Page 13

CHAPTER 13

NATE

I shift the gift box in my hands as I climb the familiar steps to my parents’ house. The January wind whips around me, but I barely notice it anymore after years of working outdoors.

Before I can knock, the door swings open, and Mom’s there with her usual bright smile. “Nate! Perfect timing, honey.” She pulls me into a quick hug, careful not to jostle the gift I’m carrying.

A blur of pink glitter and dark curls races past Mom. “Uncle Nate!” Lottie crashes into my legs, nearly knocking me off balance. “What did you bring me? Is it my present? Can I open it now?”

“Lottie.” My brother’s stern voice carries from the hallway as he appears behind her. “What did we just talk about? Birthdays aren’t all about presents.”

My niece heaves a dramatic sigh that only a seven-year-old can manage. “I know, Dad.” She looks up at me with those big brown eyes that are impossible to resist. “But maybe just one tiny peek?”

I can’t help but laugh. “Well, since you asked so nicely…” I glance at Jasper, who shakes his head but gives me a slight nod.

Lottie’s face lights up as I hand her the gift box. She plops down right there in the entryway, cross-legged on the floor, and carefully lifts the lid. Her squeal of delight echoes through the house. “A unicorn! Look, Daddy, look! Uncle Nate made me a unicorn!”

She lifts the carved figure from its nest of wood shavings, running her fingers over the smooth maple surface. I spent weeks getting the details just right—the flowing mane, the spiraled horn, the delicate legs posed mid-gallop. The wood’s natural grain gives it a magical shimmer in the light.

“It’s beautiful, honey,” Mom says, reaching down to brush Lottie’s hair back. “What do we say?”

Lottie jumps up and throws her arms around my waist. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! She’s perfect! I’m gonna name her Starlight!”

“You’re welcome, kiddo.” I ruffle her hair, warmth spreading through my chest at her reaction. This is why I love working with wood—seeing the joy it brings people, especially Lottie.

I turn to my brother. He’s got the look I see so often on him.

“You okay?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I guess. Days like these are hard. Lottie’s fine now, but this morning, she cried for her mom. It’s heartbreaking knowing Tara is missing all these milestones.”

I pull him into a hug. “She’s watching over you two and seeing it all. I promise.”

My mom’s eyes meet mine and we exchange a look. It’s been three years, but sometimes it feels like yesterday since Tara’s accident.

“Anyway, this is a party, right?” Jasper says, pulling back. “Let me take a moment upstairs, and I’ll be right back.”

“Nate,” Mom says, touching my arm, “there’s someone special I’d like you to meet.”

I follow her into the living room, and that’s when I see him.

“Caspian?” The name slips from my lips before I can stop it.

He’s standing by the fireplace, wearing a soft-looking sweater that makes his tanned skin glow in the warm light, and his dark eyes meet mine with a mixture of surprise and something else I can’t quite read.

“Oh!” Mom looks between us, eyebrows raised. “You two know each other?”

The last person I expected to see in my parents’ house was the man who’s been occupying my thoughts since he bumped into me, groceries first. The man whose coffee shop I’ve been deliberately avoiding, even though every morning I want nothing more than to see his smile again.

Lottie tugs at my hand, breaking the moment. “Uncle Nate, come see where I’m gonna put Starlight in my room!”

I let her pull me forward, my eyes still locked with Caspian’s. As I pass him, he gives me a small smile that makes my heart skip, and I realize this day just got a lot more interesting than I’d planned.

“I’ll be right there, Lottie,” I manage to say, my voice steadier than I feel. Because, right now, all I can think about is how the universe seems determined to keep putting Caspian Lane in my path, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all.

“He’s my new neighbor,” I explain to Mom, watching as her face lights up with delight. Of course she’s thrilled—she’s been not-so-subtly hinting that I should “get out more” for months now.

“How wonderful!” She clasps her hands together. “Caspian just bought Special Blend from Old Mac. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Very,” I agree, trying not to think about how good Caspian looks in the soft lighting of my parents’ living room. Or how his eyes keep finding mine across the space between us.

“Uncle Nate!” Lottie’s impatient voice carries down the stairs. “You promised!”

“Duty calls,” I say, grateful for the excuse to escape before Mom can start her matchmaking efforts. I know that gleam in her eye all too well.

“Go on.” Mom waves me away. “Caspian and I were just discussing plans for the Winter Wishes Festival anyway. He’s going to have a coffee station set up in the park.”

I catch Caspian’s smile as I head for the stairs. “I’ll also have hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows,” he adds. The comment takes me immediately back to the night we went ice skating on the lake.

Upstairs, Lottie’s room is exactly what you’d expect from a seven-year-old girl obsessed with both unicorns and dinosaurs. The wooden T-Rex I made her last Christmas stands guard next to her bed, and now she’s arranging Starlight on her bookcase with careful precision.

“There!” she declares proudly. “Now she can watch over all my books.”

“Perfect spot,” I agree, settling on her rainbow-covered bed. “So, how’s school going?”

Lottie launches into a detailed account of first-grade politics, complete with dramatic reenactments of playground disputes and lunchroom trades. I listen, nodding at all the right moments, but my mind keeps drifting back downstairs.

To Caspian.

To the way he looked at me when I walked in.

To the fact that he’s here, in my parents’ house, probably charming my mother with that infectious smile of his.

“Uncle Nate?” Lottie’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “Are you listening?”

“Sorry, kiddo. Got distracted for a second there.”

She gives me a look that’s pure Jasper—all-knowing eyes and raised eyebrows. “Is it because of the pretty man downstairs?”

I nearly choke. “What?”

“Grandma says he’s pretty,” she says matter-of-factly, adjusting Starlight’s position once again. “And that you need someone nice in your life. Is he nice?”

Out of the mouths of babes. I run a hand through my hair, wondering how to answer that. “Yeah,” I finally say. “He’s nice.”

Lottie nods, satisfied. “Good. Because you look at him the way Daddy looks at pictures of Mommy sometimes. All soft and sad and happy at the same time.”

My heart clenches at that. Leave it to a seven-year-old to cut right to the heart of things. “You’re pretty observant, aren’t you?”

She shrugs, climbing up next to me on the bed. “That’s what Ms. Thompson says. She’s my teacher.”

“You know what?” I say, gently nudging her shoulder. “I think we should head back downstairs. Don’t want to leave your friends waiting too long.”

Lottie’s eyes widen. “Oh! I forgot Arya and Elsa are here!” She hops off the bed, already heading for the door. “And they haven’t seen Starlight yet!”

I follow her, trying not to think about how returning downstairs means facing Caspian again, looking unfairly attractive in that sweater. But as Lottie races ahead of me, chattering about showing off her new unicorn, I realize I’m more eager than anxious to rejoin the party.

When I get downstairs, I pause at the living room doorway. Caspian is sitting on the couch, deep in conversation with a man I don’t recognize. They’re laughing about something, and their easy familiarity makes my stomach twist uncomfortably. The stranger has a polished look, wearing a fitted button-down shirt and designer jeans that make him look effortlessly put together. He’s undeniably attractive, and seeing him sitting so close to Caspian, both of them looking like they belong in a magazine spread, makes something uncomfortable twist in my gut.

Lottie rushes past me, unicorn held high. I guess that’s not staying on the shelf. “Arya! Elsa! Look what Uncle Nate made me!”

Two girls around Lottie’s age crowd around her, admiring the wooden unicorn. The stranger looks up at the commotion, and I notice his eyes are kind when he smiles at the girls.

“Careful with that, Arya,” he calls out. “Let Lottie show you properly.”

Caspian spots me hovering in the doorway and waves me over. “Nate! Come meet Felix. He’s the one I mentioned just moved to town too.”

I move closer as Felix stands and extends his hand.

“So you’re the famous woodworker,” he says, shaking my hand. “Those girls haven’t stopped talking about the dinosaur in Lottie’s room since we got here. And now the unicorn? You’ve got some serious talent.”

“Thanks,” I reply, watching Caspian’s eyes light up with interest.

“Why am I not surprised that you made that T-Rex too?” Caspian says. “Lottie showed it to me earlier. The detail is incredible.”

The genuine admiration in his voice makes my cheeks warm. “It’s just a hobby.” I shrug, but I can’t help feeling pleased.

“A hobby that makes little girls very happy,” Felix adds, glancing at where the three girls are now setting up what appears to be a unicorn-dinosaur tea party. “Arya, sweetie, make sure you share the dinosaur with Lottie and Elsa.”

“I will, Dad,” Arya says, carefully arranging plastic teacups around Starlight. “We’re going to name all the dinosaurs, and then they’re going to dance with the unicorn!”

Felix stretches, rising from his seat. “I’m going to grab a drink. Can I get either of you anything?”

“I’d love some water,” Caspian replies, and when his eyes meet mine, they’re warm and inviting. “Nate?”

“Water’s good,” I manage, trying not to focus on how my name sounds in his voice.

As Felix heads to the kitchen, Caspian pats the spot next to him on the couch. “Join me?”

I settle beside him, careful to leave enough space between us, though every part of me wants to lean closer. “So that’s your new friend, Felix.”