Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 60342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
“Speaking of the groom, why aren’t you with him again?”
My insides still as we watch each other.
Once upon a time, I could peer into those beautiful green eyes and know exactly what he was thinking. And I wouldn’t dare look at him if I didn’t want him to read me like a book. But his gaze now holds stories we don’t share, experiences I don’t understand, and wounds I didn’t heal. The difference cuts me to the quick.
Just as my heart races, he flashes me his crooked smile.
I sigh, fighting a smile of my own. “I kind of left him at the altar.”
“Ballsy way to start a marriage.”
“Yeah, it would be if we were starting one.”
He leans against the wall, and a faint smirk kisses his lips. “I have so many questions.”
“I bet you do.”
He holds my gaze for a moment and then stands tall. “Let’s start with the most important one.”
I brace myself, expecting him to ask why I left my wedding.
“Is anyone coming here looking for you?” he asks.
What? “Why? Did you see someone?”
A sweaty palm falls to my chest in a futile attempt at discouraging a swell of panic from rising. In my failure to plan this adventure, it never occurred to me that I might be dragging Luke into an uncomfortable position. After all, he didn’t ask for this.
“I’m sorry,” I say, getting to my feet. “I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t think—”
“Sit down, Pumpkin.” His eyes twinkle. “You talk too much when you’re nervous.”
My chest burns, lingering on my nickname from when we were younger. I sit as requested and struggle to catch my breath.
“I don’t want to bring you into this,” I say.
“Looks like it’s a little too late for that.” He smirks. “You’re safe here. You know that.”
Every muscle relaxes, and I sink into the most uncomfortable couch in the universe. But it doesn’t matter how many springs poke my butt. It doesn’t matter if Luke can protect me—or if he should. The only thing that matters is that he would try. Even after all these years, he would still offer me refuge. I can count on him.
I grin. Just like I knew I could.
“Seriously, though,” he says, lifting a brow. “I imagine there’s a pissed-off movie star with a security team straight out of a combat zone searching Peachwood County for a runaway bride right about now. It’s not that I couldn’t take them. I’m just wondering if I need to call for reinforcements.”
I laugh. “If by reinforcements you mean Gavin, you might be better off on your own. I remember when Gavin played dead in the mud pits instead of helping you talk to the police about why we were out there past dark.”
Luke laughs, too, and disappears around the corner. “I haven’t thought about that in a long time.”
“I can’t think of Gavin and not think about it.”
“Serves him right to have that as his legacy. Little shit.” Ice clinks against a glass. “Back to the topic at hand. Does anyone know you’re here?” He pokes his head around the corner. “Why are you here, anyway?”
My throat goes dry, and I’m suddenly aware of every rise and fall of my chest. He watches me for the longest time, giving me a chance to answer. Finally, a shadow falls across his face, and he disappears again.
“Let’s back up,” he says, rounding the corner with two glasses of tea. “How the hell did you get in my house to start with?”
“Key in the boot.”
“How’d you know about that?”
I take the glass from him. “I’m the one who put the key in the boot the first time. I created that hiding spot. I just took a chance that you are a creature of habit and struck gold.”
“Damn. I probably oughta move that, huh?”
“Might not be a bad idea.” Especially if some of his other exes turn up out of the blue. Can’t say I love that idea. Strangely.
He sits on the chair across the coffee table and takes a drink. I wonder what he’s thinking with that glimmer in his eye, but I don’t ask. I’m not exactly in the driver’s seat.
The sun streams in the windows, filling the living room with a bright warmth that seeps into every corner. This house has always had a tranquility about it. Before Poppy passed away and we’d come here so Luke could help his grandfather in the barn, it was always so peaceful. No matter the stress at home, or drama at school, or worries about whatever deal my father was trying to make on my behalf, it all melted away in this house.
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Luke says. “You’re not getting married and fled the scene. Then you showed up here, performed a felony to get into my house, and now … what?”