Page 126 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“What?” Juliette asked at the same time Lucas said, “We are?”

Lucas was smiling, and oh, how Juliette had needed to see that!

“Yes, we are,” Seeley said. “I think we all can use a weekend away from our worries. I’ve got everything ready and waiting at my place.”

“Cool!” Lucas said. “Where are we going camping?”

“The place my grandfather used to take me. He was your great-grandfather. I figured you might want to have something to tell your kids about when you’re my age.”

God, this man…

“What about our horses?” she asked.

“Cowboy’s going to come by later to pick them up and take them to the ranch. Lucas, I’ve got an extra pup tent if you want to invite Layla. I’d be happy to talk to her parents and reassure them that you will not be sneaking into that pup tent.”

Juliette’s heart squeezed. What a perfect way to bridge the gap they’d noticed between the kids.

Lucas pushed his hands into his front pockets. “Thanks, but I’d rather it was just us.”

Her stomach sank. She didn’t know if he was pushing Layla away, if it only seemed like he was, or if they’d broken up and he was embarrassed to admit it, but either way, she felt a pang of sadness for him.

“You sure, bud?” Seeley asked.

Lucas nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay. Go get your stuff, and then you’re driving.”

“Awesome!”

As Lucas ran toward his bedroom, Seeley went to Juliette and slid his arm around her, pulling her into a kiss. “Are things really okay between you two?”

“I think so. He’s a good communicator when he wants to be. He put me in my place. He’s really struggling, but he wants to handle it his way. He still does not want to talk to a therapist.”

“He gets that from me. I fought my mom tooth and nail after all that shit went down. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open. I think he’ll talk when he’s ready to.”

“I know. I just wish I could make it all go away.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, darlin’.” He kissed her.

“It was really sweet of you to plan this camping trip.”

“With his moods lately, I was a little worried he wouldn’t want to go. I wasn’t sure you’d want to, either.”

“I’ve never been camping. I think it’ll be fun.”

“Good, and since Layla’s not going, Lucas will have his own tent.” He grabbed her butt, holding her tight against him, and like a match to kindling, her body heated. “Once he’s asleep, I get you all to myself.”

“Just me and the big bad wolf?” she teased. “How will I ever survive?”

THEY PICKED UP the camping gear at Seeley’s house and hiked a long way, weaving between trees and around brush and boulders. The farther they hiked, the more Lucas opened up, sharing how great it felt to be away from everything and asking Seeley about his hikes with his grandfather. Juliette felt lighter, too, silently musing that they were like trees shedding their leaves.

Eventually they came to a lake, but while Juliette knew it had to be the same lake she and Seeley had gone to, it had taken a lot longer to get there, and nothing about their surroundings looked familiar. As they unpacked their supplies, Seeley waved a flashlight. “This is for telling scary stories by the campfire later.”

“That sounds fun,” she said.

“You were afraid to watch the movie Scream with me,” Lucas said. “I don’t think you’ll like telling scary stories when it’s pitch-black out here.”

“Hey, your mom might not like horror movies, but she’s still tough.” Seeley put his arm around her. “Right, darlin’?”