Chapter 4—NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR

BREA

"Hey..." I rolled my chair toward Amelia's desk and lowered my voice. "I'm clocking out. I promised Blake I'd pick him up early today."

She looked up from the chart she was reviewing and smiled.

"I had a feeling you were going to disappear before everyone else."

"I prefer to think of it as leaving on time."

She laughed.

"Fair enough."

"You'll cover for me?"

"When have I ever said no to that little gentleman of yours?"

I reached across the desks and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you. Seriously, what would I do without you?"

"You'd survive."

"I wouldn't."

"You definitely would."

We both laughed.

I picked up my handbag and slipped my stethoscope inside before slinging it over my shoulder.

"Any surgeries left?" Amelia asked.

"No. I finished everything before the meeting. Just keep an eye on my post-op patients. If anyone develops a fever or starts showing neurological changes, call me immediately."

She gave me a mock salute.

"Yes, Doctor."

"You're impossible."

Still smiling, I waved goodbye and left the hospital.

By the time I reached Blake's school, children were already pouring through the front gates.

My eyes searched the crowd instinctively.

"There he is."

The moment Blake spotted my car, his entire face lit up.

"Mummy!"

He broke into a run, his backpack bouncing wildly behind him.

I barely had time to step out before he launched himself into my arms.

"You came!"

I laughed as I hugged him tightly.

"Of course I came."

"You weren't late."

"I told you I wouldn't be."

"You almost are sometimes."

"I know."

"So you remembered your promise?"

I gently pinched his nose.

"I remember every promise I make to you."

His grin stretched from ear to ear.

"I knew you would."

I kissed the top of his head before opening the passenger door.

"Hop in."

He climbed inside without another word, already humming happily to himself while fastening his seat belt.

I walked around to the driver's side and started the engine.

We hadn't even driven two streets before his small voice filled the car.

"Mummy?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we get pizza?"

I glanced sideways at him.

"We had pizza last week."

"I know."

"And the week before."

"I know."

I tried not to smile.

"I said once a month."

He nodded seriously.

"I remember."

"This would make it the third time this month."

He turned toward me with the biggest puppy eyes I'd ever seen.

"Please?"

I kept my eyes on the road.

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"I'll eat vegetables tomorrow."

I laughed.

"That's not how negotiations work."

"It'll be the last time."

"You said that last time."

"But this time I really mean it."

I finally looked at him.

Those eyes.

Those impossible blue eyes.

Sometimes they reminded me so much of...

I quickly pushed the thought away.

"Oh, alright."

His mouth fell open.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You mean it?"

"I do."

He squealed so loudly I thought he might burst.

"Best mummy ever!"

"I somehow knew that was coming."

Twenty minutes later, we were leaving the restaurant with two large pizza boxes balanced carefully on the back seat.

The entire drive home was filled with Blake happily telling me everything that had happened in school, from a spelling competition to an argument over crayons that somehow involved dinosaurs.

Listening to him always made the long day disappear.

As we turned into our street, Blake suddenly sat forward.

"Mummy..."

"I see it."

Several moving trucks were parked outside the house beside ours. It was a big building with a huge gate. Workers carried furniture inside while security guards stood watch near the entrance.

"We're finally getting new neighbors."

"We are."

"I hope they have children."

"So do I."

He looked thoughtfully at the pizza boxes.

"Mummy?"

"Yes?"

"Can we give them one?"

I looked at him.

"They've probably had a long day," he continued. "They're moving into a new house. They'll be tired and they might not have time to cook."

"They also might want to be left alone."

"We won't stay."

He smiled innocently.

"We'll just say welcome."

I couldn't help smiling.

He was only four.

Yet somehow he already had one of the kindest hearts I'd ever seen.

"Alright."

"Really?"

"We'll give them one box."

"Yay!"

A few minutes later, Blake carried the pizza proudly while I rang the bell.

The property was enormous.

Unlike my modest home, this one looked more like a private estate. Expensive cars lined the driveway, security cameras covered every corner, and a beautiful fountain stood proudly in the middle of the front garden.

The front door opened.

A little girl, no older than six, peeked around it.

The moment she saw Blake, her face lit up.

"Hi!"

"Hi," Blake answered just as excitedly.

I smiled.

"Hello, sweetheart. Are your parents home?"

"My daddy is."

She turned and shouted without any hesitation.

"Daddy! We have visitors!"

Footsteps echoed through the hallway.

For some reason, my heart skipped.

Then I heard a familiar voice.

"I'm coming."

I thought I heard wrong, but then the man stepped into view.

Doctor Alexander Knox.

My mate.

His eyes met mine.

For a second, we simply stared at one another.

Then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

Not into a polite smile.

Into the smile of a man who had just realized fate had handed him another miracle.

"You..."

I whispered before I could stop myself.

"I was going to say exactly the same thing," he replied, amusement dancing in his silver eyes.

Blake and the little girl were already introducing themselves.

"My name's Blake."

"I'm Sophie."

"Do you like football?"

"I like everything."

She grabbed his hand.

"Come and see my room!"

Before either of us could stop them, the two children disappeared inside the house.

I blinked.

"They're... fast."

"They certainly are."

I remembered the pizza in my hands and held it out awkwardly.

"We, um... noticed someone was moving in next door, so Blake thought you might be too tired to cook tonight."

Alexander accepted the box, his fingers brushing mine for the briefest second.

The mate bond hummed immediately.

"That was thoughtful."

"It was his idea."

Alexander looked toward Blake with obvious approval.

"You've got a good son."

Pride warmed my chest.

"I know."

He looked back at me.

"So... we're neighbors."

It sounded more like fate than coincidence.

"I suppose we are."

"I'm glad."

I wasn't.

Or at least I kept telling myself that.

"Come in," he said warmly. "You've already brought dinner. The least I can do is offer dessert."

I shook my head almost immediately.

"We really should be going."

Blake looked over his shoulder.

"But Mum, we just got here."

Alexander chuckled.

"I think Blake disagrees."

I forced a smile.

"Another time."

I gently reached for Blake's hand.

"Come on, sweetheart."

He sighed dramatically but obeyed.

"Thank you for the pizza," Alexander said.

"You're welcome."

As I turned to leave, I could feel his eyes following me all the way down the driveway.

I didn't dare look back.

Because something told me that finding out my mate worked at the same hospital had been only the beginning.

Finding out he lived right next door...

That felt like the Moon Goddess herself had decided she wasn't finished turning my life upside down.