Page 98 of The Long Way Found

"Yeah."

"That's not studying."

Jack glanced back. Martinez had said something that made Amir laugh. Martinez looked down and smiled sweetly, like he’d surprised himself.

"No," Jack agreed. "That's definitely not studying."

Luke smiled. "Good for them."

"Martinez could use something good," Jack said quietly. "He's been through a lot."

"Amir is a prince,” Luke said. "Maybe they’d be good for each other."

Jack looked at Luke, this man who saw the best in people and helped them find one another.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Maybe they are."

Thursday night, they cooked together at Jack's house. Nothing fancy: chicken, rice, and roasted vegetables. Jack chopped while Luke handled the stove, both moving around each other with practiced ease.

"Hallicks asked me again today," Jack said. "About making a decision. Staying permanently or not."

Luke stopped stirring the spatula. "What did you tell him?"

"That I'm still weighing options." Jack set the knife down. "I love teaching. Love mentoring. But there's also a pull toward policy work. Maybe consulting. Maybe..." He trailed off.

"Politics?"

“I might be open to it,” Jack said. "Depends on the details and where we’re at. That might mean spending a lot of time in DC.”

Luke looked at him. "Like if you went to Congress?"

"For example."

"Truthfully, can you put that off till later, maybe? I want to keep you for myself for at least a little while.”

Jack pulled him into a grateful kiss and said, “You bet. I was thinking the same thing.”

When they broke apart, Luke said, "Since we’re looking into the future… what about kids?"

Jack blinked. "Kids?"

"Do you want them? Ever think about it?"

Jack considered. "I thought I did. Once, with Anna. But it never happened. And now?" He shook his head. "I'm forty-two. I've got all these students. That feels like enough."

"Yeah," Luke said. "I've got Nita and Marco and all the kids at The Ridge. That's enough."

"So we're good? No kids, no immediate plans to move, just... this?"

"This is perfect,” Luke said.

They ate dinner on Jack's back porch as the sun set, talking about everything and nothing—the fundraiser coming up, whether to refinish Jack's deck, what movie to watch that weekend.

And for the first time in his adult life, Jack realized he wasn't planning an exit strategy. He was just... there. Building something that might actually last.

CHAPTER 38

JACK