AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hello?” He flinched as soon as he’d spoken. His voice had come out rough and hard, and he knew she was going to suspect that he’d been drinking for a while.
“I’d like to hear it from you,” said his mother. Her tone was even, restrained. “What happened?”
Luke inhaled. “We were trying to get to the car, and the vultures wouldn’t leave us alone. Putting cameras in our faces. Yelling at us. ‘Does your mother approve?’ ‘Does Alex know you’re here together?’ ‘Are you pregnant?’”
If his glass had still been in his hand, he would’ve dropped it. Instead, he braced his palm against the cold bar and shut his eyes tightly. You’re a moron, he told himself.
A beat of silence passed before his mother spoke again.
“Is she?”
“Yes.”
He heard his mother sigh. “Were you planning on telling me?”
“Of course I was, Mom. When it was the right time. We’ve only been speaking again for a few days. Rose showed up in the middle of that storm the other night, and she needed my help.”
“So it’s not yours?”
Luke stared at the dark marble surface beneath his palm. The light it reflected from the chandelier was too bright for his intoxicated mind. His glass sat beside his thumb, empty and taunting him. “Not biologically, no,” he mumbled.
“What does that mean?” His mother’s tone took on a bit of bite at last. He knew she was fighting hard to hold herself back, but he couldn’t entirely blame her for being short with him.
“It means that Rose wants to be with me, not Alex. I want to raise this child with her.”
A pause followed.
“You never stopped loving her, did you?”
“Not for a second.” Luke paced to the window and looked out at the street beyond the house’s long driveway. He saw dark shapes moving along the hedges, and he bit the inside of his cheek.
“Then if this is really what you both want, I’ll support you. But you need to realize how hard this is going to be, and you need to be smart. You can’t go around punching the paparazzi, Luke.”
“You know that’s not something I make a habit of. One of them grabbed her.”
“I’ll pass that on, but I’m sure Stein’s people don’t care.”
Luke froze with his hand on the thick green curtain and raised a brow. “You think he hired them?”
“Of course he did. He’s running against me for a second time, and he knows he might be able to win if he makes me look bad enough.”
“The state loves you.” Frowning, Luke turned away from the window and returned to his chair. He dropped into it heavily and massaged his aching temple.
“The point is, Stein saw an opportunity and he took it. I wouldn’t put it past him to try again. Were you followed from the hotel?”
“Yes,” Luke said flatly. “I’m pretty sure it’s the same assholes outside the house right now. I can only imagine how many of them will be here in the morning.”
“Then the two of you should get out of town.”
Luke blinked. “What?”
“I’ll book your tickets tonight. Why don’t you go to the island for a while and let things… cool off a little?”
Luke’s mind raced. His parents owned a piece of land on St. Croix in the Caribbean, and the idea of spending time alone with Rose away from all this stress was absurdly appealing. He could tell his office he was finally using the vacation days he’d accumulated over the past few years. If she could do something similar, it did seem like their best option.
“Let me talk to Rose and get back to you. She’s asleep—can you hold off until morning?”
“Yes. Just let me know as soon as you can.”
