I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It was… something. Ran into Kayla."
Luke raised an eyebrow, his expression one of surprise and pity. "Damn. That must've been... rough."
I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah. Didn't expect it to hit me so hard. But seeing her again… Fuck, it was like ripping off a ten-year-old bandage."
"Can't blame her for being frosty," Luke remarked, taking a sip of his drink. "You royally screwed up with her. But give it time. She's tough."
The clink of cutlery against the plate broke the brief silence, drawing our attention to Lexi. Her face was a mask, unreadable. I leaned forward, concern evident in my voice. "Lex, you okay?"
She took a deep breath, her fingers playing with the napkin on her lap. "I'm fine."
But her words, laced with a hint of fragility, belied her claim. She wasn't okay, and we both knew it.
My gaze met Luke's, the silent exchange speaking volumes. Something was very wrong. As the night wore on, amidst the casual banter and reminiscing, the unease hung thick in the room. A sudden hoot from an owl outside the window made Lexi jump, almost knocking her drink over.
I watched, my gut knotting, as Luke immediately enveloped her in his arms, his voice tinged with concern. "Hey, what's going on, Lex?"
She pulled away slightly, her eyes darting around the room, her breath coming in short puffs. "It's nothing. I'm just... jumpy tonight." The way Luke's fingers tightened on her shoulders told me he wasn't buying it. Neither was I.
"Lex, talk to us," I urged.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and she hesitated for what felt like hours before slowly reaching into the pocket of her sweater. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it over to Luke with trembling fingers.
Luke's face blanched, his voice cracking slightly as he read aloud. "'I found you, and this time, I won't lose you. You are mine and always will be. Until we are together, my love.'"
"What the fuck?" I muttered, my heart pounding against my ribcage. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"
She shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's not a joke, Jake. I got letters like this all through college. Some guy was obsessed with me. The police never figured out who it was."
I remembered the few times Lexi had mentioned receiving "weird letters" in college. But this? This was on a whole new level of disturbing. I felt anger and guilt for not being there for her, for brushing it off back then.
Luke's grip on the letter tightened, crumpling it slightly. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about this?"
She sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Once I returned to Silver Creek, things just got... chaotic. And when everything settled down, I hadn’t gotten any letters in so long that I thought I was safe."
My fists clenched involuntarily. Whoever this bastard was, he had invaded the sanctuary of our home. Of Silver Creek. And if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that between Luke and me, we'd make damn sure he wouldn't get near Lexi again. The chilling words in the letter still echoed in my mind, and my pulse quickened with anger.
"Lex," I began, determination seeping through my tone, "I swear, I'll make sure the police force—"
But a sudden loud knock interrupted me. Both Luke and I snapped our attention towards the door, a unified expression of suspicion passing between us. The abrupt nature of the knock felt ominous, given the context, and my heart raced with thoughts of the stalker making a bold move.
Gripping the back of a chair, prepared to wield it as a weapon, Luke and I approached the door. Every muscle in my body was tensed, ready to defend our family. With a swift motion, Luke yanked the door open, revealing a slender woman, her wide eyes filled with surprise. Two large suitcases flanked her.
"Uh... maybe I'm at the wrong place," she stammered, her gaze darting between Luke and me. "Is Lexi Barrows—Dalton, I mean—here?"
Before we could respond, Lexi's voice sounded from behind us. "Mandy?"
The woman's face broke into a smile, bright and relieved. "Lex!" She spread her arms, and Lexi moved past us, wrapping her arms around Mandy in a warm embrace.
“What are you doing here?” my sister asked.
Mandy laughed and took her hands. “Well, I was out of town for a while—book tour for my client—and when I got home, I saw that my baby girl Lexi was getting hitched, but the wedding was a week before I got home. And I didn’t have a working phone number for you—”
“Yeah,” Lexi said with a sort of sheepish expression. “I got a new one when I got to Silver Creek. I meant to—”
“Seriously, no worries at all,” Mandy said with a smile. “But I looked up Mr. Luke Dalton here and found out that he was the owner of this place, and figured I’d drop in and pay you a visit.”
For a moment, I felt like an intruder in their reunion, but Lexi soon turned to us, a smile playing on her lips. "Mandy, this is my brother, Jake, and my husband, Luke." She pointed towards us in turn.