Chapter 41

forty-one

ANDREW

Two hours after Jonathan and Shane left, I was driving into town to meet a little baby called Joseph.

Ever since I got the text from Paul— You’ve got to meet him, Andrew. He’s perfect. —I’d been excited for them. And, if I were honest, maybe a touch envious. But that wasn’t something I planned to unpack today.

The café was bustling with activity when I arrived. The hum of conversation and clinking coffee mugs filled the air. It was a cozy nook in Sunrise Bay, where mismatched chairs and old-fashioned tablecloths gave everything a homemade warmth.

I spotted Liam right away, then looked to his left. Paul was cradling Jospeh in his arms and Amy was happily munching on a cookie. From the reaction of the people around them, their son was already stealing hearts. There wasn’t one person who hadn’t smiled at the way Joseph was clutching Paul’s shirt in his tiny hands.

I paused for a moment, taking it all in before I approached them. This was a picture of everything I’d ever hoped for but hadn’t quite found. It hit me square in the chest—soft but relentless, like the first drop of rain before a storm. My fingers tightened around the coffee cup I’d picked up from the counter, and I forced a smile onto my face as I walked over.

“Uncle Andrew!” Amy was full of mischief as she grinned at me. “Do you want some of my cookie?”

I smiled and the moment of heaviness broke like a bubble. “Thanks for the offer, but it looks as though you’re enjoying it too much. I’ll get another one as soon as I’ve said hello to everyone.”

My gaze drifted back to the baby in Paul’s arms and the ache returned—soft, persistent, like a whisper at the back of his mind. This. I want this.

Paul looked at me and smiled. “I’m glad you could meet us here. This is our little man.”

“We’re completely smitten already,” Liam said softly as he watched Paul adjust the blanket around their son.

“He’s adorable,” I said softly. “He looks as though he’s always been a part of your family.”

Paul sighed. “The last couple of days have been a whirlwind, but…” He glanced back down at Joseph, who was now fast asleep in his arms. “He’s ours. That’s all that matters.”

“He’s lucky to have you both,” I added, my voice steady despite the lump forming in my throat.

Liam handed Amy a bottle of water. “We’re the lucky ones.”

Paul nodded to the seat beside Amy. “Sit down and tell us what’s been happening. It’s been ages since we caught up with each other.”

“It just feels like a long time,” I told Paul. “You’ve had so many last-minute things to do with the adoption that I’m amazed you made it out of your house.”

“We almost didn’t,” Liam said with a sigh. “Joseph threw up all over Paul’s shirt and Amy couldn’t find Dolly.”

Amy waved a rag doll in the air. “Uncle Paul found her.”

I grinned. “I’m pleased he did.” After the waiter had taken my order, I thought about what had been happening in Sunrise Bay. “Did you know that Mr. Jessop ordered the greenhouse he’s always wanted? Jenny’s desperate to find out who donated it to the church, but Pastor Adam won’t tell anyone. I’ve taken a few more photos that could go in my exhibition, and Elijah thinks Eddie’s got tonsillitis. He’s keeping the twins away from everyone until they can see a doctor.”

Paul carefully placed Joseph in the stroller beside him. “Amy hasn’t been too sick, yet. I guess that’s still ahead of us.”

“Times two,” Liam said as the waiter brought my coffee and cookie across to me.

As Paul and Amy told me about their visit to the local animal shelter, I took another sip of coffee, letting the laughter and the warmth of the café soak into me. Watching Paul and Liam with their little family made me realize just how much I wanted someone to share my life with—to build something that felt as unshakable and real as what my friends had.

That someone was Jacob. He’d become an important part of my life, but I was worried that what I felt for him was too much, too soon. For now, I was holding onto the hope that maybe, in this small Montana town, we’d both found what we’d been looking for.