and see if he was still checked at the hotel, but he’d chickened out.
That was enough. Himself and Damon, that was all he needed.
Liar.
5
Jack
The past week had been spent looking at houses, but none of them felt right. Maybe it was the thought of moving into one of those huge houses by himself…
"Hello?"
"Jack, I think this is the one. It’s not even on the market yet, and I just know you’ll love it," his agent gushed, not even bothering with pleasantries.
He made a non-committal sound. Maybe a house was too ambitious. He should probably go for an apartment first.
"Are you available? The sellers are really motivated… messy divorce," his voice lowered as he said it. "If you don’t love it, we can keep looking."
He was supposed to meet with Colt and Bray, but there was no harm in taking a look. "I have plans, but I think I can move them around."
"Great! I just emailed the address. How’s an hour from now?"
Jack figured why not. "Sure, see you then."
Once he got off the phone, he called Colt, but the phone rang five times with no answer. So he dialed Bray’s number next.
"Hello?" Braeden answered right after the first ring.
"Have you heard from Colt?" Jack asked.
"Nope," Braeden said. "What’s up?" Jack could hear kids in the background, which made sense since his youngest brother was a teacher.
"Can we do a raincheck on this afternoon? Maybe move it to tonight? We can have drinks or something and go over the party stuff. There’s another house the agent wants me to see…"
"Still haven’t found one you like, huh?" Braeden asked.
Jack sighed. "None of them feel right."
"You’ll find what you’re looking for, Jack. I’m sure of it."
Why did it feel like Braeden didn’t mean a house? Or maybe that was just his imagination.
"I hope so," Jack replied anyway.
"Okay, so let’s shoot for seven," Braeden said. "I’ll try to get a hold of Colt and let him know the change of plans."
"Thanks!"
Jack went to see the house, and he had to admit he loved it. Although standing in a home clearly meant for a family, he started to doubt the wisdom in buying something so large for just himself.
"The kitchen was redone just a year ago. As you can see, the farmhouse kitchen is perfect for hosting Thanksgiving dinner for a large family."
When Jack walked through the Cinema room, the omega from that night flashed in his mind. He could see them both snuggled in one seat, a blanket covering them as they watched a movie together.
Even the playroom had him imagining Haley, Leo, and Keith playing with his kids in there whenever his brother and Quinn came over.
Same went for the pool. He could imagine teaching his son or daughter to swim out here and having large barbecues with his brothers and their spouses.
He’d always wanted that. When it had just been him and his mom and they’d watched TV together when he was younger, he’d always imagined the large family gatherings. He often wondered if his father was having one.
Jack stood at the French double doors in the kitchen that looked out to the large backyard and imagined a whole future. Only to be interrupted by the realtor.
"How’s your niece doing? As I recall, she was just born. That’s what prompted the move, right? This house has space if they ever come to visit."
Jack smiled. "She’s doing really well. Family and baby are both doing great. Thanks for asking."
He ignored the other part. Not that the man was wrong, but what was the point of having all this when it would be just him rattling around the house when his siblings went home?
When he finally got to the bar, he didn’t have to look too hard before spotting Colt and Braeden at a corner table. Thankfully he wasn’t too late, although he had ended up on a work call. He quickly made his way over to them.
"It’s about time," Colt said teasingly. "Kidding. So… yes or no on the house? Braeden filled me in."
"I think it might be the one," Jack admitted as he plopped down in the empty seat.
"So did you say yes?" Braeden asked.
He shook his head and let out a sigh. "I told him I’d get back to him tomorrow...."
"Why?" Braeden leaned in.
He shrugged, "I don’t know. It feels silly buying a family house when it’s just me. I was thinking maybe I should get the realtor to go back to condos."
"Sounds reasonable," Colt said in that proper accent that