Page 76 of The Heart

“You two go ahead. We’ll catch up,” he says to Sebastian and Luke. I freeze.

Luke’s eyes dart to mine, but I glance up at the pained look on the older man’s face beside me, then turn to my men, giving them a little nod. They look reluctant, but they agree, slowly making their way out of the room.

Once they’re gone, Mr. Campbell’s hand slides away and he looks at the far wall, closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts for a long moment before he speaks.

“Did Lucas tell you that my brother… my whole side of the family, actually, is in the Deck? Ace of Clubs?” he asks without looking at me.

“Yes. He told me,” I say quietly.

“Then you know I recognized you the second you walked in here.” His eyes glance down at me. I nod, remembering the look he gave when he first saw me. An ache begins in my chest. “I know what went down with Jack of Spades, saw pictures of the aftermath, no thanks to my son. I know that he and Sebastian got you out of there and I know what they risked in doing so. I know that you’re all wanted by the Deck because of it. And now, he brought you home to us. So I will ask you this only once, because I love my son and feel the need to do so.”

I nod again, urging him to continue.

“Where do your loyalties lie?” He stares down at me, jaw clenched, but hopeful.

I take a deep breath, matching his gaze and not looking away as I reply.

“What my father does, what the Deck is doing, is wrong. I’ve always felt that way, which is why I left at sixteen and never looked back.” He looks surprised, maybe even a little pained by that revelation, but I continue, “I’ve always been on my own. I’m so very grateful that I don’t have to be anymore. I’m in love with your son and I never want to hurt him. I promise,” I nearly whisper.

He stares at me for a long moment, taking in my words.

I stare back, needing him to believe me.Needingfor Luke’s family to accept me. Because I don’t have one of my own outside of the guys and our team.

Not really.

And I might have just lost the only person I have left, unless we can find her.

“Okay,” he says firmly, his mind seemingly completely made up. It surprises me. Then he pulls me into a tight hug. He lets out a breath, then kisses my hair and I close my eyes in relief. “Welcome to the family, Leena Hart.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

LEENA

The rest of the afternoon is absolute chaos. Several of Luke’s cousins show up, a few more kids in tow, as well as aunts and uncles, all from Mrs. Campbell’s side of the family. I can hardly keep their names straight, but I still somehow feel at home here.

After our talk, Mr. Campbell takes the liberty of introducing me to several people himself. I feel like he really meant what he said, and is including me as part of their family. Even though I can see the hollow look in his eyes after we told him about Asher, he’s been doing everything he can to make this a day of celebration. Per his request, we agreed not to tell anyone while we are here. He will sit his wife and the girls down tomorrow once the extended family leaves.

My heart already aches for when they find out.

I volunteer to help Mrs. Campbell, Jessica and Chelsea with dinner, and after only a few minutes, it feels like the four of us have been doing this together for years. We laugh together about how absurdly large the meal is, how Mrs. Campbell fusses over it and they tell me stories about how funny Luke was as a kid. Mrs. Campbell seems to have completely forgotten her displeasure with Luke and I living together, but I can’t forget the things she said earlier. The words were so calm, sonormalfor her, and yet so incredibly insane for anyone who grew up in this century. Sure, I didn’t exactly have anormalupbringing, but the things she said at lunch I’ve only ever seen in Hallmark movies or sitcoms, not in everyday life. I can’t even imagine the pressure that it must put on a child to be raised like that.

And then I think about Luke and Sebastian being together. How will she feel about that? About the three of us?

How will she react when she finds out that I chose not to have children long before I met the guys? How I had the surgery, same as Luke and Sebastian. I didn’t miss the not-so-subtle glances she gave to Luke whenever he played with his niece or nephew, which makes me think she expects us to have them.

What we have together is nottraditional, which seems to be the only view that exists in her world. Knowing that gives me a better understanding of the extent of Luke’s general unease, and his reluctance to tell them anything about our life together.

I know now why he hasn’t wanted to come visit them since we’ve all been together. Because he can’t be himself around them, not really. And I know he and Sebastian have been taking things slowly, trying to figure out their feelings for each other, so I don’t blame him for wanting to take that time with just the three of us before throwing his family into the mix.

It touches me deeply, knowing that he was willing to risk going through all of it so that I could meet them.

So, I’m willing to put everything aside and love them, because I love Luke.

—

Dinner has long since passed, and I’m sitting on the couch beside Luke, swirling my glass of wine and pretending to be interested in the conversations going on around me. I watch Sebastian, smiling at how he’s just as much a part of this family as Luke, telling stories and understanding all their inside jokes.

Okay, so I didn’t actually start tuning them out until around ten minutes ago when the conversation turned toward football. And by the look on Jessica’s face, so did she. We smile at each other from across the room, a mutual look of understanding and pain.

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