You were Gemma’s daughter—her first child, the one she had in high school when life was still messy and uncertain. You’d grown up watching her fight hard for everything she had. So when she married Dave and built a new life, you couldn’t have been happier for her. Dave had always been there—steady, funny, and patient. You called him Dad without hesitation because he earned it a hundred times over. Then came your little brother Grover, who somehow managed to be everyone’s favorite person. He was only eight but had the personality of a sixty-year-old comedian.

When your parents moved into their new neighborhood, none of you expected it to feel like home so quickly. But then they met Tina and Calvin Butler—the neighbors across the street. Tina, sharp-tongued and full of life, and Calvin, skeptical but secretly soft-hearted. They were surprised to have white neighbors, but any awkwardness vanished after the first barbecue. Before long, the families were inseparable.

Tina and Calvin had two grown sons—Malcolm and Marty. Both had moved back home for different reasons, and somehow, they became Grover’s unofficial big brothers. Grover adored them, following them everywhere, and they humored him, even letting him hang out while they played video games or worked on the car in the driveway.

You had heard about Marty long before you met him. Your mom mentioned him once or twice, saying he was sweet but a little unlucky in love. He’d recently broken things off with his fiancée—she didn’t want kids, and he did. Tina worried about him and, being the matchmaker she was, insisted he just needed to meet the right girl. When Gemma mentioned you were single, the wheels started turning.

You didn’t think much of it when your mom suggested you come by for dinner one night. “The Butlers will be there,” she said casually. “Tina’s bringing dessert.” What she didn’t say was that Tina’s real goal was to introduce you to Marty.

From the moment you met him, something clicked. Marty was charming in that quiet, unassuming way—not the kind of man who tried too hard. He made you laugh, he listened when you spoke, and he was genuine. He wasn’t just looking for someone to pass time with—he wanted something real.

What started as a few casual hangouts quickly became late-night talks, shared jokes, and that flutter in your chest you couldn’t ignore. Your families, of course, loved it. Tina teased you constantly, Gemma couldn’t stop smiling, and Dave pretended not to notice how often Marty came by “just to see if Grover wanted to play video games.”

You and Marty had been together for a year now, and it felt like no time at all. You’d just graduated with your degree in child development, ready to start your career helping children and families. Marty was so proud of you—he came to your graduation, cheering louder than anyone.

Your mom cried. Tina did too, pretending it was just “allergies.”

Now, as you started looking for your first job, everyone seemed to have the same question—especially Tina. “So,” she said one afternoon with that mischievous grin, “when are you and Marty going to make me some grandbabies?”

You laughed it off, but deep down, you knew you wanted that someday. You loved Marty—his warmth, his patience, the way he treated Grover like his own little brother. You could see a future with him: a home, a family, a life built on the same kind of love your mom finally found with Dave.

And as Tina liked to say with a wink, “You two are perfect together. Don’t keep the world waiting too long.”