Unbreakable (33 page)

“Hey baby,” I jump startled by the voice
right by my ear.

“It’s just me,” Luke declares as he walks
around the chair and sits on the ottoman. “You’re really studying
that picture,” he says shocked at my reaction. He takes the picture
from my hands and lays it in the book. Closing the book and setting
it aside, he grabs my ankles and straightens out my legs. With his
strong warm hands he starts to rub my bare feet and works up to my
ankles caressing me gently.

“You, my sweet, need to relax and take your
mind off of that stuff for now,” Luke murmurs. As his hands make it
to my thighs, he leans in kissing my lips lightly. His hair is
still damp from his shower. He smells amazing, and looks so cute in
his loose fitting basketball shorts and tight black t-shirt that
allows me to see his muscles.

“Oh yeah, and you’re going to help me,
right?” I whisper back wrapping my arms around his neck bringing
him in for another kiss.

“Yes, I am!” He whispers against my lips, as
his tongue enters my mouth our kiss deepens.

“Get a room!” Emma interrupts our moment
when she walks into the family room and plops on the couch.

Luke groans at the intrusion and slides off
me landing on the floor in front of my chair. I bring my legs back
under me and lean forward wrapping my arms around him and fold them
together in front of his chest.

“He’s helping me relax,” I say sweetly in
his ear before I nibble on his earlobe. He places his hands on my
arms and turns his head toward me kissing my chin.

“Oh is that what you were doing?” Emma says
rolling her eyes. “So I hear I missed the show, I would have loved
to have seen that,” Emma says. I assume she means Adeline.

“How’d you hear about it?” I ask her
curiously, not sure who would have told her.

“Jimmy called me to tell me he was back in
town and that he was here. He mentioned it, was I not supposed to
know?” She says offended by my question.

I turn my head and give her a don’t be
stupid look, of course she can know. “I was just wondering how you
found out about it. As far as I know, Adeline has it on the radio.
Wait a minute, you said Jimmy called you? You know James
Carmichael?” I ask shocked, another tidbit I didn’t know about my
best friend.

“Yeah, I’ve known him for years. He’s been
trying to get with me for as long as I can remember,” she says so
matter of fact and surprised I didn’t know. “I told you that, I
know I did,” she insists when she sees my astonished look.

“No, you haven’t ever told me that,” I
squawk. “Did you know?” I ask Luke pushing on his shoulders letting
him know that I am now addressing him.

“Ummmm, yeah,” he says quietly, ducking to
the side like I’m going to smack him. “Jimmy has been in love with
Emma since, well…. forever,” he adds softly and I feel very put out
by this. So much I missed out on as a child.

“Hey beautiful,” Jimmy enters the room as if
on cue and hops over the back of the couch and lands next to Emma
making her bounce on her side. “Did you miss me?” He asks her
coolly as he brushes his still wet hair aside. He is in basketball
shorts and a t-shirt too. Luke and Jimmy are so much alike in many
ways.

“Hardly,” Emma answers back with an annoyed
look on her face. “You were gone? Oh that’s right, you ran away
with that slut.” She blurts out miffed. Jimmy looks confused and
taken aback by her statement.

“Someone looks wounded,” Luke pipes out, but
shuts up fast when Emma throws him a death look.

“I need a drink. I’m hitting the liquor
cabinet.” Emma gets up in a huff and walks through the kitchen
disappearing into the dining room where the hard liquor is kept.
Once she is out of sight, Luke and I stare at Jimmy for his
reaction.

“What in the world was that about?” Jimmy
says aghast. “Do you know how many times I have asked her out and
she has turned me down?” He says flabbergasted by her reaction. He
looks at me for help. What the heck would I know?

“I’ll go talk to her,” I tell them and crawl
out of the chair to find Emma.

I find her in the dining room searching the
liquor cabinet for what she wants to drink. Jane always kept a very
well stocked liquor cabinet with only top shelf booze. Everything
in there is still left from Jane. Emma is moving bottles, reading
labels, and ignoring me as I stand next to her watching. I know
nothing about hard drinks, not having the slightest idea of what
mixes with what.

“What’s wrong?” I jump right in not knowing
what to say.

“Nothing’s wrong. Do you have any diet
coke?” She asks me as she pulls out a bottle of rum, closes the
cabinet, and turns to head for the kitchen. I follow her and watch
her get a glass filling it with ice. The boys come in from the
family room when they hear us, sitting across from where we stand
at the kitchen island. Emma pulls out a couple of cans of diet
coke. “Anyone else want one?” Luke and Jimmy’s hands shoot up as
soon as she asks. She grabs three more glasses and Jimmy looks to
me for answers. All I can do is shrug with confusion. She hands us
all tall glasses of rum and coke and leans her elbows on the
counter after she takes a large drink of hers.

“So what are you going to do about Adeline?”
She asks me out of the blue like everything is just normal. Jimmy
looks at Emma then to Luke, who just shrugs and lifts his glass to
Jimmy in a cheers motion and takes a drink. I sip mine, not really
liking the taste at first.

“Nothing, I’m going to ignore her,” I answer
Emma, taking another small sip. “She doesn’t have a leg to stand
on, and my lawyer isn’t here so what can I do,” I say taking
another sip. It’s starting to taste better. Miss Finnegan comes in
and shoos us out so she can make supper. We escape to the back
patio, but not before Emma refreshes all of our drinks.

We all sit in silence for a while, none of
us sure of what to say after the awkwardness of Jimmy and Emma. The
evening is warm, but with the sun setting it is cooling off. Jimmy
pokes Emma in the side of her ribs and she smacks his hand away. He
pokes her in the ribs again and she smacks his hand again only
harder and madder.

“What gives, Emma, why are you mad at me?”
Jimmy blurts out looking truly sad that she is so cold to him. The
first serious look I’ve seen on his face.

“Nothing’s wrong, I’m not mad.” Emma says
coolly taking another drink and crossing her legs trying to look
calm. Jimmy’s mouth is agape as he looks at her then to us. He has
a look of dread on his face like he has messed up.

“I think you are mad,” I address Emma who
looks at me with no appreciation of my comment. “Are you mad
because he’s back, or are you mad because he left?” I feel like it
is the later of the two.

“You just up and left with that……that Sophie
girl!” Emma yells at Jimmy waving her hand at him.

“How many times, Emma, how many times did I
ask you out?” Jimmy says back in a very aggravated voice. “Don’t
even tell me that I had even a little bit of a shot, all you ever
did was turn me down.” He scoots his chair around to face her
better and she starts twitching her crossed leg, her flip-flop
hanging on the end of her big toe flaps up and down with every
twitch.

“You didn’t know I liked you?” Emma says
softer, but still shouting. Luke and I look at each other. I’m not
sure if we should leave or stay, but neither one of us make to get
up. I know I’m really interested in hearing how this goes.

“Well, I thought for a while you did. Why do
you think I kept trying? But you broke my heart that night. I left
to try and forget about you,” Jimmy says to her leaning in his
chair so that he is closer to her. I have no idea what night he is
talking about, and I want to ask but don’t. “Sophie was nothing to
me. We broke up shortly after we got to California,” he admits and
I hear Luke make a little sound as if this shocks him.

“I was mad that night. I didn’t mean to hurt
you. I had just gotten in a big fight with my dad,” she explains
now looking at him. “When I told you that I couldn’t be with you,
it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be with you. It was because of
my father,” she admits to him and Jimmy leans back in his chair to
process this new information. “I never got a chance to explain, you
were gone,” Emma’s voice cracks and I can tell she is trying to
fight back tears, but loses as I see one roll down her cheek. Jimmy
leans forward again taking her hand with a look of sadness on his
face that breaks my heart. “My father wouldn’t allow me to date you
because of your mother. He hates her and always has,” she says
looking down at their hands.

“Jesus, Emma! Why didn’t you tell me?” Jimmy
shrieks at her. “If I had known that…dammit. I don’t give a shit if
your dad hates my mom, my dad, or me. I would have waited for you
forever,” he says sincerely, hurt that she didn’t tell him.

“I was only seventeen when you left, Jimmy!
I didn’t know you were leaving or what to do,” she cries, tears
streaming down her face. Jimmy gets out of his chair and is on his
knees in front of her. He takes her face in his hands and wipes the
tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. I feel myself fighting back
tears for my friend. Luke must sense it because he grabs my hand
and pulls on me to get up guiding me to his lap where I sit and his
strong arms cloak me.

“I am so sorry, Emma,” Jimmy chokes an
apology. “Please, please forgive me,” he pleads to her with his
forehead against hers. He loves her deeply and it is very apparent
that she feels the same way. I can’t believe I never knew. She
never talked about him or how she felt. When I was with Emma, it
always seemed to be about me. Anytime I would ask her questions
about guys, she would be short with answers and change the subject.
Watching her, I realize this is the first time I have ever seen her
cry. I want to run to her so I can comfort her the way she has
always comforted me.

“Let’s give them some privacy,” Luke
whispers and helps me off his lap. He takes my hand and we start to
walk around the side of the house. I look back before they are out
of sight and they are in the same position with Jimmy on his knees
and their foreheads together. I can see them talking softly as they
disappear out of sight.

Chapter 38

“I’ve got a surprise for you,” Luke says as
we return from our walk to find Emma and Jimmy no longer on the
patio. Now past 8:00, Luke and I walked all over the grounds
stopping for a couple make out sessions along the way. Luke had
texted Jacob to let him know what we were doing. Sam kept an eye on
us with the dogs, but kept his distance.

“What surprise?” I ask curiously, walking in
the house. I see the door to the extra room off the family room is
closed. It is an empty room that Miss Finnegan had set up an air
mattress in as a temporary bed for Jimmy until the bed and
furniture she ordered comes in. I wonder if Emma is in there with
him or if she went home. I don’t remember seeing her car or not
when we passed by the front of the house.

The house is quiet and Miss Finnegan has
cleaned up with a note on the island saying food is in the fridge
and directions for reheating. My stomach is growling and I’m ready
to eat, but Luke takes my hand and goes right through the kitchen.
I know he has to be starving, too, so I go without an argument
hoping this surprise also involves food.

I hear talking coming from the office and I
recognize Jacob and Lucy’s voices, but can’t make out what they are
saying.

Luke guides me up the stairs with a silly
grin on his face, which makes me giggle.

“We found something today,” he says as I
start to go toward our room. He guides me to the right and walks to
the master. I feel instant dread not wanting to go in there, but as
soon as he opens the door I see it is completely torn apart and I
start laughing at the sight. The walls are down to just the studs
and the carpet is ripped up with a large pile of rubble in the
middle. It looks nothing like Jane’s room anymore.

“Just wait till you see this. I guarantee
Jane knew nothing of it,” Luke says giddy. We walk to the back of
the room and I can’t imagine what he has to show me when I see an
old wooden door that is between the studs. It would have been
completely hidden by the wall. Luke opens the door and I see the
night sky. I follow Luke out onto a very large hidden patio. The
only outside you can see is the sky. Luke leads me to a little
picnic he has set up for us. There’s a blanket and tons of pillows
and candles that are already lit. I wonder who he had do this.

“Wow.” Is all I can say as I sit on the
blanket looking around. It’s completely made of stone and it’s
bigger than my room.

“So, I was thinking,” Luke can hardly
contain his excitement as he tells me his plans. “We put in French
doors here,” he waves his hand at the old wooden door. “Fill this
space with flowers and some kind of waterfall,” he motions to the
far corner. “And add some comfy outdoor furniture. It can be our
own private hideaway,” he says and has a huge smile as he sits next
to me watching my face for my reaction.

“I love it,” I tell him so happy to see him
this excited. He grabs my waist and lays me down on an oversized
pillow then lies right next to me.

“Did you know,” Luke says lightly kissing my
forehead “that seven years ago this week,” he says as he kisses my
nose, “I met the girl that I dream of every night?” His lips meet
mine and I wrap my hand in his hair kissing him back. “The first
time I saw that girl, I knew that I would marry her and be with her
the rest of my life,” he says taking my lips with his again, his
tongue sliding into my mouth. His kiss is so passionate it makes my
belly tighten and I start moving my hips with want. I hear a low
groan coming from the back of his throat as his hand runs down my
back. He cups my bottom and pushes me into him. I feel him hard
against me.