Chapter 11 #2
My teeth are chattering now, clacking together in my mouth so hard the force could almost break them.
I can barely breathe as I rush down the stairs and out the front door. Looking around quickly, I scan the yard for Hunter, and when I don’t see him, I shove the suitcase into my passenger seat and nearly run to the other side to climb in.
It takes me three tries to turn the key, and when I finally get it started, I peel out of the driveway without even looking back.
I have no idea why, but I don’t go home. Instead, I find myself beating on Luca’s front door hours before I was actually supposed to be here.
Austin opens it. “Theo? Are you okay?”
My face is wet and my eyes hurt, so I probably look like a walking disaster, and I’m not okay at all. Not even a little. “Is Luca here?”
Luca shoves Austin out of the way. “I’m here. What’s wrong? Come in.”
He steps back, gesturing for me to enter.
“Hunter knows.”
“Knows what?” Luca asks, eyebrows shooting up.
Austin clears his throat. “I’m going to give you two some privacy.”
Luca waves him on, and Austin disappears into the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him.
When he’s gone, Luca holds a hand out to me, and I take it, letting him lead me to the couch. “Sit down,” he murmurs. Grabbing a throw off the back of the couch, he wraps it around me, and until I’m covered, I don’t even realize I’m shaking almost violently.
For a long moment, he doesn’t talk, and I don’t either, but finally, he breaks the silence. “What does Hunter know?”
“About me. He saw those files.” My throat convulses as I swallow hard. “He saw my scar. I didn’t even get to tell him myself.” My voice goes garbled as I nearly choke on the words. “Damien’s still taking everything from me.”
Luca’s face screws up. “Can I hug you?”
I lean forward without thought, and Luca wraps me in his arms as I rest my forehead against his shoulder.
Some part of me knows that I shouldn’t be seeking comfort from my ex-husband’s latest victim, and an even bigger part of me knows that he deserves better than me falling apart. I’ve failed him in so many ways.
Luca makes small circles on my back with his warm hand, and I sink deeper into his hold. It’s nice in some ways, knowing that I’m not alone. Knowing that I had someone to run to. Knowing that Luca let me in without a thought.
“I’m so sorry, Theo,” he murmurs. “Did Hunter… did he hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No.” At least not physically.
“I’m not talking about hitting you. Did he hurt you emotionally?”
I pause, then nod. “I trusted him. I trusted him, and he betrayed that trust.”
“Because he knows?” Luca asks.
Growling in frustration, I sit up, shaking my head as Luca’s arms fall away from me. “No, it’s not that. It’s not that he knows.”
Confusion knits Luca’s brows. “Can you tell me what happened from the start? I’m sorry, I just don’t understand.”
I do. I tell him about how I’ve been helping Hunter, about how I’d started to trust him, about how I’d told him things about myself, and about Damien. I tell him about sleeping in Hunter’s bed, how my day was going so well, and how I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss him.
I tell him about Hunter feeling my scar. How he didn’t seem surprised. How he took the chance for me to tell him myself away from me.
By the time I’m done, Luca’s eyes are shiny.
“I’m sorry, Theo,” he says again. “I didn’t even think about the fact that he might have seen those files.
He questioned me in the hospital after Austin beat Damien to death, and then, before they even cleared Austin of any charges, Hunter’s dad had died, and he’d quit. ”
“He still lied to me,” I choke out. “He made me trust him. I thought he—” My voice cuts off as my throat tightens. “I thought he saw me as something more than what I was, and then he… He knew the whole time.”
Luca frowns. “That must be really hard to reconcile.”
It’s miserable, is what it is. “Yeah, kind of.”
Luca holds his hand out to me, and I rest my palm against his. “Maybe you should call your therapist,” he says softly. “Not because I’m not happy you came here when you needed a friend, but because I think it might help you make sense of everything.”
Not happening. “Maybe,” I say softly. “Can I stay here tonight? I’m leaving tomorrow anyway, but I—I don’t want to go back tonight. To Hunter’s.”
Nodding, Luca gives me a sad smile. “Of course. You’re always welcome here. Let me text Arlo and Jasper and let them know tonight isn’t a good night.”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t want to cancel our plans because of my shit.”
He gives me a stern look. “Theo, it’s okay. Let’s just have a low-key night and watch TV, and I’ll make dinner, okay? No need to be ‘on’ for a game night. It’s okay, I promise.”
Hesitating, I bite my lip. “You’re sure they won’t mind?”
“I’m positive they won’t.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Okay, thank you.”
After shooting off a quick text message, Luca looks up at me. “Can I go get Austin out of the bedroom?”
My lips curve up even as jealousy twists my gut. I want him to be happy. So much. His happiness is my proof. The proof that even though I failed him, not all is lost, but fuck, it still hurts so damn bad that I can’t be. Two truths.
I nod. “Of course. I’m sorry I came in losing my damn mind.”
Luca shakes his head. “No, don’t say that. We all need that now and then.”
Blowing out a breath, I close my eyes. “Thank you.”
Leaving me on the couch, Luca stands then pushes open the door to his bedroom. “You can come out, Austin.”
I clear my throat, then stand, trying to appear normal and like a fully functioning adult who has his shit together. “You didn’t need to leave your own living room.”
“Not a bother at all,” Austin says.
I’ve noticed that his accent isn’t as deep as Hunter’s, but it’s deeper than Luca’s. Although given that Luca left for ten years, it makes sense.
Something tells me that Damien would have made him feel bad about his accent, because he was a fucking dick like that.
“Wanna watch MasterChef with me while Austin makes us grilled cheese sandwiches?” Luca asks.
I hesitate. “Really?”
“Sure,” Austin says, smiling. “Luca swears I don’t make them as good as my ma, so I’ve gotta prove him wrong.”
“Okay, yeah… that would be nice.”
When Austin steps away from the couch, Luca pulls me down beside him, stealing part of the blanket he wrapped around me and covering himself with it too.
He’s sitting close, and it’s comforting. I hate being alone. As he turns the TV on and gets the show queued up, Austin closes a cabinet and then opens the fridge, and I settle deeper into the couch, enjoying the sounds of other humans and enjoying Luca’s company.
“Do you wanna know a secret?” he whispers, low enough that only I can hear.
“Sure,” I whisper back, glancing at him.
His lips curl into a smirk, and his eyes flash with happiness. “Austin already does make them as good as his mom.”
That warms my heart. It’s all so very complicated for me, but God, am I happy he’s happy.