Page 33 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)

OWEN

I unlocked the door to my apartment and pushed it open, feeling a flicker of nerves kick in as I stepped aside to let Lucy in.

The last time I had a girl over was—well, technically last night. But aside from Lucy knocking on my door?

It’d been a while.

I racked my brain as I flicked on the lights to the living room and kitchen, casting everything in a warm glow. No ex-girlfriend memories here. No shoes by the door that weren’t mine. No hair ties forgotten on the bathroom counter.

Since moving in two years ago, this place had only belonged to me.

Which probably said a lot about my dating life lately. Or lack thereof.

I glanced at Lucy as she stepped inside, her eyes scanning the space. She didn’t seem nervous, which was good.

One of us had to hold it together.

“When you left this morning,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, “did you ever imagine you’d be back here again so soon?”

“I promise I didn’t.” She smiled, and something in my chest tightened. The way her eyes lit up when she looked at me—yeah, that was going to be a problem.

“Well…” I ran a hand across the back of my neck. “Even if you did, I don’t think I’d be mad about it.”

She smiled again, soft, a little shy, and I swore I felt the air shift between us.

I cleared my throat. “Can I take your coat?”

“Oh, sure.” She slid her backpack from her shoulders and started to shrug out of her coat, and I stepped in to help.

Just to be polite.

Trying to be a good host.

Not because I wanted an excuse to get close to her.

Okay, so maybe it was exactly that.

I carefully draped her coat over the back of the couch, allowing myself a second to breathe, then turned around to find her taking a seat at the table.

Her blouse hugged her in just the right way, her jeans rolled casually at the ankles, her hair pulled into a messy bun that somehow made her look even more gorgeous.

And then, she let it down.

Right there at my kitchen table, she untwisted the tie from her hair and shook it loose, and I had to look away for a second just to keep my thoughts in check.

What the heck was I doing?

I was having dinner with a student. Alone.

In my apartment.

My heart thudded hard in my chest—not just because of how she looked, but because this felt like sneaking around, even if we were just sitting down to a meal.

Just planning her brother and my friend’s birthday party .

That was all this was, right? Two friends just spending a little time together.

I walked to the fridge, pulling it open, more for something to do than for any real reason. “Would you like something to drink?” I asked over my shoulder. “I’ve got…water. And…uh…” I squinted at the mostly empty shelves. “Ice water.”

“Ooh, fancy.” She laughed, and the sound cut right through my nerves. “I’ll take the ice water, please.”

“Coming right up,” I said, grabbing two glasses from the cupboard and filling them quickly.

I brought the glasses to the table and sat across from her, still trying to remind myself that this was fine.

Just friends. Just food. Just planning a party.

We opened the boxes of takeout, and the smell hit instantly—rich, savory pasta and that hint of spice from the blackened chicken.

“This smells amazing,” she said, already stabbing her fork into the rigatoni.

“Right? I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal from this place.”

We dug in, and for a moment, the only sound was the quiet clink of silverware and the low hum of the heater kicking on.

“So…” I looked up at her between bites, still trying to play it cool. “Has your family always lived in Eden Falls?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “I actually grew up in New Haven.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My dad used to work for my grandpa’s company there when I was little.

” She paused to take another bite, then added, “But then, there was some drama with my dad and uncle about what they wanted to do with the company when my grandpa died. So my dad ended up leaving. When he found out the job at Eden Falls University was open, he applied. It was kind of a perfect fit, since the stuff he’d been doing at the company translated well into the responsibilities of being a university president. ”

“Huh.” I blinked. “So it wasn’t that big of a move.”

“Nope.” She smiled. “Just twenty minutes away.”

“How old were you when you guys moved here?” I asked, leaning back slightly in my chair.

“Sixteen,” she said.

“Oof.” I winced. “That’s a tough age to start over.”

“Tell me about it.” She gave a soft laugh.

“I might’ve thrown a bit of a fit when my parents told me we were moving.

I didn’t want to leave my gymnastics club.

My friends, my coaches—everything I’d worked for was there.

But my parents made a deal with me and said I could keep training in New Haven, so… it ended up working out.”

“That’s good,” I said. “I’m sure you had a strong bond with your coaches. It would’ve been a terrible time to start over, especially since you were joining the national team.”

Her fork paused mid-air.

She blinked at me. “Wait…how did you know I was on the national team back then?”

Crap.

My stomach dropped.

Think, Owen. Think.

“Did Theo tell you?” she asked.

If only that were the case.

I tugged lightly on my collar, suddenly very aware of how warm the room felt. “Uh…please don’t take this the wrong way,” I started, feeling about as smooth as a bumper car, “but I might’ve looked at your bio before the meet I went to. Just to…you know, get a sense of your background.”

“Mm-hmm.” Her smile came slow but sure, curving in a way that made me think she saw right through me. “Just some casual research.”

I coughed out a laugh, embarrassed. “Strictly for educational purposes.”

“Right,” she said, eyebrows raised.

But she didn’t seem mad. In fact, she seemed…pleased. Her cheeks pinked a little as she looked down at her plate.

“But anyway,” she said after a beat, voice quieter now, “I was on the national team when I was sixteen. Hoped I’d make the Olympic team, but…didn’t quite get there.”

“You almost went to the Olympics?” I sat back, kind of stunned.

She shrugged, not meeting my gaze. “ Almost being the key word.”

“Now you’re just being humble. That’s incredible, Lucy. Seriously.”

Her eyes flicked up to mine, cheeks flushing deeper, and I caught a glimpse of something raw there like she was still holding onto some disappointment.

Which made me wonder if her recent frustration with anything short of first place wasn’t just about the present but about what she’d missed. Like she was still chasing something she didn’t quite catch at sixteen.

But making the Olympic team? There were, what, five girls in the whole country who could manage that? Only five girls, every four years.

It was an insane standard to measure your worth against.

And yet…I had a feeling she did.

Deciding to change the subject, I asked, “Did you apply to any other universities, or was Eden Falls always the plan?”

“I applied to a few.” She nodded after swallowing her bite. “Southern Utah—which is about the same size as here and has a great program. Then also University of California and LSU. ”

I raised my brows. “Impressive lineup.”

“Says the guy who went to Yale.” She gave me a small smile. “In the end…I chose here.”

“What made you pick Eden Falls?”

“Honestly?” She hesitated, stabbing a piece of chicken. “Mostly because I wanted to stay closer to home. I might have a bit of separation anxiety.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “The idea of going months without seeing my family? I just didn’t think I could do it.”

“There’s something to be said for having family close by,” I said, and didn’t miss the subtle ache that came with those words.

What I would have given to be able to call my dad whenever I needed advice. Or text my sister when I had good news. At least I had Asher. And Ian. And Evan, Miles…that whole ragtag group of brothers-by-choice.

“What about you?” Lucy tilted her head. “Where are you from?”

“I grew up here, actually,” I said. “My dad had a good job, so we lived in a nice neighborhood. Not sure if you know where the Hastings place is, but we were just a couple of houses down from them. Made it pretty easy for Ian and me to pal around all the time.”

“That’s fun,” she said with a wistful little smile. “I’ve always wanted friends in my neighborhood. Not that I would've had much time to hang out with them since most days I went straight from school to the gym.”

“Sounds intense.”

“It was,” she admitted, her shoulders dipping just a bit. But then she perked up, like she’d caught herself. “Good thing I love it.”

Though, loving something didn’t mean it was always easy. Especially when it started to feel more like work than joy .

“Have you lived in Eden Falls most of your life?” she asked, shifting the focus back to me.

“I lived here until college,” I said. “Left for my bachelor’s, then came back to teach at the Academy for Asher’s senior year. So…all but four years, I’ve been here.”

“Does that mean your family still lives here?”

I paused.

There it was—the part of every conversation that took a sharp left turn.

The moment when everything got real. Where small talk ended and the air got heavier. I usually tried to avoid it, but with her…I didn’t want to hide. Even by omission.

“Uh, no,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “It’s just me here. I already told you that my brother Asher lives in New York now. And my dad and sister…they died in a car accident.”

Her eyes widened, and she gasped, covering her mouth. “I didn’t realize you lost a sister, too.” And when her eyes met mine again, I didn’t see pity—just this quiet kind of heartbreak. Like she’d felt loss, too. Like she knew.

I nodded once, feeling the usual tightness wrap around my lungs.

I probably should’ve said more about that—about Callie. But the rest was right there, too, heavy and waiting.

So plowing through, I added, “And then, my mom, of course, is in prison.”

“Oh—” Lucy’s lips parted slightly, like she wasn’t sure she’d heard me right.

I didn’t look at her as my cheeks burned. Just stared down at the untouched bite of pasta on my fork and waited for the silence to stretch or break.

“That’s…” she began, then stopped, her voice softer when she finally added, “I’m really sorry, Owen. That’s…a lot.”