(Aiden’s POV) My heart was still racing, and my breaths came in ragged gasps after sprinting all the way from the driveway to reach Jessamine. My body was still buzzing with adrenaline, but when I saw her crying, I was like sucked into a vortex, returning me to the first time I saw my best friend.I was nine years old again for a split second, seeing a cute little girl in a braided pigtail, curled up in the swing, holding the same math book I had in her arms. At first, I thought she was hurt, but when I approached her, she was perfectly okay and told me, between hiccupping and crying, that she didn’t know how to answer her homework.Of course, she couldn’t. I doubted if she could even read the sentences in the book. She must be five or six years old. She should be in the preschool building, enjoying learning the alphabet or numbers instead of worrying about the word problems in the book.What was a little girl doing in front of the classroom of the third-grade class? She must have mi

(Jessamine’s POV) I inhaled to smell the sweet scent of fresh air in Adilene’s from the porch, but instead, I caught the whiff of the aroma of the coffee bean Mom was grinding from her hand-cranked grinder. I glanced at the crib, checking on Kyle. A while ago, he played with his toes, putting them in his mouth. Perhaps he thought of them as built-in toys. This time, he rolled over, reaching the tail of the giraffe stuffed toy.Kyle just turned four months, but he could do many things—normal baby stuff. He could bear weight on his legs when sitting upright, rolling over, grabbing toys or Charlie’s fur, and babbling a combo of vowel and consonant letters. When I asked him something, and he didn’t cry, it was up to me to decide what it meant. Deborah and my mom thought differently. My friend bet that when Kyle reached the age of six months, he could count numbers and recite the alphabet. Mom proudly told her he was probably like me, a history of my life she now loved to retell.‘Jess

(Jessamine’s POV) “Ha! Ha!” I raised my eyebrows and glared at Aiden. “You know what? It’s too late for that. Whatever you want to say, I don’t care.”I could walk away, but I didn’t move.“Jess, please,” Aiden begged.“Fine! Go ahead with your confession. Let’s get this over with. I just want to go home.”Yet, it would be my biggest lie. For almost a month of staying here in Adilene’s, I knew I was home. Leaving here would scar my heart. Forgetting Aiden would be hell. However, he is getting married, and I don’t want to be the best friend in his love story who hinders his happiness. My sarcasm didn't appear to bother Aiden. He inhaled deeply and fixed his gaze on me. It was for a while, then he turned around, pointing at the lake.“On the other side of the lake is St. Rose Property. I bought it and opened a new business there, a law firm, and I invited Xavier to head the company,” he said, ignoring what I said. He turned to me, blinking once while waiting for my answer.I opened my

(Aiden’s POV) Two years later… “Go!” Deborah chuckled and gestured her hand, telling me it was okay to leave. “We’ll bring Kyle to the hospital later,” she promised. I nodded, picking up the bag Jessamine and I prepared last night. I walked toward the couch, kissed my son, sleeping soundly on the seat, and patted Charlie’s head. He wagged his tail but didn’t bother to follow me. Kyle and Xyla had become his new best friends. Wherever they were, he would be there. Xavier brought Deborah and their daughter, Xyla, last night when Jessamine told them she was in labor. I didn’t know if it was because Jessamine was carrying our second child that everyone seemed relaxed. Only I was panicking, unsure what to bring or how to take my wife to the hospital. “We have a driver, Aiden. Why are you panicking?” Jessamine asked calmly last night as she climbed the bed. Benedict and Xavier raised the same question. Perhaps it was not the reason why my heartbeat was pounding fast. I would love to h