“What do you think?” Cole asked.
“I think it’s certainly time. It seems like the right thing to do. We’ll give her carte blanche to design it however she chooses, and we’ll finally have a home that suits our needs.”
Cole nodded, but Luke couldn’t get a read on his thoughts.
“Is there a problem?”
“No.”
“Now why don’t I believe you?” Luke could tell something was on Cole’s mind, but he had no idea what it was.
He stared back at him for a long time, not giving him any space until he spoke up a minute or two later.
“I don’t want the two of you thinking that you have to do this for me. I –”
Luke moved closer, putting his hand on Cole’s arm, feeling the subtle shift as tension coursed just beneath the surface. “You what?”
“I’m not running again. I just don’t want everyone to think they have to walk on eggshells or change everything because of me.”
Luke moved even closer, leaving only a breath of space between them. “We’re not, Cole. We all want to be happy, and this was Sierra’s idea to bring us on an even keel. With a house that belongs to the three of us, we’ve helped to erase some of what’s left of that line that still separates us.”
Cole met his gaze, a spark of heat echoing deep in the midnight blue reflecting back at him. Luke felt an answering heat building deep inside. He knew what Cole was thinking.
There was still another line that they had yet to attempt to erase, but they were getting closer. It was inevitable, and Luke wouldn’t say as much now, but he was more than ready.
Part Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Two months later…
“How are you feeling?” Sierra asked Ashleigh as they sat at a small table in the back of the little café they’d started visiting at least once a month for lunch.
“Better,” Ashleigh answered with a smile. “It’s been a rough four months.”
Sierra could only imagine how tough things had been on Ashleigh. She only recently learned that her friend was pregnant, and although she’d been a little hurt that Ashleigh hadn’t trusted her with the news during a time when she knew she could’ve used a friend, Sierra understood.
According to Ashleigh, it had been a rocky first few months, but her doctor had assured her that the pregnancy was progressing nicely, and she was finally able to enjoy a little more time out of bed. Having been restricted to very little activity due to some initial concerns, Sierra hadn’t seen much of her until recently.
“How’s Alex?” Sierra worried that Alex harbored some hard feelings toward Cole for leaving CISS, but she hadn’t been able to get anyone to confirm her fears.
“He’s doing much better these days.” Ashleigh’s smile lit up her face. “Really, Sierra. He’s happy for the three of you. He realizes how much he put on Cole there for a while, and he still feels guilty about it.”
“What about Dylan?” Sierra knew from talking to Ashleigh that Dylan wasn’t doing well.
Based on what she’d overheard from Luke and Cole, Dylan was suffering from depression, and they speculated that it was brought on by the anniversary of his wife’s death as well as both of his children being out of the house. It sounded to Sierra like Dylan was having a hard time dealing with being alone. From what she could tell, he decided the best way to deal with his emotional state was by numbing himself with alcohol.
“He’s actually doing a little better.” Ashleigh glanced away as though she were trying to rein in her emotions.
“What is it?”
Ashleigh paused for a second, and Sierra saw her swallow hard.
“Alex was originally trying to send Nate to Austin. He wanted him and Jake to manage Alluring Indulgence’s security division down there. Ever since Nate informed Alex that he wasn’t looking to go, Dylan seemed to come around.”
“Did Alex come up with this idea before or after Dylan stopped working at CISS?”
“Before. I think that’s part of what triggered his depression. He’s not ready for either of his kids to leave him. I think he feels abandoned.”
Sierra could understand. He had up and moved, selling the ranch where he and Meghan had raised their kids just to be closer to Stacey when she started college. For Nate to possibly move three hundred miles away probably was a little difficult to cope with.
“Is he working again?”
Ashleigh leaned back in her chair, placing a protective hand over her baby bump and smiled. “Depends on what you mean by working?”
The smile told Sierra there must be a story behind it. “Is he back at CISS?”