Chapter Fourteen
MILA
Luke’s hand had been steady on the steering wheel, fingers loose, posture relaxed in that way he carried himself when he was pretending nothing could touch him. He tensed, and I felt the shift in his demeanor before I understood it. Headlights flashed across the cliffside road behind us.
His jaw clenched. Not dramatically. Not enough for anyone else that would notice. But I had.
I glanced in the side mirror and saw nothing but fading dusk. Whoever had been there hadn’t followed. But Luke had registered their presence as an issue. I shouldn’t have taken offense to him denying there was a problem when I’d asked, but it bothered me.
With my hand in his—after our brief conversation about how keeping me in the dark wasn’t protecting me—I let it go.
He heard me, and it was entirely possible he was keeping his own mind on the subject because he didn’t know for sure if that car had meant anything.
Regardless, we were going away for two days.
Did it really matter right now? I didn’t want it to.
Spending time with nothing to worry about was what I wanted, not more problems.
The drive home seemed both too short and long all at once.
The lights were on inside when we pulled into the driveway.
Mom wouldn’t be in bed this early. The nice thing was I knew she was home because Edwardo was there.
Warmth unfurled in my stomach, and I realized how much I liked them both being there when I got home.
It was… normal. Not something Mom and I had experienced in a long time, if ever.
Luke stepped out first. Then he came around to my side and opened my door. I got out, and we threaded our fingers together as if it was the most natural thing to do. The press of his palm against mine offered comfort that let the last tiny remnants of unease melt away.
He walked me to the door and I turned to face him. “So, what’s the plan?” I wasn’t clear on when we were leaving for Theo’s family’s vacation home, if it was immediate or in the morning.
“We’ll leave tonight. I’ll take you to grab your things, and then we’ll stop to get mine.”
“Okay, sounds good.” I wound my arms around his neck and tilted my head back as he leaned down.
The brush of his lips against mine sent a jolt of need coursing through me. A bright beam spotlighted us as the porch light flared to life. We both separated, and I scrunched my nose. “Maybe I don’t like having them home,” I groused.
Luke laughed as I opened the door. I went to shut it behind me but stopped short.
“Oh, you’re coming in?” His large body filled the doorway before he stepped in and shut the door behind me.
He winked, and I rolled my eyes. Not sure what him being there would do when I told Mom and Edwardo I was ditching school.
Mom and Edwardo were sitting very cozy next to each other on the couch, a movie playing on the TV. Her gaze flicked between us, something unreadable moving behind her eyes. “You’re back earlier than I expected,” she noted.
“Yeah, about that,” I rushed out before Luke could say anything. “We were at a bonfire with friends and decided to go to Theo’s mountain house for the next two days,” I replied, walking past her into the entryway before she could pivot the conversation.
I left Luke where he was, directly in front of Edward—good luck, Luke! He’d decided to follow me inside so he was on his own.
“Tonight?” Mom’s voice was directly behind me as she’d trailed me to my room.
“Yep.”
“That wasn’t the plan.”
“Yeah, I know. But plans change.” It was spontaneous. A little reckless. And I loved every second of it.
Low conversation traveled from the living room, the TV paused. I could hear Luke’s response of “I understand. I won’t let anything happen to her.” The words resonated in me, and I had to fight the smile from spreading.
“Mila, Ed’s here for a reason.” Her hand curled around my arm. “And so was his brother.”
I stopped rifling through my drawer and faced her, causing her hand to drop away. “I know. And I’m really grateful that Edwardo came here because I’m not worried about you all the time, and he’ll do everything in his power to keep you safe.”
Her expression softened.
“Luke will do the same for me.”
“I know. It’s just—”
“Mom, we’re not being stupid. It’s a small group of people, only Luke’s friends, their girlfriends, and Avery. We’ll all be together at Theo’s family’s place.”
She worried her lip, and I threw my arms around her, knowing a win when I saw one. Well, an almost win. “I’ll be okay, and I need this. I want a few days without life blowing up with something else in my face.”
When her shoulders relaxed and she squeezed me back, I almost sighed in relief.
“Let’s see what Ed has to say first.”
I leaned away so I could see her face before I was able to mask my surprise. The blush staining her cheeks was definitely new. “Okay.”
We returned to the living room, my bag temporarily abandoned. Edwardo stood with his hands on his hips, assessing Luke, who radiated nothing but confidence. I could only imagine how their hushed conversation went.
Mom studied both of them for a long second. “You know what they’re planning, Ed?”
He pulled my mom against his side. “Yeah, and it’s not a bad idea. It’s a contained house that we’ll have the address for. Mila will have her location turned on at all times.” He paused to stare at me.
I rolled my eyes, making a big show of pulling out my phone and turning the location finder on for him. Mom already had it, as that was our standard practice for each other.
“It should be fine. They just need to blow off some steam.” He tilted his face to gaze at my mom, and something heated passed between them.
“Okay then.” I backed away. “Glad that’s settled. I’m just gonna go pack.”
Back in my room, I threw clothes, a bathing suit, and toiletries into a bag before returning to Luke’s side so we could get out of there. My pulse thrummed—but not from fear. From freedom.
Mom and Edwardo followed us to the door where she locked her gaze on Luke before swinging her focus to me. “You’ll check in.”
“Yes.”
“And you’ll answer.”
“Yes.” I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. It was two days. I would be surrounded by people. Everything would be fine.
Something softer flickered in her eyes, a sort of reluctant trust. “Please stay safe.”
That was it. No lecture or argument. She was deferring to Edwardo’s judgment. And he had already spoken to Luke and approved. That meant more than I wanted to admit.
The drive to Luke’s went fast. I opted to stay in the car while he grabbed a bag.
His parents were unpleasant, and I had no wish to be waylaid by either of them.
An SUV pulled in behind Luke’s. I tensed until Avery got out of the passenger seat of what was obviously Jax’s vehicle.
I opened my door and stepped out just as Luke came outside, a bag slung over his shoulder.
Avery winked before raising her voice enough for him to hear. “You riding with us?”
Before I could answer, Luke opened his door.
“She’s with me.”
Avery’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but she only grinned. “Mountain chaos, here we come.”
I climbed back into Luke’s SUV. He didn’t comment, just waited until my door was shut before pulling away.
The drive to the mountains felt different. Lighter. The town fell away. Streetlights spaced farther apart. The air grew thinner as we gained elevation.
I reached across the center console and laced my fingers with his, and his hand closed around mine.
The road curved through trees that grew taller and denser the farther we climbed. Blackwood’s lights and conflicts faded behind us—the gossip, the politics, the constant undercurrent of watching and being watched.
With every mile, it felt like shedding skin. The air changed first. Then the silence.
By the time the mountain house came into view, lit from within and vibrating with music, something in my chest had loosened.
Chaos greeted us. Chase was already halfway through the door before we’d fully parked, shouting something about claiming the best room. Avery darted past him with a triumphant laugh.
Jax carried two cases of something over his shoulder like they weighed nothing.
Theo stood on the deck railing, yelling instructions no one listened to. Music thumped through the open windows. Bright. Loud. Alive.
Luke grabbed my bag without asking and slung it over his shoulder. “Stay close.”
I didn’t argue. Inside, it smelled like pine and detergent and whatever cologne Theo had overused. Avery was already claiming the upstairs corner bedroom, her voice echoing down the hall.
Jax moved through the space with quiet purpose, his and Avery’s bags over his shoulder as he went to join her.
Chase tossed me a beer without ceremony.
“For once, don’t overthink it,” he muttered.
I caught it, cracked it open, and laughed.
For the first time in weeks, I didn’t scan the room for threats. I didn’t measure who was watching Luke. I didn’t brace for Elise’s shadow at the edge of the crowd.
Theo turned the music up too loud. Avery had returned from her and Jax’s room and danced in the middle of the living room. Jax leaned against the counter, eyes tracking her in a way that made something warm curl in my chest.
Luke stayed near me. Not hovering. Just present. And for a few fragile hours, everything was uncomplicated. Carefree.
Later, when the house quieted and the laughter softened into background hum, I slipped out onto the balcony.
The trees stretched endlessly beyond the railing, dark against the deepening sky. No city lights. No ocean. No cliffs.
Just mountains. The air was chilly. Peace eased in slowly. I rested my hands on the railing and let it sink in.
Behind me, the balcony door opened. Luke stepped out. He didn’t speak, just moved to stand beside me, shoulder brushing mine. Solid, warm, and certain.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded. For once, it wasn’t a lie.
Luke didn’t look convinced.