Duke pulled me around to face him. I straddled his waist, letting my hands fall between us as his palms cupped my cheeks. “I told you I’ve got you, honey, and I fucking mean it. Whatever you want, whatever you need, it’s yours.” His thumb brushed my cheek, gently wiping away the remaining tears. “You can trust me, Olivia.”
I nodded, leaning into his touch. “I know. I do.”
That was the most terrifying thing of all.
Out of all the words I spoke tonight, those scared me the most. I hadn’t fully trusted a man since Grady, but even that was different. We knew exactly what we were to one another, but I had no idea what I was to Duke.
No matter how hard I tried to remember he was Lukas’s best friend or Harper’s dad, deep down I wanted him to be something else.
Something to me.
Without another word, he pushed to his feet, lifting me in his arms. “I can walk,” I protested, pushing at his chest. “It’s too far?—”
“Shut up, and let me do this,” Duke said, pulling me closer. “Let me carry you. And all the rest too.”
DUKE
Olivia remainedsilent as we headed back to the house. With her head on my shoulder and the soft sound of her breathing, I would’ve thought she was fast asleep were it not for the occasional tightening of her grip on my shirt collar.
I wasn’t sure what made me follow after her as she stumbled off the porch steps of Lukas’s house and headed out into the middle of a field. It was like a gravitational pull I couldn’t ignore.
I would never forget the way her brown eyes widened when she saw all of us standing in the doorway. The moment her gaze snagged on Charlie, she was done for. Hell, I was, too.
When the girls had come running in through the back door to find us, I knew in my gut something was wrong. They had been playing out there for the past hour, but the mood had shifted. Something had happened.
That was when we turned the music down and heard Olivia’s raised voice and her mother’s pathetic attempts to bait her into an apology she wasn’t owed.
Growing up, I knew all I needed to know about Susan Hart.When her husband was alive, she put on a good front at being the perfect, doting mother and wife. As we got older, I couldn’t help but notice the way she’d excuse herself during dinner and come back a few minutes later, glassy-eyed with vodka on her breath.
When her husband died, her addiction had spiraled out of control. I remember when Lukas got the call about his sister being left alone. John had been out of town on business for the week, and he stopped by on his way home to find Olivia all by herself. Her mother was gone. No note. No phone call. She was barely fifteen. I’d never seen Lukas so angry in my life. The guilt ate him alive for weeks to the point he nearly dropped out of school to come home and care for his sister, but John wouldn’t hear of it.
It’d taken time, but he had eventually mended the bridge with his mother. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had less to do with wanting a relationship and more to do with making sure he wasn’t burdened with guilt if she drank herself to death.
Though after the shit she pulled tonight, I wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.
Porch lights cut through the darkness as we neared the house. Olivia lifted her head, staring warily toward the house. Lukas, Harper, and Charlie sat outside on the swing. The girls laughed as he sang incredibly off-key to some old country music song on the radio.
“I can walk now,” she mumbled quietly, releasing her grip on my shirt. I nodded, letting her slip carefully down my body until her feet touched the ground. Even then, I kept my hands on her waist to keep her steady. I felt her absence, the lack of heat, and instantly wanted it back.
Unable to help myself, I intertwined our fingers and gently tugged her forward. “Come on. I’m sure there’s someone who’s been worried about you.”
“Honestly, we should be worried about them. Luke might have ruptured an eardrum.”
We walked hand in hand until we reached the bottom of the steps. Charlie leapt off the swing and ran towards her mom, nearly knocking her over in the process. Olivia placed a hand on top of her daughter’s head to steady them both. “Are you okay, Mommy?”
Olivia blinked, her smile faltering as she stared down at her daughter. “Yeah, baby. I’m feeling a little better now.” She glanced up at her brother. “I’m sorry you had to listen to your uncle’s horrible singing.”
“Hey now,” Lukas said, coming to stand by the porch railing. “It wouldn’t have been fair if I had a good voice. I already won the genetic lottery as it is.”
Olivia rolled her eyes, the tiniest smile playing at her lips. “Whatever you say, big brother.”
Lukas’s gaze snagged on our hands, which were still joined. At some point we’d have to talk about my sudden infatuation with his sister, but now wasn’t the time. I just hoped he could see that while I may have been just as confused as he was, my intentions were in the right place.
“Y’all want to come in?” Lukas asked, pointing behind him. “I was just about to make dinner.”
Olivia tensed beside me.
“She’s not here,” he added, softening his tone. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Livvy.”