Page 52 of Charmed By Destiny

“Oh shit,” Maribeth screeched and yanked Richard around to face her. She shook him so hard he swore his bones rattled. “Last night wasthenight, wasn’t it? That gorgeous fucking man is yours!”

“Maribeth, kindly explain what you’re talking about,” Rosalind insisted. “Which gorgeous man? What happened last night?”

“Richard, tell them,” Maribeth shouted. “We need champagne. I’m so glad I threatened to give him that key last night. Otherwise, you would’ve missed out on your soulmate. Your soulmate, Richard!”

“Soulmate?” shouted everyone but Maribeth, Richard, and David.

Richard bowed his head to hide his smile. “I slept with Lucas last night. He’s my soulmate.”

“Get him on the phone. Get him on the phone right now, Richard. Invite him here for dinner,” his mother demanded. “Now, Richard.”

There was no actual choice, so Richard accepted hugs, then texted Lucas. He hoped the inspirit was ready to be enthusiastically included in their family. Meanwhile, Richard wondered how he could be so cautiously optimistic about his relationship with Lucas while also completely distressed by the events of his afternoon.

He sincerely hoped Douglas had a sturdy shoulder to cry on and that he would move past his feelings for Richard quickly. The inspirit deserved happiness, and Richard begged the universe to bring it to Douglas soon.

Chapter 19

With a yawn, Luke opened his freezer and contemplated his choices. He’d made a run to the grocery store on Friday, so he was stocked with plenty of frozen options. After ten years of drifting around the country, Luke didn’t know how to cook. He kept promising himself he’d learn a few recipes, but it hadn’t happened yet.

A beep from his phone caught his attention. Luke dragged the device out of his pocket and grinned at Richard’s name on his screen. Mealtime was forgotten, and the freezer door slammed closed as he responded to the necromancer. Richard wanted to know if he could call him. As if he’d ever have anything better to do than speak to his soulmate.

With a grin, Luke hit the button to call Richard. Since leaving the hotel, Luke had eaten, taken a nap, and grabbed a shower. Reality hadn’t settled in yet, and there were still moments when Luke wondered if the previous night had really happened.

“Hello?”

“Did you get my note?” Luke asked.

“Yes, thank you for that.”

“I was expecting you to immediately argue that you don’t talk in your sleep.”

“Don’t worry, that argument will happen, but I’m not at liberty to speak about it right now.”

“Ask him, Richard,” a female voice said loud enough that Luke heard her distinctly through the phone.

“I’m trying,” Richard countered. “Lucas, would you like to come over and have dinner with me and my family?”

“Absolutely,” Luke said, rushing to his bedroom. He was about to grab sneakers, but he stopped. “Is there a dress code or anything I should know about?”

“No, I’m wearing sweats.” There was some commotion on the other end as Luke went ahead and put on his tennis shoes. “Do you mind if I put you on hold for a second?”

“Go ahead,” Luke replied.

By the time Richard returned, Luke was in the hallway, locking his front door. “Sorry about that,” Richard said. “My family has decided to be extremely annoying today. I had to escape to my bedroom.”

“I wasn’t sure when you’d get a chance to contact me today. How’s the happy couple?”

“Just as irritating as everyone else in this house today. We had to tell them about their surprise vacation because Gabriel can’t go an entire day without talking about work. They’re leaving after dinner. I hope they’re packing right now so there are a few less people in this house to deal with in the next few hours.”

“Rough day?”

“You have no idea. It started out great, but my afternoon sucked. Do you remember how to get here?”

“I know the general direction, but I’ll need some help once I’m closer,” Luke said. He switched his phone to speaker and set it on the console so he could continue to talk to Richard safely as he drove. The technology that connected his phone to his car had long ago stopped functioning. Now that Luke was staying in Vegas permanently, he needed to remedy his vehicle situation. He didn’t want to empty his savings, but he could start putting his full paycheck toward a car payment. That was as far down that avenue as Luke wanted to go right now because he still couldn’t believe Foxe had acted so horribly the previous afternoon.

“Let me pull this shit up on my phone so I don’t get you lost. I’m not going downstairs to ask Gabriel or anyone else for help or I’ll get pelted with questions and unhelpful information. I put you on speaker. My mother says I have to change my clothes.”

Luke pulled out of the building’s garage. “So, you’re going to get naked? Like right now while you’re on the phone with me?”

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