I looked at him for a moment and sighed. I hated leaving him, especially when he was all snuggled up in my bed, but I had no choice. Duty was calling. I walked over and gave him a quick kiss before forcing myself to walk out the door. As I made my way out to the car, I started going through the never-ending list of things I needed to get done.
Needless to say, it was going to be a chaotic day, but between the rush and the constant moving, the hours seemed to slip away. Every time I checked the clock, it was always later than I’d expected, and before I knew it, I was sitting at Lila Kate’s bar with a glass of wine in my hand.
The day was almost done, and for the first time since that morning, I was able to take a moment to relax. It had been a while since we’d been able to catch up, so I wasted no time filling her in on everything that had been going on.
“With all the new paint and flooring, it doesn’t even look like the same house anymore. And the new countertops turned out even better than we expected.”
“They already got the counters in?”
“Yep, and the flooring, too.”
“Wow. That’s fast.”
“Yeah, but he had a lot of help.”
The bar was quieter than usual, especially for a weeknight, but it was the good kind of quiet. I could actually sit and talk with Lila while she worked. It gave me a chance to get out of the house for a bit, and I hoped it would make her night go by a bit faster, too.
“The guys have been coming by whenever they’re free to give Luke a hand. Tallie and I have been helping him with paintcolors and flooring, and she’s really good at this. I really think it’s going to look great when it’s done.”
“Um-hmm.” She started filling a shot glass with tequila. “That’s really great, Pres.”
“You should see the tile we picked out for the backsplash. It’s perfect. It’s warm, but not too dark. And it’s really going to make the whole kitchen pop.”
Lila gave me another nod and a ‘um-hmm’.
This wasn’t like her. Usually, she had something to say about everything, so I leaned back on my stool and said, “Okay. What’s wrong?”
Her brows furrowed. “Why would anything be wrong?”
“I don’t know, but you’re being weird.”
“You’re weird.”
“Lila.”
She stopped and stepped over to me. She spoke softly as she said, “I love seeing you so happy and excited about a guy. I really, really do, especially after Gary and that other numb-nut you dated. You were never this way with them, and I always thought you should’ve been.”
“But…”
“You’ve gotten wrapped up in Luke pretty fast.” It was like the vault had been cracked open, and every thought or worry she had came gushing out. “You’ve only been seeing him for a few weeks, and you seem so serious. I mean, you’re already talking about renovations and tile floors. I know you said you were turning a new leaf and trying not to be too judgmental, but I’m worried you two might be rushing things a little.”
She was right.
About all of it.
I’d fallen for Luke. I’d fallen hard and fast.
I couldn’t help myself. Our connection was like nothing I had ever known, and with each moment we spent together, I’d findanother reason to love him. Lila was right. There was a time when I thought it would be crazy to fall for a man like Luke. His life was too different from mine, too fast and too dangerous, but I was wrong.
“You’re right. We have been moving pretty fast, but it’s been hard not to.” It was hard to find the right words to explain. “He’s so dang handsome and easy, and I mean that in every sense of the word. I don’t have to overthink everything. He’s just Luke, and I’m just me. And somehow, it works.”
I giggled, but she didn’t follow suit.
She just stood there, blank-faced, and listened silently as I continued, “I know the club stuff is a lot, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. But Luke is a good man, and I really like spending time with him.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“Well, I am.” I reached across the counter and placed my hand on hers. “I want you to be happy, too.”
