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“You haven’t had lunch yet,” Fran admonished. Lucas glanced over at his father who stood holding the door. The older man nodded and left him on the porch with Ben and Courtney.
Lucas swallowed the sudden emotion that stuck in his throat as the click of the door sounded like thunder.
Ben sighed. “I guess we’re doing this.”
Courtney rubbed his shoulders, and his brother lifted a hand to pat one of her hands. Lucas understood right away that they were united in solidarity. The way he would be with Addy.
Lucas kicked at the runner of the freshly painted rocker. “I think it’s time we did.”
A few seconds ticked by.
“What do you want us to say we haven’t already?” Ben asked, anger still lurking in his tone. “We’re sorry for the millionth time?”
Lucas didn’t say anything for a moment. “No, you’ve already apologized.”
“Then what?” Courtney asked, sinking into the still moving rocker. “We wronged you. Everybody knows, and we’ve had to live with it. It’s a crappy cloud over a person’s head. Yeah, it’s accurate, but it’s also not fair because people see only what they want to see. They don’t see inside us to the feelings within, to the-”
She shook her head and bit her lip before continuing. “I’m sorry for what happened between us, Lucas. I wish in one way I could undo how it went down. If I had only told you how I felt instead of hiding what was happening, things would have been easier.”
Lucas nodded. “You’re right.”
“What more can we do to make things right with you, Luke?” his brother asked.
“You can’t make things right.” Lucas paused for a moment, eyeing each of the people who’d once been such a part of his life. He didn’t know them any longer. But he wanted to. “But we can start over.”
Courtney’s eyes widened. “How? There’s too much hurt. Too many years gone by.”
“So we don’t try to be a family?” Lucas asked, looking at both of them. “The years have given me wisdom. Time has revealed you and I weren’t right for each other, Courtney. I understand what happened between us… and what grew between you and Ben. Yeah, it hurt, but now I see with different eyes.”
Ben jerked his head away, aiming his gaze at the recently trimmed azaleas. He remained silent.
“Why now?” Courtney asked, her eyes searching his.
“Why not?”
“Doesn’t make sense,” Ben said.
“Maybe not, but life doesn’t make sense, does it? Does that war you fought make sense? Does the fact you and Courtney ended up together make sense? Christ, does that Creampie movie even remotely make sense?”
A snort escaped Courtney.
He continued, “No, because life is not something to be figured out. It’s not fair. It’s not easy. And sometimes it sucks. But it’s still what we have, and if we can find something good, if we can grab onto a piece of happiness along the way, we should. And if we can forgive each other for the wrongs in the past, it’s a no brainer.”
“What’s changed you?” Courtney asked. “The kids?”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, how can they not change someone? But this need to fix what was wrong between us started long before. I couldn’t seem to find a reason to reach out to either of you. Courtney asking me to come home was the catalyst.”
Ben looked up, his eyes glittering. “Don’t do this because you feel sorry for me. Don’t come in here painting my house, playing the hero, making me feel guilty all over again for what happened between us years ago.”
“Is that what you think? I feel sorry for you?”
Ben held his gaze. “Yeah, I think you love to be the good guy.”
“And you’re the bad guy?”
Ben jerked away. “I’ve been the bad guy since I fell in love with your girl.”
Lucas snorted. “You’re going to play the martyr now? Your leg gets blown off, you survived knocking at death’s door, and now you’re done with fighting? Now you want to continue sticking your head in the sand?”
