CHAPTER 225: HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Sitting on the patio of Joanne’s house, Jeffrey sipped the whiskey she had poured for him. He’d tried to be mindful of her and tried not to drink too much or impose, but she was lost in her own world with Fiona and Mary. Their hushed laughter drifted through the open window, soft and rhythmic, like a lullaby only friendship could create.

Inside, Mary brought out plates from the kitchen while Joanne floated between rooms, chatting, checking on the food. Liam and Fiona had come over for dinner, and the house was full in the most comforting sense—full of voices, footsteps, warmth.

Jeffrey leaned back in his chair and looked around. Patrick and Liam sat nearby, deep in conversation, laughing and tossing stories back and forth. Some of it he only half understood; references and idioms that felt native to this soil, but that didn’t matter.

His heart was full. This was home. At last, he was home.

He took a slow breath, the cool night air brushing his skin. A simple but powerful feeling surged in him—a kind of joy that didn’t need fireworks to be profound: I have it all.

Then, a sudden cry split the air. The baby.

"Babe!" Fiona called from inside.

A little tipsy, Liam stood with a groan, stumbled lightly through the door, and returned a moment later, cradling his son in his arms.

"You had your fill and now you don’t need your mama, don’t you? A nuisance, you are..." he mumbled, though his voice was anything but annoyed. He sat down with the baby against his chest. "This bean won’t sleep without me."

Jeffrey watched him, quietly moved.

Liam, so tough, so full of bite and bravado, was now sitting on the porch whispering to his baby in a soft, clumsy rhythm. Pride radiated from his every gesture; the kind of quiet pride that only comes from knowing your world now fits into your arms.

Jeffrey wasn’t someone prone to sentiment, but something about that moment tugged at him. His eyes drifted, inevitably, to Joanne.

She was carrying his child.

In just a few months, he’d be the one holding a tiny life, whispering nonsense in the dark. He’d have this, too.

And sitting there, surrounded by the people she loved, with the woman he loved just a few steps away, Jeffrey truly, deeply realized that he already had everything a man could ever want.

After their guests had left and the house had quieted, Jeffrey sat with Joanne in the living room, on the rug where they had spent countless evenings before. Fluffy lay beside them with its head on Joanne’s lap, while she leaned gently against Jeffrey’s shoulder.

This—this was life. A life richer, warmer, and more beautiful than he’d ever imagined for himself.

"I’m glad Grandpa sent me here," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Being back... I realize how much I missed this place."

Joanne smiled, her fingers slipping between his. "I missed you here too."

Jeffrey looked down at their intertwined hands, then back at her. "We’re really going to live here. For the rest of our lives. Can you believe it, Jo? We’re getting married. We’re going to have a baby. We’re... a family."

His hazel eyes sparkled with a mixture of disbelief and joy. No matter how many times he said it, it still felt like a dream.

Joanne’s eyes softened. "We really are a family," she said, her fingers tightening around his. "It’s kind of crazy, isn’t it? Two people who weren’t even supposed to be breathing in the same direction... and yet, here we are."

Her other hand rested gently on her belly, where their future stirred quietly.

They’d had every reason to drift apart—circumstance, class, distance, history—and yet somehow, love had carved a path through all of it, right to this moment.

Jeffrey chuckled, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he pulled her closer. "Here we are..." he echoed, his voice full of wonder. "In love."

Joanne let her eyes flutter shut and hummed contentedly. "In love," she repeated. And really, that was all that mattered.

She didn’t need to ask him about their future for she already knew. Jeffrey was planning to settle here, in Rockchapel, while managing Winchester Logistics from afar. Perhaps Philip had suggested that Jeffrey to stay here until the wedding as a kind of trial run, a way to see how things would go. He had a way of showing his care in subtle, sometimes unconventional ways.

Whatever the reason, Joanne trusted Jeffrey’s plans. She always had.

And even if someday he asked her to return to his world—his city, his estate—she wouldn’t mind. She could run her farm from anywhere. The place didn’t matter. What mattered was being with him. Wherever that was, it would be home.

-----

The day before the wedding, Joanne stood in the dressing room for her final fitting. She had already warned Cynthia to leave a little extra room in the gown—discreetly hinting at her pregnancy. Cynthia, who had heard countless brides talk about shedding pounds before the big day, had immediately understood what Joanne really meant.

But Joanne was in for a surprise.

Her measurements hadn’t changed. Not significantly, at least. She had specifically chosen an A-line silhouette to accommodate a growing belly, yet even now—well into her fifteenth week—there was barely a bump in sight.

She had seen her doctor, and all the reports were reassuring. The baby was developing just fine. But still... why wasn’t she showing? Why did it feel like her body was hiding her pregnancy?

A quiet panic crept into her chest.

Jeffrey arrived just in time. Calmly, he reminded her that not every pregnancy looked the same—especially early on. Some women didn’t show until much later, and given her strong core and years of physical labor, her tight abdominal muscles were likely keeping the bump at bay.

Only then did Joanne allow herself to breathe. Leaning into his shoulder, she let out a long sigh.

"I’m turning dumber by the day, Jeff," she mumbled.

Jeffrey chuckled. "You’re still smarter than me."

"No, seriously," she said, pulling back to look at him with wide eyes. "I took an IQ test recently. My score dropped. I’m practically a dunce now—down to 134."

Jeffrey raised his brows. "134?" he repeated, half amused. "You do realize that’s still genius-level, right?"

"But I am dumber!"

Chuckling slightly, he kissed her forehead lovingly. Morning sickness had faded, but now she was navigating new terrain—mood swings that didn’t explode outward but folded her inward. She didn’t yell or act irrationally like he’d been warned to expect. Instead, she’d retreat into herself, curling up and sulking in silence.

She was, as always, unlike anyone else.

And yet, with the wedding around the corner and a baby quietly growing inside her, she was holding it all together with a strength that made him fall for her all over again.

"I love you, Jo," he said.

She looked at him, her eyes shining.

"Love you too, Jeffrey," she said.

And just like that, she was bright again.

Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m