“Oh…” I said, trying to figure out if any of my family would try to grill him. I had an uncle that liked to come at people swinging like Jake, but he would be too busy trying to argue with my dad about legalizing marijuana. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” I comforted him. “And if you feel one coming on, remember you can always go up to my room in the house and have a time out. It’s there if you need it.”
“Thanks— that means the world to me,” he said.
I smiled. “Of course. It makes me feel happy to take care of you.”
There was a happy quiet as we enjoyed the moment. Then he asked, “So, people spend the night here, right? And then tomorrow it’s an all-day thing.”
“Yep, exactly. Then some of my family stays for Tuesday too to help clean up. Some people are probably flying out Monday night because they have work on Tuesday morning.
“Ah, makes sense,” Luke said. “I can help clean up— school doesn’t start until Wednesday.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said, planting a kiss on the back of his neck. “All I want you to focus on is enjoying the party and making yourself comfortable.”
There was a pause, and I knew something was bothering him.
“What if they don’t like me?” he asked.
I knew that was his anxiety talking; I could feel him start to tense up.
“Are you kidding? They’ll love you! They’ve been bothering me to find someone for ages. And now I’ve found you— you’re like, the holy grail of boyfriends. They’ll be over the moon.”
And I was sure of that, too. I could think of how my mom would talk to Luke and then look at me proudly. My brothers would make comments about how I looked less angry, and my sisters would throw comments around like “When’s the wedding?”
But that was all stuff for later when the party started.
Luke relaxed a little, but I could still tell there was some tension in his body. After a pause, he voiced it. “Did anyone in your family ever meet… did they meet Brian? Or Peter?”
Peter. I nearly forgot that I mentioned Peter to Luke. I closed my eyes sadly.
“Some of them met Peter, yes,” I said carefully.
“Is everyone going to compare me to him?” Luke asked.
“No,” I said quickly, “They only met him in passing. No one talks about him because everyone knows what happened. Don’t worry babe — everyone’s going to like you, and it’ll be a great time.”
I didn’t want to talk about Peter anymore. Sure I was over it, but I still didn’t like having to go back into the subject.
What Luke didn’t know— what he didn’t need to know, was that Peter had a stalker that caused him so much distress. I tried to get the stalker arrested, but none of the charges ever stuck. He always slipped through my fingers.
The stalking got so bad that Peter was always mired in fear. He wouldn’t go outside. He wouldn’t eat. He became more and more depressed, then finally ended up taking his own life.
I squeezed Luke even tighter, and the image of his weird-looking ex came to mind.
I’d do anything and everything I could to protect this beautiful, perfect man in my arms right now. Even if I had to do something drastic.
21
Luke
Adam and I were talking in the kitchen of the farmhouse while he finished some last-minute meal prep for the cookout tomorrow. We’d spent the day talking, setting up some volleyball nets in the yard, getting sparklers for the younger family members, and shopping for all the right foods. Now we had everything in place and were waiting for guests.
I was sitting at the table, letting my nerves get the best of me as I talked to Adam, who was bustling around by the sink. I watched his broad back flex and move as he washed some dishes.
Sometimes I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming; there was no way that I’d managed to get a man like this.
Under the table, I was fidgeting so that Adam couldn’t see. He told me there was nothing to worry about, but I was still nervous. Would his family hate me? They’d probably hate me. Despite all of his reassurances, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they would take one look at me and decide I wasn’t good enough for Adam.
Then the doorbell rang and my heart quickened.
“Oh, that must be the first one,” Adam said jovially. “Luke, can you get it?”
I stood up shakily and walked over to the front door. For a moment I was overtaken by panic, wondering if this was his mom or dad and that they’d look at me with expressions of disappointment. My anxiety-riddled brain was having a party at my expense; taking delight in tormenting me with all the ways this could go wrong.
But I pushed past all that knowing that Adam was behind me, and opened the door.
Standing before me was a short, dark-haired young woman with a pair of thick, fashionable glasses sitting on her nose.
She saw me and screamed.
I jumped and she wrapped me in a tight hug.
“YOU MUST BE HIM!!!” She cried, abandoning her small suitcase on the front porch.
I inhaled and detected the hint of an expensive-smelling perfume.
“Yep, that’s him!” Adam called from the kitchen. “My boyfriend Luke!”
Hearing that word always sent my heart soaring. Boyfriend. I was Adam’s boyfriend.
“You’re even better than I imagined!” The woman cried as she pulled away.
“Laura, you’re letting mosquitoes in,” Adam said sternly.
“Oh, right, sorry I was distracted by this incredible man!” she said as she pulled her suitcase over the threshold and closed the door.
I was blushing at her compliment.
She continued to give me creative compliments as she
