16. Luca
SIXTEEN
Luca
“And how are the meds working?” Lacey, my therapist, asked through the speaker of my laptop that was placed in the center of my coffee table. It was near the end of our virtual session on the Thursday after McKenzie came to help me get settled in.
“So far, so good,” I answered. “I had a follow-up yesterday, and we’re gonna keep my dosage where it is for now.”
“This is great progress, Luca,” she said, a hopeful lilt woven into her voice. “And you even got your own house close to Nashville.”
I shrugged with a grin. “At least for a while.”
“I think that’s good for you,” she said. “You’re close to your friends, and I think the change of scenery will be helpful.”
“Yeah, I’m really enjoying it.” I glanced around the cozy, eclectic living room of what McKenzie referred to as “the hobbit house.” “It’s a nice place.”
“And you’ve been writing,” she said as though I’d done something much greater than putting pen to paper.
“It’s not a big deal. Besides, I’m not even sure how good any of it is.” That wasn’t entirely true. McKenzie had told me it was something special, and I knew she was speaking the truth.
“It doesn’t matter if it's good,” Lacey reminded me. “It matters that you’re being vulnerable—that you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and finding ways to cope. Neither of those are easy tasks. You’re doing great.”
I gave her a sheepish smile. “Thank you.”
“It sounds like this new girl you’re seeing has been a good influence on you,” she said. “She sounds supportive.”
“Oh, uh, McKenzie?” I asked, heat rushing to my cheeks. “We’re just friends.”
Lacey arched a brow, then nodded. “Okay.”
“What was that face for?”
“There was no face,” she insisted.
“There was, in fact, a face.”
She tilted her head, and even through the laptop, I could feel her eyes burning into me.
“The way you described McKenzie made it sound like there was a bit more going on,” she explained. “You seem to really care about her.”
My stomach twisted. Damn, I knew she was a therapist, but was I really that transparent?
“Well, of course I do,” I said. “We’re friends.”
Lacey studied me through thousands of tiny pixels. “Is it possible that’s what you’re calling it because you’re afraid to admit you feel something more for her?”
I cleared my throat, rubbing my thumb along my jaw. There was no denying I had feelings for McKenzie. But it was so foreign, so completely different from anything I’d ever experienced that it scared the shit out of me.
“It’s okay to be scared,” Lacey added. “This is uncharted territory. You’re not used to letting people in, and there’s a big difference in allowing someone into your orbit as a friend and potentially seeing them as something more.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If you open yourself to something more than friendship, you run a greater risk of getting your heart broken,” she said gently, her kind gaze fixed on me through the screen. “Of being abandoned.”
Her words were a punch to my gut. It wasn’t a fear I’d given voice to yet, but it was there, bubbling beneath the surface. Lacey knew a lot about my childhood and how much of my life I’d spent feeling unwanted. My friends now had become like family but those friendships had formed over many years. I’d only really known McKenzie for a few weeks, but I’d met her in the middle of one of the darkest times in my life. Despite that, she’d shined her light on me and helped me find my way.
“I’m not even sure she feels the same,” I said. It was the closest I was willing to come to an admission.
“Have you told her that you see her as more than a friend?” she asked.
I snorted. “No.”
“Do you want to tell her?” she countered.
I slid my tongue over my teeth, considering what she said. Yes and no. I did, but I was fucking terrified.
“I’m not going to pressure you one way or another,” Lacey continued. “Only you’ll know when and if you’re ready for something like that. But there could be an opportunity for you two to share something special.”
My heart jumped into my throat. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?
“That’s certainly a risk,” she said. “And only you will know when you’re ready to take that chance. Life is full of uncertainty. Sometimes you end up going through parts of it alone, but there’s also a possibility you’ll find someone who will take your hand and walk beside you.”
I chewed on her words for a moment. “That scares the shit out of me.”
“Which part?”
“All of it,” I answered. “Telling her how I feel and having her reject me. Or worse, I let her in and she rejects me later.”
“There’s a chance it could go either way,” she said. “However, there’s also the possibility you could form a lasting relationship. One you’ll never have if you don’t try. When you’re ready to take that leap, you’ll know. And I’m always here to talk you through it if you need me.”
I tried to visualize what McKenzie would do if I told her how I felt…what she would say. But it was hard for my own desires not to take over, imagining taking her beautiful face in my hands and kissing her like I’d wanted to since that first night I took her home from The Basement East. I’d envisioned the moment our lips would finally meet, both of us perfectly sober and aware of every touch. I’d wanted to do it that night at the tavern after I signed the lease for the hobbit house before that jackass had interrupted us. There had been a shift in the energy between us, so subtle that if I’d blinked I might have missed it. Had it all been one-sided or was she feeling it too?
“It’s just something to consider,” Lacey said. “Maybe you should write about it. Explore those emotions swirling in your head.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Maybe.”
“Okay, well, I’ve got you booked for next week, but if you need anything between now and then, you know where I am.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Lacey.”
We said goodbye, and I snapped my laptop shut. My head flopped against the couch cushion, Lacey’s words still settling into the crevices of my mind. Just then, my phone pinged with a text. I glanced down, a smile spreading across my lips as I read the text McKenzie had just sent:
Just checking in on you and Randy McNutt. Tell him I said hi.
The next night was game night at Dallas and Katie’s, but because it was just me, McKenzie, Derek, and Jo in attendance, the evening quickly devolved into us sitting around and chatting. It was rare that Jo and Derek were both in town and had a sitter, so they were taking full advantage.
“So, you’re gone for two weeks, right?” McKenzie asked Katie from where she sat beside her on the couch. Katie and Dallas had just informed us about a spur-of-the-moment trip they were taking.
“Leaving Sunday?” I added, making sure I understood since Emilia would be coming to stay with me down at the hobbit house for the duration of their trip.
“That’s right,” Dallas said, rubbing his palms together. “Italy, here we come!”
“Willam Deveraux is opening a new restaurant in Florence, and he wants us to be there for the opening,” Katie explained, turning to me. “He’s been something of a mentor to Dallas and me. When I forgot to hire the servers for our first big catering gig, it was Willam and his staff that stepped in to help.”
“Oh wow,” I said, shocked. There was still so much I didn’t know, so many things I’d missed in the months I’d been gone.
“He’s kind of a big deal,” McKenzie added.
“What else are you two doing while you’re there?” Jo asked.
I couldn’t help but catch the shift in Katie’s demeanor. Her eyes fell to the glass of wine in her lap, and she picked at invisible lint on her jeans.
“Just seeing the sights,” she said. “We figured it would be nice to extend the trip since we’ll already be there. You know I’ve always wanted to go to Italy.”
“Well, yeah,” Jo said, twisting her auburn hair off her shoulders. “That’s where you always wanted to take your honeymoon.”
Katie’s cheeks flushed as she and Dallas exchanged a glance. Neither of them had ever been particularly good at keeping secrets.
A veil of silence fell over the room.
“Wait…” The wheels in Jo’s mind started spinning at warp speed as Derek did the mental gymnastics to catch up.
McKenzie’s eyes widened. “Shut up.”
“What?” Katie asked, taking a sip of her wine, her cheeks turning scarlet as Dallas concealed his mouth with his hand.
“Oh boy,” Dallas muttered, rubbing his finger along his upper lip.
“Don’t what me,” McKenzie said, sitting up straight, pinning Katie with her eyes.
“And you darn sure better not what me,” Jo countered, and I couldn’t help but smirk. Despite going from being an uptight news reporter to the slightly less uptight woman of Derek’s dreams, she still found it hard to utter certain four-letter words.
“I’m not exactly the most observant guy, but even I can tell you two are up to something,” I said, staring them down from the armchair where I sat with Emilia curled up on the cushion beside me.
Katie started to turn to Dallas, but McKenzie swatted her with a pillow. “Don’t look at him. Look at me.”
“And me,” Jo demanded, narrowing her eyes at Katie.
Katie sighed, and a sheepish smile crept over her face. “We were going to tell you when we got back.”
“Holy shit,” Derek said, his eyes widening.
“Oh my God,” Jo shrieked, her voice a high-pitched dog whistle in my ear. “You’re getting married?”
Dallas held up his hands like he’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar. “We got the marriage license yesterday.”
“You sneaky bitches,” McKenzie said through a wide grin.
“Actually,” Katie began, swallowing hard. “We got married yesterday.”
“On your lunch break?” McKenzie asked, her mouth dropping open. “Geez, that only took an hour? They really need to make that more difficult.”
Jo’s face froze in horror.
“We decided we wanted to do it for the trip,” Katie explained. “It’s next to impossible to find times where everyone can be in town, and this trip came up last minute. We wanted to jump on the opportunity.”
Jo opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
“I think you broke her,” McKenzie said, gesturing toward Jo with her thumb.
“Please don’t be mad,” Katie pleaded. “We were going to tell you as soon as we got back. We thought we’d plan a reception later this year so we can give plenty of lead time for everyone to clear their schedules.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Jo squeaked. “I would have been at the courthouse.”
“You guys didn’t get back in town till today,” Katie reminded her before turning toward McKenzie. “And you had to hold down the fort at work.”
“And I’m chopped liver,” I teased as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. “But really, congratulations, you two. That’s—”
“I don’t accept this,” Jo said, rising to her feet.
Dallas scratched his temple. “It’s too late for—”
“I said I don’t accept.” Jo crossed her arms. “No. Did you write your own vows and say them at the courthouse?”
“No,” Katie said. “We were just so excited and living in the moment—”
“Katie, you always wanted that,” Jo said, cutting her off. “To write your own vows, have a champagne toast, and wear a pretty dress.”
“Yeah, but I also wanted the Italian honeymoon, and I don’t know…When this trip came up, it felt like a sign,” Katie said. “Then yesterday, I looked at Dallas and realized I didn’t want to spend another day not married to him.”
Dallas gazed at her, his eyes warm with emotion. “So, I asked her to make an honest man out of me, and she said yes.”
“The timeline just got jumbled a little,” Katie said with a soft laugh.
Jo’s lips pressed into a firm line. “I’m going to give you a wedding tomorrow. We are.”
“What?” Katie’s brow furrowed. “You can’t do that, Jo. I appreciate the gesture, but there’s not enough time. Liv and Jax are on the road. There’s no way Ella and Cash or Grace can get here that fast. Or Antoni.”
“They’ll be here for the reception,” Jo said, already pacing the living room. “But you deserve to have a wedding, Katie. We’re here, and we want to celebrate you.”
She looked to McKenzie for backup, but McKenzie just shrugged. “I do, but I’m a lot less pushy about it.”
“Even if we wanted to, we have so much to do before we leave Sunday,” Dallas said. “We don’t have time to plan a wedding.”
“You don’t need to,” Jo said, lifting her chin. “Because we’ve got it handled.”
“We?” I finally spoke up. “I’m not exactly a professional wedding planner.”
“Yes, we ,” Jo said, focusing her eyes on me. “I am volun-telling you.”
McKenzie stifled a laugh, and I bit back a grin.
Derek sat back in his chair and chuckled. “Uh-oh.”
“Please, Katie.” Jo dropped to her knees in front of her best friend. “Let me do this for you.”
“Aw, look, Tommy Lee,” McKenzie said to Dallas, a sickly-sweet smile plastered on her face. “Jo’s proposal is gonna be better than yours.”
Dallas tossed a pillow at her over Katie’s head.
“Come on, Katie,” Jo begged. “Will you let me do this for you?”
Katie’s face softened, and she looked to Dallas, a question burning in her eyes.
He held up his hands. “I want what you want. You know that.”
Katie nodded, a smile growing on her face as she turned back toward Jo, who waited impatiently for her answer.
“Okay, then,” Katie said. “Yes, you can plan a wedding for us. But only on three conditions.”
“Anything,” Jo said.
“The only people who will be there, besides whatever officiant you find, are in this room. It can’t be over-the-top, and it must be after 8 p.m. because I’m busy till then.”
Jo was silent for a moment, and I thought those stipulations were going to be enough for her to call the whole thing off.
But finally, she spoke. “You have my word.”
“Then I guess we’re getting married tomorrow,” Katie said, her face glowing as Dallas watched her with a matching expression, his hand reaching to squeeze her thigh.
Jo threw her arms around Katie and hugged her before bouncing to her feet. “I have to go. I have so much work to do.”
“So much self-inflicted work,” McKenzie muttered, but Jo was too busy listing off the tasks she needed to accomplish to notice.
“Luca, McKenzie, I’ll be in touch tomorrow with everything I need you to do,” Jo said, talking to herself as she left the room and walked out the back door, which snapped shut behind her.
Derek nodded slowly and sighed. “How long do you think it’ll take her to realize I have the keys?”
It was only a matter of seconds before we heard the creak of the wood followed by Jo shouting. “Derek!”
“Guess that’s my cue,” he said, standing. “Congratulations, guys. Seriously, this is amazing. And I know whatever she manages to cook up for tomorrow will be perfect.”
“Blink twice if you need help, Derek,” McKenzie joked as he trailed after Jo.
Once they were both gone, McKenzie shifted her attention to Katie. “Are you sure this is what you want? If it isn’t, I’ll find a way to reel in Bridezilla.”
“Is she Bridezilla if she isn’t the one getting married?” I asked.
“Wedding planner-zilla doesn’t have quite the same ring,” she quipped, turning back to Katie.
“Actually, this is perfect,” Katie said, looking like she meant it. She reached for Dallas’ hand, and he held her in his gaze like nothing else in the world mattered as long as she was by his side. I knew him well enough to know he didn’t need whatever Jo had up her sleeve, but because it was important to Katie, it was important to him.
Lacey’s words echoed in the back of my mind as I watched my friends look at each other with pure love and adoration.
Some risks are worth taking.
McKenzie caught my eye, her head tilted in a question. She’d clearly caught me battling my own thoughts on the front lines of my brain. But I just shook my head. I wasn’t ready to throw down my weapons just yet.