Page 40 of The Last Love Story
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JUSTIN
My phone hasn’t stopped goingoff the entire drive from the airport to Woods Junction. After a whirlwind of a day, we’re almost back to Jade’s house. We took a few photos and had a champagne toast after the wedding, then went right to our hotel rooms, changed and packed up, then left for the airport. I surprised Jade with first-class seats since I had to book a flight for myself anyway. Now, it’s just after seven at night, and we’re both exhausted, but we should be there any minute.
And the group chat has been keeping me entertained. I might’ve been a chaos gremlin and sent a text to the friend group right before I got on the plane and wouldn’t be able to answer.
It was entertaining when I finally got off the plane.
I laugh out loud when I read the latest message.
“What now?” Jade asks with a smile.
“Frannie wants to know if I married you justso I could get spoilers for the rest of the Marianos series.” I side-eye her. “Do I get spoilers?”
Jade’s smile morphs into something much more troublemaking. “If you wanted spoilers, you should’ve put it in the contract.”
“That’s just mean.”
She winks at me, then puts her turn signal on, visibly relaxing as she pulls into the driveway.
“Well, here we are. This is home.”
Jade pulls the car to a stop and lets out a long breath.
“It’s bigger than I thought it would be.”
It’s a big square-ish house, with the top floor a bit smaller than the bottom. When she described the two-story setup, I imagined it might be small or cramped, but from the outside, it looks spacious.
“Yeah, it’s not bad.” She yawns and stretches as she climbs out of the car.
I grab our bags from the trunk and swat her hand away when she tries to take hers.
“Let me do husbandly things.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Whatever you want.”
She leads the way to the side of the house, and we take the stairs up to the second floor. When she swings the door open, I’m hit with a wave of warmth. Not physically. The air conditioning is running, and it’s nice and cool. It’s an emotional sensation. Peaceful.
“This is it,” she says. “Not huge, but it’s cozy.”
“It’s comfortable. And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s a home, not a house.”
It’s almost like I’ve been here before, though outside of the city, I’ve never explored New York. It’s familiar. Like coming home. The word settles in my gut and the warmth I felt when I walked in spreads.
“Glad you think so. You’re stuck with it.” She looks around. “It’s a lot nicer than when I bought it. The structure was good, and I love the location, but the inside was a mess. My dad and acouple of his contractor friends—one of whom lives downstairs—helped fix it up.” She moves through the apartment, turning lights on, though I stay planted in the entryway portion of the living room, taking it all in. “And by helped, I mean they did all the work while I gave them ideas.”
The living room is open to the kitchen and dining area, which is a good size.
“Was it a two-family when you bought it?”
“Yeah, but there were still stairs inside connecting the two floors. About where you’re standing, actually. My dad blocked it off, but made sure it was easily reversible if I ever wanted to turn it back into a single-family home.”
Slipping my shoes off, I follow her into the apartment. She has a massive L-shaped couch that takes up most of the living room. There’s also a large rectangular coffee table, a TV stand with a built-in bookcase, and another tall bookcase to the side.
“Your dad used to be a contractor?” I ask, walking past the dining table and around the counter into the kitchen, where Jade is sitting.
“Yeah, he was hurt in a forklift accident when I was young and pivoted to working with accessibility in contracting. It’s strange to say, but I think it worked out better for him. It was a long recovery, and he still has some mobility issues, but he loves his life. He also runs a YouTube cooking channel.” She shrugs. “He’s never been the type to let anything hold him back, and he’s always encouraged me to live the same way.”
