Page 63 of Texting, Trouble & Touchdowns
Olivia: What’s that like?
Lucian: Loud.
Olivia: That’s it?
Lucian: . . . and obnoxious. And exhausting. And I’m kidding, it’s the best. My siblings are amazing and we don’t get to be together like this often since everyone has a busy schedule. Though, sometimes I feel lonely.
Olivia: You, lonely?
Lucian: Well, I’m like the last one standing.
Olivia: Last one standing?
Lucian: Kade just got married. Killian’s engaged. Leif has Hailey.
Olivia: Ah. You’re the last single one. Don’t you have a sister and a little brother?
Lucian: Grey is too young to get married and Scottie . . . I’m yet to meet the guy that can be humble in front of a great woman like my sister.
Olivia: Your family sounds close.
Lucian: We are.
Olivia: Must be nice.
Lucian: Don’t tell me you’re one of those emotionally constipated people who hates family gatherings.
Olivia: No. I just . . . my family isn’t that close. Aspen and I are, but that’s it. Mom is . . . Mom and our father died a year ago. Not that we were close. My parents got divorced when I was ten and it was shitty to deal with them. If they gave you anything, you’d have to be loyal to that parent . . . it’s like they bought us.
Lucian: That’s . . .
Olivia: It is what it is.
Lucian: A lot of things make sense now.
Olivia: Are you psychoanalyzing me?
Lucian: No, it’s just . . .
Olivia: Not everyone has a perfect family, life, and relationships.
Lucian: I don’t have perfect relationships. I suck at those.
Olivia: You would if you wanted to.
Lucian: I did want to, but it ended in disaster. Now, I choose not to, though.
Olivia: So, what is it? Some girl didn’t give you her number when you asked?
Lucian: I wish it were that simple.
Olivia: How complicated can it be?
Lucian: The first thing you need to know is that I have the terrible habit of wanting to be better than my brother Killion. I met Ingrid after Killion had broken up with Camille—the love of his life and now-fiancée. He was head over heels for her, but fucked it up. I was so focused on having something like that—whatever that was—that I didn’t pay much attention to what really was going on between Ingrid and me. Right before the draft, I eloped. Thankfully, my agent made us sign a prenup agreement or I would be living in a one-bedroom apartment handing all my earnings to my ex.
Olivia: I take the divorce wasn’t pretty.
Lucian: Nope. She envisioned a different life than what I was giving her. When I rescued Sarah, things went downhill. I realized we were different people.
