Page 95 of Deception
“I think that would be safest,” he says, kissing her neck. “Now, about that time together in the Chapel…”
Griffin’s Beach
Lucas
Standing against the wall, Lucas watches the party going on around them. He has an envelope with Colt’s present in it, but he wonders if maybe giving it to him in a room full of people isn’t the best idea.
A large shadow falls on him, and he looks up, startled. Undertaker stands beside him with a smile. “Hey, kid. You look nervous.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
A shaky breath comes from him, and he hates how noticeable it is. He looks at the ground and says, “I have a present for Colt, but I don’t know if it was a good idea now.”
Laughing, Undertaker places a large paw on Lucas’s shoulder. “Kid, you could color him a picture out of Calla’s coloring book, and he’d think it was the greatest gift ever.”
“You really think so?”
“I do. Look, I know where you came from, and I know what it’s like to live in some pretty terrible places.”
He looks up in shock. “You do?”
“I was in foster care. It’s not a great place to be, and you see a lot of things you never want to unless you’re an exceptional case. I wasn’t. And those things you see can never be unseen. It can be pretty scary.”
“I wasn’t in foster care, but it might have been better. Mom chose drugs over me. And my stepdad… well…”
“Oh, I know all about your stepdad,” Undertaker says. “He’s a real peach. I made him piss himself, so that was pretty fantastic.”
This makes Lucas a little happy, and he laughs. “I wish I could’ve seen that. Although I’m pretty sure he does it regularly. He gets so drunk he forgets how to stand.”
“Why are you so nervous about giving this gift to Colt?”
“I just feel like it’s not enough after everything he and Lex have done for me.”
“Coming from a shitty place, I get it. It’s hard to accept that when something good comes along that it’ll stick around. Guys like us are used to good things disappearing on us, and when you get it, you almost feel guilty. Undeserving. And then you feel like you owe something in return.”
It’s comforting to know someone else understands. He’s never been able to form his feelings into words before, and Hailey doesn’t quite feel the same way he does. His sister is tougher by nature than Lucas is. It still amazes him how alone he can feel in a room like this, filled with people. He worries he’ll never feel like he fully fits.
“They’ve been really good to me.”
“You lucked out with them,” he says. “You got a phone on you?”
Pulling it out of his pocket—another gift from his adoptive parents—he hands it to Undertaker. “Here.”
“I’m putting my number in here. If you ever need someone to talk to who understands a little bit what you’re going through, give me a call. You’re not alone, kid. Call me anytime.”
“Thanks, Undertaker. I might do that.”
“Just rip the bandage off. It’ll be okay,” he says and guides him away from the wall.
Lucas takes a deep breath and continues towards the table where Lex sits on Colt’s lap, both laughing at something Ky said.
“Colt?”
“Hey, buddy. Having fun?”
He forces a smile. “Yeah. I, um, I have a present for you.”
