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I jumpand drop the water bottle in my hand when a light flips on.
Luke walks into the kitchen, shirtless and wearing only a pair of athletic shorts. “Shit, sorry. I just got back from the gym and didn’t think anyone would still be awake.”
It takes me a moment to catch my breath. “It’s fine. I can’t sleep, and not to mention, my work schedule has turned me into an insomniac.” My shifts are ever-changing. In the past month alone, I’ve worked every shift available.
I step out of his way when he walks around the table to the fridge and grabs a bottle for himself.
He opens it before taking a giant gulp and stares my way, as if he’s assessing me. “Are you back with him … permanently?”
If I had a single friend, I’d try to set her up with Luke, especially after seeing his six-pack and deep V that disappears underneath his shorts. It’s not only his looks he has going for him, but I’ve also witnessed his character. He’s been a good friend to Gage, and he was Gage’s backbone when Andy went missing.
“That’s my plan,” I answer.
“I talked to his dad today. Amos said he’s the one who asked you to break up with my boy.”
I stare down at my bare feet and silently sip my water. Amos might’ve admitted to what he asked, but that doesn’t stop the guilt from surfacing. I didn’t have to agree and go through with it. Leaving Gage was ultimately my choice. I chose his father’s happiness over his. I only wish the younger version of me saw it that way. I never thought about what walking away from Gage would doto Gage.
“Does Gage know Amos told you?”
“He said something about Amos telling him but I’m not sure how much. I’m nervous about bringing it up right now. He has so much going on and our relationship problems seem so small at the moment.”
“You’re a loyal one.”
I glance back up at him. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t throw people under the bus, and you keep your word. You think about people. Shit, from what it sounds like to me, you have a heart of gold.”
If only.
“Not everyone would agree with that statement.”
“Not everyone knows the real you.”
I shuffle my feet. “I grew up in a tight-knit family. My parents taught me to have people’s backs.”
He nods, giving me a warm smile. “I like that. If only my mom had those same values.”
“Bad childhood?”
“Grew up in South Side, Chicago. Dad left my heroin-addicted mom at the wordpregnant. My grandma took care of me the best she could with the pennies she got from Social Security.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, my tone gentle.
“Don’t be. It only made me stronger.”
“How did you and Gage meet?”
He scoots out a chair, gestures for me to sit down, and takes the chair across from me when I do. “Funny story. First time I met him was at a bar. We got into some bullshit fight over a pool game and managed to give each other a black eye. And what do you know? I show up to training at the police academy to find him there too. We became friends, graduated from the academy together, and got hired at the same precinct.” He chuckles, grinning at the memory. “We call it our fight to brotherhood. Gage was my partner for a short time until The Storm of Missy came riding through. Her daddy dearest donates a courteous chunk of change to the city annually, and she was rewarded with choosing her partner.”
“She chose Gage.”
“She chose Gage.”
I shiver at that revelation. Missy got everything she wanted and still wasn’t happy. “I’m glad he had you there for him when his world fell apart.”
Luke plays with his bottle. “I was worried when he moved back home. He couldn’t bullshit me. Sure, he had good intentions, going back for Amos and to clear his head, but I knew he was ultimately doing it for you. In the back of his mind, his heart, he knew you would be the only person who could heal him. And I fucking prayed you would.”
“I’m not so sure about that. The first time I saw him in years, he arrested me.”
