And there it was again. That grounding sense of sincerity made it hard to doubt him, even when the circumstances felt overwhelming. I let out a slow breath, and the tension in my chest eased.
Not because I suddenly understood every part of his world.
I didn’t. But I did understand him, and for now, that was all I really needed.
His world might’ve been complicated.
But this moment wasn’t.
This moment was everything.
I lowered my head on his chest, and I’d barely closed my eyes when my cellphone started to ring. The second I heard the Minion ringtone, I knew it was Lila Kate and groaned. Of course, she was calling now.
I didn’t want to move, so I let it go to voicemail. I thought that would be the end of it, until it started ringing again. Luke chuckled, “You gonna get that?”
“I guess I'd better.”
He reached down and grabbed my purse, and once I had my phone, I answered and put it on speaker. “Hi, Lila.”
“Well? Was I right?”
“Yes, you were. Apparently, I was worried for nothing.”
“I told you,” she responded proudly. “I knew there was no way he wasn’t interested in you. He looks at you like he could gobble you up at any second.”
Luke’s eyes lit up, and before I could react, he leaned down and playfully bit my shoulder. I jerked back, stifling a laugh as I nudged him away. “Behave.”
“What was that?” Lila asked.
“Nothing. Just a wild turkey in here trying to take a plug out of me.”
“So, you’re with him?”
“I am.” I glanced over at Luke and smiled. I had so much I wanted to tell her, but this wasn’t the time. So, I said, “Thanks for pushing me to come talk to him.”
“Any time.” She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “So, have you seen Smitty?”
And just like that, the air in the room changed.
Luke stilled next to me, and the warmth in his expression drained so fast it made my chest go tight. His jaw fixed, and his eyes darkened with something that looked to be regret. He shook his head, letting me know something was off.
I couldn’t leave her hanging, so I told her, “I haven’t, but when I do, I’ll be sure to tell him you asked about him.”
“Okay, but don’t be weird about it. I just met the guy. I don’t want him thinking I’m over here pining away over him.”
“Are you?”
“Maybe a little, but he doesn’t have to know that.”
“Understood.”
We said our goodbyes, and I ended the call before shoving my phone back into my purse. I dropped it to the floor and settled back in the bed next to Luke. The playful energy from moments before was gone and was replaced with a heavy silence.
His gaze was fixed on the ceiling, and his shoulders were tense. Grief was written plainly across his face, so I gave him a soft kiss on the side of his jaw. He let out a breath and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest as I asked, “Did something happen to Smitty?”
“You could say that.”
“Did it have something to do with the fight?” He didn’t respond. He just gave me a look, letting me know he wasn’t going to answer, so I asked, “Is he going to be okay?”
