Page 2 of Lemon Pound Cake Club

I knew better than to believe it.

I watched the houses pass until I noticed the lemon trees. Every yard had one. Some were heavy with bright yellow fruit, while others were just starting to bloom. None of them looked ordinary.

They lined the street like silent witnesses, seeing every family come and go. They watched us too, as if they knew this place kept secrets.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. I hadn’t even realized how nervous I was.

"You still have time to change your mind."

Zaire spoke in a calm, gentle voice. He wasn’t trying to convince me to leave. He just wanted me to know I had a choice.

I looked over at him, but he kept his eyes on the road. He already knew what my answer would be.

"We didn’t come all this way for me to turn back now."

"No." He nodded. "We didn't."

We sat quietly, not needing to speak. Love already understood what words couldn’t say.

He reached across the center console and took my hand, his thumb gently tracing my knuckles.

"You don’t have to carry this alone."

I swallowed.

"I know."

That was the problem. I wasn’t the only one carrying this anymore. Now Zaire carried it too. He used every connection he had in luxury real estate to make sure we got this house. He never asked why this address mattered so much to me. He just made the calls, signed the contracts, handled the numbers, and handed me the keys without ever asking about my grief.

Some people bring their wives flowers. Mine tried to bring me closure. At least, that’s what he hoped.

The SUV slowed.

"There it is."

My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t ready. For years, I told myself I was. I’d imagined this moment so many times that I thought it would feel familiar.

But now, I couldn’t breathe. The house was still there, just as it always had been. Cream brick, black shutters, and a wide front porch with white rocking chairs.

The afternoon sun was so bright on the windows that I couldn’t see inside.

For a moment, I caught myself waiting for someone to walk out the front door. But that person would never come.

"It looks different," Zaire said.

"No."

I said it before I even realized.

"It doesn't."

He looked at me, and I cleared my throat quickly.

"I mean..."

I searched for something that sounded believable.

"The updates are nice, and the landscaping has grown."