LUNA
Iwas hyped.
I wasn’t sure if it was the sugar high from the copious amounts of baked goods I’d consumed, the caffeine from two mugs of delicious coffee, or just the happy vibes of pretending I was in tight with the women around me.
Probably some combination of the three.
The pictures had taken a little more time than I’d anticipated since they’d included switching to different locales in the bakery while being careful not to get too much of the others in each shot. By the time we went out to relieve Xavier from register duty, I’d worked up a sweat and needed to remove my hoodie. The minor wardrobe change and new setting meant more pictures that I didn’t really need.
But since Harlow had manned my camera while Joss and Piper filled me in on the time they’d taken pictures of themselves bent over one of the tables—and tried to convince me I should do the same for funsies—I’d happily smiled until my cheeks hurt.
All my earlier anxiety seemed so silly in the face of Piper’s warmth and friendliness. Not a single shadow of darkness from past memories had crossed her expression.
And I’d been watching for one, careful not to overstay my welcome.
As I pulled my hoodie back on and turned, I wondered if my luck was about to change.
Jake strode across the storefront to behind the counter, his expression as stoic as I remembered. It was the same expression his dad usually had. I kept my own neutral as I shifted to the side to clear a path between him and Piper, assuming he was as zeroed in as Harlow’s husband had been for his wife.
I was wrong.
His beeline was straight for me, and I braced on instinct and training.
It was for nothing.
Because despite his resting-asshole-face, he wasn’t upset to see me. He wasn’t reliving memories of fear and betrayal and invasion. He wasn’t thinking about how close he’d come to losing the love of his life while imagining me delivering devastating news rather than the happy ending the couple had made for themselves.
A smile split his face seconds before he hugged me.
It wasn’t a bear hug.
If anything, it resembled a dude one, complete with shoulder clap.
It wasn’t the smoothest one, either. His movements were stilted as he kept distance between our bodies.
But as the giverandreceiver of many awkward sibling hugs, I knew the effort was there.
He put a hefty amount of space between us after about half a second. “How you doin’, Lo?”
“Good. You?”
“Livin’ the dream.” Unlike how most people said it, there was no snark in his tone.
“How’s your dad?”
Piper’s eyes widened briefly. “I forgot you already knew Gregory.”
Jake’s dad was a lawyer who occasionally did stints as a guest professor. I’d been lucky enough to take his course, and like my own father, he’d pushed me. That continued on even after I joined the academy and then the force. He’d been there to help. And I’d been there to help in return when his family had needed it.
I mentally kicked myself for asking about him since that could bring up those reminders I’d tried so hard to avoid, but the couple didn’t seem upset.
Still, I rushed to end things on a happier note. “I heard too much about Jake to ever forget the connection. The man loved to brag about his son. And now he brags about his sonandhis daughter-in-law. He’s so proud of you both.”
It’d been a while since I’d talked to Gregory, but I knew it was true.
Piper grinned at that, which was unsurprising.
What was unexpected was Jake’s matching grin. “He’s good. He keeps talking retirement, but it won’t happen till my mom drags him away.”
