Page 103 of The Edge of Summer
“Parkerdoesn’t want to be talked about like he’s not here.”
At his voice, Delilah and I pull apart. Her brother standsin the threshold looking decidedly less nauseated than he did this morning. Today was Sophia’s first day of senior kindergarten and Parker’s first day of grade eleven. While Sophia was cautiously optimistic, Parker looked as if he could hurl at any moment.
“Fair enough,” I say. “How did it go?”
He shrugs. “Alright, I guess.”
“C’mon,” I coax, reaching for a slice of pizza. “You’ve gotta give me more than that.”
He rolls his eyes. “My first period teacher is an asshole. My second period teacher doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. I’m surprised she even made it past teacher’s college. My third period is English, so that’s gonna be a cake walk. And fourth period—” He cuts himself off and averts his eyes. “It’s alright.”
I grin. “What’s her name?”
His eyes snap up to me. “What?”
“I asked what her name is. The girl that’s in your fourth period. You’ve got that look on your face. So what’s her name?”
At first, I don’t think he’s going to answer. Then he eventually says, “Jenna.” I nod, self-satisfied that I managed to read him like that. He shakes his head, an amused smile on his lips. “You know, you’re not half-bad, old man.”
Delilah’s giggle fills the room as my jaw drops. “Did you hear that?” I ask her, pointing toward her brother.
Her lips roll into her mouth as she tries to stifle her laughter. “I believe he called you old, Chief.” She shrugs. “He’s not wrong.”
As I set my slice of pizza down, I attempt a glower, but itappears I’ve grown rusty because all she does is giggle again. She tries to make a run for it, the traitor that she is, but my finger catches in her belt loop and I draw her back into my chest.
“Hey!Hestarted it!” she complains.
I plant my hands on her hips and spin her around to face me. “Yes, he did,” I acknowledge. “And now I’m using you as payback.” Hands caressing her face, I draw her lips toward mine. She melts into me, fisting my shirt.
“Aw,c’mon, man! I thought we were cool.” Parker pretends to gag. “Alright, truce! White flag! I surrender!”
We both start laughing too much to continue with our kiss, but I refuse to let her go. With one arm still wrapped around her, I pick up my pizza again and listen as Parker properly recounts his day. Sophia comes down from her bedroom and insists we watch a movie—as a family. We all settle on the couch, Riot included. He curls himself up at Sophia’s side.
Delilah gets comfortable beside me, her legs draped over my lap. When she turns to me, her eyes soften. “I’m sure this isn’t how you pictured spending your evenings,” she whispers.
“No,” I reply with a shake of my head. “This is so much better.”
CHAPTER
FORTY
DELILAH
November has arrivedon the island with a vengeance. Gone are the sunny summer days I’ve come to love, and in their place is a cold front that is bound to turn into snow any day now. Winter back home in Victoria is usually on the milder side, so I’m not sure what to expect out of my first Ontario winter.
Strong arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me back into a hard chest. Luke bends and places a kiss to my shoulder. “What are you up to?” he asks. I can feel the reverberations of his voice against my back.
I shrug. “Just thinking.”
“Hm,” he hums. “How dangerous.”
I pinch his forearm, and then I spin in his embrace. In response, he pins me against the bathroom counter and steals my breath with a kiss.
These past couple months with Luke have been everything. Getting to experience his love for myself is a precious gift, but I don’t think I will ever get over how he loves mysiblings, too. He knows just how messy my life is, but he wants to lie in the dirt with me anyway.
“I love you,” I say.
He grins. “And I love you, Shutterbug,” he replies. “But we’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up.”
