Page 52 of Teasing a King

I speak before I can think. What is he doing here? Did he come here looking for me? And how had he even known where I’d be? I’d sent him a text a few days ago explaining my new living situation. I hadn’t thought much of it. It’s not like we’re especially close. We’ve only known about one another for a few years. I never thought he’d come track me down.

“Nice to see you, too,” Luke bites off. “But I believe that’s my question. What the hell?”

“My question, too,” Finn says. I can hear the anger in his voice. He’s glaring at my brother, and I have no idea why.

“As my brother mentioned, this is a private, family dinner,” Finn says. “You can leave now.”

I’m shocked at the rudeness in Finn’s voice, as well as the anger. I’ve never seen him be anything less than polite and cordial. I see Hannah put a hand on his arm to stall him, but his eyes are still shooting daggers at Luke.

“But I am family,” Luke says, shooting me a look. “Right, sis?”

All eyes turn to me. Finn still looks angry, but his confusion is starting to win out. It’s Hannah who breaks the silence.

“Sis?” she asks. “As in sister?”

I nod. “Luke is my half-brother,” I say, standing and walking toward him. “Luke, this is the King family. I’ll give you a more proper introduction later.” I bite off the words as I glare at Luke.

I grab his arm and pull him toward the back door. I see Van rise to his feet and take a step toward me. I meet his gaze and shake my head. He doesn’t look happy about it, but he doesn’t follow us outside. As soon as the door closes behind us, Luke whirls around to face me.

“Why are you here?” I ask, my voice rising in anger.

Luke looks incredulous. “Are you serious?” He doesn’t give me time to respond. “I get a text from my only sibling telling me she’s pregnant and moving to some little town in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina and I’m not supposed to be concerned? What the hell did you think was going to happen?” His voice rises in pitch and it’s clear he’s mimicking me. “Hey Luke, just wanted to check in. Hope you’re doing okay. Big news: I’m pregnant and moving to Oak Hill to be closer to Hope. Talk soon.” His jaw tightens and he glares at me. “So again, I ask you what the hell you thought was going to happen.”

I wince internally. When I hear my words read back to me, the whole thing does sound a little off. But it doesn’t excuse him barging into Mack’s during a private dinner.

“I told you I was fine,” I say. “You didn’t have to come here.”

“The hell, I didn’t,” Luke yells. He’s pacing across the width of the deck now. “I needed to see for myself that you were okay. You didn’t answer my calls. For all I knew, someone had murdered you and was texting me so I wouldn’t know you were already dead.”

I roll my eyes. “I told you to stop listening to true crime podcasts,” I mutter.

Luke stops walking and points a finger at me. “There is a reason they’re not listed as fiction, Mya. They’re all true stories.” He paces away from me again, muttering under his breath.

I blow out an exasperated breath. “Fine,” I say. “You came. You saw. I’m okay. You can go home now.”

Luke stops his pacing and looks at me. I can see the hurt in his eyes, and I feel my anger deflate a little. I don’t know why I didn’t consider that he might be upset. I’ve been on my own for so many years that I just got used to it. Hope’s been the one constant in my life since I was 19 years old. I’ve only known about Luke for 3 years and I’m still not used to having a brother. He’s tried to get closer to me over the years, but somehow, I’ve always kept him at arm’s length. All my rationale sounds like excuses in my head. I feel guilt wash over me at the hurt in Luke’s eyes.

“I was worried about you,” he says softly.

I sigh. I’m in the wrong here, and we both know it. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I should have told you weeks ago. And I should have done it differently.”

He crosses his arms and glares at me. “Yes, you should have,” he says, a hint of anger still in his voice.

I try a small smile. “I’m not used to having anyone worry about me,” I say. “I’ve been on my own for a long time.”

Luke’s gaze softens. “I know that,” he says. “But you’re not on your own anymore. You’ve got me.”

I nod. “I can see that now.”

We’re both quiet for a moment and I can tell that Luke wants to say more. He wants to understand why I haven’t been able to let him in. But then he glances toward the wall of windows that look in on the dining room full of people and I see the moment he changes course.

His gaze drops to my rounded belly. “You look great,” he says.

I cover my belly with my hands and smile. “Thanks,” I say. “It’s taking me some time to get used to.”

Luke studies me for a moment before speaking. “You look happy,” he says softly. “Are you?”

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face as I nod. “I am,” I say. “I was scared at first. Really freaked out. Some days, I still am. But I’m excited to be a mom. I don’t know the first thing about it, but I’m going to do my best to be a great one.”

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