Page 38 of Code Word (The Atrous #3)

“So,” Mom said. “We saw you playing the piano at the airport. That looked like fun.”

I put their coffee mugs in front of them and slid the sugar and creamer closer.

“It was incredible. So much fun,” I said.

“Luke and I have been writing music again. We don’t know yet what we’ll do with it, but it’s like we’re finding our love of music all over again.

It’s awesome. And freeing,” I said, bringing my coffee over. “I’ve never felt so free.”

“I’m happy for you, love,” Mom said.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said. I glanced out toward the pool but couldn’t see Luke or Becca. They must be taking a walk. “I’m selling the house in Malibu,” I announced. “And Luke will probably sell this one. We want something smaller.”

Mom gave me a curious look. “Are you having money troubles, dear?”

I barked out a laugh. “Uh, no, Mom. It’s not the money.” Lord knows we had enough to live on forever. Hell, we made enough from ongoing royalties to never have to worry. “We just want something smaller, just for us. And a holiday house somewhere, probably. We don’t know yet.”

“Buying a house together,” Mrs. Dougherty said. “Quite a big step.”

I put my coffee down and met her gaze, needing her to know how serious I was. “I love Luke. It took me this long to figure myself out, to figure us out, and I have no intention of letting him go. I’ll do whatever I can to make him happy. For the rest of his life, if he’ll let me.”

“What are we talking about?” Luke was standing behind me, eyes wide, looking at me, then his mother. “The rest of whose life, if he’ll let you do what?”

I snorted, only slightly embarrassed. “I was just telling your mom that my intentions are pure. ”

Bec came over and stole my coffee, taking it for herself and sitting on the single sofa. “Thanks.”

“No worries,” I said flatly. Guess I probably deserved that. I smiled at Luke. “Want me to make you a coffee?”

“Sure.”

I gave his arm a squeeze on my way to the kitchen, letting him take the baton for a bit. Luke sat with them, and they chatted about general stuff, and it was so nice that we could do this.

As much as I’d have preferred we not be interrupted before, I was glad we’d done this.

It was a huge relief to have our moms on our sides, that I’d gotten the opportunity to apologize to Mrs. Dougherty and that Luke and Bec could chat.

And that I got to hug her and thank her.

She’d been a star in our story, and I really hoped we could stay close.

“No, we were going shopping,” Bec said, giving Luke a hard glare. “For my new place.”

I must have missed the first part of the conversation...

“I said I wanted to go furniture shopping,” Bec said. “And Mom said she’d like to come, then we should invite Mrs. Acosta, and now we’re all going.”

She looked as pleased with this shopping trip as she would if she were going to a dentist appointment.

But that reminded me . . .

“Oh, Bec,” I said. “I’m selling the place in Malibu, so if there’s anything you want out of there—furniture, kitchen stuff, whatever—you can have it.”

Everyone stared at me, Luke included. “You don’t want any of it?” Mom asked me.

I shook my head. “None of it. I didn’t pick any of it. Some interior decorator did, and I never lived there. I lived here.” Then I smiled at Luke. “I thought we could buy new stuff. You know, just for us. In our new place.”

His eyes softened, as did his smile .

“Are you sure, Blake?” Becca asked. “The dining table, sideboard. The orange sofa in the sunroom?”

I shrugged. “Yours if you want them.”

“That means we don’t have to go shopping today,” she said, elated. But then she clapped her hands together. “You know, you two should definitely take your moms with you when you go shopping for new furniture. How fun for you.”

Luke and I both stared at her. She grinned.

Okay, I see how it is . . .

“How long are we gonna do this?” Luke mumbled.

Becca laughed. “I’m just kidding.” She totally wasn’t. Then she stood up and checked the time on her phone. “We should get going though. Leave you guys to... finish what we interrupted.”

Oh, dear god.

Luke turned to his mother. “Mom, if you don’t have to go shopping, you should make Becca take you to that tearoom place you wanted to check out. With all those fancy little cakes and stuff. She told me last week she thought it sounded fun.”

His mom looked at Becca. “Ooh, yes, that would be delightful.”

As Luke’s mom and my mom walked out, talking about how someone at the country club had spoken so highly of the new tearoom, Becca glared at Luke.

He grinned.

I was just glad they were okay.

“So Bec, I think the realtor wants to go to Malibu and take new photos or something. Probably later this week? I’ll let you know, and you can come with us to pick out what you want.”

“Sounds great, thanks,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

We stopped near her car, and she paused before she got in. “ In all seriousness,” she said, “I’m glad it worked out with you two.”

I slung my arm around Luke’s shoulder. “Me too.”

He put his arm around my waist. “Have fun at high tea.”

She pulled a face at him. “Have fun shopping with both of them. Ooh, maybe they’ll want to go house hunting with both of you too. That would be so much fun.”

Luke sighed. “Please don’t.”

She laughed, blew him a kiss, got in behind the wheel, and we watched them drive away.

Luke sighed. “Well, that happened.”

“It did. And I’m kinda glad too. It’s done now.” I kissed the side of his head. “You and Bec are okay? Despite the sibling sabotage.”

He snorted, and taking my hand, we walked back inside. “Yeah, she’s fine. She’s excited about getting her place, hanging out with her friends more. And you know what?”

“What?”

“I think she’s realized she just wasn’t that into you.”

I snorted. “Was I that bad?”

He laughed. “No. Not at all. But it’s like you said before, she said much the same. It just kinda happened out of convenience, and she knew you were never in love with her.”

“Is she going to make us pay forever? Do we really have to bring our moms shopping with us? Because, dude.”

Luke laughed and led me toward the hall up to my end of the house.

I went willingly, of course, but gestured to his end. “I thought we might pick up where we left off.”

“The mood is definitely gone,” he said, getting to my bedroom door. “Should we move your clothes down to my room now? Just a few things, even.”

“Yes. God, yes. Pretty sure I could keep my favorite twenty things and give the rest to charity.”

He gave me an odd look. “Your house, your clothes. You want to get rid of everything.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.”

“I want to get rid of all the superfluous bullshit,” I said. “I don’t need any of that, and I feel like...”

“Like what?”

“Like I need to get rid of all the noise. The mess. I need to let go of the past. I want to start over. With you. And having new stuff in our new place, wherever that might be, would be nice. No reminders of things we don’t want to be reminded of. It’ll be ours, not yours or mine.”

Luke leaned up on his toes and kissed me softly. “I like the sound of that.” Then he nodded to the record player I didn’t even notice on the bed. “What about that?”

“Oh, we’re definitely keeping that.”

“And all the clippings and photos,” he mused, looking to the door, toward the room where I’d found them on the floor. “We should?—”

“Yeah, we’re keeping those too. All of them,” I said. “And now we get to add to it. More photos, but the couple edition, and X-rated.” He laughed and I stared at him. “Uh, I wasn’t joking.”

“Oh, I know you weren’t,” he said. “Believe me, I know.”