39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter thirty-nine
Adair
My breath froze in my chest as the words registered. It was always a possibility I’d see the Agostis again. I hadn’t expected to start reuniting with them today, but to be fair, I also hadn’t planned on leaving my safe house today, either.
Lukas had never been a problem, and if he was smart enough to marry someone smart and strong-willed like Quinn, he likely had stayed his thoughtful and protective self.
She didn’t strike me as the type of woman to marry an idiot or fool.
There was also the fact I was in Lukas’s house.
I couldn’t hide from him forever. Letting out a tense breath, a tiny smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I nodded.
“You know, as scary as it is, I think I am ready. I’d like my days of hiding away to be over. ”
Peter slowly nodded, his eyes trained on my face. “You’re sure? I don’t want you diving in unless you’re ready.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “I am.”
“And because I’m sure this question will come from everyone else involved, how soon will you be ready for this to happen?”
The smile on my face grew. You’re in for quite the surprise, Peter. “Any time. I would like to make one request, though.”
He tipped his head to the side. “What’s that?”
“I want Lynette there either on speakerphone or video.”
Peter pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I don’t see that being a problem but let me put in the request.”
Over the next several minutes, Lynette confirmed she would be on a video chat call. It was also agreed that this was going to happen after dinner. I wanted time to shower and make myself look and feel more presentable.
Nerves slammed into my chest as I dug through my clothes, trying to figure out what I was going to wear. It hadn’t mattered in almost three years.
Do I dress up? I almost snickered. The thought of wearing my charcoal grey dress felt absolutely ridiculous. If Lukas really was still the same, he wasn’t going to care what I had on. Letting out a sigh, I opted to wear jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater cardigan. I felt safe and comfortable in it.
After my shower, I dressed quickly, dried my hair, and rushed back to Peter’s room, slightly surprised to see Quinn there, who grinned at me.
“I told Lukas I was going to check on you and make sure you were still up for this. That man is struggling not being in the know. I thought you were going to be more nervous, but he’s in way worse shape right now. ”
I chuckled in disbelief. I didn’t know anything could shake that man. “Maybe he needs to take a hot shower. It did wonders for me.”
Quinn’s smile widened. “I don’t think anything is going to work until he has answers. The man almost never hears the word ‘no’ in his job, so as horrible as this sounds, it’s a little entertaining watching him cope. That being said, I also hate how stressed it’s making him.”
The last thing I wanted was to add stress to another Agosti’s life. “Let him know I’m almost ready and will be up in a few minutes. Maybe talking to Lynette will help settle him?”
She shrugged, but then her expression turned serious. “Maybe. I’m glad you’re still feeling up to it. Honestly, I’m impressed and very proud of you.”
“What? Why?” The compliment threw me off guard. What did I do?
Quinn glanced at the door and then at me again. “Meeting new people can be scary and intimidating, especially when all you want to do is hide, but I can assure you, Lukas would never hurt you. Also, Peter and I won’t let anything happen, either.”
While I wanted to assume Lukas still liked me enough that he wouldn’t hurt me, people could change a lot over seven years. Once again, her intense loyalty and dedication to protecting me was overwhelming. “I… Thank you.”
She reached over and rubbed the side of my arm.
“Us badass ladies need to stick together. It’s how we keep going when the going gets tough.
Honestly, I hope your situation improves enough so that you can meet his sister Lianne.
Talk about a powerhouse of a woman. She is another badass lady you want in your corner. ”
The pride that filled Quinn’s eyes brought a smile to my face. I remembered Lianne being a force to be reckoned with, but hearing confirmation that hadn’t changed, and from someone who didn’t know my family connection brought so much joy to my heart. “Oh, yeah?”
Quinn nodded. “Yeah. And don’t tell Lukas, but I think she’s a bigger badass and twice as scary when needed.”
That’s my Li. “Well, let's hope the Agostis have a magic wand somewhere to help make this ladies' day happen.”
“I’ll put in my request. Well, see you upstairs!” With a grin, Quinn turned and headed out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“You ready?”
I looked over at Peter and nodded. “Yeah. I know I have no reason to be nervous, but…”
“But it’s more new and unknown.”
“It’s definitely uncharted territory.” Overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotion, I reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it tight as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
I needed to settle myself and holding someone’s hand always did it.
While the contact helped, I couldn’t help but feel another small rush of energy as our skin touched. What?
We stood there for a while before Peter gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “You still good?”
The question jolted me from my thoughts. “Yeah. Sorry, I needed a moment.”
When I went to pull my hand away, he held it tighter. “Don’t feel like you have to let go on my behalf.”
My attention snapped to his face, and the care and concern I saw in his storm grey eyes had me holding on tight.
“Okay.” Before I lost my nerve, I turned and flung the door open, practically dragging Peter behind me as I made my way upstairs.
I was halfway down the hallway before nerves kicked in again and I slowed to a stop.
Peter squeezed my hand again. “I’ve got your back. All I need to know is if you want to walk in first or if you want me to walk in first.”
“You make sure they are ready for us, but then I want to walk in first.”
“Deal.” He knocked on the door and poked his head inside. “Everyone good to go?”
“We are.”
I smiled at Quinn’s voice and then took a deep breath as Peter stood behind me again. “Ready when you are.”
Mustering up the strength, I held my head high and stepped into the room, locking eyes with my new favorite redhead first. “Hey, Quinn.”
She smiled at me. “Hey.”
I then shifted my focus to a man I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. “Hi, Lukas.”
His eyes were wide, and his mouth dropped open. “You? But… I thought…. And we… How… Victoria, how are you alive and standing in my office right now?”
“Victoria?” Peter and Quinn voiced the same question at the same time.
I would have laughed at their reaction if I hadn’t been so fixated on the stunned expression on Lukas’s face. “Yeah… There’s a long story about that, actually.”
He ran his hands through his hair and took a step toward me before freezing and looking at the open laptop on his desk, specifically where Lynette’s video window was on the screen. “Momma, is Victoria really standing in front of me, or have I finally cracked?”
“She is. Hello, my dear.”
I glanced at the phone and smiled at the woman I wished was my mother. “Hi.”
“You doing okay?” While there was a smile on her face, there was no missing the worry in her eyes.
I huffed out a nervous breath. “Yeah, probably not quite as overwhelmed as Lukas is right now. It’s… It’s a lot, but I’m okay.”
Quinn walked to me and gestured to the small couch to my right. “Come sit down before you fall down. I think you both need a minute.”
Peter rested his hand on my back, gently guiding me forward, and I took a deep breath before giving him a grateful smile.
After I sat down, Quinn helped Lukas sit, too, but the man had yet to take his eyes off me. “You’re alive. I… I can’t believe it. We thought… and Liam said… But you’re here.” Lukas slumped back in his chair, falling silent for a moment. “I feel like I’m staring at a ghost.”
I felt like a ghost in so many ways. “Yeah. That was kind of the point.”
He picked his head up and stared at me again. “But why?”
Quinn cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt what is clearly a reunion, but I have two quick questions. How do you two already know each other, and why does Lukas keep calling you Victoria? Peter called you Adair, earlier.”
“We can’t answer that first question just yet.” Lynette’s voice came from the laptop.
Lukas glared at the computer screen. “Momma, I love and respect you, but I refuse to lie to my wife. You have to let me tell her something.”
Lynette pressed her lips together and nodded. “Fair. Quinn, what I can tell you right now is this woman has been part of our lives for a long time, and I promise to give more details later, but that’s all I can say for right now.”
Quinn nodded. “Okay. I respect and appreciate that. Can I know more about her name, or is that under lock and key, too?”
I almost laughed. Not at the question, but that Quinn was readily accepting this without questioning a thing.
“Lynette, I’m comfortable answering this one.
” When she nodded at me, I turned to face Quinn.
“Victoria is the name I went by when Lukas first… Well, from before I needed to hide, but even then, he chose to call me Tori. Adair is what I’ve been going by for the last several years. ”
Quinn nodded. “Good to know.”
That was too easy. I narrowed my eyes at her. “No follow-up questions?”
A chuckle came out of her. “As someone legally named Wilhelmina, who chooses to go by her middle name of Quinn, I get it.”
I grinned. “You look more like a Quinn. Wilhelmina feels too fussy for you.”
A wide smile appeared on her face. “I couldn’t agree more. Well, now that I know you’ve had several names, which do you prefer?”
I open and shut my mouth as I stared at her. “It’s been so long since I’ve had an option. That being said, I don’t want to go by Victoria… for several reasons.”
“Can I still call you Tori?”