Page 71 of Meeting Mr. Adorkable
Oh, shit…
“Before I left,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking, “I wasn’t in the right state of mind to talk about my plans. I just needed to get away for a while, to reset. We all agreed. And—and I have done. Reset, that is.”
“And we’re all so glad of that, honey, we really are. Happy that you seem happier, because you do. Happy that you’ve got a more positive—”
“What is it you’re not telling us, Lucian?” His brother’s sharp blue eyes burned into his across the miles and through the screen.
Fuck… This wasn’t how he wanted to tell them, but what he’d wanted and what was happening were two different things.
“Oh!” His mum’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed a perfect, lipstickedO. “Have you met somebody? A handsome young cowboy? Because, goodness knows, that’s what every Wyoming man is. A brief fling can do wonders for boosting self esteem and—”
A cowboy? A fling?
“Yes. No, and no. What I mean is, yes, I have met somebody. No, he’s not a cowboy. And no—” Lucian swallowed hard. “He’s not a fling.”
The only sound to be heard was the crackle of flames in the fireplace, and Wally, who’d long since jumped down and was barking and growling out of sight.
“I’ve decided to hang on here. We’ve talked about it — me and Arlo, that is, because that’s his name. Arlo. Arlo McDonald, not Arlo That-Is.”
He was babbling as two pairs of blue eyes stared out of the screen, out of blank faces. Lucian raised his hand to push up the non-existent glasses. Neither his mum nor his brother had noticed he wasn’t wearing them, nor had they noticed his hair had been all but cropped.
“How long are you planning on staying in…” Eddie gave a dismissive wave of his hand, the gesture unfreezing the nerves that had turned Lucian into a rambling mess. Anger rose in him. How dare his brother dismiss the Creek and everything it had given him?
“Collier’s Creek. It’s a fine town. There’s a lot more here than cowboys.” He shot a glance at his mum. Although, it had to be said, there were rather a lot of them.
Lucian drew in a deep breath. He wouldn’t stumble over his words. He’d be clear and calm and explain who and what Arlo was, as he made them understand.
“I was an emotional, mental mess when I left to come here. We all know it, and we know why.” Neither said anything. Out of sight of the camera, Lucian’s hands shook, but he had to be clear about what he wanted, and who he wanted; he wouldn’t let them steamroller him. “When I decided to come to Collier’s Creek—”
“I really don’t think sticking a pin in a map constitutes the basis for a well thought out decision.” Eddie huffed as he shook his head.
Lucian squeezed together his sweat slick hands.
“How I chose this place isn’t relevant, but my being here is and that’s because of Arlo.”
Off camera, indistinct words caught Eddie’s attention, and he scowled. “Bloody hell. I need to sort something out. I’ll leave Mum to talk some sense into you. We’ll be seeing you soon, Lu.” Eddie stared pointedly into the camera before he disappeared.
“Don’t mind your brother, honey, he’s just protective of you. We all are, but I guess we all show it in different ways. Eddie’s gruff, you know that. He’s a lot like your late granddaddy.”
Lucian shrugged. When did protective cross over into being domineering? Guilt rippled through him, but they all had to stop trying to plan his life, and he had to stop letting them.
“So, tell me about your Arlo,” his mum said gently.
Your Arlo… The words wound themselves around his heart and warmed every little piece of him. Because Arlo was his.
As concisely as he could, he told her all about Arlo McDonald. About his art, and about coming back to Collier’s Creek. About his beautiful house on the edge of town with the incredible mountain views. He even told her about Peanut. But there was so much he hadn’t told her, and he braced himself for the questions he knew would come.
“He sounds like an interesting man who’s achieved a lot in life. Way more than most twenty-four-year-olds would do.”
Twenty-four. His age, but not Arlo’s.
“That’s because he’s not twenty-four. He’s forty-four.” Lucian battled to keep the tremor out of his voice. Why should Arlo’s age matter? It was the essence of the man that was important. But he knew his mum’s concerns, and he braced himself for the questions she would ask next.
“Oh, honey. Why? After everything that happened before… Why are you treading this path again?”
Lucian closed his eyes, just for a moment, not bearing to see the anguish on her face, but he need to answer her questions and look her in the eyes as he did so.
“I’m treading this path precisely because it’s not the same as before. Arlo’s older, sure, and I’m not dumb enough to not realize that, yes, maybe that was part of the initial attraction, but—”
