Page 67 of The Edge of Summer
Right. Because he doesn’t know where her bedroom is. Because this is his first time hanging out with us. Because we’recasual.
Luke follows me through the back door and up the stairs to the second floor. Riot is on our heels, sticking close to his new friend. Parker’s bedroom is first and his door is already shut. The small bathroom is next, and then Sophia’s bedroom. I’m thankful I had the foresight to request she get ready for bed before we started the movie.
I turn on the nightlight beside her bed and make sure the comforter is turned down. Luke waits until I step out of the way and then he lowers her to the mattress. In her sleep, she clings to his shirt and he has to slide out from under her hand. I hold my breath, waiting to see if she will wake up, but she snuggles into her pillow and continues to dream. With the covers pulled up to her chin and a kiss on her forehead, I tiptoe out of the room, pulling the door shut behind me.
Luke is waiting for me in the hallway, and Riot sits dutifully at his feet. The three of us quietly make our way downstairs. When we reach the landing, Riot runs into the livingroom and hops up on the couch. He remembers his spot from that evening he stayed with us.
Luke points at him. “He’s not allowed on the couch.”
I huff, indignant. “At Casa Delacroix, he can do whatever he wants.”
“So you’re the one spoiling my dog, huh?” Luke advances toward me, a perfectly wicked look on his face. “He came home and decided he didn’t need to follow the rules anymore.”
I shrug, my lips curving into a grin. “Not his fault your rules are stupid.”
I spin away, but he catches me around the waist. I laugh as he turns me to face him. The sound, however, dies almost instantly when his mouth seals over mine.
While we were watching the movie, I took my hair out of its usual ponytail. Now it hangs in curtains over my shoulders and down my back. Luke’s fingers tangle in the strands as he cups the back of my head, drawing me closer.
I know this thing between us isn’t forever, so some part of me feels like I need to take advantage of every opportunity I have to be with him. When he pulls back, I take my chance.
“It’s late,” I blurt.It’s not that late. “Why don’t you— Would you want to stay? Just for tonight.”
“Alright,” he says. He lets me pull him toward my bedroom. “Just for tonight.”
Luke fell asleep in my bed. With me. I’m half convinced we both fell victim to some kind of spell that made us make baddecisions. How else can I explain my asking him to stay and Luke accepting the offer?
This morning, however, I’m alone, but muffled voices begin to carry through the air. I untangle myself from the comforter and head for my en suite. Then I pad out of the room, following the giggles that float through the house from the kitchen.
I find Luke, dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, leaning against the island. Sophia sits on one of the tall stools, her legs swinging beneath her as she digs into a bowl of the Lucky Charms we bought yesterday.
“Morning,” I say warily. “You guys are up early.”
“Morning, Shutterbug.” Luke crosses the kitchen and pours a mug of coffee. Then he places it in my hands, wrapping my fingers around it when I’m too stunned to do it myself. “I came out to make you a pot and then Soph decided she was hungry.”
His arm loops around my waist, and his fingers dip under my tank top. His hand curls on my hip, squeezing. And then his mouth settles over mine, stealing a kiss from my lips. I pull back, gesturing with my eyes toward my sister.
Luke retracts his hands and settles back against the counter with his own mug. I think we’ve flown under the radar—Sophia hasn’t looked up from her bowl. But then she asks, “Sissy, are you and Luke gonna get married?”
The sip of coffee I just took enters my windpipe as Sophia’s question forces me to suck in air.Lotsof air.
“What?”
She looks at me with impossibly big eyes. “Are you gonna get married?”
When I look to Luke for some help, I find him leaning casually, one ankle crossed over the other. Drinking his coffee like my little sister didn’t just ask if we weregoing to get married.
I cough awkwardly. “What makes you ask that?”
Sophia shrugs. “You kissed. Mommy and Daddy kissed. They’re married.”
Those words slam into me with the force of a high-speed train. Luke doesn’t look quite as amused anymore. I can feel his eyes tracing me—assessing. I struggle to find the right words. Explaining the nuances of an adult relationship to a five-year-old isn’t something I’m prepared to do. It isn’t something I should do. Right? Right.
“They did, didn’t they?” I offer Sophia a gentle smile. “Soph, sometimes people kiss because they like each other, but that doesn’t always mean they get married.”
“But areyougonna get married?”
I shake my head. “No, Luke and I are not getting married.”
