Luna
TWENTY-FOUR
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Maverick eyes me over his cards with his dimpled grin, his green eyes locked on me. He’s good at bluffing, but I’ve learned to read him like a book.
“I’m all in,” I say again, pushing all my chips to the center pot.
“And here we go again,” Travis laughs, taking a sip of his beer.
“As if poker could end in any other way,” Bella says, rolling her eyes and settling back with her wine glass in hand.
It’s Sunday, which means it’s our usual family dinner and game night.
Over the years, it’s gotten bigger, especially since Mom and Maya have decided to join forces and host together, alternating houses.
With seven grandchildren between them, it’s always better when the adults outnumber the kids—otherwise, all hell would break loose.
Tonight, the children are all corralled with a movie inside while my parents and the Lanes visit in the other room with Mimi and Papaw.
This Sunday, it was my parents’ turn to host, so we’re at the house where I grew up.
After Bella left shortly after high school graduation, she moved into an apartment with Sophia, and my parents sold their home. They were able to downsize and get the home they always wanted on the canal with a boatslip.
When my Dad retired, he started a part-time charter fishing business. Offshore fishing is his first love, and I admire both my mom and dad for doing something they enjoy.
This home has been the only one I’ve ever known, and it holds some of my best memories here.
Like beating Mav in poker as I stare at my two-pair, king high in my hand. I know he’s bluffing this time. He has a small telltale sign that I picked up on. It’s very subtle, so it took me years to see it, but now that I know, he hasn’t beaten me since.
Poker is half luck of the draw, half reading the room, and when you get lucky with the first and have figured out the second—there’s no stopping you.
“Let’s see them.” I grin at Maverick, and he taps his cards on the table while he studies me before finally throwing his cards down.
Ace high.
I knew he was bluffing.
Noah snickers beside me, and I grin, laying my cards down.
Everyone leans forward to read them as laughter fills the air.
“She beat your ass again,” Travis’s grey eyes turn to Mav with a chuckle.
“How the hell can you read me so well?” He scoffs, grabbing his beer from the table and leaning back. “I taught your ass how to play. When you were in diapers, I might add.”
“That’s the problem,” Emma laughs. “You taught her too well.”
“What’s my tell?” Mav says, leaning forward so he’s closer to me. “I need to know what I do that gives me away.”
“Now, why would I do that?” I grin, putting my hands around the chips and swiping the whole pile to my chest. “You literally told me a long time ago to never share my poker secrets.”
“Damn,” he grins. “I am a good teacher. Maybe I should take you to Vegas instead.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Noah pipes up. “You will not corrupt my other sister. You already have your hands on Bella—you can’t teach Luna your wild ways, too.”
“I hate to break it to you, but Bella was wild long before I touched her,” Mav says, grinning at my sister.
“I was wild for you,” she snorts. “It just took your Playboy ass years to see it.”
“I was saving the best for last,” Mav grins, nuzzling his wife’s neck until she breaks down and giggles.
“I have the best too,” she smiles right before his lips find hers. Breaking away, she snuggles into his chest as his arm naturally finds its place around her waist.
“Since the kids are entertained in there with a movie, are you two up for a quick game of cornhole?” Noah asks Mav and Travis. “I think Mav could use an opportunity to get his manhood back after that loss.”
“Don’t worry a second about my manhood,” Mav smirks. “Your sister is taking real good care of it.”
“I walked right into that one,” Noah winces.
“Yeah, you did,” Travis laughs, standing up. “I’ll get Max to even it up.”
Travis walks away to get his oldest son from inside as Sophia grabs the wine bottle from the table. “Girls, the fire pit is calling us.”
“Definitely,” we all say at the same time and laugh.
We leave the guys to battle out their game and settle in on the outdoor sectional by the fire pit. It’s always been my favorite spot out here.
String lights are strung above us, and my mom always fills her planters each year with various flowers and greenery. The pool sits off in front of us, overlooking the canal further down below. I used to spend so many hours in that pool, lounging on a mattress with my nose deep in a book.
My gaze leaves the water, and all eyes are on me.
“What?” I ask, as all of them are teetering on the edge of their seat like they can’t contain their energies.
“Don’t you dare play innocent with me, Luna Bennett. We know you left the wedding yesterday with Cayden,” my sister smiles over her wine glass as she raises it to her lips.
“We saw you leave the dance floor, and it took all of two seconds before Cayden stormed through the crowd to follow you,” Sophia adds, her bright green eyes sparkling with amusement.
“I think the guys were oblivious because Noah didn’t say anything to me, but it was blatantly obvious to us how much you two like each other,” Emma says, fanning herself. “It got hot with all that sexual tension you both were putting off.”
I think about brushing it off and playing dumb, but they would never believe me. Besides, I really do need someone to talk to. I trust and admire them all, so their opinions matter to me.
When I woke up this morning, he was gone. I really didn’t expect him to stay the night, but it did sting a little bit that he chose to leave rather than sleep next to me. I haven’t heard from him since, but I’m determined not to be one to text first. I made the last move. The next one is his.
“I did leave with Cayden,” I admit, not being able to hide my smile as memories resurface.
“I knew it!” Bella exclaims.
“Tell us everything and don’t you dare leave anything out,” Sophia says excitedly.
They all lean in eagerly, and all sets of eyes are focused on me.
“It’s a complicated one,” I chuckle, reaching over to fill up my wine glass.
“Aren’t they all,” Sophia snorts.
“I met him a few weeks ago when he dropped his daughter off at my dance studio. She was the new student I was telling you about at Rusty’s.
” They nod their heads, fully invested in my story.
“I felt something between us even then, but could tell he was guarded. Plus, I don’t usually mix business with pleasure, so I ignored it. ”
“I can tell you from experience that ignoring it never works,” Sophia laughs.
Sophia was Max’s kindergarten teacher. Travis was a single dad back then and had just moved to Crystal Isle. They had a wild night together, not knowing they were already connected by Max. Things definitely got complicated when they finally realized it, so I know she gets where I’m coming from.
“I already figured that part out,” I chuckle, continuing my story. “It got more impossible to ignore when he walked into the yoga studio because he also happened to be my new private client.”
“Oh, my God,” Emma giggles, flying a hand to her mouth.
“This just gets better and better,” Sophia laughs.
“What did you do?” My sister gawks, failing to keep the humor off her face.
“I had to keep reminding myself to be professional, which was very hard to do in such close proximity to a shirtless god sprawled out on my yoga mat.”
The girls giggle into their wine, clearly enjoying the discomfort I must have been in.
“Anyway,” I say, waving my arm, “it continued for a couple of weeks, and we both did our best to ignore the sexual tension that wanted to spiral out of control every time we were in the same room together.”
I take a sip of my wine and brace for the next part.
“Then, Connor came to town. He surprised me with Bolt tickets, right behind the goalie net, I might add, and that’s the first time I realized who he was,” I swallow, remembering that exact moment all too well.
“Wait, you didn’t know who he was all of this time?” Sophia asks, shocked. “How could you not? His picture is blasted all over the internet.”
“You know I don’t follow hockey, and I don’t have time to scroll the internet. Any free time I have, I’m either working on my own dancing or escaping in a book,” I scowl when the girls laugh harder at my ignorance of not knowing who he was.
“Oh, Luna,” my sister chuckles. “That must have been quite the shock to see him on the ice.”
“Shock is an understatement,” I mutter, while I wait for the girls to settle down. “Between periods,” I say, once I’ve got their attention back, “I run into Savi, and she invites Connor and me to join them at Breakaway after the game.”
“Isn’t that place amazing!” Sophia explains. “We always have so much fun when we go.”
I knew Sophia and Travis shared season tickets with his brothers and their families. They switch off bringing the kids, and squeeze in couples’ date nights when they can. It makes sense that they would end up there because Knox and Travis’s brother, Miles, have been best friends since grade school.
“It is a nice place,” I agree. “I was having a really great time until Cayden walked in, acting all broody that I was there. He took it all out on poor Connor, thinking he was my boyfriend,” I giggle.
“He was jealous,” Sophia grins. “That’s a very good sign.” And Bella and Emma nod enthusiastically in agreement.
I fill them in on the rest of the night and finally get to the part about seeing him at the wedding.
“I hadn’t heard from him in three weeks, and suddenly we’re at a wedding together.
He had no clue I was Noah’s sister. I guess they became friends at Knox’s wedding,” I say, wondering if I could have gone if we would have still ended up here.
A huge part of me knows we would have been inevitable either way.
“They did,” Bella nods. “Noah and Maverick talked most of the evening with him. They really like him.”