Chapter 29 Theo
Theo
Theo waited in the driveway, engine running and windows down, while his mother locked the front door of her tidy brick bungalow.
Beth Ward appeared a moment later, freshly tanned from her California vacation, her dirty blonde hair swept into a soft twist, and her sundress catching the breeze like she was auditioning for a retirement ad.
She moved with the relaxed confidence of a woman who had finally seen the outside of an emergency room.
She opened the passenger door, slid in, and kissed his cheek. “Did you miss me?”
Theo smirked. “Of course I did. Who else was going to grill me about my love life within five seconds of sitting down?”
“Don’t worry,” she said, buckling her seatbelt. “I can wait until we’re at least a block away.”
They backed out of the driveway and turned in the direction of the Brooks’ house, just a few blocks east. Oak Park was all tree-lined streets and quiet rhythm, but Theo’s heart was beating a little faster than the scenery justified.
His phone buzzed in the cupholder.
Then again. And again.
He glanced down. Maya.
I’m halfway through Chapter Twenty-One
I swear to God, you sound like you’re about to kiss me through the mic
I’m obsessed. You’re magic.
WE are magic. You were right. We’re perfect together.
We're perfect together…
Theo’s grip on the wheel shifted. A small smile tugged at his lips before he could stop it.
His mother, of course, noticed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her grinning.
“What?”
“I’m just enjoying the show,” she said lightly. “You trying not to blush. All those texts. The look on your face like someone just confessed they’re in love with you.”
“She’s not—” Theo cut himself off, then sighed. “Maya’s just excited about the audiobook.”
“Oh, Teddy,” she said, patting his arm. “The constant buzzing tells me that she’s excited about you.”
He frowned. “When did you become such a romantic?”
“Just because I never remarried doesn’t mean I’m dead inside,” she said breezily. “In fact, I met a charming boat captain in San Diego. I might just sail the seven seas with Dave.”
He blinked. “…Dave?”
She shrugged, unbothered. “I have his number. We’ll see. The point is, you don’t have to act cool about Maya falling for you.”
Theo stared at her, somewhere between horrified and impressed. “Thank you for that… but can we not unpack my love life and yours on the way to a family dinner?”
Beth grinned, settling back in her seat. “Fine.”
They turned onto the Brooks’ street a few minutes later. Their porch light was on and Nate and Sammy’s car was already parked in the driveway. Somewhere inside, Theo could hear the faint clatter of dishes and the warm hum of family chatter.
He pulled in behind them and turned off the engine.
“No Maya yet?” his mother asked, peering through the windshield.
Theo shook his head. “She said she was on her way.”
She unbuckled, clearly trying to suppress her grin.
He rolled his eyes. “You’re enjoying this a little too much.”
Beth popped her door open with a laugh. “Oh, let me have this one thing. You’ve never brought a girl around to meet me, and when you finally do, I already love her? It’s too adorable.”
Theo took a steadying breath, grabbed the wine he’d brought from the backseat, and followed her up the porch steps.
The door opened before they could knock. Sammy was already holding a glass of wine and clearly in hostess mode.
“Hey!” she said, reaching for Beth with open arms. “It’s been too long.”
Beth beamed. “I swear you just get prettier and prettier.”
Sammy winked. “I do my best.”
They disappeared inside in a rush of laughter and warm greetings, leaving Theo to hover on the threshold for just a second longer.
He barely made it through the front door before Nate appeared like a summoned spirit—beer in hand, eyebrow raised, and the smirk of a man who’d been waiting for this exact moment.
“There he is,” Nate said, clapping him on the back hard enough to jostle the wine bottle. “The Voice.”
“Be cool…” Theo warned.
“Oh, I’m very cool.”
The house smelled like garlic bread and roasted something, meat or vegetables or both. Theo caught the warm rumble of the Brooks parents in the next room, George and Nadine laughing over something while Quenton zoomed past with a magic wand, cape trailing behind him.
“Uncle Theo!” Quenton shouted, veering toward him mid-sprint.
Theo barely caught him before the kid barreled into his knees.
“Mr. Magnificent!” he cried, laughing. “What have you disappeared today?”
“Gramma’s ham!” the boy laughed before darting away again.
Nate leaned in again. “So, you know me, I told everyone. My mom is delighted. My wife is pretending like she didn’t know everything ages ago. And my dad thinks this is all hilarious.”
Theo nodded slowly. “Cool. Cool cool cool. And you?”
His friend took a sip of his beer, made a face like he was weighing a very serious choice, then shrugged. “Still deciding.”
Theo gave him a look.
“What?” Nate said. “It’s my sister. I’m allowed to be suspicious.”
“I’ve known you since middle school.”
“Exactly. Which means I’ve also seen you fall for three goth girls, two red flags, and some… wiccan girl.”
Theo pointed at him. “The wiccan girl was nice. However, her coven was pretty weird.”
Nate laughed. “All I’m saying is, this feels… different.”
“It is different and I think that’s a good thing.”
Nate’s gaze softened just a little. “Alright. Then stop looking at the door like she’s late to prom and relax.”
Theo opened his mouth to respond—
But the doorbell rang.
And just like that, the whole house shifted.
“I got it!” Sammy announced, speed-walking to the foyer.
Theo’s pulse jumped as more people piled into the living room. Nadine and his mother kept glancing from him to the door like they were waiting on fireworks to pop off.
“Gramma, can I have some ham?” Quenton called from the kitchen. Someone shushed him.
Nate grinned like the smug bastard he was and said under his breath, “And cue the entrance.”
A few seconds later, she appeared in a denim jumpsuit, gold hoops catching the soft glow of the overhead light. Her black curly hair was slicked upward in a stylish poof, and her lipstick was fire engine red. There was nothing sheepish about the way she carried herself or her bottle of wine.
“Hey, baby,” George said, taking the bottle and kissing her cheek. “I’m happy to see you made it out of the writing cave.”
“Me too,” Maya said, hugging her father.
“We’re having ham, Auntie Maya!” called a small voice from the kitchen.
“Why is he so pressed about that ham?” Sammy asked with a puzzled expression.
“Nate, go cut the baby a slice,” Nadine said with a laugh as she pulled Maya into her own hug. “You’re looking good, girly. You feeling good?”
“I’m feeling great, Mom,” Maya said, kissing her mother’s cheek. Her smile was easy and bright as she stepped further into the room. But her gaze found Theo almost instantly, and that smile softened as if it was meant just for him.
“Hey, you,” she said softly, crossing the last few feet like she’d rehearsed it.
Theo stood there, heart thudding in his chest, every prepared greeting evaporating from his brain.
And then Maya leaned in, rose on her toes, and kissed him.
Not a polite peck, but not indecent either, just long enough to make him forget everyone in the room. For one suspended moment, it was only her.
The room went quiet.
When Maya pulled back, she wore a small, satisfied grin and brushed her thumb lightly over Theo’s lips, smudging away a trace of her lipstick.
“How are you?” she whispered, soft enough to feel private even with the family watching.
His voice came out rougher than he intended. “Better, now that I’ve seen you.”
Theo swallowed hard, trying to compose himself, but no matter how he angled his jaw or steadied his shoulders, he could feel the helpless smile pulling at his mouth. He was shattered, and she knew it.
Maya leaned into him, her hand resting lightly on his chest as she turned to face the others, her voice sounding smooth and sure:
“Theo and I are dating,” she announced. “We’ll take your questions now.”
He burst into laughter, tightening his arm around her as the entire room finally exhaled.
Then George cleared his throat, Nadine’s hand flew to her chest, and the Brooks household erupted all at once, the air buzzing like someone had announced breaking news.
Her dad was the first to speak, his voice firm and fatherly. “When did this start?”
“When we started working on my audiobook,” Maya replied.
“Theo, baby, do you love her?” Nadine blurted at the same time, already leaning forward as if bracing herself for the answer.
Maya turned to Theo and shook her head. “You don’t have to answer that.”
Sammy, sipping from her wine glass with a barely contained grin, raised her eyebrows. “I need a timeline. When was the first date?”
“I can’t speak to a timeline,” Theo said carefully, “but I did take her on a ghost tour… and the movies.”
Nate, still holding a small plate for Quenton, looked personally victimized. “So y’all are doing ghost stuff together now?”
Theo turned, deadpan. “You and I can still do ghost stuff.”
Beth, meanwhile, looked delighted, practically glowing. “I don’t have a question, it’s more a comment,” she said. “You two are very cute together.”
“Thank you, Miss Ward,” Maya said, sweetly.
“Well, if I can’t ask about love,” Nadine cut in, her voice softening, “are you happy?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Very,” Maya added, her smile lighting up the room.
Her mother clapped her hands once. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
Quenton, cheeks full of ham, piped up from the sidelines. “Are you getting married?”
Theo held up both hands, laughing nervously. “Not yet, buddy…”
Nate’s eyebrows raised. “Yet, he says.”
Theo glanced at Maya, caught the soft little grin curving her lips, and knew he was done for.
“You know she’s stubborn, right?” George said, tilting his head at Theo with a knowing smile.
“Dad…” Maya groaned.
“Well, you are,” her father said, holding up his hands in mock defense. Then his expression softened and his voice dipped warmer. “But that’s how you got to be a big-time author, isn’t it? You set your mind on something and you don’t let go until it’s yours.”
Maya’s face relaxed, her lips twitching into the faintest smile. “That’s one way to put it.”
George nodded, squeezing Theo’s shoulder. “Just means she knows what she wants, and I can’t be mad at that. But you gotta be patient and respect each other.”
“I completely agree, George,” Theo said.
“Good.” Her dad’s smile widened as he turned to Maya. “Now, let go of this man long enough for me to hug him, damn!”
Laughter rippled through the room as Maya rolled her eyes but stepped aside, and George pulled Theo into a solid embrace.
“You be good to each other,” he said as he patted his back. “Do that, and you won’t hear a complaint out of me.”
Theo’s own father loved him, sure, but Scott’s version of love had always been… unpredictable. Missed birthdays. Forgotten calls. Big gestures followed by long silences. There hadn’t been a man in Theo’s life who hugged him like this in a long time.
He didn’t realize how much he’d needed it until it was happening.
By the time George let go, clapping him once more on the shoulder, Theo managed a small nod and swallowed the emotion clogging his throat.
And then Nadine swooped in, clapping her hands loudly to reclaim the room. “Alright, people, let’s eat before Quent finishes the ham all by himself!”
“Too late!” Quenton yelled from the kitchen, mouth full, waving his magic wand in triumph.
Laughter rippled through the room as people funneled toward the dining table in a cheerful, noisy current. Maya slipped her hand into Theo’s as they followed behind, and for the first time all evening, he felt his shoulders drop, the knot in his chest easing.
Dinner was going to be chaos. And, somehow, he was looking forward to it.