Page 130 of Love Unspoken

I blocked his number and went back to the life I was building. I wasn't going to let Lucas derail me again—absolutely not.

FOURTEEN

LUCAS

The low hum of cicadas filled the warm evening air as I walked up the familiar path to my grandmother's house. An old Charleston home that had been in the family for generations, it stood with a grand porch and towering oak trees draped in Spanish moss. I'd spent countless afternoons here as a kid, and every step felt like slipping back in time.

Grandma was on the porch, reading through some reports. She glanced up at me and grinned. I'd told her I was coming, and despite Rena Covington's hectic schedule, she never turned me down. If I needed her, she was there.

As usual, she looked elegant. Her silver hair was neatly pinned up, and her sharp eyes watched me with that knowing gaze that seemed to see things inside me I couldn't even see myself.

"Lucas," she greeted me as I reached the top of the steps, her voice warm.

I leaned down, kissed her cheek, and settled next to her on the couch. "Thanks for agreeing to see me."

"Always. What's on your mind?"

For a moment, I stayed silent, watching the fireflies dance in the garden, the scent of jasmine thick in the air. It was peaceful here.

"I'm freaking lost," I finally said.

"Hmm!" She mused, her tone measured, almost casual. "I have been hearing things about you and Amara, about you and Kath."

I nodded, not surprised. Nothing stayed secret for long in this family, and Rena Covington had a way of knowing things.

"What have you heard?" I asked wearily, my voice heavy.

She chuckled softly. "Your mother tells me that you're going to propose to Kath by Thanksgiving. Hugh says the same thing. But Jax tells me that you and Amara had an interesting conversation."

"Is Jax your spy, Grandma?"

She laughed and set the papers aside on the coffee table. "You want a drink?"

I shook my head.

"Jax is one of my favorite people, you know that," Grandma said.

I nodded.

Grandma and Jax's maternal grandmother had been close friends.

"I didn't like how you treated Amara, how Patsy did, how Shelby…apparently, still does," she continued. "At the Magnolia Ball, I made sure Amara would be in attendance, and I asked Jax to take care of her. I also wanted to wake you the hell up."

"I didn't know I was asleep," I murmured.

"You have been about Kath."

"It's complicated, Grandma," I protested.

My feelings for Kath were muddled. The past feelings were honest, but they were not my present, and it was taking me some time to figure that shit out.

"Oh, Lucas. Life's always complicated, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. But that's what makes it worth living."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, the frustration building up inside me. "Kath, Hugh, Mama…they've all been pushing me to commit, to make things official with Kath. But it doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like it used to. And then there's Amara. I can't get her out of my head. I miss her. I think about her all the damn time."

She turned to look at me, her eyes sharp but not unkind. "Lucas, did I ever tell you about my first husband?"

I frowned. "Your only husband, you mean? Grandpa?"