“Oh my God.” Her voice cracks. “You’re actually here.” She rushes to him and hugs him, almost bowling him over, sending Eli into a chuckle. She pulls back, saying, “Oh, sorry, I get a bit excited sometimes.”
“I love that,” Eli states, and it’s clear he’s slightly overwhelmed with all of us staring at him.
“Right, who wants a coffee?” Corey says from behind me, making me jump because I didn’t hear him move there. His hair is sticking up from where he keeps running one hand through it, while eating a banana with the other. I hadn’t even seen him grab that.
Twenty minutes later, I’m snuggled on the couch with Damien, leaning my side against Corey while my feet are tucked under Brody’s thighs for warmth. Jakob, meanwhile, seems to have ants in his pants. He keeps topping up coffees no one hasfinished, checking the plate of cookies, then pacing around with the biggest grin on his face every time he glances over at Eli.
Corey leans in toward Brody. “He’s going to ask if Eli packed enough socks next.”
Brody chuckles. “And underwear.”
“He’s one coffee away from bubble-wrapping the man.”
I bite my lip to stop smiling, but it’s impossible. Jakob’s usually all in control and calm, but right now, he’s just a big brother trying not to smother the person he missed most in the world. It’s ridiculously, painfully adorable.
The doorbell rings again.
Jakob is gone so fast that Corey coughs into his mug to hide a laugh. A moment later, Maggie’s voice carries from the hall, and I’m already untangling myself from the men. Damien gives me an offended look before hopping over to Brody’s lap as if he’s been personally abandoned.
I hurry into the entryway just as Maggie steps inside, rain on her coat, her sharp new bob framing her face.
“It’s so good to see you,” I say, dragging her into a hug. “And I love your new style.”
“Thanks. I needed a change,” she says, squeezing me hard.
Jakob appears behind her with two suitcases, looking far too pleased to be useful.
I pull back, smiling. “You ready for your new place?”
Maggie’s eyes shine. “I can’t wait.”
The townhouse is already waiting for them here in Mistberry Cove, big enough for Maggie, Trudy, and Eli to start over without feeling like they’re crammed into someone else’s life. They’ve been planning it for weeks over email and long phone calls, sorting rooms and furniture and a hundred tiny details, but today is the first time everyone is finally in the same place.
Trudy steps forward, her face lighting up. “Maggie, I love your hair.” She reaches out, touching the new hairstyle.
Maggie does a tiny pose in the hallway, and all three of us start giggling. Jakob’s grinning my way so adorably.
“Come in before we block the hallway forever,” I say, steering her toward the living room.
Maggie waves at Corey and Brody, both of whom greet her from the couch, but then her attention catches on Eli as he stands. He looks a little nervous for half a second before she crosses the room and hugs him like they’ve met a dozen times already.
“Oh,” Eli says, laughing as he hugs her back. “You really are this friendly in person. I thought maybe it was just an online thing.”
Maggie pulls back, grinning. “Disappointed?”
“No, relieved. I thought this was going to be awkward.”
Corey lifts his mug. “The only awkwardness here is your brother being overprotective of you.”
Jakob gives him a flat look, while everyone else laughs.
Maggie sits cross-legged on one of the chairs, and the confidence in her posture is impossible to miss. Now that she’s dumped Louis, she’s practically beaming.
The afternoon unfolds in chatter and laughter, mostly with the rest of us watching the three new friends settle into each other as if the universe had been waiting for them to find the same room.
By the time evening deepens, Maggie, Trudy, and Eli are still talking in the living room, half-finished coffees on the table, cookie crumbs everywhere, their voices overlapping with easy warmth. Damien has abandoned all of us for the armchair closest to the heater, and for once, nobody seems to need me for anything.
That should make me nervous.