Chapter 42
Luke
Luke was unloading the dishwasher when he heard his phone vibrating on the counter. It was Jeremiah calling him. That’s strange, he thought. He didn’t even know he’d left the house.
“Hello?”
“Dad! Dad, you’ve got to get over here! It’s Emma’s dog, Riley. He’s hurt.”
Panic arose in Luke’s throat. “Jeremiah? What are you talking about? Is Emma with you?”
“Yes, I’ll explain later. Just get over here. She needs you.”
Luke grabbed his keys and hurried to the front door. “I’m on my way. Where are you?”
“All Creatures Animal Hospital. On the emergency side, in the waiting room.”
“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”
Luke hung up and ran out to his car. Peeling out of the driveway, he sped down the street, receiving a discerning look from Ada, who was outside gardening. He’d apologize to her later, because right now he had to get to Emma as quickly as possible.
As Luke parked his car and dashed through the front doors of the main entrance, his heart was racing with anticipation. His eyes scanned the signs on the wall until they landed on the one marked Emergency. With a determined stride, he hurried down the hall, his mind focused on finding Jeremiah and Emma.
Finally, he caught sight of them. Emma’s face was red and raw from crying, and Jeremiah’s expression was one of deep concern.
His heart hammered in his chest as he rushed toward her. “Emma, I drove down as fast as I could. What happened?”
“Luke!”
She leapt up from the chair and clung onto him sobbing as he stepped back to anchor himself. He hugged her, pressed her close to him, feeling her body tremble with every shaky breath she took.
“Emma, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“He was hit by a car,”
Jeremiah said, his voice laden with sorrow.
Luke’s face paled as the news sank in. “Did the vet give an update on him?”
Jeremiah shook his head. “Not yet.”
“We’ll wait here as long as it takes.”
Luke took a seat next to him. “Jeremiah, can you tell me what you were doing there?”
Emma lifted her head and looked into Luke’s eyes. “Jeremiah was the hero. And so was Riley.”
She began to cry all over again as Jeremiah passed her a box of tissues, his own eyes brimming with tears.
“Thank you,”
she said, grabbing his arm and squeezing it.
Luke looked from Emma to Jeremiah, and back to Emma, utterly confused.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Emma took a deep breath and dried her eyes. “It all started when I was about to leave and make some deliveries. Jeremiah came over to apologize for everything and that’s when Chad showed up...”
Luke listened in stunned silence while Emma told the story of what happened. He couldn’t believe what he’d heard. If he would have known Chad was harassing Emma over the last few days, nothing would have been able to stop him from teaching that guy a lesson.
But Emma was right. Jeremiah was a hero. Luke turned to his son and smiled as his eyes welled up. “I’m really proud of you, Jer. You did the right thing today, by going to Emma and apologizing, and standing up to Chad. You’re brave. Thank you for doing that.”
Jeremiah smiled as Luke pulled him in for a hug. It was the first time they’d hugged like that in years, since Jeremiah was little, Luke thought. He embraced his son, holding onto him as though he’d never let go.
“You don’t have to stay, Jer. I can sit with Emma.”
“I want to be here for you and Emma. I’m not going anywhere.”
The three of them sat down and settled into the floral-patterned wooden-armed chairs from another era. Jeremiah pulled out his phone and busied himself with a game while Luke wrapped his arm around Emma and held her hand. They sat like that for close to an hour without saying a word. Overcome by the day’s events, Emma fell asleep, resting her head against Luke’s shoulder.
“Emma Wright?”
All their heads popped up as the veterinarian walked into the waiting room.
“Yes, that’s me,”
Emma said, shooting up from her chair. Luke stood with her, squeezing her hand.
“I’m Dr. Evans. Riley is stable. He’s got a few bruised bones and a fair amount of anxiety from the incident. It looks as if Riley ran into the car, instead of the other way around.”
Emma let out a long exhale. “So, he’s going to be okay?”
“Absolutely. I’m going to prescribe him some anti-anxiety pills and pain medication to take over the next week. I’ll be right back.”
After Dr. Evans walked away, Emma collapsed into Luke’s arms. “He’s going to be okay. He’s really going to be okay.”
“Of course he is,”
Luke said, hugging her. “He’s a tough guy.”
Emma chuckled and reached out for Jeremiah, bringing him into the hug. “I don’t know how I can thank you enough. The both of you.”
Jeremiah smirked. “Maybe you can let Riley come over to our house once in a while to visit. He’s a pretty cool dog.”
“You got it,”
Emma said, wiping a tear from her eye.
Dr. Evans returned to the waiting room as they broke up the hug. “There’s someone here that would like to say hello.”
Emma turned around and gasped. The vet tech led Riley out on a leash. As soon as he saw Emma, he started wagging his tail.
“Never scare me like that again!”
Emma bent down to the floor and hugged Riley around his neck.
Luke smiled at them, thankful he walked away with no serious injuries.
“Well, I think I’m going to head home now and get something to eat,”
Jeremiah said, stretching his arms over his head.
“Why don’t you take the car home?”
Luke suggested. “I’ll drive Emma’s car. I’ll text you to come pick me up after I get her and Riley home.”
Jeremiah took the keys from Luke and bent down to pet Riley before leaving.
Luke looked back at Emma. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah. that sounds good.”
In that moment, Luke realized all the feelings for Emma he’d been trying to squash were too strong. He knew in his heart of hearts he loved her as much as he ever had. And now the universe had brought them together again, even if it was only to drive her home.
The car ride back to Emma’s house was quiet, but full of anticipation. Riley had fallen asleep in the back seat and Luke had been stealing glances at Emma’s profile whenever he could. When they pulled up into her driveway, she caught him and gazed back with those dark brown eyes he’d fallen for months ago. A surge of emotions rushed through Luke’s body as he locked eyes with her, hoping beyond hope she’d understand what he really wanted to say. His lips were still, but his heart was singing—this moment was meant to happen.
There’s no way now he’d take the job offer in New York City, despite the perks, he thought. The woman he loved was two feet across from him, here in Hadley Cove. He was going to tell her exactly how he felt and how he’d thought about her every day since they met at Phil’s. He’d tell her how much he missed seeing her name pop up on his phone and how he couldn’t imagine a life without her. Luke only hoped it wasn’t too late.