Luke swore softly and took a sip of the Coke as he continued to glare at both friends. The silence in the kitchen became deafening, even as the noise of the guys out in the main area grew louder and more rowdy.
Finally Luke cleared his throat, set his Coke on the table, and rubbed his hands over his face.
Maybe they were right. Maybe it was time to let it all out and then let it all go.
“I haven’t been the same,” he admitted slowly. “Not since I told Eva I wouldn’t marry her, not since she left. And definitely not since we lost Gil.”
“Look,” Ryan said, clearing his throat. “We understand—”
“No, hang on,” Luke said, holding out his hand. “Let me get this all off my chest. I’ve never told anyone why I didn’t marry Eva, and I think everyone believes I was protecting her. And maybe I was, a bit, but I was also protecting my pride. And…I guess on some level I was protecting Gil too.”
Charlie frowned. “How are the Eva thing and Gil related?”
Luke merely turned his head, met Charlie’s gaze.
He saw the moment Charlie got it. Heard from Ryan’s muttered fuck that he understood too.
“Gil and Eva…”
Luke picked up his Coke again, wishing it were beer. Better yet, whiskey. “Caught them together. The morning of the wedding, I picked up my tux. Decided to run home to hang it up so it wouldn’t get wrinkled in my truck while I picked up my aunt and uncle from the airport. Caught my best friend and bride in bed. My bed.”
Neither Charlie nor Ryan said a word, and for a moment Luke thought it was because they were shocked.
A second later he realized that they were shocked but perhaps not so much at his revelation as the fact that…
Their trio was no longer alone.
Following his friends’ gaze, Luke looked over his shoulder and into the shocked blue eyes of Jordan Carpenter.
Chapter 25
Jordan couldn’t breathe—couldn’t move.
She hadn’t been meant to hear this story, she knew that. Not like this, anyway. Luke had intended to share his horrible history with his friends, not an outsider.
But she couldn’t unhear it, and…
She sort of wanted to. Jordan hadn’t really understood until this moment that it was possible to hurt for another human being, because it felt like her heart was breaking for Luke.
“I’m so sorry,” she managed, before finally ordering her feet to move and backing out of the room.
Running in cowboy boots was awkward as heck, but she did it anyway, ignoring the puzzled stares of Luke’s fellow firefighters.
She made it as far as her car before Luke caught up with her, his hand wrapping around her arm and pulling her to face him. “How long do I have?”
She blinked. “How long until what?”
“You said you were sorry,” he said, his face unreadable. “I’m assuming that’s a preemptive apology for you running to tell your bosses that my story is even more titillating than they could have possibly imagined.”
Jordan went still and stared up at him. “That’s what you think? That I’m off to call my boss? To sell you out?”
“Why the hell not? That’s the entire reason you’re still here, right? To see if I’d make for good ratings? Well, congrats, City. I’ve been holding out on you. It’s going to be more explosive than you can possibly imagine when you drag my ex into town.”
“I would never tell anyone what I overheard,” she whispered.
He made a derisive sound of disbelief. “Yeah right.”
“This is what you think of me?” she said quietly. “After all we’ve been through…”