Page 97 of Where We Call Home

But curiosity was gnawing at me. I couldn’t shake the memory of Logan and Rhodes talking earlier.

“So, what was Logan saying to you after the contest?” I asked, glancing at him.

Rhodes cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on the road. “He gave me the tickets he won,” he said casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

I frowned. “Why would he do that?”

“He didn’t think he’d use them,” Rhodes replied, his tone maddeningly vague.

I laughed lightly, though it wasn’t because I found it funny. “You’re being cryptic.”

Exhaling, Rhodes glanced at me briefly before focusing back on the road. “They’re tickets for a weekend getaway,” he admitted. “Logan doesn’t have anyone to go with, so he gave them to me.”

My breath caught. My cheeks flushed with heat. “But… you do?”

Rhodes’s hand tightened slightly on the steering wheel. “I took them because I thought you might like them,” he said quietly. “After the baby’s born. As a gift. I figured it might be a chance for you to take a break—if you wanted to.”

His confession hit me hard, like a wave crashing over me, leaving me unsteady and breathless. My heart swelled, and my mind raced to process what he’d just said. I stared ahead, blinking rapidly, as I tried to string together a response that didn’t sound as shaken as I felt.

If I ever took a weekend getaway, the only person I’d want there with me would be him. But instead of saying that, I nodded and quietly murmured my thanks.

Rhodes and I were treading into dangerous territory. I didn’t know how much longer I could go without addressing the big, fat elephant in the room. I’d never felt love like this before, and the urge to scream it, to shout it from the rooftops, was all-consuming.

No wonder all the movies always have an epic love confession because I was bursting at the seams. I was moments away from standing outside of his window with a radio, blasting old-time country love songs.

Thirty-Five

My heart pounded in my chest, each beat quick and uneven. Anxiety clawed its way in now that we were on the road. I couldn’t quite pinpoint why I was so nervous about Theo meeting my mom. She was kind, and so was Rob. It wasn’t about them—it was me. My own mental struggles had taken hold, making this moment feel too big. Because it was. Whatever this thing between us was, it felt real now. And I wanted that. God, I wanted it so badly.

The slow nights, the stolen laughs, the time we spent learning each other. The way I’d sneak glances while she’d brush her hand against mine like it was an accident. Truly, it never was. I was unraveling the mystery of this woman piece by piece, discovering the secrets she hid from the world.

Like how much she loved physical touch and words of affirmation, even though she’d never admit it. If I told her she looked good or pulled her into a hug, she’d melt, the icy front she had softening into nothing.

In the mornings, she loved waking up to the smell of coffee, though she never drank it.

She hated the “big light,” always preferring the living room to be wrapped in a soft, amber glow. It was these little quirks, these tender glimpses, that made her feel like home.

I wanted to tell her, take a leap into us and turn the unspoken words into reality. Maybe today. Maybe I needed to have my mom see her, meet the woman I’ve fallen into a beautiful life with. But before I could, I had something I had to do first.

What day was better than Thanksgiving?

Fuck. Now I wasreallypanicking. My mom was meeting Theo on a holiday which meant, we were spending a holiday together.

Theo’s mom was working the night shift, and there was no way I could leave her home alone. The thought of her by herself would gnaw at me all night. I’d wonder if she was okay, if she’d eaten, if she feltlonely. The idea of her sitting in that quiet house made my chest tighten.

So, I asked if she wanted to come with me. And to my surprise, she agreed without a single protest.

“How ironic,” she said from the passenger seat of my truck, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Hmm?” I kept my eyes on the road, glancing briefly in her direction.

“Somehow, we still managed to go to the grocery store on a Thursday. You really are a man of routine.”

I let out a fake laugh, which earned a genuine giggle from her. My mom had forgotten the mashed potatoes for dinner, leaving it to us to pick up a box of instant on the way in.

“You know what else would be ironic?” Theo asked, teasing me now. She was poking at me with that familiar glint in her eye, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as if she was trying to hide a smile.

“Let’s hear it,” I said, side-eyeing her for a second before returning my focus to the road.

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