Page 35 of Worth the Fight

A smile cracks my face, and I stare over at him. I’m still tucked close to his side, leaning my head back to share his headrest. It’d be so easy for him to close the distance between us, to steal those measly few inches and kiss me, but it isn’t time.

It isn’t the right moment. Not now.

“So, what do you think?” he asks, and I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing about kissing me.

My eyes flick to his lips, to the lips that I know are achingly soft and can work every inch of my body from head to toe.

“About meeting Candi and Ivy,” he finishes, and I know there is a blush that blooms on my cheeks.

I inch away from him, scooting over until I’m back in the passenger seat and reach for my seatbelt.

“It’ll be five minutes, Mags. If you’re uncomfortable, if you hate it at all, just give me the look, and we can leave. I’ll drop you off at the airport and never bring it up again.”

Something about the sincerity in his voice has me nodding my head yes, and murmuring, “okay,” before I can even question if that's what I want.

“Okay?” His body stiffens, as if he wasn’t expecting me to agree so easily.

I shrug. “Why the heck not?”

CHAPTER 21

Magnolia

Less than ten minutes later, we're pulling up in front of a brand-new craftsman style house. It sits among a sea of new houses, settled around a man-made pond on the outskirts of town.

“This used to be a cornfield,” I whisper, and Lukas snickers.

“Yeah, I think we snuck out and went to a bonfire out here once or twice back in the day.”

I know that growth can be good, and that change is inevitable. We need families to move to Copper Ridge, to build new houses and businesses to thrive, but there’s something sad about coming back to the area you once knew and seeing the changes for the first time.

“I think Rick is still at work, but he should be home soon.” Lukas nods to the empty space in the garage as we exit the truck.

“He’s a vet, you said?”

Lukas jingles his keys in his hand before tucking them into his front pocket. “Yup, built a practice just a few blocks down the road. Sees all kinds of animals there but also makes trips out to some of the local farms for large animals. It’s been a godsend for a town like ours.”

We reach the front stoop, and Lukas presses a series of buttons on the keypad. There’s a jingle, and I can hear the lock churning.

He opens the door, moving to the side to let me enter first. He calls out a hello as he slips off his boots on the floral welcome mat. I do the same, toeing off my sneakers and leaning over to tuck them close to Lukas’s boots.

The house is pristine, a brand-new build with gorgeous crown molding and wooden beams that cross overhead. There’s a muted sage wall along one side of the entryway and a table that runs the length of it. A purse is tossed haphazardly on top, its contents spilling out, and a half-filled baby bottle lies on its side.

“I’m in here,” a woman’s voice calls, and I freeze midstep. Lukas catches my blunder and stops, turning around and taking one large stride in my direction until we’re standing toe to toe.

“You okay?” he whispers, his voice low. He reaches for my hand, squeezing once, and I squeeze it back, pushing out a heavy breath as I nod, letting him lead me down the hall.

We pass by a large living room. A chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling, a cozy gray sectional taking up the center. A basket of laundry sits next to it, filled with tiny clothes and burp rags waiting to be folded. The entire home feels like a home filled with love, memories already made with Lukas and this family, and I’m the outsider wandering through it.

We reach the threshold of the kitchen, and I go to loosen my grip from Lukas’s, but he tightens his hand further. I smile a little, curling my fingers around his palm.

“Hey, Candi,” he says, and I force my stage face on, begging my smile to be as natural as possible as I step out from behind him, coming face to face with the mother of his child.

Candi stands at the kitchen sink, her back to us and yellow dish gloves wrist-deep in soapy water. Her long black hair lies flat against her back, and she’s rinsing out a pile of baby bottles. She shuts off the faucet with the back of her hand, and then she turns to face us, her eyes meeting mine.

I expect them to lower, some sort of sneer from her or judgement, at least. I mean, this is the woman from Lukas’s past. Even if it ended as amicable as he claims, there has to be some tension on her side. But she meets me with nothing but a smile, then that smile widens, brows lift, and her eyes flit back to Lukas. For a moment, I swear some secret conversation passes between them.

“Hey,” she says a little brighter, pulling the gloves from her hands. She tosses them on the counter next to a baby monitor and reaches for a towel, wiping her hands as she circles around the island.