Jace

Writing in my notebook wasn't helping me. I needed advice. So, I went to my dad. If anyone would understand, he would.

I found Dad working in the garage on a piece of furniture that Mom spotted on her phone. "Hey, Dad. Can I talk to you?"

My dad glanced at me before turning his head down. "Yeah, sure. Pull up a bucket."

I flipped a bucket over and popped a squat.

My dad joined me. "What's up?"

I glanced at my dad and released a breath. "When do you know you're in love with someone?"

My dad contemplated my question before answering. "I guess you prefer spending time with them than anyone."

"How do you know it's love?"

My dad looked at me. "Because you would do anything for the person like I do with your mom. When I met your mom, I hesitated to pursue anything with her. I didn't think she would give me a chance. I didn't have the best reputation with people. But your mom surprised me when she pursued me."

"So, you weren't friends when you met?"

"I met your mom when she wanted to replace cabinets. If anyone knows about being friends before developing a relationship, it's Elias and Tori."

"What do you mean?"

"Elias and Tori grew up together. She was four when her family moved next door to Elias. They stayed friends until she was seventeen. Then, it turned romantic. But Elias fell in love with Tori when he was sixteen."

My brows lifted in surprise. "Really?"

My dad nodded. "That's what Elias told me. Why?"

"Uh, no reason." I stood up. "Good talk, Dad." I hurried away before my dad could question me.

But what he said had clarified many things to me.

******
Bradley

I heaved a sigh, knowing why Jace was asking questions about love. Elias was right. You can't stop people from falling in love.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent a group text to two people, asking to meet at the bakery. They agreed. I put my tools away, locked the garage door, and told Hazel I was meeting Tori and Marla. Hazel reminded me to bring home treats. Hazel and I agreed to keep trust in our relationship; we told each other what we were doing or where we were going. The last thing I wanted was to destroy my wife's trust.

A few minutes later, I pulled into the bakery's parking lot and headed inside to find Tori and Marla waiting at a table. I grabbed a coffee before joining them.

"What's going on, Bradley? You seemed panicked in the group chat," Tori mentioned.

"I needed to get perspective from someone other than Elias and Dexter," I said.

"I don't blame you for avoiding Dexter. If anyone can screw things up, it's him," Marla said.

Tori chuckled. "I see marriage is going well."

"I love my husband, but he's an idiot when handling situations. He'll screw up things faster than you can blink an eye. I give him a task and have to fix it when he gets done."

We laughed because it was true.

"So, what's going on?" Tori asked.

I took a minute to gather my thoughts. "Jace asked me when you fall in love with someone—then asked how do you know? So, I explained how I knew. But Jace wasn't asking because he just met a girl. He was referring to Julia," I said.

"That doesn't surprise me. Elias was Jace's age when he fell in love with me. But I was twelve and didn't realize it."

"Then, we had dated."

"Wait. You two dated?" Marla asked, gesturing between Tori and me.

We nodded.

"We dated for two years, but it didn't work out," Tori said, making me thankful she didn't say anything about how I treated her.

"Well, obviously, since you married different people," Marla said.

"What about you?"

"I didn't date anyone until I met Dexter. I was too focused on finding a nanny job. But I didn't realize Dexter and I met when we were five. He chased me around the playground."

"So, what do you think will happen between Jace and Julia? Jace leaves for college in a few years. What if he meets someone?" I asked.

"Bradley, Jace might meet someone, but it doesn't mean he will stay with them. Elias dated girls in high school and college, but they didn't last. He said they didn't have his heart," Tori said.

"I worry about my boys. Dallas and Braydon have been dating Darby and Emerald since they were thirteen. Jace will talk to a girl for a while, then end things. I don't want to push the boys into settling down. But I want them happy,"

"We all want our kids happy. The boys dated trolls before they found their wives, if that tells you anything. Marty never dated anyone until he took a leap with Bailey. It didn't help a monster hurt my babies."

I looked at Tori and understood what she meant. Hazel and I dealt with the aftermath of monsters hurting the boys. The worst part is the boys knew the people who hurt them. Sometimes, a monster doesn't live in the closet or under the bed. They're the people you know.

"Bradley, I doubt you need to worry about the future with Jace and Julia. If I know history, it tends to repeat itself."

I nodded in agreement. "Once Jace got his license, he drove to the store and bought a Slurpee for Julia and himself."

Tori giggled. "Expect more Slurpees in the future."

"What is the deal with Slurpees? Julia is always asking Dexter or me to get her two," Marla said.

Tori smiled. "It's this thing with the Harper family, which started with Elias's grandparents, Nate and Patty Gray. The boys would buy a Slurpee for the girl they liked so they could spend time with them. Elias would do it for me. We would hang out, sip on our Slurpees, and talk. It was their subtle way of liking us without us knowing. If Julia asks you to get two Slurpees, she likes Jace and doesn't want to look obvious."

"That makes more sense than Dexter's explanation."

"What did Dexter say?"

"Who doesn't like a frozen sugary drink while getting brain freeze?"

Tori and I laughed.

Although Dexter wanted to push our kids together, he was still a father first.

Tori shook her head. "Dexter is a goober."

"Oh, I agree with that statement," Marla said.

We talked a little more before I grabbed treats for Hazel and the boys and headed home.

*******
Jace

I grabbed the car keys and told Mom I was running to the store. She told me to be careful. I left, pulled in front of the store, and headed to the Slurpee machine. I filled two large plastic cups with dome lids and did the tap before adding a little more. Then, I paid for them.

I returned home and checked in with Mom before heading next door. I knocked and waited while holding the two plastic cups. Dexter came to the door, noticed the drinks, and summoned Julia to the door. Julia appeared, spotted the drinks in my hands, and stepped outside. I handed her one Slurpee before we sat on her porch to enjoy our frozen drink.

"How did you know I wanted a Slurpee?" Julia asked before sipping on her drink.

"I took a guess. Plus, who doesn't want a Slurpee?" I asked.

"True. But soon it will get cold. We won't be able to sit outside and cool off from a Slurpee."

"It doesn't mean we can't still enjoy a Slurpee. We'll just need to do it indoors."

Julia giggled, lighting up her entire face.

I made her laugh and smile. I did that—no one else but me. A warm feeling flooded my body, knowing I was the reason that Julia was smiling. Sometimes, I wish I could hold her hand, but I didn't want to freak her out.

"How's it going with working for Odin?

"It's not bad." I shrugged. "But I know what I want to study at college."

"What's that?"

"Carpentry."

"That doesn't surprise me since you idolize your dad."

"It's easy to idolize my dad, Jules."

"Jules?" Julia lifted her brow questionably.

I thought about the nickname I gave Julia and smiled. "Yeah. It's something I can have since Jas calls you Juju."

Julia contemplated the nickname for a few minutes. "I like it. No one has ever called me Jules. Dad calls me Pumpkin while Mom calls me sweetie. But no one has called me Jules. It makes me feel distinguished."

"And no one can call you Jules. That's only for me. Okay?"

Julia nodded. "Yeah, sure."

I wanted to have something only for me with Julia. It meant more between us.

"I have a game. You're coming, right?" I asked.

"Of course. When don't I come to your games?"

I raised my brow at Julia.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Besides, when you were talking to Zoe. But in my defense, Zoe lied to me."

"Zoe was an idiot. I would never say those things to you. You're my best friend who has a weird obsession with Cinderella."

Julia shoved me playfully. "I do not!"

I playfully shoved her back. "You do, too!"

We sat on the porch and laughed while teasing each other. I locked this moment away in my memory. I would need it when I got to college.