Page 3 of His Secret Obsession

“Stop being paranoid,” I hiss to myself.

Releasing a frustrated huff, I tiptoe down the carpeted hallway. Once I’m standing outside our bedroom door that’s been left cracked open, I lean against the wall and strain my ears.

“Thanks, man. Maddie can come too, right?”

“Maddie?” With the speakerphone on, his voice rings out across the bedroom. I hold my breath at the slight crackle of the weak phone signal, the familiar gruff in his voice sounding…hesitant.

Fuck.

“She can’t stay with her aunt?” he asks. My stomach plummets.

“Come on, she’s my girl. I don’t want to be away from her. Besides, you know she doesn’t really get along with her aunt.”

There’s a tense moment of silence before a long, resigned sigh. “Of course, she’s always welcome.”

His words say one thing, his tone something completely different. Luke, seeming not to notice, thanks him profusely. They continue talking for a while, making plans and catching up.

I tiptoe back down the hallway, blinking away the sting in my eyes as I enter the living room. I don’t want to be around him anymore than he wants to be around me, so why do his words hurt? And why did I just agree to live under the same roof as a man who wants nothing to do with me?

“We won’t be here forever.”

Luke sighs at my continued silence before taking his hand off my knee and moving it back to the gear shift of his Honda Civic. My fingers clench in my lap as we enter the town limits. The slate-gray sign on the side of the road welcomes passing travelers to Cedarwood Valley, Virginia. Toward the top of the sign, a small set of mountaintops carved into the wood readsGateway to Cedarwood Peak Mountains.

There was a time, when I was younger, that I thought I would never leave this place. But I haven’t thought of this quaint town as my home in five years. I’m practically a stranger to its residents now, and I certainly have no one here whom I would consider family.

Not anymore.

But that doesn’t mean I haven’t missed the picturesque streets of downtown with the view of mountaintops nestled in the background. There’s something to be said for the slower pace of life, the tight-knit community, and the general sense of safety compared to—well, anywhere else really.

“I’m sorry I fucked up.”

My eyes leave the window to drift over to Luke’s defeated form slumped over the steering wheel. His free hand rakes through the loose strands of hair that flow freely over his shoulders today. It’s looking a bit tousled—a sure sign of his stress. His gaze is focused on the roadway, his lips pinched into a frown. When he rubs his fingers over his left temple like he’s warding off a headache, it makes me feel like a shitty girlfriend.

I’m not trying to punish him with my silence, but stuffing the car full of our meager belongings felt like a reality check this morning. I’m really doing this—moving back to Cedarwood Valley.

Moving in with Jax.

“I know, I’m sorry.” I sigh, giving in like I always do. “We’ll figure this out together. It’s only a speedbump.” Reaching over, I tug his free hand back to my lap and lace our fingers together. His are skinny, the black nail polish chipped. When he peers over at me, I offer up a small smile and he visibly relaxes.

Luke may be the reason we are in this mess, but giving him grief won’t fix anything.

“If he bothers you, let me know and I’ll talk to him,” he continues, his hand squeezing mine and interrupting the whirlwind inside my head. “I know he can be a bit of a grouch, but he’ll probably just keep to himself.”

I frown. “I can handle him.”Probably.

Maybe this situation wouldn’t feel so bleak if we weren’t throwing ourselves athismercy.

Jax fucking Parker.

Just the mention of his name makes me want to grind my teeth.

While Luke’s older brother didn’t hesitate to offer up his guest bedroom, he’s the last person I want to live with.

He’s a grouchy, bossy, egotistical know-it-all.

Unlike us, he seems to have his life together. He owns his home, runs his own business, managed to raise Luke into a decent human being after their parents died, and he’s offering to let both of us crash at his place until we are back on our feet. So obviously, he’s not aterriblehuman being.

It’s just…hard to be around him with our history. It’s hard to look at him without thinking about that one rouge meeting we had months before I even met Luke. And since the day Luke first brought me home, Jax has looked at me like I’m a bug under a microscope.

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