Epilogue
“ Y ou may kiss the bride.”
Luca clapped with the rest of the congregation, a few guys hooting and hollering when Antony pulled Riley onto his lap. Luca chuckled, knowing this was exactly why Antony had decided to get married in his chair instead of with his crutches.
The pair finally separated enough to acknowledge they had an audience, and Antony lifted his and Riley’s hands straight up into the air.
Luca grinned and clapped some more. The guy really was lucky. Luca had been working with the therapeutic facility for a couple of years now, and very few patrons had made as much progress as Antony. At least not as quickly as Antony had.
He shifted and began moving toward the walkway as the crowd cleared out now that Antony and Riley had gone down the aisle together. Other than Antony, Luca didn’t know a soul, and he felt like a bull in a china shop as he navigated a crowd of tiny old ladies and bent over men who had probably known Antony since he was in diapers .
A small, cool hand landed on his arm, and Luca looked down to see Antony’s mom. “Mrs. Harrison,” Luca said politely.
Mrs. Harrison gripped him tighter. “I waited too long to move, and now I need someone to part the Red Sea,” she teased. Looking up, she grinned. “With Gavin already gone, I figured you were the next best thing.”
Luca chuckled. “I don’t know who Gavin is, but I’m gonna guess it was the big guy on the stage?”
Mrs. Harrison nodded. “He’s Antony’s best friend. They grew up together.” She looked ahead. “Gavin played football and is now a firefighter. But even he wasn’t quite big enough to help Antony see sense when he got back from his service.”
Luca’s smile fell. He knew all too well what it was like to be like Antony. Angry. Bitter. Too stuck in the mire to see through it.
His hand clenched as he tried to keep from reaching up to touch his eye patch. It was a constant reminder of what he’d been through, just like Antony’s leg and scarring. Compared to Harrison, Luca had gotten off easy. The skin along his temple and jaw joint were a lighter type of scarring than Antony had, but Luca would never be able to use his eye again. It wasn’t the same as losing a limb, but it got him odd looks at the grocery store for sure.
“I believe I have you to thank for that,” Mrs. Harrison continued, giving his arm a squeeze. “Well…you and my sweet new daughter, Riley.”
“I didn’t do much,” Luca muttered, guiding Antony’s mom toward the reception area. “Antony did the work. I just waited him out.”
“Yes, but no one else could have waited the right way.” She stopped, pulling him to a stop and looked up. “Actually, it wouldn’t have mattered how long we waited, Mr. Luca. We couldn’t understand what he was going through. But you did.” She gave him a watery smile. “And what’s more, Antony knew you understood, and that’s what made you the right man for the job.” She patted his forearm. “Thank you for walking me out. I’ll step out of the way so the single young ladies have a chance.” With a wink, Mrs. Harrison was gone, her dark head disappearing into the crowd.
Luca snorted softly and worked his way to the back of the room. Single young ladies. First of all…there couldn’t be that many in a town this size. Second…Luca shook his head. There was no second point.
Antony and Luca might have hit it off because they’d had similar struggles when reintegrating into society, but there was more that Antony had no idea about.
Luca had also left a girl behind.
The biggest difference, however, was that Luca had never been courageous enough to go home.
His family sent him straight from the hospital to the facility in Portland, ignoring his pleas to come back.
They’d been right. Luca could see that now. He needed to be around those who’d been through the same thing as him, and he needed someone to help him direct his anger into something more usable.
But afterwards, he’d stayed on. Instead of going back to his family and her , he’d stayed, working in the environment he’d become comfortable with and helping others find the healing he’d found himself.
A flash of red hair and blue eyes ran through his mind, but Luca quickly pushed it away. It was ridiculous to keep thinking about Serenity. There was no possible way she was still single and waiting for him.
He’d left her too long, and any idiot with a lick of sense would grab someone like her and put a ring on it before other guys had a chance to realize she existed.
Jealousy churned in Luca’s stomach, but he refused to give into it. He couldn’t be jealous. He didn’t have the right to be. He’d been a coward, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to accept his new life. He wasn’t the same man he was when he’d left, not in looks or in personality. He bore visible, as well as invisible, scars and it wasn’t fair of him to ask Serenity to take that on.
“Gavin.” The big guy from Antony’s wedding party stepped up, hand extended.
Luca nodded and shook his hand. “Antony mentioned you. I’m Luca. Nice to meet you.”
Gavin grinned. “I’ve heard a few things about you as well.” Gavin stepped sideways, putting them shoulder to shoulder as they watched the room. “Thank you for your service.”
Luca chuckled and nodded again. “It was my honor.” He felt Gavin’s eyes on him.
“Service to our country and your service to Tone,” Gavin said a little softer. “Both are important to me.”
Luca turned his head just a little. “It was still an honor.”
“I can see why you two got along so well.”
Luca’s grin grew.
“You from around here?”
Luca shrugged. “I’ve been in Portland for a few years.”
Gavin raised his eyebrows, waiting.
Luca faced forward again, hesitating before giving in. “But I come from a smallish town north of here. Lighthouse Bay.”
Gavin nodded. “I’ve passed through it.”
“Most people have,” Luca quipped. “They just don’t realize it.”
Gavin chuckled. “You still have family there, then?”
Luca nodded. “My two younger brothers run a construction company in the broader area.”
“Nice.” Gavin said, leaning back on his heels. “Antony mentioned you were considering going back to work with them.”
Luca shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve had a standing invitation for a while.” Two years, in fact. Not that Gavin needed to know that. Luca hadn’t managed to give a real no, but he hadn’t accepted either. The idea of facing Serenity still terrified him, but after seeing Antony with Riley…
“Well, whichever way you go, good luck to you.” Gavin slapped him on the shoulder. “You need to come sit with the crew,” he said. “You might not be in a tux, but you’re part of the wedding group all the same.”
Luca started to protest, but Gavin held up a hand.
“We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t helped him,” Gavin stated bluntly. “And we want to say thank you. So put the pride away and come eat.” Gavin grinned. “It’s just a dinner, man. You might be the last single guy around, but I promise no one’ll make you marry their daughter before you leave.”
Luca chuckled. “If you insist.”
“We do. Come on.”
Luca followed Gavin as he led the way, but his mind was still churning on other things, mainly the invitation to go home. Antony was proof that it sometimes worked out and watching Mrs. Harrison and Antony’s sisters all interact was giving Luca a terrible case of homesickness.
His parents were gone, but his brothers were begging for him to come back. He’d held back for a long time, afraid Serenity wouldn’t be able to forgive him for changing. But it had been years. If he ever ran into her, surely they could be civil adults. It had been long enough for any anger she might have to dissipate. Right?
Anticipation built in his gut, and Luca realized with a start that it wasn’t just time...he wanted to go.
Yay! You did it! You made it all the way to the end of the book. You’re amazing!
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