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She hugged Liam and kissed him on the cheek, promising to visit again soon. Liam opened the door for Emma and Riley and lingered there, waving goodbye until their car disappeared into the misty afternoon gloom.
As Emma drove away, Liam’s words echoed in her mind. Yes, being with Luke was all she wanted, but at what cost? The thought of causing pain to others, especially his son, made her stomach churn with guilt. Emma remembered how she had felt growing up without a father and didn’t want to stand in the way of Jeremiah and Luke’s relationship. She knew firsthand the pain that came with a broken family, and her conscious wouldn’t allow her to be the cause of any more heartache.
For a moment, Emma considered the possibility of following her heart and trusting that everything else would work itself out. But the voice of reason in her mind kept reminding her that she couldn’t be so impulsive. Lives were at stake and no matter how much she wanted to be with Luke, she had to do what was best for Jeremiah. And so, with a heavy heart, she decided to stay the course and find a way to live without Luke in her life, even though it felt like losing a part of herself. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was determined to do what was right no matter how difficult it might be.
Chapter 36
Luke
Over the past month after the breakup, Luke focused on putting the pieces of his life back together. As much as he missed Emma, he had to push those thoughts aside and find a way to fix things with Jeremiah. That was the primary reason they had moved to Hadley Cove in the first place.
Luke didn’t speak to his son for the first few days after the incident, mostly because he didn’t want to say something out of anger he’d regret. But once Principal Kennedy called and said Jeremiah would be suspended for a month, Luke knew it was time to sit down and talk. In theory, this sounded reasonable, but he was met with opposition whenever he tried to get the conversation started. Jeremiah kept his bedroom door locked all day and night, only going downstairs to the kitchen to eat when Luke was working or after he’d gone to bed.
Almost a full two weeks after they’d stopped talking, Luke caught him on his way back from the bathroom.
“Can we talk, Jeremiah? Can we sit down like two adults and have a rational conversation?” Luke asked in a calm tone. “I’m not going to yell or shout, or punish you further. I just want to talk.”
Luke listened to Jeremiah fumble through excuses as to why they couldn’t talk, but eventually, he gave in.
“Fine. I’ll eat dinner downstairs tonight.”
“Thank you,” Luke said. “I appreciate your openness.”
That evening, Luke made Jeremiah’s favorite meal, French onion soup with sourdough rolls. He came downstairs just as Luke was ladling the soup into two bowls.
“Are you hungry?” Luke asked. “I accidentally made enough to feed a small army.”
Jeremiah took a seat at the counter on one of the stools. “Yeah.”
Pushing a bowl and a plate with two rolls over to him, Luke grabbed a stool and sat down on the other side of the counter. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Luke began. This was a moment Luke had waited for over the past month. He had to choose his words carefully and not let emotions take over.
“So, now that we’ve had time to ourselves and time to reflect, I’d like to tell you the truth about me and Emma.”
Jeremiah frowned. “But–”
“With no interruptions.” Luke said, sitting up straight. He took a sip of his water and took a deep breath, then released it. “Now, I’m going to begin by telling you I loved your mother more than anything, and the last thing I would ever do would be to have an affair while your mother was still alive. Even after she was gone, I could hardly imagine the thought of loving anyone else.”
Jeremiah picked up his spoon, aimlessly stirring his soup with it.
“I didn’t know Emma at all before we moved down here. I didn’t know anyone in this town. But as soon as I saw a nice-enough house for sale, I jumped on it. I had no idea this used to be Emma’s home. I even had reservations about dating her at first, but we couldn’t deny our feelings for each other any longer.”
Luke cleared his throat, trying to tamper down the bubble of emotion rising in his chest. “We broke up. I went to her house to see if she was alright after the incident, and she ended things.”
Jeremiah finally looked up at him. “You guys broke up?”
Luke gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Yes, it’s over. But tomorrow, I’d like us to take a trip back to Chicago for the weekend. I want you to see the neighborhood where I grew up.”
Jeremiah scrunched his eyebrows. “Why?”
“I need to explain a few things to you. I need to tell you why I did the things I did.”
Luke wasn’t certain this trip would have the impact he wanted, but didn’t know where else to turn. He felt if Jeremiah could only see why he worked so hard over the years, he would realize it was rooted in the fear of ending up like his father. In the past, Jeremiah had asked about his paternal grandparents, but Luke and Kate would give vague answers as to why he couldn’t see them. They thought they were protecting him from the truth. But now, he’d finally get to see why, firsthand.
The next morning, Luke and Jeremiah drove down to the Savannah airport and flew back to Chicago. Instead of finding a hotel in their old, posh neighborhood, Luke checked them into a hotel close to Fuller Park.
“Dad, why are we staying here?” Jeremiah asked as they got to their room. “This place is run down.”
Luke shrugged his shoulders. “It is. But it’s going to help you understand me.”
