Ashleigh
Luke and I managed to pull ourselves out of bed—a good thing, as I risked not being able to walk for a week if we didn’t—and arrived for Sunday night dinner with Haven and Jake. I could still feel the after effects of Luke between my thighs, across my skin as we made our way to their apartment.
Arriving together was unusual but not unheard of, so I didn’t expect Haven to be immediately suspicious. Still, I wanted to tell her what was going on. For one thing, I failed to keep anything a secret from her for long, and for another she’d be devastated if she put the pieces together herself and realized we’d kept it from her.
After a sleepless night of worry, and a morning of thought-erasing orgasms, I’d convinced Luke to let me tell her while he and Jake watched TV.
“Hey guys, good timing,” Haven said as she answered the door. “How are you doing?” she asked Luke. “Did you work things out?” Luke had texted Haven to say he wouldn’t be staying with them on Friday and Saturday night, but he hadn’t told her where he was going to be. She’d obviously assumed that he’d gone back to Emma. My stomach churned. Why had she been so quick to think that’s where he’d end up? Was that relationship as over as Luke seemed to think it was? Maybe Haven thought a reconciliation between Luke and Emma would be a good thing.
Luke deflected the question. “Where’s Jake?”
“I love your little bromance. Go see your friend. He’s in his study.”
Luke leaned toward me as if to kiss me. My horror must have shown on my face as he stopped himself and started to chuckle.
“Be quick,” he whispered.
“What?” Haven asked.
I shrugged.
I didn’t see any wine on the counter. “Haven’t you opened a bottle yet?” I asked as I looked inside the refrigerator.
“No, I was waiting for you. There should be a nice Oyster Bay in there.”
Shit, I was going to have to do this while we were sober.
I poured us a drink and settled on the barstool. Haven was grating cheese. So, this was my moment—before she started anything with the knives.
“So, I went to that awards thing with Luke on Friday,” I said.
“You shouldn’t torture yourself like that, you know. Let him find his own date.”
“I enjoyed myself, actually.”
“You did? That’s good. Sometimes those things can be okay. Depends who you sit next to and stuff.” She fiddled with a couple of switches on the oven.
How was I going to do this? I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I was going to get from her. I wanted her to be thrilled, but a niggling feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that that wasn’t going to be her response.
“Did I tell you I got that job for the Sunday Times?” she asked. Since Haven had gone freelance, her career had taken off. I was so proud of her.
“Holy hell, really? That’s awesome.” I stood up and gave her a hug. “I knew you could do it—that’s amazing. What’s that one about? The school thing?”
She nodded. “I can’t believe it. I mean, I still want to do the independent, online stuff, but who’s going to say no to the Sunday Times?”
“What’s going on over there?” Luke shouted from the sofa. We were hugging and grinning. Maybe he thought I’d told her already.
“Haven got an article for the Sunday Times,” I replied.
“Oh, yeah, I think she said.” Luke nodded.
Haven rolled her eyes. “Brothers, hey?”
This was it. A natural break in the conversation. I needed to say it now.
“So, you know on Friday—” I began.
“I think these are done,” she interrupted, glancing at the oven. “I’ve made cheese straws so the boys don’t start whining about being hungry.” She opened the oven door and took a baking tray out. “Guys, I’ve got snacks,” she shouted across the room.
Luke bounded over, briefly rubbing my lower back as he passed me, then headed to the refrigerator. A shiver ran through my body. We should have just stayed home today. It would have been less complicated.
“What’s going on over here?” he asked, fumbling for beers.
“We’re cooking, and I’m telling Ash about the Sunday Times since you don’t seem interested at all,” Haven said.
Luke looked at me and grinned, knowing I’d chickened out so far. “So did Ash tell you we kissed on Friday night?”
“Luke!” I said. “I was meant to ease her into that. Not just blurt it out.”
Haven looked at her brother, then at me and then back at her brother. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean we kissed, and did other stuff. I have feelings. She has feelings.” He shrugged. “We’re, you know . . .”
“Very smooth, Luke,” I said.
“What?” he asked. “At least I told her.”
“I was going to tell her. I was picking my moment.”
I looked at Haven as she stirred something in a pan as if her life depended on it.
“Haven?”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say.” To suggest she didn’t look pleased was an understatement.
“Are you upset I’ve not told you until now?” I asked. She looked as if she were about to cry.
“Why now?” she asked. Luke tried to put an arm ’round her, but she shrugged it off. “You’ve had years to get it together. What’s different?” It was a good question. What was different?
“Well, I was with Emma, and before that we were young—really young—and I didn’t realize how I felt until recently,” Luke said softly to his sister.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, Haven,” I said. “Please be honest.” My stomach was churning. I hated to see her upset at the best of times, but this time I’d caused her unhappiness.
She turned off the stove and glanced between Luke and me. “I think we have a really good thing going here. We all love each other. We’re family and now you guys get pissed together and put all that in jeopardy.” She gave up stirring the pan and turned toward us. “Luke, you and Emma finished about five seconds ago and that was a serious, long-term thing. You can’t just get over it in twenty-four hours,” she said, pointing at Luke. “And you, you’ve loved this guy for forever, and I don’t want him to break your heart.” Her voice was getting higher and higher. “If you do, I’ll be forced to make a choice between which one of you I spend holidays with and stuff. It will be horrible.”
“Hey, what’s going on here?” Jake asked, as he wandered over and pulled Haven close to him.
“These fuckers.” She pointed at Luke and me.
“What’s happened?” Jake was looking at Luke.
“Ash and I. We kinda, we . . .” Luke frowned, a look of confusion on his face.
I clutched my forehead. What had I expected? That we would just slip into being the happiest couple on earth? “We haven’t even figured out what we’re doing, Luke. Maybe she’s right. You’re on the rebound. I have no judgment around you. We acted rashly—”
“No!” Luke shouted, as he strode over to me. He put his hands on either side of my face. “No,” he said, more softly. “We’ve known each other a lifetime. I would never treat your heart as anything other than the treasure it is. This is real. I’m not walking away, and I’m not letting you go anywhere.” He dropped a small kiss on my lips and rested his forehead against mine. “Be sure of me.”
I melted under his fingers. Had I always been so easily persuaded by him? Haven was right to be concerned. We should listen to her, but all I could see in Luke was the man I so desperately wanted him to be.
“Well, I think you’re just adorable,” Luke said. “Haven, this is good. This is two of your favorite people fornicating.” Jake and Luke started laughing, and I took the opportunity to take a playful swipe at Luke.