But if she still had feelings for Jake, any kind of feelings, he couldn’t risk going there. Not again.
‘Well …’ Mia puffed out her cheeks, seemingly enjoying the drama of it all. ‘I’m getting vibes from Willow. She never really has anything good to say about the guy. I don’t think he made her happy.’
‘That’s not good.’
‘And she told me she has ended things properly with him now. She seems ready to move on,’ Mia added. ‘And if anyone has experience of that, it’s me. I can spot the signs.’
Lucas noticed that his sister had slumped a little in her chair. He leaned across and squeezed her hand lightly.
‘I keep forgetting you are going through crap too.’
‘I didn’t want to stress you out with it all.’ She sighed. ‘It’s such a cliché, what Joshua did to me. I thought things were OK between us and then he did that—’
Lucas swore under his breath. ‘I can kill him if you want?’
‘Oh no you won’t.’ Mia gripped his hand. ‘I don’t need my brother in jail on top of everything else. I’ve got this.’
‘Have you though?’ He glared. ‘I mean, this jerk has messed you around before and yet you always forgive him.’
‘I know. We have a connection. It’s hard to explain. We’ve been through a lot together and nobody knows him like I do.’
‘He shouldn’t be treating you badly though, Mia. You don’t deserve that.’
She chuckled softly. ‘No, I guess not. But that’s why I left, isn’t it? I’m back now, ready to heal or whatever.’
‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘That’s the most sensible decision you’ve made in a long time.’
‘And maybe you can do the same thing, Luc,’ she urged. ‘Maybe you can heal too? Because you’ve been hurting yourself for too long and you need to stop.’
Lucas looked away. He couldn’t stand to see the worry in his sister’s eyes. Nor could he bear the twist in his gut as she spoke those words.
He longed to heal, but he didn’t even know if that was possible anymore.
The music continued to play. Lucas and Mia had moved back to the sofa. Lucas had drunk a few cans of beer and Mia had opened a bottle of wine. He was feeling warm and fuzzy and a little floaty.
He and Mia had talked. He had opened up. He’d told Mia stuff from his past, about school, that he had kept hidden away for a long time. He hadn’t expected it to help as much as it did; Mia had simply listened as he’d vented. She had listened and understood.
Right now, that was all he needed.
‘Mom would have liked this,’ Mia declared, raising her glass lazily. ‘Me and you getting along – no arguments.’
‘It wasn’t always like that, was it?’
‘No! Because you were such a mean older brother. Anyone would think there was a ten-year, not three-year difference, the way you used to act.’
‘Now hang on.’ Lucas leaned forward to make his point, his body wobbling a little. He probably should have eaten more than a sliver of cheesecake. ‘You used to be such a spoiled bitch. If I did the smallest thing wrong, you would go crying to Mom.’
‘The smallest thing?’ Mia’s mouth was open in a mock aghast expression. ‘You were mean, Luc. Mean! Do you remember when you shut me in the cupboard?’
Lucas snorted. ‘Yeah, but that was only because you wanted to follow me and Willow everywhere.’
‘You always had so much fun. I wanted to be involved.’ Mia picked up the wine bottle and refilled her glass. ‘Looking back, it’s crazy to think how close you were. Willow wasalways here, or you were at her grandma’s. It was like you were joined at the hip.’
‘We were kids. Things change.’
‘It just seems a shame, that’s all,’ Mia mused. She nuzzled herself back into the cushions of the sofa. ‘And now she’s back all alone …’
He glared at her. A warning shot.
