Page 23 of Moonlight & Matrimony (Oak Ridge #2)

“What the fuck is your problem, Lori?” I seethe, clenching my fists so tightly my nails just might break the skin.

“You treated my brother like shit, cheated on him, and took his daughter away from us. And then she comes in here talking about this new guy all of a sudden, and you expect us to just hand her over? You’re clearly unstable.”

“Cheated on him?” My body is coiled tight, ready to snap, but I manage to rein it in for the sake of my daughter.

The last thing she needs is for her mom to get arrested.

“I don’t know what kind of bullshit your brother has been telling you, but I didn’t cheat.

He did.” Luca’s hand wraps around my waist, holding me back from charging at the bitch.

“And that’s not even why I left, but you wouldn’t know a fucking thing about that because your head is too far up his ass to see him for what he is.

Let’s go, Luca. I won’t stand here and be disrespected.

” I turn on my heel, intending to tug him along with me, but he doesn’t budge.

“You might want to ask your piece of shit brother about the bruises he left on my wife. And stay the fuck away from my family.”

Luca helps me into the truck, and I watch as he scans the backseat to check on my girl.

Once he’s made sure that we’re both securely buckled in, he takes his place behind the wheel.

When he reaches across the console to rest his arm along the back of my seat, his fingertips graze my bare shoulder, and I shudder.

“If Austin wants to play,” he says, backing out of Lori’s driveway as she stands, arms crossed, at the top of her porch steps. “Game fucking on.”

After we get Rylin safely tucked into bed, I carefully close her bedroom door, turning to face my husband in the dimly lit hallway. “I have to get to work. Are you going to be okay here?” he asks.

“We’ll be fine. I was just going to unpack my art supplies and work on some commissions.”

“Hold that thought,” Luca says. Grabbing my hand, he leads me back downstairs, past the kitchen and the half bath, to a door at the end of the hallway that I just assumed was a closet.

When he opens the door, my breath catches.

It would be completely ordinary if not for the floor to ceiling windows on the back wall, looking out onto a gorgeous view of the backyard with all of its lush greenery and massive trees that look like they’ve been there for ages.

“What is this?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Your art studio… if you want.”

“Are you serious, Luca?” I throw myself at him, and he catches me, my entire body wrapping around him like a koala. One of his hands goes to the small of my back where my tank top has lifted, and my body reacts to his touch like a moth to a flame. “Are you sure you don’t want it for yourself?”

“I have my workshop. Besides, this space was practically made for you.”

“Thank you. This is incredibly thoughtful.” I catch a faint blush in his cheeks, and he’s even more beautiful up close. Before he can catch me ogling him, I drop myself back down onto solid ground. “I should let you get to work. If Miles gives you shit, you can blame me.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. I texted him when we got back.”

“Oh, ok. Make sure you grab some lunch before you head out. It’s hot out there, and I don’t need you passing out on the job site.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He salutes me with a subtle grin, leaving me alone in my new art studio.

I throw my arms out as I toss my head back and spin in a circle, reveling in the feeling of utter bliss.

Gone is the stress from earlier in the day, replaced with a plethora of ideas to make this space my new haven.

“I’m going to need a huge desk,” I mutter to myself.

My finances aren’t exactly in the best shape, but I’ll be getting my security deposit back from the house, and I should be able to put some of that towards making this space into the perfect studio.

I can just picture myself sitting in front of the windows with a brush in hand.

Walls lined with canvases and shelves full of paints and brushes.

The natural light illuminates the space beautifully, and it almost feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

“Maybe I need some bookshelves, too,” I add.

I have so many ideas swirling in my head, I don’t even know where to begin.

I pull up my phone, intending to start a checklist, when I notice a notification from a social media account.

Someone tagged me in a post. I tap on the icon, gaping at the photo of me and Luca standing outside of the diner on our wedding day, with an unhinged caption accusing me of being a cheater, telling the entire world that Luca is a homewrecker, despite the fact that I didn’t meet Luca until well after the divorce.

Austin lives in his own delusional world, and this isn’t the first time he’s tried to turn people against me.

When I left, most of our friends took his side.

They didn’t see what I lived through — what I survived.

I mourned their friendships for a long time until I eventually came to terms with the fact that they didn’t deserve my time if they couldn’t be bothered to listen to my side of the story.

When Paige came into my life, I realized I needed to forge new friendships that serve me and bring me joy.

I will be forever grateful to her. Since then, she’s shown me nothing but love and acceptance.

Not to mention unwavering support in the face of this crazy scheme with her brother.

I’m endlessly thankful for the connections I’ve made since then.

I think back on the last two years and I wonder if Cade even remembers the first time we met — the day he looked out for me at the bar.

That night, when Austin took me home, he flew into a rage.

I’ll never forget the look of pure hatred as he spewed disgusting words at me, accusing me of having an affair with the “fuckboy bartender.” And when I denied it, he swung at me, landing a blow to my cheek.

I just stood there in shock while he paced the floor in front of me.

I think I blocked out the rest in a haze of self-preservation.

I should’ve left that night; I see that now.

But when you’re so deeply entranced in another human being, you want to cling to the hope that they can change.

I dug myself out of that hell, a shell of my former self, then built myself back up, piece by piece.

I swore I’d never again be the naive girl I once was, falling for the older man, and the forbidden allure of his rebellious nature.

It’s a hard pill to swallow at 23 years old, realizing that everything you thought you knew about someone was just a facade, a mask he used to pull you in. And once you’re securely in his clutches, the mask slips, showing you the monster hidden beneath the surface.

The night I left, I swore I wouldn't fall in love again. I locked my heart away behind a fifty-foot wall, and while I’ll always love my friends and family, I will never allow another man to have any control over me, physically or emotionally.

I can’t afford to put us back in a position where we have to run.

But isn’t that what you’re doing now?

No. Luca is nothing like Austin. He’s proven himself to me time and time again.

He’s a good man, and I have to trust that Paige would never lead me into the clutches of another narcissist. I can hear my mom in the back of my mind, begging me never to fall in love.

“ Just don’t lose your heart, Ivy girl.”