Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
And now, as I stood there watching Luke put himself between his own brother and me, I finally understood how truly wrong I’d been. Not just about Luke, but about how easy it had been to look down on someone and never imagine they’d end up being someone I truly cared about.
But I did care about Luke.
I cared about him more than I’d wanted to admit.
And I hated seeing that hurt look in his eyes, so I said, “I was wrong. I was wrong about everything.”
“Ah, will you look at that,” Davis scoffed. “She’s seen the errors of her ways. Bullshit. Once a fucking uptight whore, always a fucking uptight whore.”
Luke didn’t say a word.
He simply reached his hand up, wrapped it around his brother’s throat, and slammed him against the wall. The sound echoed through the room, and then, there was silence. Luke’s face was void of expression as he reached into his leather coat and pulled out a wad of money, shoving it roughly into his brother’s chest.
“Take this and get the hell out of town. Don’t come back because if you do, there will be hell to pay.”
Luke released him and stepped back, glaring at Davis as he straightened his clothes. He took the money Luke had given him and tucked it in his pocket before reaching down and collecting his bags of clothes. He glanced over at his father and said, “Later, Pop.”
His father didn’t answer.
He just gave him a nod and watched him walk out the door. And that was it. No looking back over his shoulder. No shouting out curses or warnings. No last words at all. He was just gone.
The silence that followed felt heavy, and I was afraid to speak. I just stood there and waited for someone to say something. Anything.
Eventually, Luke bent down and picked up the bag of money I’d brought and held it out to me. “I believe this belongs to you.”
“Thank you, Luke.” Tears started trailing down my cheeks as I told him, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
Before he could come up with a response, the guys started saying their goodbyes to Luke’s father, and then, one by one, they gave Luke a nod and started for the door like this was just another night and another job finished. Luke walked over and whispered a few words to his father.
His father looked a bit defeated but not surprised. In fact, he didn’t seem all that surprised about anything that had taken place tonight. Luke gave him a pat on the shoulder before turning his attention to me.
His eyes caught mine, and they weren’t angry or bitter.
Instead, they were warm and compassionate in a way I didn’t expect.
He turned and led me out to the van, and the cold night air rushed around me before the passenger door shut with a hard thud. Seconds later, Luke slipped in next to me and started the engine like nothing had happened.
Maybe what happened tonight wasn’t a big deal to him, but for me, it was like my whole world had just shifted and was now back on its axis.
After we had a few miles behind us, Luke glanced over at me and asked, “So, what’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
“The money.”
“Oh.” “First, I’m going to try to buy my car back or find one close to it, and Lila Kate will have to do the same. Then, I’m going to the jeweler and buy back my grandmother’s ring, and then, I’m off to see Gary.”
“Ah, yes. Good ol’ Hockey Boy Gary.” Luke’s smile widened.
The conversation stayed light as we continued toward the clubhouse.
We shared a few silly jokes at Gary’s expense and some laughs about the types of cars I might buy. Somewhere along the way, I realized that my chest didn’t feel so tight anymore. The knot that had been there for weeks was starting to fade.
When we got back to the clubhouse, I knew Lila Kate was inside waiting on us, but I held back for a moment. And I was pleased that Luke did the same. There were things that needed to be said, but I wasn’t sure how to say them.
I took a deep breath, and emotion washed over me as I turned to him and said, “You know, a lot of that stuff Davis said about me was true.”
“Doesn’t matter now.”
“But it does... I want you to know that I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I was wrong to judge you like that.”
“Nah, I think you were right to steer clear of me. I was a player, remember?”
“I don’t care. I should’ve given you a chance to prove that there was more to you than the notches on your belt.”
“You should go see about Lila.”
I nodded, then paused for a moment, hoping he might mention something about seeing me again, but he didn’t. He just opened the door and held it as I stepped inside. I didn’t make it far before Lila came rushing towards me.