Hearts in Motion (Boggy Creek Valley 5)

Jack led the way for us as we walked through the bar, down a hallway, and into a small kitchen. A woman a few years older than me turned and nearly screamed when she saw Luke.

“Luke! Oh my gosh!”

Luke let go of my hand as the woman rushed around the small workstation and nearly threw herself into his arms. He took a few steps back and laughed while giving her a hug.

“Hey, Lou. How’re you doing?”

She drew back and held him at arm’s length. “Lord, do you get more handsome every time I see you?”

A strange sensation zipped through me, but I kept my smile in place. Holy shit, was that…jealousy I was experiencing?

I brushed it away. Until Lou hugged Luke again.

When I shot a quick look over at Jack, he winked at me, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Lou finally stepped back, and Luke turned toward me. He smiled and reached for my hand, which I readily gave him. “Lou, this is Brighton.”

Lou spun and faced me. She let out another scream, and before I knew what was happening, she had her arms around me, swaying us back and forth. “So you’re the woman who’s stolen Luke’s heart!”

My eyes met Luke’s, and like his brother, he winked. “Brighton, this is Lou Fletcher, Jack’s wife.”

Lou dropped hold of me and took a step back, a smile still on her face. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Brighton. Luke is like a little brother to me. If you break his heart, I will track you down and break you into a million pieces.”

I opened my mouth but quickly shut it again as I studied the woman in front of me. I finally said, “Oddly enough, I think I already like you.”

Lou clapped. “Perfect, we’re starting off on the same page.”

“Lou, should you be slamming yourself into other people’s bodies?” Luke asked.

With a wave of her hand, Lou rounded the table again and started to pull out plates. “I’m only three months pregnant, it’s fine.”

“Oh wow, congratulations to you both,” I said, looking at Jack and then Lou.

“Thank you!” they said in unison.

“You’re in luck, I made your favorite,” Lou said to Luke. “I hope you like chicken and dumplins, Brighton.”

It was then I noticed her southern accent. “I love them,” I said. “I haven’t had them in a while, but my grandmother used to make them all the time.”

Lou began piling up chicken and dumplings on four plates before looking up at Jack. “Is anyone covering the bar?”

He nodded and handed me a plate. “Yeah, Rach is out there. She can handle it. It’s slow tonight.”

“Perfect, shall we eat upstairs, then?” Lou asked.

Luke and Jack both nodded, then looked at me. “Sure, of course,” I said.

“I’ll grab a bottle of wine and some glasses, y’all go ahead and head on up,” Lou stated as she handed Jack her plate of food.

I followed both men up some stairs and out onto the roof, where I gasped at the sight before me. A long table that probably sat at least twelve people stood in the middle of the roof, surrounded by a plethora of plants and trees. White Edison lights were strung up across the roof, weaving back and forth in the wind. It was a beautiful space.

“Where’s Lou from?” I asked as I set my dish down and Luke held out my chair for me. “Thank you, Luke.”

“She was born and raised in Atlanta,” Jack said. “Moved to Boston almost ten years ago. We met when she came in and applied for a waitress job. Instead of hiring her, I asked her out, and we were married three months later.”

At that moment, Lou joined us and set the wine bottle and three glasses down. “It was love at first sight for both of us.”

I couldn’t help but peek over at Luke. My stomach flipped when I saw he was looking at me. When he smiled, I felt myself fall even more in love with him. Neither one of us had said it yet, but there were so many times I wanted to. And I was positive Luke felt the same way.

Jack poured us each a glass of wine, with the exception of his wife. Luke lifted his in a toast while Lou held up a bottle of water. “To love at first sight,” he said.

The rest of us clinked our glasses, and I tried like hell to keep my heart from pounding even harder.

We spent the evening laughing while Jack and Luke told stories about the two of them growing up. They had only ever gotten to see each other during the summers, when their father would bring Luke and his sister Jenn to Maine to see Jack. That was where his mother lived. When Jack’s mother passed away from cancer, he moved to the Boston area. It warmed my heart to see the two of them together like this. To see Luke so relaxed and carefree.