Page 117 of Love Deep

“Four bedrooms is plenty,” she says. “Where were you thinking you were going to build this house, anyway? I don’t even know how you’d get all the permissions for a new place?—”

“Here, Mommy,” Riley says, taking the words out of my mouth. “In Star Falls.”

“I’ll figure it out. We have what we need. The house is just frosting.” I’ve already visited a couple of plots that already have some permissions already. It’s not going to be as hard as she thinks it is.

She glances around at the tiny house “Riley and I have lived here since she was a baby. It’s served us well. You took your first steps in this house,” she says to Riley. “Said your first words.”

“Right. And I’m growing up and we’ll make new memories in the new house,” she says. “On top of the old ones. They’ll be the foundations to grow up on.”

I smile. This kid is wiser than her years.

She looks at me. “Life is moving on.”

I nod at her and slide my arm around her waist. “Life is getting better.”

“Is Uncle Jack coming today?” Riley asks, at the same time there’s a knock on the door.

“That must be him,” I say. Before I can get to the door, he lets himself in.

“Hi, everyone,” he says. He offers me his hand to shake, just like he always does, and I ignore it and give him a hug. Riley grabs on to his waist. His poor upper-class nervous system can barely take all the physical affection.

“Okay, okay. Enough of all that. Here, I brought Riley a present.”

“What is it?” Riley asks.

He presents her with a Tiffany-blue box, and Riley squeals. I’m pretty sure she’s never even heard of Tiffany.

She opens it, and she’s completely delighted by the pretty bracelet inside and gives Jack another big hug.

“You really don’t need to buy her gifts,” Juniper tells him.

“I know, I want to. She’s a cool kid. And I like being an uncle. Especially to Riley. Felicity is a different story. She’s a walking sass machine.”

The door rattles, and in comes Juniper’s mom. She’s sitting Riley tonight while the three of us go to Grizzly’s. Life’s very different to New York. I’m not out at a new bar every night. Movies and Grizzly’s wings are where it’s at.

“We’ve just been looking at some plans for a new house,” I say.

“In Star Falls?” Jack asks. I nod and he sighs. “You’re all moving out of the city. Who am I going to play with when you’re all gone?”

“I’m going to NYU to college,” Riley says. “Only ten years to wait.”

“It’s good to have a plan,” Jack replies.

“And we’ll be in New York plenty,” I reassure him. “This is for when we’re in Star Falls.”

“Anyway, I’m going to find you a nice small-town girl, Jack, and then you’ll be building a place right next door.”

Jack laughs. “Wouldn’t that freak Joan out,” he says, referring to his mother. “Finding my bride and the mother of the future Alden generation in Star Falls, Colorado, rather than on Fifth Avenue.”

“You can’t rule anything out,” I say. “There’s magic here in the air in Star Falls.”

Jack chuckles. “Maybe. But I’m confident when I say, I’m not moving to Star Falls because I fall in love with a small-town girl.”

Juniper shrugs as if to say,it could happen.

Even I don’t think Star Falls’ magic is that powerful.

At least I don’t think it is.