Chapter 44
luna
Four Months Later
The wedding in England had been small, beautiful, everything Nova deserved. I’d stood beside her, smiling through the whirlwind of vows and laughter, but the whole time I couldn’t help thinking about who wasn’t there. Jer and Dirks had stayed behind in the States, waiting for me.
I’d just stopped by Nova’s on my way to the new studio.
We were slouched at her kitchen table with mugs of coffee, no real agenda, just letting the conversation meander the way it always did when we hadn’t seen each other in a while.
Recapping, catching up. Filling in the blanks the wedding chaos had left behind.
“How did Dirks take it? You being with Will in England?”
I shrugged, blowing on my coffee. I wanted to tell Nova he’d been fine about it, but that would’ve been a lie.
What I didn’t say—and what she didn’t know—was that Jeremy had punched a hole in his apartment wall while I wasn’t there.
Evidently, the two of them sat around that day, bouncing between frantic and silent, waiting for me to call.
My phone lit up with missed calls and texts so often it looked like an emergency broadcast system had been triggered.
Nova had no idea about Jeremy, but that didn’t mean the last four months with Jer and Dirks had been nothing short of bliss.
Messy at times, yes, but still bliss. Jer had kept me laughing even when I didn’t want to, and Dirks had grounded me with that steady quiet of his.
Nights tangled up between them, mornings where I forgot how heavy life used to feel.
It wasn’t just moments, but a rhythm we fell into, almost without realizing it.
We dated each other. We went out. We showed up to Dirks’s games every weekend.
Jer helped me film content when I needed it, teased me until I was laughing too hard to remember what I was supposed to be doing, and he fucked me almost every night—sometimes with Dirks there, sometimes without.
When he left, Dirks would curl around me and fuck me again until I couldn’t think straight.
“I didn’t talk to him—Will, I mean—much at all. It was . . . a perfect day. Surrounded by you guys, so it didn’t really matter.”
Whatever happened in England with Will had nothing on what I had back here.
“I told Charlie we’d come over next week after my opening. She’s been begging us to come.”
“Yeah. She texted me the same. I figured maybe the day after your opening so . . . Sunday.”
“For sure. She’s the only redeeming thing about Austin . . . Well, that and the fact he turned out to be a decent father figure to Scarlette and didn’t step on Ollie’s toes.”
Nova smirked. “Fair point. So, your big opening. Can you believe it?”
“Yes. Yes, I can,” I said with a little smile. “I wanted my roots here.”
“Better than London,” she said teasingly.
“Nova?” I said softly, and she reached across the table to take my hand.
The house was quiet with Scarlette at school and Ollie at practice.
“I’m dating Dirks.”
“I know.”
“I also . . . Jer is back.”
She laughed and squeezed my hand. “Fucking finally.”
“Finally?” I yanked my hand back, my chair scraping on the floor. “What do you mean finally?”
“Oh my god, Luna. I’m the social media manager for the Ravens. I’m there at the games, too. I see you, front row, with him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“I wanted to hear it from you,” Nova said, her voice softer now. “It was important that you told me when you were ready.”
“He’s my foster brother.”
Nova blinked, then let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, Luna . . . the jokes I could make right now.” She smirked, but waved her hand. “I’ll be nice. You wanna talk about it?”
“Not really,” I said, even though I was already leaning forward.
“I was in a home with him before I met you. We . . . connected fast. It was different back then. I moved up here, and we didn’t see each other for years.
” I paused, swallowing hard. “When you were still with Austin, I saw him and my mouth dropped. He was taller, broader, older, but it was still him. And it . . . hit me. Everything I used to feel. Everything I’d buried.
It came rushing back. I didn’t tell anyone because we promised each other to keep it a secret.
It was a secret until a few months ago when I told Dirks, and Jeremy came barreling back into my life for the second time. ”
“And now?” Her face softened.
“He’s sober.”
Nova arched her brow. “And you’re not bringing bottles of wine to his house?”
“No. I’m not making that mistake again. I did that with Austin and felt like absolute shit after. Different circumstances, sure, but . . . I get it better now. I understand what it means, what it takes. So, no. Not even a drop around Jer. Not because he asked me not to, but because I want to.”
“And the three of you?”
“We’re . . . together? I don’t know. Dirks and I have said we love each other.”
“Luna.” Nova’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god, that’s big news.”
“Yeah, it was a while ago. We went to see his family during his bye week.”
“What the heck? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore. I’m sorry, I’ve been—”
“Don’t apologize.” I interrupted her quickly.
“Okay, well . . . sorry anyway.”
I stuck out my tongue at her, and she rolled her eyes but smiled.
“So tell me,” she said, resting her chin in her hand.
“We went to his family’s,” I started, feeling my cheeks warm. “Dirks told me he loved me . . . but you know Jer. He’s . . . noncommittal.”
Nova’s eyebrows shot up. “And yet?”
“And yet,” I sighed, “we date each other. So . . . that’s positive. You’ll see him tomorrow. I begged him to come to the opening of the studio, but don’t overwhelm him or anything.”
She held up her hands like she’d been caught red-handed. “No. I promise. I’ll even tell Oll the same.”
I took a sip of my drink. “Sorry about making it eighteen-plus. I wanted to invite Scar, but—”
“Aunt Mae is happily taking her overnight. Plus, Oll and I need a date night after coming back from England. We didn’t get a honeymoon—it was just like returning from vacation and jumping straight back into real life.”
“Oh, perfect.”
Her brows pulled together, and she tilted her head. “Luna,” she said, her tone all mockinglyserious, “what sex things are going to be at this party?”
I doubled over with laughter.