Page 7 of This Much Is True
Laina
His voice—playful and rich with a hint of mischief—sweeps across the room. It’s as if a fuse is extinguished, and my world has stopped careening toward the edge of a cliff. I breathe freely for the first time in days.
“Hey, Luke,” I say.
He scratches the top of his head, then runs his palm down the side of his cheek. His mouth opens, and he takes a breath like he’s going to speak. Instead, he chuckles.
Relief rolls off me in waves.
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting married today?” he asks, a teasing quirk at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m not sure what would give you that impression.”
He lifts a brow, keeping an eye on me while he picks his phone off the floor. “I don’t know. Could be the wedding dress. Might be your pictures and the wordweddingsplashed all over the news. Then again, it could be all the assholes in fancy suits sitting around The Wet Whistle talking about the economy and not even having the courtesy to laugh at Tucker’s jokes.”He tosses the phone on the table beneath the television. “You choose.”
“I’ll go with the assholes in fancy suits. ButIdidn’t invite them. They are here by invitation from the groom.”
“Speaking of the groom, why aren’t you with him again?”
My insides still as we watch each other.
Once upon a time, I could peer into those beautiful green eyes and know exactly what he was thinking. And I wouldn’t dare look at him if I didn’t want him to read me like a book. But his gaze now holds stories we don’t share, experiences I don’t understand, and wounds I didn’t heal. The difference cuts me to the quick.
Just as my heart races, he flashes me his crooked smile.
I sigh, fighting a smile of my own. “I kind of left him at the altar.”
“Ballsy way to start a marriage.”
“Yeah, it would be if we were starting one.”
He leans against the wall, and a faint smirk kisses his lips. “I have so many questions.”
“I bet you do.”
He holds my gaze for a moment and then stands tall. “Let’s start with the most important one.”
I brace myself, expecting him to ask why I left my wedding.
“Is anyone coming here looking for you?” he asks.
What? “Why? Did you see someone?”
A sweaty palm falls to my chest in a futile attempt at discouraging a swell of panic from rising. In my failure to plan this adventure, it never occurred to me that I might be dragging Luke into an uncomfortable position. After all, he didn’t ask for this.
“I’m sorry,” I say, getting to my feet. “I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t think—”
“Sit down, Pumpkin.” His eyes twinkle. “You talk too much when you’re nervous.”
My chest burns, lingering on my nickname from when we were younger. I sit as requested and struggle to catch my breath.
“I don’t want to bring you into this,” I say.
“Looks like it’s a little too late for that.” He smirks. “You’re safe here. You know that.”
Every muscle relaxes, and I sink into the most uncomfortable couch in the universe. But it doesn’t matter how many springs poke my butt. It doesn’t matter if Luke can protect me—or if he should. The only thing that matters is that he would try. Even after all these years, he would still offer me refuge. I can count on him.
I grin.Just like I knew I could.
