Kaylee and I both giggle.
“What did you talk to Mom and Dad about?” Kaylee asks.
He rolls his eyes. “I told them to lay off Ellie. It’s not her fault Michelle’s knocked up.”
“But it is yours,” another voice similar to Luke’s says.
Luke grits his teeth then clenches his jaw as we all turn to see Jack standing behind us. He flicks a finger in the air to the bartender, who dashes over to tend to the man who owns the entire room just because he’s in it. It’s truly some phenomenon to witness.
He orders a gin and tonic. I’ve never seen anyone order anything with gin in it before, and somehow it brings another level of sophistication. Luke orders a beer when the bartender’s eyes flick to him.
If we were at this same bar without Jack, I can’t help but think that Luke would be the man owning the room. He’s more laid back than his brother, and definitely not as arrogant, but the brothers do share some of the same qualities. Ridiculous good looks, athletic ability, and those navy blue eyes, for starters, plus this intrinsic charisma—though the brothers express that charisma in totally different ways.
I feel suddenly nervous that he’s here. He somehow throws everything into a tailspin with just his presence...even though I have to admit that I’m curious what this dynamic will look like without the parents around.
“Nice of you to join us,” Luke says.
Jack slides onto the open stool next to Kaylee. “Figured I could spare some time for a drink with my favorite siblings.” His eyes fall onto me, and my chest races. “Plus the future Mrs. Dalton.”
Heat creeps up my spine, and I take a sip of my mai tai to try to cool down.
“When’s the wedding?” Jack asks.
I glance at Luke desperately for the answer. He gives a similar vague reply. “We’re working on it.”
Jack barks out a laugh. “That’s noncommittal. I thought you weren’t getting married again.”
It’s not a question, but Luke treats it like one. “I wasn’t. And then I met Ellie.” His arm is around the back of my chair, and it slides to my shoulder. He draws me into a side hug, and it all feels a little territorial—as it should since we’re putting on the show now even for his family.
“Seems fast,” Jack comments, and the bartender returns with the drinks.
“It is,” I admit. “But when you know...”
“You know,” Luke finishes, and he pins me with a loving gaze that makes me momentarily forget that Kaylee and Jack are right beside us.
Jeez. If this is an act, Luke deserves the Oscar.
“Finishing each other’s sentences already. Precious.” Jack’s final word drips with sarcasm, and Luke leans over to press a kiss to my temple.
“Jealousy is ugly on you,” Luke says.
Jack scoffs with a grunt, but he doesn’t respond to Luke’s claim, and suddenly I feel like a bit of a pawn in Luke’s little game with his brother.
Was that always part of the motivation here? To marry me in front of his family, but more specifically, in front of Jack?
Why would that make Jack jealous? He could have anyone he wanted.
Although Kaylee mentioned something about there being more with Savannah...did Jack want Luke’s wife?
Questions swirl around my head, but I have zero answers and a pretty strong buzz from the mai tai.
Luke stands suddenly and grabs my hand. “We’re going to head out.”
“We’re just getting started,” Jack says, draining his entire gin and tonic in practically one sip.
“Maybe you are,” Luke says, “but my fiancée and I are going to call it a night, if you know what I mean.”
Jack raises a brow in a way that totally makes it clear he got Luke’s underlying meaning.
“You two are adorable,” Kaylee says. “Have fun, kids.”
“And be safe,” Jack says, eyes forward as he motions to the bartender for a refill. “This family doesn’t need another baby scandal.”
“Fuck you, Jack,” Luke says quietly—venomously—and then he yanks my hand into his and leads me away from the bar.
CHAPTER 15
Instead of leading me up to our hotel room, Luke stalks toward the doors that exit to the pool. Clearly he’s upset after his brother’s words. I see it in the way his shoulders are hunched, in the way he’s walking too fast for me to really keep up especially after a few mai tais while I’m wearing heels, and in the pinch of his brows.
He walks past the pool, and finally I yell at him, “Slow down!”
He stops, and I run into him a little. “Sorry,” he mutters, and then he keeps walking. When we get to the beach, he slips off his shoes and socks, and I take off my heels. We leave them in the sand, and he grabs my hand again.
He draws in a deep breath, and he blows it out slowly as we stroll slowly toward the water. The beach is deserted at this late hour, but it’s lit by the lights coming from the hotel just behind us. His hand isn’t in mine anymore, but then there’s not really anybody out here for us to continue putting on the show for.
“What the hell am I marrying into?” I finally ask.
He grunts out a chuckle even though it’s not very funny, but that’s his only response.
“You want to tell me about what’s going on between the two of you?” I ask once our toes touch the water.
He clears his throat as he stares down at the gentle waves rolling over his toes. “Not really.”
“Kaylee said Savannah came between you and Jack,” I try again, “and she made it sound like there was more to it than you told me.” I leave that out there for him to expand upon, and he just quietly stares into the water. I let him gather his thoughts, and then because I can’t take the silence, I say, “Talk to me, Luke.”
He sighs. “I’ve lived in Jack’s shadow my entire life. When Jack wouldn’t commit to Savannah, she turned to me to make him jealous. I was young, stupid, and horny. I thought she wanted me for me. Turns out she only wanted my brother.”
My head whips in his direction. “What?”
He nods and presses his lips together. “She was with him first. They were together almost a year when he dumped her, and she came to me as a shoulder to cry on. I fell for her. I chose her over my family. That’s when my parents chose Jack. They thought I was the dick who stole Savannah away when the truth was that she was a conniving bitch who said all the right things to make me think it was me she wanted all along. That was far from the truth, and now I’m stuck paying alimony to a woman who only ever loved my brother and the spotlight.”
“Oh my God,” I murmur, shocked by this new revelation.
“See?” he says, and he pats his chest. “I’m no prince.”
“She tricked you, Luke,” I say. “That doesn’t pull you from the prince category.”
“As I’ve been reminded constantly, I chose her over my family. I broke family code when I slept with my brother’s ex even though he told me at the time he was okay with it. I felt like shit after the first time I slept with her, but I called Jack the next morning. I was honest with him from the start. He told me he was fine with it, and eventually he agreed to being spotlighted in her articles.”