Page 61 of Since the Day We Wished

Startled, they broke apart as Lisa burst through the door. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt anything,” Lisa said, her cheeks turning slightly pink with embarrassment.

Riley bounded out of the door and immediately started jumping on Luke, then Emma, then back to Luke.

“We didn’t mean to scare you. I hope you weren’t watching one of those scary movies you like and freaking yourself out,” Emma said.

“No, I wasn’t. It’s been so quiet here all night. I almost forgot you were coming back.”

“Well, I do live here,” Emma said, with a playful tone.

“I guess you do. So, how was everything?” Lisa’s eyes scanned from Emma to Luke, waggling her eyebrows.

“We had an amazing time—Riley! Sit!” Emma said, reaching down to grab his collar to keep him off of Luke.

Luke knelt down and extended his hand toward Riley, who eagerly jumped onto his lap, wagging his tail with excitement. “It’s okay. Riley and I are old buds.”

Emma shook her head as she turned back to Lisa. “I’m sorry it’s so late. I should’ve texted you if I had known we were going to be gone this long.”

Lisa waved off her concern. “Oh, it’s alright. I’ve had a great time tonight. Riley and I went for a long walk up to the marsh and then came back and made dinner.”

“Thanks again for watching him. I’m sure he loved every minute with his Aunt Lisa.” Emma gave a quick nod, before diverting her attention to Luke, whose belly rubs had managed to calm Riley down.

Seeing that Emma and Lisa were done talking, Luke stood up and brushed the sand off his knees. Emma corralled Riley inside the house and closed the door, then turned back to him.

“Well, I should probably get going,” he said. Luke wanted to kiss her again, but thought it might be a little strange in front of Lisa. He’d have to wait until next time. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Or later today, technically.”

“Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, Luke.”

“Goodnight, Emma.”

Luke stepped off the porch and walked toward his car. “Thanks again for everything, Lisa,” he called out as he waved goodbye. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s no big deal,” Lisa said, brushing off his comment. “I’m game to watch Riley anytime.”

As Luke drove home, a sense of contentment washed over him. The night had been magical, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so alive. It was only after moving down to Hadley Cove and cutting back on work that he truly started living again.

Gazing out at the starry sky above, Luke knew that life was full of surprises. Who would have thought that he would find himself in this small town, surrounded by such wonderful people? It was a reminder that, sometimes, the best things in life came when you least expected them.

As he pulled into his driveway, Luke smiled at the memory of Emma’s laughter ringing in his ears. He knew that he would see her again soon, and he couldn’t wait for their next adventure together. Life was good, and he was grateful for every moment of it.

Luke entered the house with a slow, measured pace, carefully placing each step on the balls of his feet so as not to wake Jeremiah. After hanging up his keys, he ascended the stairs.

Jeremiah opened his bedroom door and peeked out, rubbing his eyes. “You’re home late,” he mumbled.

Luke put on his poker face. “Yeah, I had a lot of fun catching up with old friends. Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, I was just getting ready for bed when I heard you.” Jeremiah let out a deep, prolonged yawn.

“Well, you better get some rest. You have school early in the morning. I’ll see you then. Goodnight, Son.”

“Yeah, I know. Goodnight, Dad,” Jeremiah said, closing the door.

As Luke settled into his bed, he couldn’t shake the guilt of keeping a secret from Jeremiah. He knew he needed to tell his son about Emma, but he didn’t want to disrupt their newfound stability.

He was clueless on how to even start that conversation with Jeremiah, so he reached for his phone and Google searched for some advice, as he had several times before. Maybe this time, he’d discover something new. The articles he read were a mixed bag, but the one common thread among them was the importance of honesty and communication.

Luke decided he would sit down and tell Jeremiah this weekend. His stomach knotted with anxiety at the idea of doing so, but he knew he owed his son the truth.Truth is love, he thought to himself.

Luke reached over to the nightstand to plug his phone into the charger, the soft click of the charger echoing in the silence of the room. Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling, his mind wandering.

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