Chapter 21
Things felt good between Emmeline and Luke now. There would be no more fighting.
It had already been too much, things going too far, and it was all so stupid. Luke hadn’t been hurt—thank God—but he could have been, and just the thought made her stomach clench. She hated how she’d been behaving; how erratic everything had felt, how out of control.
A clean slate would put an end to all that.
While she still wasn’t quite certain of exactly what her feelings were, she knew that she wanted to stop hiding from them. She wanted to feel—even if it made her feel like she was on the edge of a cliff, about to fall.
She followed Farhan out of the barn and into the cold. He was explaining how he was a middle school teacher, telling her about some of his students as they headed into the house. Inside, the home was warmly lit by the golden glow of lamps.
It was a small place, a little messy, but cozy. There was a woman asleep on the couch, knitting on her lap.
“Our mother, Rhea,” Farhan said, voice quiet. Luke followed in after them, closing the backdoor. He took Emmeline’s coat, going to hang it, and Emmeline’s eyes dropped to the baby chimeras snuggled on Rhea’s feet.
“And this is Butternut and Squash,” Farhan said with a smile, scooping the baby chimeras into his arms. He brought them over to Emmeline, and she smushed their furry goat faces.
“How cute,” she said, petting them as they cooed. “I love the names.”
“I came up with them,” Luke interjected, coming back to stand between her and Farhan. Emmeline bit back a smile. She could sense Luke wasn’t enjoying the attention Farhan was getting from her.
“That’s really cute,” she said, smiling at Luke, and his face lit up. Her heart warmed. She hadn’t known a few simple words from her could make him so happy, and suddenly, she felt a little shy.
She turned back to the baby chimeras, who were obviously identical twins. She searched for something to tell them apart but failed.
“How do you know who’s who?” she asked, petting one of them.
“Honestly, I can’t,” Farhan said. “It’s a guess every time.”
Luke shook his head. “I’d expect better from a teacher,” he said. Then, he lifted the right wing of one of the babies and the left wing of the other. They had matching birthmarks on opposite wings.
“Butternut’s the one with the mark on her right,” Luke said. “Squash is the other.”
Squash wiggled in Farhan’s arms, trying to jump free, and Farhan let him. The baby chimera leaped onto Luke, where Luke caught him with one ringed hand, holding him steady against his chest. The chimera’s snake tail curled around Luke’s forearm, and her heart squeezed.
“Oh, hello,” a soft voice said, and they turned to see Rhea rouse from her sleep. She blinked slowly. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You’ve had a long day,” Luke said, going to her side. Rhea looked a little frail. She might have been sick because of the cold weather, Emmeline thought.
“Hi,” Emmeline said, going over to her. “I’m Emmeline.”
Rhea’s face lit up. “Emmeline!” She opened her arms, and Emmeline leaned forward to give Rhea a hug. She really was frail. While Luke and Farhan were both tall, their mother was petite, though the boys clearly looked like her with their deep brown skin and dark hair.
“I’m so glad to finally meet you!” Rhea said, and Emmeline’s brows twitched. She glanced over at Luke, who looked embarrassed.
“Emmeline,” Farhan said, grinning at his mother.
“Ignore them,” Luke implored her. “Please.”
She didn’t say anything, but that didn’t stop her from recalling how Farhan had also acted like he knew who she was. A sneaking suspicion rose within her: Had Luke spoken about her to his family members?
And if he had, what had he said? She was afraid he’d left a bad impression, for surely she had been a thorn in Luke’s side, but Farhan and Rhea were both perfectly kind with her. They were practically . . . giggling.
“You are staying for dinner, aren’t you?” Rhea asked.
“I don’t want to impose,” Emmeline replied. “I should get going.”
Luke gave her a funny look. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, voice non-negotiable.
“Yeah, don’t be ridiculous,” Farhan said, mimicking his brother.
Were all younger siblings certified menaces? Before she could try and protest, Farhan ushered her to the dining table, while Luke helped Rhea up.
“You sit here,” Farhan said, depositing her in front of a chair.
“Well, let me help, at least,” Emmeline said, not sitting yet. “What can I do? Should I set the table? Cut a salad?” She was about to head in the direction of the kitchen when Luke shook his head at her.
“No,” Luke said, bringing Rhea to the table. “The only thing you can do is sit down.”
Emmeline opened her mouth to argue, and he slightly shook his head at her. “Sh. Sit.”
She had never realized just how bossy Luke was, but she found she didn’t hate it.
Obeying, she sat down as Luke helped his mother into the seat across from her.
Then, he set the table while Farhan brought over a bowl of raita, a spiced yogurt dish with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.
Emmeline could guess what they would be eating, as the cold salad was usually an accompaniment for only a few things. Her stomach rumbled, and she was glad she was staying for dinner, after all. It had been a long day.
“Is Baba coming?” Farhan asked, going back to the kitchen to grab the pot from the stove. He brought it over as Luke finished setting the table, setting down a trivet for the pot to sit on.
“No, he won’t be in until ten,” Luke said. To Emmeline, he explained, “Our dad works late.” Luke sat down in the seat next to her as Farhan put the pot down.
“Here we are,” Farhan said, lifting off the lid. Steam rose from atop the brothy rice dish, filling the air with the comforting aroma of browned onions and cumin.
“Did you make it?” Emmeline asked Farhan as he sat down across from Luke. He nodded.
“Apologies in advance,” Luke interjected, and Farhan rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his brother.
“No, it looks great,” Emmeline said, thoroughly impressed. “You could teach my brothers a thing or two. The best they can do is instant noodles, and even that smells radioactive. I have to air out the entire house whenever they’ve cooked—the word cooked being used quite loosely here.”
Rhea laughed. “These two had an instant noodle phase, too, and you’re right, the smell is horrible. I banned it for precisely that reason.” Rhea reached for the spoon, offering it to Emmeline. “Please, take first.”
Emmeline wanted to protest, but she had a feeling none of the Hayward family members would allow that, so she acquiesced, putting a serving of the chicken pilau onto her plate. She offered the spoon back to Rhea, and Farhan took it, plating a serving for his mother before making his own plate.
Taking a bite, Emmeline sighed. It was delicious, warming her to her core. Pilau was a perfect comfort meal, especially in winter, the rice soft and soupy with the spiced broth.
“Good, right?” Farhan said, gloating. Luke rolled his eyes as he piled food onto his plate.
“Don’t be too impressed,” Luke told her. “It’s pretty much the only thing he knows how to make.”
“Not true and you know it,” Farhan said cheerily, unperturbed by his older brother’s commentary.
“Did you learn from your mom?” Emmeline asked, as Luke poured water into her glass.
“No, no,” Rhea replied with a fond smile. “He learned from my best friend, Ayman.”
“She makes it all the time,” Luke said.
“It’s Jiya’s favorite,” Farhan said.
“The Din family lives two houses down, and we all grew up together,” Luke told Emmeline. “The eldest, Basim, is Farhan’s best friend, and he has three younger sisters, who are pretty much like our sisters, too.”
“Not all of them,” Farhan muttered under his breath. Luke gave him a funny look, and Farhan cleared his throat. “Emmeline, do you like pilau?”
“Yes, but I usually make it with mutton instead of chicken,” she said.
“Don’t say that too loud,” Farhan said in a mock-whisper.
“We don’t eat too much mutton in this house,” Luke explained, glancing over at the baby chimeras.
“Oh. Right.” Emmeline bit back a laugh. “That makes sense.”
They continued eating, chatting about different things. Rhea asked Emmeline how her work was going, and Emmeline was a little hesitant at first, because she was Luke’s rival and all, but he didn’t seem worried, so she relaxed as well. They were turning a new leaf, moving forward.
It was a wonderful evening and, after eating, the boys cleaned up while Emmeline kept Rhea and the baby chimeras company in the living room. Then, it was time to go. It was getting late and they all had work the next day.
“Thank you for such a lovely dinner,” Emmeline said, kissing Rhea goodbye.
“Thank you for spending the time with us,” Rhea said. She looked very tired by then, and Farhan came to her side.
“Why don’t we get you to bed?” he said, and she nodded slowly. He gave Emmeline a smile, then the two of them were off. Luke returned with her coat, and she slid it on.
“Can I check in on Sharptooth before going?” she asked.
“‘Course,” he replied. They went out back to the barn. It had begun snowing a little bit, snowflakes making a slow and steady descent. In the barn, Sharptooth was still fast asleep.
“She’ll be okay,” Luke said.
“I’m glad.”
They left, and Emmeline waited a moment before calling Torch. She knew her dragon wouldn’t be far away, and a part of her didn’t want to go just yet. She lingered, and Luke was in no rush to head inside.
The air shimmered with snowflakes, a few sticking to his dark hair, which was a bit messy now, but she liked it. She was so used to seeing him perfectly done-up. It felt intimate to see him like this, like he was only hers to see.
It reminded her of that night all those years ago. Her cheeks grew hot at the memories.
“Thank you for letting me have dinner with your family,” she said. “Your mother and brother are really sweet.”
A fond expression came over Luke’s face. “They’re pretty great,” he replied, voice soft.
“I hope your mom feels better,” she said. “Does she have the flu or something? She looked a bit under the weather.”
Luke blinked, surprised. “You don’t know . . .” He trailed off as if realizing something. “I never told you . . .” He paused, swallowing. “She’s sick. She has been for a while, since I was in university.”
Emmeline’s mouth jutted open, shock pouring through her. She hadn’t known. It was such a big thing, and she hadn’t known.
“Is she undergoing treatment or . . .?” she asked.
He ran a hand through his hair. “There’s not much they can do,” he said, “but she takes medication and has some treatments to help manage the pain.” He looked down at the floor, and her heart ached.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Before she could think better of it, she bridged the space between them and brought a hand to his cheek, lifting his face to meet her eyes. “Luke, I’m sorry.”
He leaned into her touch, comforted, and satisfaction spread through her.
“It’s okay, I don’t really talk about it,” he said quietly.
She pulled her hand away as he seemed to find his words.
“It’s . . .” he trailed off, taking a deep breath.
“When you asked me what motivates me—it’s her.
It’s why I still live at home. Farhan has his own place, but I stayed so I could look after her and help with medical bills.
It’s why my dad works late; we tag-team so she’s not alone for too long. ”
She was even more shocked. She’d had no idea.
He had been right before; perhaps she wouldn’t have believed him if he had told her the first time she had asked. She might have thought he was trying to make himself appear as better than he was, to trick her into thinking he was a good son and a good man.
But now she had seen him, she had met his mother, and she knew he was a good son.
A good man.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said. “And if there’s ever anything I can do, let me know. Please.”
That earned her a small smile. “You don’t have to take care of everyone, Emmeline,” he said. For some reason, him saying her name sent a shiver down her spine.
“I know,” she said. “But I like caring for people who are important, and she’s your mom.”
The words were out before she could stop them, and he paused. Admitting that his mother was important was a roundabout way of admitting that he was important to her, as well.
Which was scary. She bit her lower lip, thinking he might take the opportunity to tease her, but he didn’t. Instead, he only looked touched, as if her words meant more than she could ever imagine.
“Thank you,” he said, voice soft. “I appreciate that.”
He leaned forward, and her breath caught in her throat. She held herself still, waiting to see what he would do. His gaze flicked down to her mouth, but at the last second, he turned, kissing her cheek.
It was the gentlest brush of his lips against her skin, hardly anything intense, especially considering that they had slept together the first night they met, but there was something so tender about the gesture.
Even the briefest touch was enough to set her skin aflame and her heart pounding. His lips lingered, and they stayed anchored in that moment, snow falling softly around them as if they were two figures frozen together in a snow globe.
When he pulled back, she missed him immediately. His throat moved as he swallowed. She could tell he wanted to kiss her, and she wanted that, too, but she was being careful.
Clearing her throat, she called Torch. Sure enough, her dragon appeared almost immediately, swooping down with Motu in her paw. The baby immediately flew toward her, and she hugged Motu.
Torch had been unhappy to leave Emmeline at Luke’s, and some of that concern was still etched onto her scaly face—until she saw how comfortable Emmeline was now. The tension eased from Torch’s stance, curiosity entering her purple eyes.
Emmeline looked at Torch, then at Luke, and Torch understood. The dragon sat, then lowered her head in front of him.
“She’s sorry,” Emmeline explained.
“It’s okay,” Luke said, walking toward her. He lifted his hand and petted her head. When he did, Torch twitched, irritated. “My hands are cold,” he said, pulling away.
Torch’s eyes widened with recognition, and she bounced, excited. She bumped her head against Luke’s chest. He almost went flying, but he steadied himself, laughing.
Emmeline smiled fondly. “I think she remembers you, now,” she said. His face brightened.
“I remember you, too,” he said, petting Torch happily.
“Don’t worry,” she told him. “She finally learned not to warm people’s hands with fire.”