Page 47 of Worth the Fight

“We’re not back together!” But the words feel foreign on my tongue. Because that kiss she gave me in the airport wasn’t the type of kiss you give just anyone. She didn’t kiss me like it was goodbye. It wasn’t just an I miss you kiss. There was emotion behind it. Even though feelings have been buried, there are still feelings there, and I’m going to race toward those like hell.

“Congrats, man. The both of you,” Dean says quietly, and I nod over at him. Dean is a man of few words. He’s probably heard the whispers of what happened between Magnolia and me that he can grasp how much it means that we’re talking again.

The front door slams, and I hear shoes get kicked off. They slap against the wall as a pair of feet thunders down the hallway. That’s another set of feet I’ve heard for the last twenty or so years of my life.

“Piper’s here?”

“Yup,” Harper says. “She’s coming over for lunch, and then we’re going to go to the old farmhouse to look at Ivy’s room to see what we can do to decorate.” She taps the tips of her fingers together with almost an evil glint to her eye.

“And I brought paint samples!” Piper squeals, raising a thick stack of colorful cardboard swatches above her head. “It’s going to be an explosion of rainbows and unicorns in that room. Prepare yourself, Lukas Hart. You⁠—”

Her words die off when she looks at her empty chair, noticing Dean sitting idly in the one next to hers.

“Hi,” she fumbles, and he stands abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor as it scootches back.

“Hi.” He reaches for the back of her chair, sliding it back and ushering for her to have a seat.

“Hi,” she says again, an immediate blush crossing her creamy skin.

“Piper, this is Dean.” Harper gestures to the man still standing, his hand gripping the back of Piper’s chair so hard his knuckles are blanching. “Dean, this is Piper, my BFF and honorary Hart sibling.”

“Hi,” he says again, and Harper bites down on her lips, head twisting to look over at Theo.

Theo is trying to be calm, but I can see him snicker behind his palm. My grandma clears her throat, a gentle reminder to him to mind his manners, but as soon as he catches Harper’s glance, it’s over.

Theo reaches his arm across the table with an open palm to Harper. “Hi,” he squeals, mimicking Piper’s voice.

Harper gladly shakes his palm once, her voice deep like Dean’s. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Theo responds.

“Hi,” Harper says through a giggle.

They go back and forth, one after the other, words soon blending together like a group of seagulls calling dibs on a pile of food.

Piper full-on blushes, nodding to Dean as she takes the seat he is still holding open for her. “Thank you,” she says, and he helps her scootch the chair in, careful to slide into his own next to her without brushing against her.

And even though his neck is covered with tattoos, I can see the faintest blush start to crawl up his neck and curl under his ears as he dips his head.

Interesting.

CHAPTER 25

Lukas

After lunch, I help my mom and grandma clear the table. We carry the dishes back to the kitchen, and I start filling up the sink with soapy water.

Harper and Piper settled into the living room to look over paint watches and swap ideas. Before Dean left, I caught him sending a longing look toward Piper, and her responding stare said just as much.

I’m halfway through the first sinkful of dishes when Pops saddles up next to me, pulling the clean ones from my hand and rinsing them under the faucet. We quietly work side by side, and once the mound of dishes is gone and my grandma is steeping her afternoon tea, I’m about to head out to finish mucking the horse stall when Pops grabs me by the elbow.

“Lukas, what do you say, wanna walk an old man down to the farmhouse? Curious to see what you’ve done with the place.”

I nod, ushering him ahead of me as I toss the dish towel back on the counter.

We head out into the afternoon heat, and even though Pops asked for a walk, and the farmhouse is less than a mile down the road, that distance is too much for him these days.

“Let’s grab the side by side,” I offer, and he nods, turning toward the machine shed. I help him into the passenger side of the machine, then I climb to the driver’s side, the engine purring to life.