AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Luca’s parents are dead. Those nice people who used to have me over for dinner at their house with Luca and River. His mom’s bright smile flashes through my memory, and his dad’s boisterous laugh. I wonder what happened to them. Just thinking about it makes me feel like a piece of trash for hurting him.
This can’t be real. This can’t be my life…
But he’s here. Right here in front of me. One of two souls on Earth who have plagued my dreams and my nightmares for seven very long years. Someone I never thought I’d have to face after leaving the way I did. A million memories run through my mind in a single moment. Flashes of those same rich, dark eyes burning into mine as his tanned hands ran along my chilled skin that night by the water. Sometimes, I can still feel his lips, drinking me in so deeply, so urgently, as if somehow he knew what the next day would bring.
Guilt washes over me in waves as he watches me, letting the burgers behind him char and go up in smoke. His well-defined jaw is clenched and despite the anger there, the intensity suits him so well and makes him look even older than his twenty-three years.
“Luca—” I start to whisper only to be interrupted by the sounds of Mom and Carson fumbling through the door.
“Luca, the burgers!” Carson calls out and it’s only then that I register the amount of black smoke filtering out of the grill. Carson rushes to the grill and dumps the charred lumps of meat into the trash can before loading a few more patties onto hot coals.
Mom sets the drinks down on the patio table, but her eyes are trained on us, bouncing between the two of us with a frown on her beautiful face. She never met my boys and I never told her their names. I’d kept their identities a secret from both her and the Pembrokes for so many years. Sure, everyone knew I snuck off by myself often enough to raise suspicions, but mostly, they left me alone.
I didn’t want people to judge me...to tell me our friendship was wrong. Two local boys and one out-of-towner girl would rub some people the wrong way and I couldn’t risk losing them. The only person that knew of my little obsession was Jax and all he ever had to say about it was to be careful and guard my heart. Wise words that I was never smart enough to heed. Before the move to New York, I begged my mom to let me stay. I broke down and told her about the boys I was leaving behind, but she brushed it off as a silly, ‘little girl’ crush.
“Luca, this is my daughter Nora. Nor, this is Carson's nephew, he’ll be staying with us until his studio is finished being renovated in town,” Mom supplies though nobody really asked. She’s just trying to be polite and break the very obvious tension.
“Studio? Holy Crap he actually did it!”I squeal internally, though I keep my face devoid of emotion and my eyes trained on his.
Luca always dreamed of opening a recording studio. His talent with a guitar is insane, but his passion has always been producing. As kids, all he’d ever talk about was opening his own studio to live and record in. A swell of warmth and happiness blooms in my stomach, until I see the simmering rage on his face transform into an utter blankness that chills that warmth to my core.
He sticks out a large, tattooed hand for me to shake and I fight my recoil. “Nice to meet you, Nora.” His voice is deep and rich—a man's voice, not the boy I once knew so well. He’s pretending he doesn’t know me. A part of my soul dies a little.
My hand visibly shakes as I reach out and clasp his warm fingers in mine. What feels like lightning races up my arm and spreads through my body, but something tells me this feeling is only one sided. We shake politely, but he releases my fingers abruptly, like somehow, I repulse him. Mom watches it unfold with a perplexed frown on her face before turning back to Carson, abandoning me altogether. My eyes are busy tracking her, so I miss the sudden movement as Luca invades my space. I hold my breath as he leans down slightly so that his lips graze my left ear.
“I’ll say this once,” he pretty much growls. “If you come anywhere near me, I’ll make your life a living fucking hell.” His hot breath scorches my skin. “Do the smart thing and turn that pretty ass around and go back to New York where you really want to be.”
His shoulder slams into mine as he storms past me and into the house. I’m still holding my breath and praying that Mom and Carson didn’t see that. Pain clenches my stomach at his words that I know I deserve. I’ve never seen Luca so angry. I knew coming back here was a mistake, but I’ll be the first to admit that a part of me, however small, hoped they’d welcome me back with open arms and things could fall back into place.
How naive of me.
I deserve everything that’s coming my way.
Nora
After settling into my new bedroom which, luckily, is on the bottom floor of the massive house, I grab my woven satchel and click my new house key onto my keychain before making my way out into the kitchen.
Mom and Carson are awkwardly milling around, doing whatever it is parents do when they have the day off. I’ve been sensing weird energy in the house ever since Luca stormed off without a word to either of them. They’d questioned me about it, but I just shrugged it off, pretending I had no idea what caused the guy’s mood swing. I could tell it was bothering Carson most of all, reminding me that this isn’t the Luca Perry I know and love...knew and loved.
“Mom, can I borrow your car for a bit?” I ask as I join her at the island in the center of the kitchen. She looks up after sipping from her mug of tea and smiles softly. I smile back, trying to put her at ease. “I was thinking I should go into town and check things out.” I shrug as casually as I can manage, and I’m not even, technically, lying. “I really missed it here, I guess I just never realized how much.”
“Sure, sweetie, the keys are on the hook next to the door to the garage. You can take the Jeep,” she offers and my belly tingles with excitement. I don’t drive very often, if ever. Living in New York, I’d always either hopped on the subway or dialed one of the Pembroke’s town cars to get me around. I do have my license, though. I made sure of that the day I turned seventeen and felt comfortable enough behind the wheel.
“We’ll have to see about getting you your own car soon,” Carson interjects casually, causing me to practically stumble on my way to the door.
“Uh, what?” Surely, I heard him wrong.
He smiles and glances at my mom before taking a seat at the barstool next to her. “You’ll need a car, won't you?” he asks.
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “You don’t need to buy me anything just because you’re marrying my mom. I’m a grown adult, Carson.” I immediately wince at how bitchy I just sounded.
“Nor, don’t...” Mom sighs.
Shame fills me. “God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped.” I look over to Carson apologetically. “I really appreciate the offer, but I can’t let you do that. I’m too old to have someone buying me cars, and besides, we’ve been living rent free for the last decade, so I have a pretty good savings. I need to figure it out myself...if that's alright.”
Surprise shines in those cobalt blues of his. “Okaaay, not what I expected, but I'll take it.” He smiles. “You do your thing, Nora, but if you need help finding the right one when the time comes, I have a guy in town who has some amazing classic vehicles if you’d like to check them out,” he offers.
I smile widely, relaxing once again. “Actually yeah, thanks. I’ll probably take you up on that.” I snag the keys off the keyring next to the door. “I’ll be back later on, okay? Don’t wait up.”
