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typical ‘bad boy charmer’ look.
    “No. Not at all—”
    “But you just said—”
    “I’m sleep deprived,” Mia quips, “leave it alone.” Luke laughs a deep throaty laugh and I pull away from his embrace in time to find Mia sizing him up—only this time she’s met her match. Luke takes a step toward her and offers her his hand.
    “You must be Mia.” Her eyes flash with joy and she slips a perfectly manicured hand into Luke’s. He lifts her hand to his mouth, never breaking eye contact, and places a single kiss to her knuckles. My brother, forever the charmer.
    “And you must be the man I’m going home with tonight.” Luke barks out a laugh and Benny rolls his eyes, pushing past us. I watch his retreating form walk into the kitchen before turning my gaze back to Mia.
    “Mia, stop hitting on my brother.” Her eyes flit between me and Luke, a seductive smile curling her lips.
    “Laney, there is no way that this is Luke. The Luke that you’ve shown me pictures of is nothing but a boy. This guy here”—with one hand still clutched in his, she lifts the other to his chest—“is all man.”
    Luke’s head twists in my direction, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. No. There is no way that this is going to happen. “Down girl. He’s my brother, for Christ’s sake.”
    “Chill, Mama Bear,” Luke says, letting go of Mia’s hand. “I still remember the rule.”
    “Rule? What rule?” Luke and I laugh. Mia stares at us, waiting for an explanation.
    “Luke here isn’t allowed to touch any of my friends,” I answer, giving her a cheeky smile.
    Mia’s eyes roll in disbelief, but I don’t expect anything less from the girl who has never had to follow a rule a day in her life. “Well, that’s no fun.”
    “Well, that’s Laney, forever the fun sucker.” I slap Luke in the chest and he laughs, bending down to kiss my cheek. “Just kidding. You know I love you.” I grunt in response. “Okay, I’ve got to run,” he says, digging his keys out of his pocket. “I have a meeting in twenty minutes, but Benny has everything else taken care of. If you need me, call me. Got it?”
    “Got it,” I nod.
    Luke turns to Mia just as Benny walks back into the room. “Mia, it was a pleasure meeting you.” Her answering smile drips with sweetness. Luke turns back to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and please don’t forget to tell me when you schedule your first appointment. I want to be there with you.” I know he means it; I can tell by the pleading look in his eyes. Plus, I know how much it killed him when he couldn’t be with me during my surgery. As much as I would prefer to do this by myself, I know Luke wants to support me however he can. It’s hard because he wants so badly to wave a hand and make all of this go away, but the truth of the matter is that he can’t.
    No one can.
    “I’m calling first thing in the morning. I’ll let you know as soon as I have an appointment.”
    “Perfect.” With one last peck on the cheek for me and a quick wave ‘goodbye’ at Benny, Luke is out the door. Spinning around, I find Mia lounged on the blue rug, messing with her phone. Benny is poised on a step stool screwing a new light bulb into my ceiling fan, and I take a moment to look around. I’m not sure how I got here, figuratively speaking, but now that I’m here I have no intention of leaving. The thought of endless possibilities puts an enormous smile on my face.
    “What are you grinning at?” Benny’s warm smile flashes at me from up above.
    “I’m happy.” I move across the room to unpack one of my bags that mysteriously made its way into the house. “I can’t wait to decorate my new home, and I’m excited that I can see you and Luke whenever I want.” I shrug, loving that I have Benny next door and Luke just a few miles away. Ideally, I’d love to buy a house, but for now I’ll have to settle for renting. “I’m just happy to be home.” And it really is as simple as that.