14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Luna
My heart sinks with sudden understanding.
Cole is scared I’m going to take his brother away from him.
He knows Carson better than anyone in the entire world, including me.
Well, now I just feel bad. Not that I would have done anything differently. My mother told me this is where I needed to be. That it was life or death. Even though it’s scary, I have to trust her.
I just wouldn’t have cursed Cole the entire way here.
“I’d never ask you to leave your family, Carson,” I tell him. “I know that if this works, it only works here.”
His expression falls.
“You are your best self here.”
The way his thumb brushes over my cheek is nice. It feels so familiar yet new.
“But what if your best self is out there?”
“My best self is wherever I am.”
His face softens as he realizes what I’m trying to say, and he chuckles under his breath.
How ironic that the place my mother said I would be in danger is the one place that also feels like home. I want to run and stay all at the same time.
“It is pretty rad here,” he says, taking my hand in his and swinging them between us. “I’m going to show you something new about this place every day, so you never get bored.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Okay, so first thing, how about I introduce you to my parents.”
“I already met your dad,” I tell him as he guides me toward the house. “He came by my van last night.”
He stops in his tracks. “Is he why you left?”
I shift my weight from foot to foot as he stares at me. “Yes, but not in the way that you think,” I add quickly. “My mother had a premonition about him.”
His brows pull together like I knew they would.
“I know it sounds strange. It is strange.” I rub my hand over my forehead, trying to make sense of it all myself. “But it’s a long story, and I know your brother will be back to pick you up for church soon.”
He rubs his hand over my arm. “Church is what we call a club meeting.”
“I know, and I also know you can’t be late.” I offer him a genuine smile, because I do have every intention of telling him about the message my mother gave me from her deathbed. Maybe he can help me make sense of it all.
This seems to please him.
The minute we walk into his family’s home, I know he had an amazing childhood. Everything is bright and cheerful. It reminds me so much of the home my mother built for her and me.
“Mom, this is Luna,” he says to a woman standing in front of a window painted with sunflowers.
She doesn’t hear him, so he repeats himself.
I reach out to tap her shoulder gently, half expecting my own mother’s face to greet me.
The woman’s kind face turns, and she grabs her chest. “Oh, gosh, I didn’t hear you come in,” she says, instantly pulling me into a warm embrace. “My husband said you were here.”
“Mom, this is Luna,” he tells her again.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Luna.”
“Luna, this is my mom, Lily.”
“A Lily who loves sunflowers.”
She pulls away from me, her smile growing wide. “You noticed.”
I laugh. “It’s hard not to.”
“It’s all him.” She waves a hand toward the kitchen. “I have to be careful what I wish for out loud. If I say I like something, I’ll have fifty by tomorrow.”
It’s easy to see she’s not lying. One look at Dan tells me this woman is his world.
“And this grumpy-looking guy is my dad,” Carson tells me.
“Dan, right?” I say, tipping my head.
“You remembered.”
“You’re a hard man to forget.”
His rich laugh fills the house.
“Dan,” his wife says, slapping him lightly in the stomach. “You didn’t scare her off, did you?”
“No,” he answers honestly.
“Oh, no.” I jump in. “He was very nice. All of your men,” I swallow hard, because Cole hasn’t always been so nice, but I get it. “They’ve all treated me kindly.”
“Good,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “You just let me know if I ever need to set any of them straight.”
Dan and his son both chuckle because they know she absolutely has that kind of power.
“I’d introduce you to Khloe, but it’s her naptime,” Carson says as I look over the toys in the living room.
A horn honks outside.
Carson’s father walks over to him and places his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You and your brother need to work out whatever’s going on between you.”
“There’s nothing going on. He’s just been a gigantic dick lately.”
The horn begins to honk insistently.
“See what I mean?”
“Go on, before he wakes your sister,” his dad says, pushing him toward the door. Carson begins to argue, but his dad interrupts. “Luna will be here when you get back.”
“I’ll see you later,” I say, waving at him before his dad closes the door in his face.
“I’m sorry my boys have forgotten their manners,” he says, rolling his eyes at Carson’s theatrical goodbye from the other side of the door. “Really, we did our best.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry. It was me who shook things up.”
Dan and his wife exchange a look before he makes a motion for me to take a seat.
“Oh, I won’t keep you. I’ll just head out back and get my camp set up again. I really appreciate you guys letting me squat on your property for a bit. It’s really beautiful. Thank you.”
Lily looks at her watch. “Why don’t you join us for dinner over at the warehouse. That way you can meet everyone.”
“Nothing like bombarding her with the whole crew right off the bat.”
“That’s what happened when I got here. At least I’ve given her a heads-up,” she argues, wrinkling her nose at him.
Dan releases a long breath through his teeth.
She places her hand on my arm. “The entire club walked in on us in our birthday suits,” she tells me.
A laugh escapes me before I can reel it in.
“It wasn’t the whole club. Don’t listen to her exaggerations.”
“Well, it was at least twenty people.”
“Six tops.”
“Wait, so like you aren’t joking?”
“It was a heck of a way to meet everyone.” Lily takes my hands in hers. “Let me spare you the humiliation, because they will find a way to meet you, one way or another. Best not to have it come with a surprise.”
Dan tips his head back and chuckles loudly. “Way to just tell her you gave it up to me on our first date.”
Lily gasps. “Dan, I did no such thing.”
The smirk on his face tells me she absolutely did, and I can’t help but giggle.
“Don’t believe a word this man tells you,” she says, turning her attention back to me. “Anyway, Dan will go down and help you get set up again. I have an appointment I need to get to.”
Dan sits forward. “I thought I was going with you?”
“Don’t be silly. I can go by myself.” She waves her hand, dismissing him. “I’m going to warn you—the men around here are very protective.”
“I’m fine setting up camp by myself. I’m a solo traveler, so I’ve pretty much perfected the process.”
Her eyes meet mine, and I don’t know how or why, but I hear myself continuing. “But it would be nice to have a hand with my tire.”
Relief softens her expression.
“Perfect. Dan will stay and help. I’ll feel so much better knowing you’re not out there all by yourself.”
Her gaze thanks me.
I’ll always be a girl’s girl. If this is what she wants, she has her reasons.
She turns toward her husband. “He’ll meet you down there. Won’t you, honey?”
He stands up, pulling her to her feet. “I will, but you’ll call Kelsie to go with you and Khloe.”
“That’s a great idea. We can go shopping afterward.”
I rise with them.
“Wait, did I say Kelsie? I meant to say …”
She nudges him in the gut with her elbow. “Too late.” She reaches around his waist, plucking his wallet out of his back pocket.
Lily pulls a credit card out of it, holding it in the air triumphantly. “Khloe and little RayRay are already outgrowing the clothes we just bought them …”
Her words trail off as he pretends to snatch it from her.
“Dan. The kids need more clothes.”
“That’s a lie. Every closet in this house is filled to the brim with toddler clothes.”
All three of us know Dan would gladly let her spend his last dollar on his daughter and grandson. I shift to the door, feeling a little awkward as their playfulness turns a little handsy. “Um, yeah, I’ll just …” I clear my throat. “I’ll see you down there.”
As soon as I step out the door, closing it behind me, my cheeks pull into a giant smile.
I’m so happy Carson grew up here.
Sunflowers are everywhere.
It’s happening.
“I trust you, Mama,” I whisper.