Page 127 of Swept for Forever
Dom pulled the truck up beside it. I spotted a garden along the path. Wildflowers were already blooming through the soil like someone had put them there on purpose and thenlet them do their thing. The fence looked new, and so did the porch swing.
“This is the main house,” Dom said, stepping out and rounding to my side, one of those things he did without thinking. “Elia, Claire, and their son Dylan live there.”
“Elia’s the eldest Lucas, right?”
“Yep. Always the big brother.”
“And your friend Noah? He’s the one married to Maya?”
“They live in the next property over. It’s called The Sundown. An old Victorian, painted cream with blue trims.”
I smiled. “Sounds pretty.”
Dom cut me a sideways glance. “Don’t even think about suggesting moss green to Noah.”
I turned to him. “Okay, one, I didn’t bring up paint. You did. Two, you literally asked for my thoughts on color palettes, so don’t look at me like I’ve crossed a line.”
He pressed his lips together, clearly trying not to smile. Then he changed the subject. “They’ve got a baby, Atlas. He fake-coughs when no one’s paying attention. He just stares you down and throws in this dramatic little ‘ahem’ until someone reacts. It’s embarrassing how well it works.”
I laughed.
“And their dog is usually somewhere around. He’s big and shaggy, and he might pop up when you least expect it.”
So Dom wasn’t just dropping me off with Claire. He was handing me over to the entire Lucas family.
Claire greeted me first. I was reminded how effortlessly pretty she was, with kind eyes and open energy. There was a smudge on her sleeve that looked suspiciously toddler-related.
Elia, her husband, stepped out a moment later—tall, rugged, and handsome in that sun-worn, rancher way that made you forget how to behave. And then came Dylan, theiralmost-three-year-old son, with a mop of dark tufts and the most mischievous grin I’d ever seen.
Within minutes, Noah and Maya joined us. Maya had the kind of presence that didn’t ask for attention; it just held it. Noah shared the Lucas bone structure, though he was leaner than Elia and younger too. Their baby, squishy and sleepy-eyed, was passed around like a loaf of joy no one wanted to put down.
They welcomed me as if I’d always had a seat at their kitchen table.
Which made it harder when Dom finally said he had to go.
My fingers tangled with his. “Can’t we get the sheriff’s men to handle it? Or at least back you up?”
“They’re stretched thin, Otter. You know that. Boone would’ve tried, but as much as I respect him, he wouldn’t have made it past the river bend.”
“I’m coming with you,” Noah said suddenly. “It’s the least I can do, after everything.” He pulled Maya closer with one arm as if reminding Dom.
“You don’t owe me anything,” Dom said.
“I don’t care,” Noah replied. “I’m coming.”
Dom sighed. He was frustrated, but not fighting it. “Fine. I’m driving.”
“By all means.” Noah tossed his keys on the table.
“Your beat-up truck could take a day off,” Dom said. “Not that you couldn’t afford a shiny new F-250 or something with chrome rims.”
“Hey, I like my rides with dents, history, and zero pretense,” Noah argued.
Maya stepped forward and kissed Noah, her hand trailing down his arm. “Come back safe, yeah?”
Her words were soft, but they landed with weight.
Dom turned to me last, his hand cupping my cheek like hehadn’t quite figured out how to leave. And truth was? I hadn’t figured out how to let him.
