Page 12 of Saving Luke

"So, just you. What else did you do?"

"We had lunch, and then she brought me back here," I tell her.

"It sounds like a date," Gabbie says, not missing a beat.

Of course, this is the moment Brooke walks into the dining room and catches my attention. My eyes follow her, and like she can feel them on her, she searches me out and offers a smile and a small wave.

My sister misses none of it and pinches my arm to get my attention.

"You are here to get better, not to get laid!" She hisses at me.

What the hell? She has never talked to me like this. Not to mention, I am the older one here.

"That's not what it is, and besides, my sex life is none of your business," I cringe at mentioning my sex life, or lack thereof, to my younger sister.

"It is my business. You are here to get better so you can come home to me. No distractions." Gabbie says a bit louder.

"Will you knock it off? I won't have my younger sister telling me what to do or what is right for me. I don't even know where I'm going after this, so don't start planning out my life for me." When the hurt washes over Gabbie’s face, I instantly regret my harsh words.

Before I get the chance to say anything, she stands up and walks out, leaving me at the table alone with people around us staring at me. I groan and bury my face in my hands. Someone sits down across from me, and hoping Gabbie is back, I look up, but it's not Gabbie, it's Easton.

I've often seen him around the property, and he’s head of security here at Oakside. He appears to be studying me but says nothing. When I see him around, he seems to be a man of few words, and it's one of the things I like about him.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

Needing someone to talk to, I spill everything—from going shopping with Brooke to the kiss to the fight with my sister. I want more with Brooke, and I don't want my sister babying me.

Easton listens to it all and lets me get it all out.

"When we are at war, we often forget it's just as hard on those back home having us there as it is for us to be there," he says. "You know I was a patient here, too?"

His words make me think, and then I shake my head. "No, I didn't know."

"I met Noah when we were in the hospital. They had healed all my physical wounds, but mentally, I wasn't okay. The hospital wouldn't release me, so when Noah and Lexi started Oakside, I was the first person they brought in. See, I was a POW, a prisoner of war, and was kept in a dark room with no windows. The only people who were there caused me pain and tortured me."

His Adam's apple bobs and he takes a deep breath. That’s when I notice a dog by his side. While he’s speaking, she stands and rests her head on his chest. He pets her and continues talking.

"For months, all I did was stare out of the window of my room. I didn't care what the view was, just that there was one. I couldn't stand to be touched. Then, one day in walks Paisley," he says grinning.

"More like Molly dragged me in." A woman walks up beside him and smiles. She also has a dog at her side. Easton's face lights up as he pulls her down onto his lap.

"Hi, I'm Paisley." The woman says, holding out her hand. She has dark brown, almost black hair, a nice tan, and high cheekbones. While she's pretty, in my eyes, she doesn't hold a candle to Brooke.

"Luke," I say and shake her hand.

Easton wraps his arms around her waist and continues his story.

"She gave me a reason to heal, to move on, and to be better. Sometimes, we need that push, a reason to be better than we are. Family and friends, they will accept us no matter what version of ourselves we are. But finding the love of your life? You have to prove yourself," Easton says.

"I tell you, it's not going to be easy on whoever the lucky lady is either, so just be patient," Paisley adds.

"Maybe I should go talk to my sister," I sigh.

"Nah, let her cool down. If she is anything like Paisley when she and her brother fight, she needs some time to calm down," Easton says.

"Great," I grunt. I can only imagine what plans my sister is trying to put into place.

Brooke

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