“Um, no, actually, they don’t live here anymore,” he informs me, “They retired and moved down to Arizona, and they left me the place here.”
My heart stops, and my head spins. I don’t know what to think. Maybe the universe really did want me here, to give me a second chance at my first love.
“Oh, wow, good for them. So we’re neighbors again,” I tell him with a semi-nervous chuckle, unable to look away from his steely blue gaze, “Who would have guessed it?”
“Yeah, no kidding. Hey, listen, you’ve got to be beat from the drive and shit, you want to come over for dinner? Around six or so?” he asks.
I search his face, and he still just seems genuinely happy that I’m here. The words seem sincere. And I’m sure as hell not going to pass up an opportunity to spend more time with him, if that’s what he wants.
He was the one that called things off, not me. And I’d never stopped thinking about him. I’d tried to date other people and move on, but nothing was ever the same, so everything just fizzled before it ever had a chance.
But I keep my cool, and while internally I’m screaming ‘absolutely,’ I smirk casually. “You, cooking? That’s new, when did that happen?”
He laughs. “I never said that,” he counters, “I won’t be the one doing the cooking, there’s actually someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
“Oh?” I lift my eyebrow, but before he can go on, he’s interrupted by the creak of his front door swinging open.
We both turn to look, and to my surprise, the sight I’m met with takes my breath away almost as much as Max had.
The woman in the doorway is stunningly beautiful, with a sweet, heart-shaped face graced with full, rosy lips that curve into a smile when she lays eyes on Max. “Hey, I thought I heard you in the driveway,” she greets him, sauntering over to join us and shifting her gaze to me, “Who’s this?”
Closer up, I can see that her eyes are a beautiful amber shade, warm and sweet as honey in the midday sun, and the dark curls in her ponytail pick up glistening hints of red and gold.
“Aly, this is Forrest, you remember me telling you about him, right?”
I wonder what that could mean, if it’s a good thing or a terrible thing, but the pleasant expression on her face doesn’t change upon hearing my name, so either she’s got a great poker face, or he hasn’t been too harsh.
She nods. “Nice to meet you,” she says, and the words seem genuine.
“Forrest, this is Alyson Butler,” Max continues, slipping his hand into hers, and when I look down at their intertwined fingers, I see the diamond twinkling on her ring finger.
My heart stops, and I already know what he’s going to say before he speaks.
“My fiancée.”