorite neighbors.”

There was no emotion or inflection in her words. If anything, she appeared shell-shocked, which wasn’t exactly surprising. To her, my actions might have seemed extreme, but they were well in line with my typical way of conducting life. I thought about my next move for as long as I needed to, then acted. After spending a month traveling across the city to take care of Shira and her damn cat, I’d decided that had been enough.

“If it’s any consolation, I looked into buying the building across the street, but it was recently bought by a tech billionaire who wouldn’t sell no matter how high I went with my offer. Bev and Donnie were much more amenable.”

I grazed my palm over her belly. It was like second nature now. She never stopped me, and I’d found I couldn’t stop myself either.

“What made them such good neighbors?” I asked affably, sensing she needed me to take it down a notch. I wasn’t a particularly gentle man, but around Shira, I seemed to attempt to match her more mellow, careful nature.

“They made me cookies and offered to babysit when Beanie arrives. They were quiet and always waved when we passed.” She lifted a shoulder. “They didn’t do anything out of this world, but they were nice and made me feel welcome.”

“No problem. I can do all those things. You’ll forget Bev and Donnie ever existed.”

Her nose crinkled. “Are you sure living next door to each other is a good idea?”

“I am. For now, there’s no place I’d rather be living than next to the mother of my son. Since you’ve decided to settle in this questionable neighborhood, this is where I’ll be.”

She swatted my arm, and I wondered if this was the first time she’d initiated contact with me. I thought it might’ve been and took it as a good sign. She was getting comfortable with me. My plan to become her best friend was well underway.

“The neighborhood is great.” Her eyes roamed over the tall ceilings and cabinets. “The house is beautiful too. I didn’t realize it was so much bigger than mine.”

It was twice the size of Shira’s and had a small yard out back—a boon for city living. I’d been in a condo for a long time. I thought I’d enjoy having the outdoor space. Plus, if my son was anything like me, he’d need it to run himself ragged. Wells boys didn’t do well confined to the indoors.

“I like it too.” I spread my fingers over her bump. “Is our boy hungry?”

“I ate dinner with Bea and Clara.”

I lowered my chin to catch her wandering gaze, asking again, “Is our boy hungry?”

She sucked in a breath then told the truth. “Yes. He always is lately.”

“Don’t be afraid to tell me if you need something. I’m always going to provide it for you.”

“I’ll try.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I still think this is crazy, you know.”

“Maybe the way I went about it was a little extreme, but I don’t see how me moving in next to you can be called crazy.”

Her head canted, a little smile playing on her mouth. “You can’t?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Now, let’s get you and the boy fed.” I grabbed our plates and nodded toward the living room. “Come on.”

Nate and Ben had turned on a basketball game and were well on their way to finishing their plates by the time we settled on the sectional. Shira was surrounded by me and my brothers, and by the increased rise and fall of her chest, it made her nervous. Ben didn’t allow her to sink into those feelings, though. He chattered away, telling her about his trip to New Zealand, and peppered her with questions too personal for people who’d only met twice.

“Are you prepared for how huge you’re going to get?” he asked.

Nate threw a napkin at him, and Shira flushed a violent red.

I squeezed her knee. “There’s no need to answer him.”

“Ignore him like we all do,” Nate added.

“I don’t think I am,” Shira replied quietly. “I don’t do the best with unexpected attention, and I’ve already had several old ladies ask me when I’m due. By the end, with me being so short and Roman being a giant, I can only imagine my bump will have its own gravitational pull. I might have to stay inside so no one looks at me.”

“Did you hear that, Ben? She doesn’t like a lot of attention,” Nate intoned. “Take a hint.”

Ben patted his chest. “That doesn’t include me, right? We’re basically family now.”

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