Without You (Love Wanted in Texas 1)

He stopped and let out a sigh. “Come on, let’s sit for a bit and take a second to relax under a tree. It’s so damn hot out here.”

I reached into the cooler and pulled out two bottles of water. I gave one to Luke, and we made our way over to the large elm. Luke sat and leaned against the tree. Closing his eyes, he let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

I sat down and looked at him. “You like being single and going from girl to girl?”

He opened his eyes, and I saw sadness even though he was smiling.

“Hell yeah, I do. I don’t have time for a relationship. I figure when I meet the right girl, it will all change.” He took a long drink of water and looked away.

I nodded my head and took a drink.

“Are you worried about you and Alex?”

I knew Luke would just cut to the chase.

“Yeah. A part of me is worried, but another part of me isn’t worried, if that makes sense. I love her, Luke. I mean, I’m pretty damn sure I fell in love with her when I was ten years old.”

He started laughing. “That’s a long time, dude.” He shook his head and looked at me. “Will, I love Alex. I mean, she’s more like my sister than my cousin. I want to see her happy just like I want to see you happy, but…”

“But what?”

He pushed his hand through his hair and let out a quick breath. “Will, what if you meet someone else? What if Alex meets someone else? The only thing y’all have ever known is each other. I mean, did you even date anyone else before Alex?”

I looked down at the ground before glancing back up at Luke. “I don’t know how to explain it, Luke. When I see her, she steals my breath. When I’m near her, I can feel the attraction between us. I feel the love. I’ve never in my life felt like that around another girl.”

“Dude, there are a lot of girls in college. A lot.”

“Not interested.”

Luke threw his head back and laughed. “You’re a better guy than me.”

I stared at him. “How many girls did you hook up with last year while you were at school?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Two. One is just a fuck buddy. She doesn’t want anything from me, and I don’t want anything from her.”

“The other one?” I asked.

“Just a girl I dated for a bit. She wanted more, but I wasn’t ready to give it to her.”

I nodded. “So, there has never been a girl who made you want more?”

He looked off over the pasture. He turned back to me and said barely above a whisper, “No. Never.”

But his eyes were giving me a different answer. I knew Luke cared for Libby. How much he cared about her was what I didn’t know. I wondered how Libby would react to seeing Luke at school with another girl. I pushed it aside and finished off my water.

“She loves you, Will.”

I smiled and nodded my head. “I know she does. I also know Gunner has been filling her head with you-need-to-experience-more-in-life bullshit.”

Luke laughed. “Sounds like Uncle Gunner. He just wants to make sure she’s happy, Will. You’d be the same way if it were your daughter, and you know it.”

I stood up and let out a moan. “Fuck, I know. I just feel like Lex is…”

Luke stood up. “Is what?”

“I don’t know. Never mind. I’m letting my imagination run wild, and all it’s going to do is eat me alive this year.”

Luke slapped my back. “Ain’t that the truth? Dude, you can’t worry about Alex and what she’s doing. Trust her, Will. She loves you.”