Page 3 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

LYDIA

S tepping out of my car, I stared up at the house in front of me.

It was a beautiful two-story home with light brown paneling and brick.

Wood beams accented the entryway and the roof, giving it that modern farmhouse look.

It was massive and beautiful, not surprising considering the neighborhood.

A place surrounded by a towering gate and dotted with other extravagant, oversized homes.

Multiple cars lined the driveway and street, meaning I was the last one to show up.

Shivering from the cold breeze, I clenched the bottle of wine in my hands and headed up the steps to the front door.

I was thankful I wore shoes and not heels as the frost from earlier this morning hadn’t fully melted yet.

The cold seeped through my sweater as I quickly knocked on the door twice before opening it. As soon as it shut behind me, I let out a soft sigh at the warmth inside. February was always freezing, but I swore it got colder and colder every year.

Once I thawed a little, I looked around the foyer, immediately in love. Tall vaulted ceilings with a beautiful chandelier hung straight ahead. A staircase was to my right, and a wooden door was on my other side. Gorgeous hardwood floors flowed down the hallway where I could hear voices.

Peeking beyond the door that was there and into the room, and noting it was a den, I eyed the beautiful fireplace surrounded by massive built-in bookshelves. The gray couch and chair added to the vibe. It was a reader’s dream.

I stepped out and followed the voices down the hallway, entering the kitchen where my friends stood in intense conversation.

It only took a second to learn they were arguing about which fast food place was the best. These were the types of conversations that always seemed to pop up whenever we were all together.

A month ago, it was which place had the best french fries.

“Am I interrupting?” I asked, announcing my presence. At the sound of my voice, six heads turned in my direction.

“Lydia,” Trevor Hall, Tasha’s boyfriend, said. He didn’t waste a second before asking, “Which one is better, Wendy’s or McDonald’s?”

“Uhh.” I looked at everyone as they stood there waiting for my answer. “Wendy’s?”

“Noooo,” Tasha, Bryton, and Wyatt groaned at the same time Josie, Mila, and Trevor shouted, “Yes!” My answer seemed to add fuel to the fire in their conversation. I shook my head at my friends as they continued arguing. And to think we were all adults.

“Ignore them.” Mila pushed away from the counter with a smile and walked over to me. “Thanks for coming.” She pulled me into a side hug.

“Thanks for the invite. I brought some wine.” I held up the bottle.

“Thank you!” Glancing over at the others still bickering, she turned back to me. “Let’s open this now.” I couldn’t have agreed more.

“This place is incredible,” I commented, admiring the big kitchen. The dark green cabinets worked perfectly with the backsplash stone above the stove and the wood panels near the ceiling. The island easily sat six and had a quartz countertop.

I loved the layout and how it bled into the living room. It made the space seem so big and airy, especially with the way the windows took up an entire wall and offered a view of the backyard.

“Isn’t it? I fell in love the moment we stepped inside.” Mila popped open the wine and poured some into glasses. “Wait until you see the full backyard.”

“It’s amazing.” Josie butted in, the conversation about fast food seemingly done.

“And there’s a pool,” Tasha piped up, coming up beside me.

“Fancy. Does that mean we’ll all be over for pool days?” I asked, an idea I could definitely get behind.

“Obviously,” Mila chirped, passing out wine glasses. “Come see.”

With wine in tow, the four of us followed after her. What I thought were two big windows turned into retractable doors as Mila gave the handle a tug and a push, the glass collapsing until the inside flowed freely to the outdoor space.

“Oh, wow.” The girls weren’t lying. I stepped out onto the patio, half of it covered by a gazebo, and tried to take it all in. There was plenty of seating scattered around. A built-in barbecue was off to one side along with what looked like a pizza oven as well.

There was a good section of grass in the yard, and even though the in-ground pool was covered, it was bigger than any other one I’d ever seen. A fire-pit sat a short distance away, chairs surrounding it.

Parts of the yard still had melting piles of snow from our last storm, the fluffy white substance lingering on the trees and plants, giving the backyard a winter wonderland vibe. Even with the cold, I could stay out here forever.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Mila beamed. “It’s like a dream.”

“Now to convince Bryton you need a puppy,” Josie joked.

“That’s next on my list.” The gleam in Mila’s eyes had me thinking she’d been slowly putting the idea in Bryton’s head.

“What’s next on the list?” Bryton’s voice asked from behind us.

“Nothing.” Mila turned around and gave her boyfriend a grin. “Want to get the pizza dough out of the fridge?” I hid my grin behind my wine glass, silently applauding her for a job well done changing the conversation.

“Yeah…” Bryton said. “Sure.” He looked at his girlfriend for a second longer before Mila shooed him away.

“Smooth,” I mumbled into my glass. She poked me in the ribs, making me laugh.

“I’m getting that puppy, don’t worry.”

I had no doubt that she would easily convince Bryton to get one. He would move mountains if Mila so much as asked.

“You know, there’s this really great rescue place you should go to,” Josie said. “We did a piece on them a few months ago and helped adopt some of the dogs and kittens.”

“That’s a great idea!” The two walked back into the house, heads bent close as they talked.

“Oh, I wanted to talk you,” Tasha said the moment Josie was out of earshot. She lowered her voice into a whisper. “Since Josie and Wyatt’s wedding is in less than three months, we need to have her bachelorette party soon.”

Tasha has mentioned Josie’s bachelorette party in passing, but with the wedding approaching, we could finally come up with ideas.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked, keeping my voice soft.

“I was thinking we could go to that Magic Mike club on 8th street. I had a friend go, and she said it was amazing,” Tasha whispered.

“That could be fun.” A smile tugged at my lips thinking about how surprised Josie would be.

“I know a guy who can reserve us a booth,” Tasha said.

Of course she knew someone that could get us into one of the hottest clubs in Toronto.

Sometimes it was easy to forget Tasha came from a well-known family and grew up in an elite circle.

She knew just about everyone. And if she didn’t, her family did.

“I think it’ll be fun.” Spotting Josie over her shoulder, gesturing for us to come into the kitchen, I finished with, “Text me later and we can set up a date.” With a nod, the two of us left the chilly patio and headed back inside, shutting the sliding door behind us.

“Do we know if—” Mila started to say, but the sound of the front door opening stopped her. An all too familiar voice came next.

“The party has arrived!”

Mateo Boone, Wyatt’s younger brother, stepped into the kitchen with smirk, arms spread as he did a little twirl.

“How’re my girlfriends this fine afternoon?

” Mateo came up to Josie’s side, pulling her into a hug.

Wyatt rolled his eyes at him. Mateo loved to flirt with all us girls, pretty much making it his mission to annoy the guys by doing so.

He was only nineteen, so obviously he was joking, but it was comical to see the different ways he tried to rile us.

“Glad you made it.” Josie grinned up at him.

“Of course. Any chance to see my ladies.” Mateo let Josie go before looking over at us girls. “Any of you come to your senses and want to leave one of these idiots?” He turned to Tasha with hopeful eyes.

“Never going to happen, kid.” Trevor wrapped his arms tight around Tasha, keeping her pressed into his chest. Mateo got the stink eye from the other guys before coming to my side, arm slung across my shoulders.

“How about you, L? Wanna test drive this youngster?” Mateo gestured to his body with an earsplitting grin.

“I’m ten years older than you,” I pointed out.

“I don’t mind an older woman.” He winked.

Playing into his little game, I wrapped my arm around his waist. “Hope you can keep up.” I grinned coyly up at him. The look on his face had me stifling a laugh. He clearly didn’t expect me to actually respond with something other than a no.

It took him a moment to recover and respond. “I can go for hours.”

“Too far,” Wyatt interrupted, looking at his younger brother in disgust. “We don’t need to hear that.”

“You’re just jealous you can’t keep up in your old age,” Mateo shot back. Before Wyatt could make a comeback, another voice interrupted.

“Just because you can go for hours doesn’t mean you know how to use it.” I tried my best to keep my face blank at the sound of Wyatt and Mateo’s older brother’s voice. The small bubble of hope I carried with me that he wouldn’t be here popped.

“Do you still know where everything is? I know it’s been years for you,” Mateo said with a smirk, turning to look at his brother over my shoulder. Beside me, Trevor coughed, covering up his laughter.

“I’d watch your mouth if I was you. Mom isn’t here to save you.

” Landon glared at his youngest brother as he came to a stop beside Wyatt across the counter from me.

Pulling my shoulders back, I let myself take a long look at Landon for the first time in a month.

I hated how my stomach flipped at the sight of him.