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He opened and closed the kitchen cabinets and drawers. “It’s nice. What do you think?”

I smiled. “I like it. The location would be convenient for both of us; it seems like a quiet neighborhood. The yard and distance between neighbors gives it a lot of privacy.”

He nodded. “Let’s tour the rest before we decide.”

The next house was Erik’s late addition. I tried not to side-eye Erik for showing it to us. It wasn’t on our original property list and didn’t meet our criteria. It was a newer two-story in a cookie cutter close-set development. The awkwardly laid out kitchen had none of the features we were searching for, no gas stove, builder finishes, and minimal cabinets. It was a kitchen for people who hated to cook. A quick glance at Jimmy told me we were on the same page. Soon it became clear why he was presenting it. Maybe Erik’s intentions were pure, but after the first few houses, I would have expected he could read us better.

“I thought this might be a good fit given your newlywed status. It’s next to a strong school and all the neighbors are really friendly. It’d be a great place to raise your children. There’s a park right there across the street. The bedrooms are all up here, and look—there are four. Plenty of room for you as your family grows. Isn’t this one cute? The previous owners redid it as a nursery. It’s all ready for you to move in.” He stared at my stomach meaningfully.

Of course, he’d draw his own conclusions about why I married Jimmy. He probably thought I was the loser if I married because I had to. I ate a big breakfast, okay? I was not freaking pregnant. My hands clenched. The words to confront him were on the tip of my tongue, but Jimmy beat me to it. “Enough, Erik. Let’s get back on the same page here. We’re looking for a nice house with room for two and a wonderful kitchen. If you don’t think you can deliver, I’m happy to work with someone else.”

Erik held up his hands. “Hey. No harm meant. I wanted you to see the full range of your options, before you jump into something hasty and regret it.”

Asshole.Was he implying I’d dumped him for Jimmy and made a bad decision? Or that Jimmy had made the bad call in marrying me? Everything he said reaffirmed my choice.

Jimmy’s smile was tight, and his jaw clenched. “Erik, I think we’re done here. Let’s move on to the last place.”

It took effort to relax my clenched fists. Maybe I should have nixed the idea of Erik as our realtor as soon as I realized the connection, but I didn’t know how close he and Jimmy might be. I didn’t need to get in between him and his friends. We were temporary. Erik had been a blip on my radar.

We were silent as we got back into the SUV. I debated climbing in the back with Jimmy. It seemed childish, but I didn’t like the dynamic with him riding alone in the back either. He was being chivalrous, but if anything, he was the client. Erik was his realtor. He sure as heck wasn’t mine.

Everything about the day had served to highlight why Erik and I hadn’t worked. He didn’t listen. So competitive, he had to get in digs at me and risk losing us as clients. He couldn’t shut it off and just be. Jimmy and I enjoyed playing together, but he didn’t pout into oblivion when he lost. He regrouped and kept trying. The same had happened with me fainting. He regrouped and helped me get what I needed. He was persistent, but he listened, and it made all the difference. I glanced at him in the back, his big body splayed across the seat like a royal sovereign being driven by a lowly subject. And it was true. Jimmy wasn’t threatened by Erik. His first instinct was to protect me. Support me. My shoulders relaxed. Maybe being visited by the ghosts of relationships past wasn’t a disaster. Where Erik and I had been competitors in our brief relationship, Jimmy and I were a team.

It was a quiet ride to the last place on our list. From the outside, it was bland and unassuming. A 1950s rambler painted dark green. The peeling paint obscured by the overgrown vegetation around the house gave it an abandoned air. The arborvitae and other evergreen shrubs had reached so high they obstructed most of the windows. I itched for a chain saw, but the yard had potential.

My jaw dropped as we stepped over the threshold. It was the Jekyll and Hyde of houses. The inside had been gutted and updated. Newer laminate flooring, fresh trim, the works. It felt open and inviting, and I crossed my fingers that the kitchen would be as nice as the front rooms. We stepped through the entryway and Jimmy stopped dead. Yes. Way better than the pictures. Tall cabinets provided ample space with pull-out shelves, and the countertops gleamed. It had a gas range and a massive island with bar stools.

“I could absolutely see myself sipping on morning coffee while you putter around creating. It’s beautiful.”

I glanced at Jimmy; the gleam in his eyes said it all. The kitchen was it. So long as the bedrooms weren’t dismal, this was the house.

Erik showed us through the two full baths and three bedrooms. There was enough space for each of us to have our own room if we wanted, plus an additional home office or workout space. The walls were freshly painted white and the carpet was bland, but those were things easily changed. It was nearly perfect. I was afraid to know how much it cost.

“What do you think?” I asked. Jimmy looked like he was trying not to smile, but his calm face was shot. He lost impassive back at the kitchen.

He grasped my hands in his own. “Could you live here? With me?”

His brown gaze searched mine, and I enjoyed the heat of his hands surrounding my own. He finally let the grin he’d been flirting with take over his face, tugging me closer. I felt the pull his body was exerting on mine. He made me think of comfort, shelter, and, I inhaled,sex. His eyes lit with fire, and I leaned in further.

“Ahem.”

Darn Erik. I didn’t want to look at him, but Jimmy was more polite. He glanced over at where the other man was propped against the kitchen wall. “We want to make an offer on this one.”

Erik’s wooden smile looked like it might crack. “Wonderful. Let’s discuss details, and I’ll get it written up for the sellers.”

He and Jimmy talked through the finances, and I tuned out, wandering the empty space. It was move-in ready, and I tried to envision my furniture in the living room. I didn’t know if he even wanted my stuff cluttering up his tastefully decorated home. We hadn’t talked about it. I was going to be a glorified roommate. Did glorified roommates bring furniture outside of their bedroom sets? I was one hundred percent confident everything in his kitchen was better than my stuff. But I didn’t want to give up my things; I needed to be ready to live on my own if we didn’t work out. Maybe my stuff could stay in boxes in the garage. My stomach clenched. It would give me one foot out the door. I’d be move-out ready.

Today had been fun, even with Erik overseeing the process. Jimmy had grabbed my hand and walked through each house with me, like we were a unit. A team. He was the kind of guy you wanted on your side. But I wasn’t much of a team player. I liked the solo sports. I couldn’t afford distractions from my goals, and Jimmy was a distraction. Scheduling clients was less attractive when I could be with Jimmy instead. I’d integrated his shift schedule with my calendar and avoiding appointments on his free days was a constant temptation. However, he was also a huge help. His medical care meant I wasn’t in debt. I could afford a little distraction.

Seeing him next to Erik emphasized how real Jimmy’s strength was. They were both handsome, but Erik was gym-slick. All for show. Jimmy’s muscle was built for work. For helping others. My pulse picked up and I tried to calm myself. He didn’t even have to kiss me to get my heart racing. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle living with him full-time if walking through houses had me reacting.

That night over dinner, we wrote our personal letter to accompany our offer and sent it off to Erik. As we were wrapping up, I finally broached the topic that had been on my mind. “So. How is this all going to work? “

“How’s what going to work?”

I wagged my finger between us. “This. Us. Living together.”

He shrugged. “However you want it to.”