Drew was a good all-around cook but an amazing baker, and the chicken pies—I was officially shortening the name—were delicious. I hadn’t gotten three bites in, though, before my thoughts strayed back across the field and orchard to Luke.
I wondered if he was sitting in his trailer still and what he was eating. He’d better not be anywhere near that damned roof.
All these months, I’d assumed he was living happily in a house he hadn’t earned, with no responsibilities. I’d even, maybe, envied him a little for being able to do whatever he wanted, including pick up and move to Vermont on a whim. The reality had been so, so different. And I should have known better. Ididknow better. Everyone had their own mess to deal with, and Luke had more than most.
He’d been trying to carve out a place for himself in the Hollow—even painting that rusted-out trailer with fresh cream paint and decorating it with those beautiful blankets, making the best of the shit hand he’d been dealt—and I’d begrudged him every last inch of space.
And even after we’d supposedly beenfriendsand gotten ourselves locked into this ridiculous handfasting thing, I’d been more focused on making sure nobody thought the handfasting was real than on making sure Luke was supported.
But Knox had been right. Since when did I care what other people thought? Luke needed a friend, and I could be that for him.
“Food okay, Webb?” Drew asked. “You’ve eaten less than Hawk.”
I realized I’d paused with my fork halfway to my lips, staring into space for fuck knew how long. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I’m…”
Porter gave me a knowing look across the table that said,Woolgathering again?
“I’mfine.” I scooped up more potatoes.
“Daddy, I finished. Can I go upstairs? I’m watching a video on hydrapraetonic plants since that’s what we’re learning about next week in science.”
“You mean hydroponic,” I corrected. “That’s when you grow plants in water. Do you know, it’s a ninety percent more efficient way of using water?”
Aiden frowned, his little nose scrunching up and his Sunday-green eyes narrowing. “No, this is different,” he informed me. “You probably just don’t know about it. Mr. Williams does. He also knows about black-capped chickadees. We’re going on a field trip to see them next week in their winter habitats.”
“Oh, I see.” It took serious effort not to laugh. I wished I had Luke’s number in my phone so I could text him about this conversation, because I was pretty sure he’d find it hilarious, too.
And probably embarrassing. I imagined his cheeks flushing pink.
How weird was it that I was supposedlybetrothedto the man but didn’t have his cell number stored in my phone? Only in Little Pippin Hollow. I realized I needed to fix that.
“Homework done? Then go ahead and watch your video,” I told Aiden. “You can teach me abouthydrapraetonicslater.”
“Sick!” Aiden said, running off. “Thanks, Dad!”
I snickered to myself as I watched him leave, then resumed eating, only to find the whole family staring at me again.
“Wut?” I demanded, mouth full of chicken. I swallowed. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing,” Gage said airily. “Not a thing. Just… noting that someone mentioned Luke Williams’s name, and you didn’t turn green or bust out of your clothes or Hulk-smash the table.”
“Or tell everyone he’snothingto you,” Em said with a judgmental sniff. “Which was very shitty, B-T-W.”
“Seriously,” Hawk agreed.
“It’s a momentous day, indeed. In fact… I think I need to make a proclamation about it.” Drew stood up, grabbed the roll of paper towels from the counter, and began unrolling them like a scroll. He pretended to read, “Whereas Thomas Webb Sunday has managed, for the first time in recent memory, not tostick his size-thirteen boot in his mouth where Luke Williams is concerned, and listen to reason for ten seconds…”
I shook my head impatiently. “Alright, alright, enough. How long can I expect this teasing to continue just so I can plan my meals accordingly?”
“Oh, I’d say a solid week,” Drew said happily.
“I vote a month,” Em countered. “Minimum.”
“Pfft. I’m planning to mix up ‘whereas’ jokes with randomly bursting into ‘Sweet Caroline’ until the end of my days.” Knox leaned back in his chair and draped an arm over Gage’s shoulders.
“That’s gonna be sooner than you expect if you keep this up,” I informed him. But then I sighed. “Look, I admit that Luke is… nice.” To put it mildly. He was maybe the sweetest man I’d ever met. “I misjudged him. I’m the asshole.”
“Finally. I’ve been telling you that for years,” Knox agreed.
