Page 48 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)

OWEN

“And now for our all-around division…” the announcer’s voice rang out over the loudspeaker, cutting through the hum of the crowd.

This was it. The meet had wrapped up, the last routines were done, and the gymnasts sat lined up on the floor, waiting.

It had been one of the best meets I’d ever seen—and not just because of Lucy. But yeah…mostly because of Lucy.

“Third place is a tie—Megan Barlow from Yale University…and Nora Miller from Eden Falls.”

Okay , I thought, glancing at Lucy. She’d scored higher than Nora in three of the individual events, so this meant that she was either second or first.

I held my breath as I waited for the announcer to continue.

I probably should’ve tracked the scores more carefully throughout the meet, but I hadn’t been thinking very strategically this afternoon.

I’d been too busy holding my breath through every one of Lucy’s events, too busy feeling like my heart might beat out of my chest every time she nailed a landing .

“Second place,” the announcer said. “From Yale University—Zoey Jordan.”

A girl in Yale warmups jumped up and waved at the crowd, her teammates cheering. But I barely noticed since my attention was on Lucy and the way her face was lighting up.

Because she knew she’d done it.

She’d won.

And for some reason, just seeing the joy, disbelief, and pride on her face made me feel like I’d won something, too.

“And first place in our all-around category…” the announcer said. “From Eden Falls University…Lucy Archibald!”

The crowd roared as Lucy jumped to her feet, immediately swallowed by teammates pulling her into a tangle of hugs. And I couldn’t keep the huge grin from taking over my whole face as I clapped for her, resisting the urge to leap to my feet and cheer like a lunatic.

She’d done so well tonight. Such a hypnotizing performance, really.

Theo stood beside me, clapping and shouting, and when a few other students followed suit, I stood, too. Letting myself feel it.

Letting myself be proud of her.

“Go Lucy!” I called, putting my hands on either side of my mouth as I cheered for the girl who was continually stealing pieces of my heart without even trying.

Lucy emerged from the huddle, and when she turned to face the audience again, she smiled hugely in the direction of the student section where Theo, Charlotte, and I were, her eyes holding mine momentarily before scouring the rest of the crowd.

“She crushed it,” Theo said, so much brotherly pride in his expression. “Let’s go congratulate her. ”

I followed behind Theo as he navigated his way down to the floor with Charlotte on his hip, trying to keep my expression measured even though I felt like I was practically floating.

Lucy’s parents had already made their way down. They’d been sitting a few rows in front of us with Nora’s parents this time, which had made it slightly easier for me to breathe throughout the meet.

I lingered back as she hugged them both. Her dad was speaking, his voice low but audible. I listened closely, half-expecting a critique or comment about things she could’ve done better since that was what he’d done last time. But all I heard was pride. Encouragement. Praise.

Good. She deserved that.

“You nailed it,” Theo said, stepping forward next and giving her a side hug. “If you keep that up, there’s no way you’re not placing top three at Nationals.”

“Hopefully.” Lucy exhaled softly, a flicker of nerves tightening her smile at the mention of Nationals. “I’m definitely going to give it my best.”

A brief silence followed, and then—like some unspoken cue—every eye turned to me.

I cleared my throat, summoning the most neutral, professor-appropriate tone I could manage. “You did really well, Lucy. Congratulations.”

Her gaze met mine, eyes shining. “Thank you, Professor Park.”

I knew she only said the title to keep up the pretense. But part of me wished we didn’t have to pretend. Not in a moment like this. Not when all I wanted to do was wrap her in my arms and tell her just how proud I was. How incredible she’d been.

“This deserves a celebration,” Mrs. Archibald said, slipping her arm behind her husband and turning to the group. “What do you say we all go to Jacob’s Steakhouse after this? ”

“Sounds amazing.” Lucy nodded.

“Sounds great to me,” Theo added.

“And of course,” Mrs. Archibald said, turning to me with a gracious smile, “we’d be happy to have you join us, Owen. As a friend of Theo’s.”

“Oh—” I blinked, caught off guard by the invitation.

Dinner with Lucy’s entire family?

The prospect was positively terrifying.

But also…tempting in a way I hadn’t expected. A chance to be near her a little longer. To see her in her element with the people she loved most, riding the high of her win.

Even if it meant navigating the minefield that was President Archibald over steak and mashed potatoes.

Theo clapped me on the back. “You should come.”

I hesitated, scanning the group, still weighing the risk.

Then Lucy cut in, her tone casual but her eyes catching mine. “I’m sure my dad would love to hear about that grant you and Dean Harris are working on.”

President Archibald’s interest visibly sparked. “Oh, you’re the professor he’s been chatting with me about?”

“Yes, sir.” I nodded, not offended that he hadn’t remembered which department I worked for during our brief interaction at Lucy’s first meet. The man had a lot on his plate.

Everyone was looking at me now. Waiting.

“I’d love to join you for dinner,” I said.

“Perfect.” Mrs. Archibald beamed, showing me where Lucy had gotten her megawatt smile from. “I’ll call to make sure we can get a reservation. How about we plan to meet there around five?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

And just like that, I was having dinner with the Archibalds.

No big deal.

Right?

I sat in my car in the parking lot of Jacob’s Steakhouse, scanning every vehicle that pulled in. When I was younger, this was the place my family came to celebrate my dad’s work wins, Asher’s piano recitals, Callie’s soccer goals, and my own science-fair ribbons.

I adjusted the cuffs of my button-down, running a palm down the front to smooth the fabric.

After texting Theo earlier to ask what he was wearing—because who knew what the Archibalds wore to dinner—I swapped my usual weekend attire for slacks, dress shoes, and a collared shirt.

Casual but presentable. Trying to blend in. Maybe impress.

Impress Lucy’s parents enough that they might see me as the kind of guy they might want their daughter to date.

You know, one day…after she’d graduated and we’d let enough time pass that people wouldn’t question the right or wrongness behind how we got our start.

Okay, yeah…so that was definitely a tall order. Especially since I had no idea if she was even interested in anything like that.

Not when we still hadn’t had a chance to talk about last night’s kiss.

A sleek black Mercedes turned into the lot, headlights sweeping across the windshield of my car. Sure enough, I spotted President Archibald behind the wheel, his wife in the passenger seat, and Lucy in the back, her golden hair catching the light.

Theo pulled in right behind them in his Volvo, and I took that as my cue to get out.

I straightened my tie, smoothed the front of my shirt, and walked toward the restaurant, nerves buzzing beneath the surface.

I needed to make a good impression. Even if, officially, I was just Lucy’s professor tagging along as a friend of her brother’s.

Everyone smiled in greeting as I joined them, and I had to look away for a second when my eyes landed on Lucy.

She was wearing a pale-yellow dress under her coat paired with strappy heels that did wildly distracting things to her legs.

I swallowed the surge of attraction, shifting my gaze to the pavement before anyone could notice.

The hostess led us to a round table near the back when we stepped inside—cozy and private, just big enough for six. Charlotte climbed into her booster seat beside her grandfather. Theo took the seat next to her, and Lucy settled between her mom and the empty spot that was apparently meant for me.

I pulled out the chair and slid in, aiming for the perfect middle ground. Not too close to Lucy. Not too far either. Just comfortably centered between her and Theo like the totally professional, not-at-all-sweaty professor I was trying to be.

But then my knee brushed hers under the table.

I froze for half a second. Shifted away casually. Or…what I hoped read as casually. Only to accidentally nudge her again a second later.

Seriously?

I adjusted again, clearing my throat and pretending to be extremely invested in the placement of my napkin.

Meanwhile, my entire body was suddenly hyperaware of the six inches of space to my right.

And how utterly impossible it was to pretend that space wasn’t occupied by the girl I shouldn’t have a major crush on.

Gosh. I wasn’t even two minutes into dinner, and already, my nerves were getting the best of me.

The waitress handed us menus and water glasses. I took a long sip, trying to cool the heat already crawling up my collar .

“Have you been here before, Owen?” President Archibald asked, glancing at me over the rim of his menu.

“Yes.” My fingers toyed with the corner of my napkin, and I forced myself to meet President Archibald’s eyes, hoping I didn’t look as stiff as I felt. “My family came here a lot when I was younger. It was my dad’s favorite place for celebrations.”

“So your family’s from the area?” he asked, interest flickering across his expression.

“Yes,” I said, catching the subtle way Lucy went still beside me at the mention of my family. “Lived in Eden Falls most of my life—except for the four years I was at Yale.”

“It’s a lovely town. We’ve grown quite fond of it.” President Archibald paused, then asked, “And what does your father do? Does he work here in town?”

“He used to work in New Haven, actually.” I cleared my throat. “For Hastings Industries. He and Joel Hastings were close. But…he passed away about ten years ago.”

“Oh.” Mrs. Archibald’s brow creased. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“What was his name?” President Archibald asked after a beat. “We used to work with Hastings Industries quite a bit when I was still with my father’s company. Our office was just down the street from theirs.”

I hesitated for half a second before answering, “Hyunwoo Park.”

“Hyunwoo?” Recognition flared in his eyes. “Yes. I did know him.” He looked away for a beat, like he was replaying something in his head. “We worked together a few times. He was sharp. Fair. He had this way of putting people at ease, which always made our negotiations smoother. That’s rare.”

A small smile tugged at my mouth, then fell away. “That sounds like him. ”

Mr. Archibald nodded slowly. “I remember hearing about the accident. It was awful. Such a loss.”

And just like that, my chest tightened.

Because I knew what else they would have heard.

The aftermath. The headlines. My mother’s arrest. How quickly our name stopped meaning what it used to. How fast people’s perception of me changed once they knew the kind of woman I’d been raised by.

A drug addict. A woman in prison for killing half her family.

I felt Lucy shift beside me, just slightly. Like she’d sensed it, too. The moment right before the conversation turned.

I kept my eyes on my glass, bracing for it.

The subtle distance. The silent judgment. The pity.

But then, President Archibald’s voice cut through.

“I’m sure your father would be very proud of the man you’ve become,” he said, his tone softer now. “Everything you’ve accomplished—it’s awesome to see such a passion for one’s vocation, especially from such a young professor. I know Dean Harris thinks the world of you and that’s no small feat.”

His words hit harder than I expected. I had to blink a few times before I looked up, trying to pull myself together fast enough to nod.

“Thank you,” I said, appreciating his kindness after all the years I’d spent wondering if anything I did would ever be enough to outshine the shadow my mom’s mistakes had cast. The black mark on my father’s once-respected name.

President Archibald’s expression shifted, the corners of his mouth lifting like he was ready to steer the conversation somewhere lighter.

“Though I suppose the real test of your teaching skills is whether our Lucy thinks you’ve been doing a good job.

” He turned his sharp blue eyes toward her.

“So what do you say, Luce? Would you agree with Dean Harris’s glowing review of your professor? ”

She froze for just a second, like she hadn’t been expecting to be put on the spot. Her gaze flicked to mine briefly before she found her voice.

“I’d say it’s pretty fair,” she said. “I’ve actually been able to understand most of what he’s taught so far, so…that’s a plus.”

“Definitely.” Her dad chuckled. “Especially considering how frustrated we all got with your chemistry assignments in high school.” He looked at me with a sheepish expression. “I’m afraid neither my wife nor I were much help when it came to science. Poor Lucy was on her own.”

“Yeah.” Lucy rolled her eyes fondly. “It was pretty much a disaster.”

“Well, she’s been a great student so far.” I smiled, hoping it wasn’t obvious how great of a student I thought she was. “No complaints from me.”

Definitely not.