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When I reached home,I walked through the garage. Oddly for the first time in a while, I wasn't focused on the bike up on the kickstand. Normally I'd wander over, give a minor tweak, think of the next step in the building process and consult the plans. Every job consumed most of my waking thoughts.
Today was different. I felt changed. In a short time, Lux had changed me. That knowledge fucking hit me like a ton of bricks.
What the fuck?
At once, I was dog-tired and restless, like I needed to be somewhere or doing something but could close my eyes and sleep for a year. Ignoring the jobs I left half-finished, I went out back and up the stairs to my loft.
The best thing about purchasing the garage was my living quarters above it. Roomy and spacious, it ran across the entire floor space of the garage. My own massive penthouse. Unlike Clint, who preferred things 'free-flowing' as he called it. I liked to keep my stuff nice. Nothing was too manly, just simple and functional.
I stalked through the open plan area into the bedroom and flopped down, groaning as I hit the comfortable mattress.
Some shut eye would help.
I laid still for five minutes, waiting for the exhaustion to take over, but it didn't. So instead, I ended up unlocking my phone and saving Lux's number as a contact. Then spent a whole ten seconds trying to talk myself out of contacting her. It was too soon. Not cool. I'd come across as needy and desperate, neither of which I would consider myself.
Fuck it. I would send her a text.
RUSH: Hey! It's Rush.
Short and sweet and hopefully not coming off as scary or needy.
NINE
A Fighter
LUX
The curtainsin the living room twitched when I pulled up on the driveway. For a long moment, I sat in the car with the engine off.
This was going to be bad.
Real bad.
I didn't want to fight with Mom, but I knew I hadn't behaved as she expected me to.
Fucking guilt gnawed at my nerves.
I took a breath, working to stay calm.
Got out and headed to the door.
It opened as I walked up the path, and that guilt exploded into outright shame. I dropped my gaze after quickly catching the lines of worry etched into Mom's face.
"I'm sorry." I tried to make eye contact but couldn't quite get there.
"Sorry? Sorry, Lux? You've been gone for hours. Three hours, nearly four. Where on earth have you been?"
"Nowhere, I just…"
"Just what? Just what? Was it bad news? Is that why you've been missing? You should have let me come with you. It isn't right for you to face those things alone."
I stood up a little straighter. "Mom, I'm fucking twenty-two years old. I can face things. I'm not a child."
She flinched at the curse word.
It was the first time I'd sworn in her presence. At least out loud.
