“Luke will do the same for me.”
“I know. It’s just?—”
“Mom, we’re not being stupid. It’s a small group of people, only Luke’s friends, their girlfriends, and Avery. We’ll all be together at Theo’s family’s place.”
She worried her lip, and I threw my arms around her, knowing a win when I saw one. Well, an almost win. “I’ll be okay, and I need this. I want a few days without life blowing up with something else in my face.”
When her shoulders relaxed and she squeezed me back, I almost sighed in relief.
“Let’s see what Ed has to say first.”
I leaned away so I could see her face before I was able to mask my surprise. The blush staining her cheeks was definitely new. “Okay.”
We returned to the living room, my bag temporarily abandoned. Edwardo stood with his hands on his hips, assessing Luke, who radiated nothing but confidence. I could only imagine how their hushed conversation went.
Mom studied both of them for a long second. “You know what they’re planning, Ed?”
He pulled my mom against his side. “Yeah, and it’s not a bad idea. It’s a contained house that we’ll have the address for. Mila will have her location turned on at all times.” He paused to stare at me.
I rolled my eyes, making a big show of pulling out my phone and turning the location finder on for him. Mom already had it, as that was our standard practice for each other.
“It should be fine. They just need to blow off some steam.” He tilted his face to gaze at my mom, and something heated passed between them.
“Okay then.” I backed away. “Glad that’s settled. I’m just gonna go pack.”
Back in my room, I threw clothes, a bathing suit, and toiletries into a bag before returning to Luke’s side so we could get out of there. My pulse thrummed—but not from fear. From freedom.
Mom and Edwardo followed us to the door where she locked her gaze on Luke before swinging her focus to me. “You’ll check in.”
“Yes.”
“And you’ll answer.”
“Yes.” I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. It was two days. I would be surrounded by people. Everything would be fine.
Something softer flickered in her eyes, a sort of reluctant trust. “Please stay safe.”
That was it. No lecture or argument. She was deferring to Edwardo’s judgment. And he had already spoken to Luke and approved. That meant more than I wanted to admit.
The drive to Luke’s went fast. I opted to stay in the car while he grabbed a bag. His parents were unpleasant, and I had no wish to be waylaid by either of them. An SUV pulled in behind Luke’s. I tensed until Avery got out of the passenger seat of what was obviously Jax’s vehicle. I opened my door and stepped out just as Luke came outside, a bag slung over his shoulder.
Avery winked before raising her voice enough for him to hear. “You riding with us?”
Before I could answer, Luke opened his door.
“She’s with me.”
Avery’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but she only grinned. “Mountain chaos, here we come.”
I climbed back into Luke’s SUV. He didn’t comment, just waited until my door was shut before pulling away.
The drive to the mountains felt different. Lighter. The town fell away. Streetlights spaced farther apart. The air grew thinner as we gained elevation.
I reached across the center console and laced my fingers with his, and his hand closed around mine.
The road curved through trees that grew taller and denser the farther we climbed. Blackwood’s lights and conflicts faded behind us—the gossip, the politics, the constant undercurrent of watching and being watched.
With every mile, it felt like shedding skin. The air changed first. Then the silence.
