"Because of you, I can feel myself slowly, but surely, becoming the me I have always dreamed of being." —Tyler Knott Gregson

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Chapter 73
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Maggie

Both of our eyes snapped toward the house. If Luke hadn't of been here, I probably would have thought I imagined it, but by his alert expression, I knew it impossible.

His eyes returned to mine. "You heard that, too, right?"

I nodded, already stepping toward the door before Luke pulled me back into him by my arm.

Confused, I looked back at him.

"Get behind me, Maggie. Now," he demanded, all signs of humor and teasing gone as he tugged me behind him until I was shielded by his figure. "No matter what, you don't move away from me, you understand me?"

I nodded so hard, strands of hair moved with me. It could have been something simple that caused the crash, but with the way life was bullshitting me, I didn't want to take anymore chances.

The screen door creaked as we passed it. I made sure to shut it behind me, quietly.

Waves of heat blasted my skin the moment we walked inside. In another circumstance, it would have been a great reliever against the chill outside, but for right now, my body was just as frozen.

I glanced over the area, but it was the same as we left it. Calm and quiet.

"Ryder! Wallace!" Luke called out, casting his own careful examination over the space as he placed his gift bag down.

The sound of footsteps descended the staircase. Luke pushed me even further behind him until I was nearly molded into his backside. His free hand raised his shirt up to grab his gun, but just as he grazed it, the situation proved unnecessary.

Kimberly was halfway down the stairs now, her expression startled at the sight of Luke's gun. At her, Luke and I both blew out a sigh of relief before he lowered his shirt back down.

I looked up to Kimberly. "What's going on?"

Without a word, she turned and waved after her, motioning for us to follow.

Luke and I shared a look of confusion, before I took the first step. He continued to hold my hand while we walked, letting me tug him along.

I heard another crash from the third floor, if I could guess. Then, what sounded like yelling to follow it.

When we got to the highest level, we saw Kade, who was leaned against the stair railing, arms crossed and gaze fixed on the door in front of him.

I searched around for Levi and Raven, but they were nowhere to be found, so it didn't take much to realize from there. "What's going on?"

Kimberly walked to Kade, leaning against the rail with him. She nodded toward the door. "Listen."

I released Luke to step closer to the door. When I grew within reaching distance, I leaned in.

It took a moment behind the muffle, but once I heard the deep gravelly pitch of Levi's voice being raised, I realized. Raven's followed back a second later, before both blended together.I passed a look to Kade and Kimberly, who nodded to confirm it.

"We were all sitting in Kade and I's room, just talking and having fun, then it all went to shit when Raven started getting this crazy amount of phone calls," Kimberly explained, cautiously glancing to the door. "When she left to the bathroom, Levi was close enough to see one of the messages on her phone. It all went to shit from there."

The first thought that came to mind was the incident in the kitchen. Her ex, Justin.

Kade sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he fixated a glare on the door. "And, somehow we ended up getting kicked out of our own damn room."

Kimberly shrugged. "I just wanted to give them some space."

"There's space in literally every other part of this huge ass house," he grumbled, moving his agitated gaze to the floor. "The fuck is so special about ours?"

Kimberly rolled her eyes, running a hand up and down his backside. "I know." His glare lessened as he clasped an arm around her waist, and turned his eyes to Luke and I.

"They've been arguing for a while, now, but if you two wanna go to bed, then go ahead," he offered. "Kimberly and I are gonna stay around, though. We wanna watch."

I glanced to Luke, who looked to me for a response. "We're up, too."

Energy sprang through my skin when Luke stepped closer to my backside. "Wouldn't minding our business and giving them their privacy be the polite shit to do, though?"

Kade rolled his eyes. "I'll mind my business when they're on their floor of the house and not mine."

Kimberly and I clashed eyes. I tried to mirror my question through the look alone, and luckily, she got it. When she nodded, it confirmed my suspicions.

Fuck.

I didn't know what the extent was with whatever Raven had going on with Justin, but rather it be small or big, it was still wrong. Especially against Levi.

I wanted to keep my opinion to myself until we heard her side of the story, though. She was still my friend.

I glanced back to the door as the shouts heightened from behind it. I wanted to go and watch the movies with Luke, but I couldn't stop my curiosity.

I leaned even closer to it to have a better understanding of the situation.

"It was literally one text, Levi!" Raven shouted.

"That, and twenty missed calls? Who the fuck sits still when their girlfriend's ex is doing that shit, and especially when their girl is trying to hide it?"

"Oh, shit," I breathed out in shock.

Three sets of eyes flickered over to me. I waved them closer with my hand, and they all nearly tripped over each other trying to get to the door first.

"Listen," I rushed out in a whisper, pointing to the door.

Butterflies turned in my stomach as Luke wrapped an arm over my waist, laying his head on top of mine to have a better listen. Kimberly and Kade did the same, their faces stuck with concentration.

"I wasn't trying to hide it!" I heard Raven shout before Levi returned it with, "Really? Then, show me."

"Show you what? That you're being overdramatic as shit, right now?"

"Give me your phone and let me see your messages."

"I'm not—"

"Fuck that," Levi sneered over her. The boom of his voice nearly sent me into aftershock, and I wasn't even the one he was talking to. "Me and you, Raven. That's who the fuck is in this relationship. Not anybody else, and for damn sure, not you and him. There shouldn't be one good enough reason for another fucker to be texting you, let alone with his contact still saved in your phone."

I didn't hear anything from Raven's side.

"Raven!" Levi shouted so loud, it made Kimberly and I jump. "Either you let me see the phone or I walk the fuck out."

"Okay," Kade sighed, darting his eyes up to Luke's. "This shit's getting too far; let's step in."

Kimberly passed a look of uncertainty up to him. "Are you sure?"

I felt Luke nod. "Yeah. The fucker's about to blow his shit. We don't want you two to have to see it."

I turned around. "What do you mean?"

Luke ran his hands up and down my arms. "Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about, baby. You and Kimberly should go to our room, and—"

Before he could finish, the door was being swung open so hard, I thought the doorknob broke through the wall.

Levi came out first, his face void of any emotion other than rage. Raven was on his heels, her expression distraught. Fuck.

"Levi, wait—" She tried to grab his hand, but he yanked it away, snapping, "Don't touch me, Raven."

Luke and Kade tugged Kimberly and I back until we were out of the way, but still close enough to witness whatever the fuck was about to go down.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you, okay?" Raven said to his backside, her eyes already glistening with tears. "Just let me explain, first, okay?"

Levi swept around, raking a big hand over his face. I didn't even realize until now that he had Raven's phone in hand, so I could guess that he had found messages between Raven and Justin. Double fuck.

"Don't," Levi hissed at her. "Don't explain shit. Those messages explain every fucking thing I need to know."

"They don't!" she screamed back, moving until she was standing in front of him. "Levi, I promise it's not what you think—"

"What I think?" Levi laughed, dryly. "You wanna know what the fuck I think?"

"She does not want to know what the fuck he thinks," Kade mumbled, earning a glare from Kimberly.

Raven shook her head, sweeping at her wet cheeks with her hand. "If you'd just listen—"

"I don't want to listen. I've been listening this whole goddamned time through your bullshit," he snapped back. "And you go and..." Dipping his head, he shook it, chuckling. "I don't even know what the fuck else I expected from you."

"Are you serious?" she yelled over him, and from what I could see, he had definitely tapped at her anger. "You, the Wallace underdog have the nerve to—"

"I'm not doing this shit, right now." Levi shook his head, stepping past her to try to get to the staircase. "I need to get the fuck out of here for a minute." They continued on with their argument, though, but there was so much commotion, I couldn't grasp much, but the main points.

I was pulled out of my head by Levi's long, dark drawl of a chuckle. It continued on until he stepped closer to Raven, all humor gone.

"Answer this one fucking question," he hissed, his raging eyes searching over hers. "One, Raven. If you lie, you know I'll know—"

She took a step closer, meeting his menacing glare. "I don't lie—"

"Since when was hiding something and lying two different things?"

My backside sunk into Luke's chest at that. It wasn't even aimed at me, and I still felt it hit like a bunch of blocks, knocking me right into the avoidance I had built at Kade's threat.

My eyes lifted off of the wood once I felt a burning stare in the side of my head, piecing said lies right apart.

I was right; Kade's brown eyes were staring right back into mine. Kimberly and Luke were completely oblivious due to their attention being on the fight, but I couldn't ignore it.

Out of the many, many times I had seen Kade's icy glare, I knew it like the back of my hand, now. This though, it wasn't it.

His face was relaxed. Still blank, but relaxed. I couldn't decipher any individual emotion, but I did note that the ones from the day of the accident weren't there. I had no idea what it meant, but...

I shook my head, returning my eyes back to the fight. I could still feel him still staring at me, but I didn't confront it, again.

If the time was running accurately, I had only a little time left to tell the girls. A couple of days at most. It was inevitable. It was going to have to happen, and so were the consequences.

I just hoped said consequences were simple. A smack to the head, maybe a curse or two, then love. Maybe. Fucking hopefully.

Levi was descending the stairs, now, I realized at the thumps against the wood. The moment I caught up, I was just as startled.

A different side had woken for sure. Gone was the funny, sweetheart we were so accustomed to. In it's place was an answer as to why him, Luke, and Kade worked so well together.

His skin was getting so red, it seemed impossible that he wasn't setting fire to every single stomp he made into the ground. Even from here, I could see the tremor of his body and the flare of his nostrils.

Him and Raven were still going back and forth, but with their interruptions, it was hard to decipher too much. The only time that I was able to find the reasoning inside of the argument was when they crossed each other on the same step.

Levi's eyes dipped over Raven with a stretch of rage behind it. "Did you fuck him, Raven?" His words were quiet, controlled. It made my skin itch with the weight of anger right behind them.

Raven stumbled back out of shock. "What?"

"Did you fuck him?" His gaze never fell from hers. "I'm not talking about anything else, right now. Not about any other guy, and not about Justin. No one else. I'm talking about Wyatt."

Oh, shit.

My eyes widened at that. Kimberly's did the same, darting over to mine. We both blinked back at each other.

Kade caught the act, and Luke did next. They both narrowed their eyes at us, then glanced up to each other with the same cloth of curiosity.

I cleared the emotion from my face, and Kimberly did the same. If we didn't, the boys might cut this trip short to go and tear Wyatt's hands off.

Wyatt was Levi's oldest brother. They didn't get along, and something had happened to the point of Levi no longer claiming him as a brother. Wyatt was their parent's golden child, and with that came a very, very big, sanctimonious, and cocky personality.

Kimberly and I had met him a year or so ago when Raven invited all of us to Levi's house to get a school project done. Everything had been as normal as can be until Levi left to go and get food. Wyatt had come into his room, where we were, and played it off as just introducing himself. We hadn't thought anything of it until he subtly, but definitely not subtly suggested a hookup.

Kimberly was broken up with Kade at the time, but she still got me to reject Wyatt for her, which I was more than ready to do. I rejected simply because it, and he, had a weird ass vibe. Raven rejected for obvious reasons.

Even declined, he didn't stop his flirtations until Levi came back. I still remembered the disappointment in his face at our rejections, but especially at Ravens. I didn't know if he were trying to get Levi back for something or what, but it was low as shit.

After that, he kept on with his snide comments and crude stares at all three of us. When he started to edge into physical attempts, we stopped going to Levi's house.

Raven didn't make a mention of it to Levi because she didn't want to deepen the wedge between him and his brother even further.  Kimberly never told Kade, and I didn't tell Luke since none of us were together at the time. I never thought I'd have to.

Raven, whose fair cheeks were paling, blinked back at Levi, shocked. "Are you seriously..." Her head shook at him. "Are you seriously asking me this shit in front of our friends, right now?"

"I'm not talking to them," he hissed, not bothering to pay a look at us. "I'm talking to you. Did you—"

She tried to stretch a hand for him, her expression pained. "Levi—"

He yanked it back, sweeping it through his hair so hard, it seemed painful. "Raven, answer the—"

"I'm not answering anything!" she yelled back, her voice cracking. "Because, you shouldn't be asking—"

"Raven!" he roared back so loud, the pictures seemed to rattle along the walls. "Did you fuck him—"

"Yes!" she shouted.

Triple fuck.

My widened eyes clashed with Kimberlys. Her own were shiny, and bright with surprise as she glanced back to the two.

Levi stared Raven down, his lips stuck in a frown that only seemed to dig into her own. I saw his throat bob under a single gulp before it repeated the action, this time in a chuckle so strained, it pinched my ears. "Yeah?"

Raven was crying, now. For what, though, I didn't know. I loved my girl to death, but I wanted to knock her ass out my own damn self, right now.

"Levi..." she croaked weakly, sniffling.

"Yeah?" Another chuckle came from him as he swept a hand over his face. "You fucked my brother, Raven?"

Something shifted along his face so quickly, I found myself having to rethink the action. It was the exact opposite of anything light. I couldn't say darkness, because it was something more sinister.

Luke stepped around my figure so that he was facing me. "Norris."

I blinked back at the situation in front of me a couple of more times to exit the trance. Once I did, I followed up to Luke.

He kissed my forehead, mumbling, "Go to our room for me, yeah?"

"What?" I backed up, casting him an odd glance. "Why?"

"I don't want you to have to watch this shit, and if you get caught in the shit show that's about to go down, I'll have one less fucker to call a best friend." A thumb stroked at my cheek as he cradled it, his expression reassuring. "I'll be in there in a minute, I promise."

Just as I started my response, another step slammed against the floors. My eyes snapped up to catch the situation, again.

Levi had moved down the staircase, far from Raven's trembling stature. When he made it to the ground level, he jerked around.

The next action made me jump back. So quickly, his hands were curling into fists. With his rage behind him, he slammed it into the part of the wall that wasn't wooden. With the strength under it, the spot crumbled right upon impact.

Despite the pain I know it caused in his hand, he continued on through the house, his expression locked down with an impenetrable force. I heard something else crash, then his curses, but I couldn't see it because of Luke.

I broke free from Luke to make my way over to Raven. I didn't want to leave her, right now, despite the situation. As fucked as it was, she was still my friend, and, I didn't know what else was attached to the story.

I heard Luke's mumbled curses of frustration from behind me, but he knew he couldn't stop me. Kimberly was already in front of Raven when I stepped to her side.

Kimberly grabbed her trembling hand, squeezing. "Are you okay?"

"Raven," I expressed, attempting to keep my voice steady. "What—"

Tear filled eyes raised to us, and it made my heart clench in sympathy. The rest of her wasn't doing any better. Not at all. She was breaking.

"I don't want to talk about it, right now," she managed to get out, dropping her gaze. "Please don't make me. Please."

Kimberly and I crossed confused gazes. Between it, I caught sight of the shit-show going on downstairs through the space of the staircase railing.

Kade was attempting to chill Levi out, while avoiding the swings he was throwing at the same time. Just as Kade grabbed at his cocked arm, Levi swiveled on a quick foot, and shoved Kade back until his back slammed against the wall.

I expected a retaliation to come from it, but instead, Kade kept his neutral expression on before he went back in. I did recall how Luke said they'd all seen each other in moments like this, so I guess that was how Kade was able to keep an understanding reaction.

Kimberly and I went to speak to Raven, but she was turning around and stumbling to a room down the hall before we could. Without another word, she slammed it shut, blocking us, Levi, and the situation out.

I stared at the door for a lingering second. "What in the fuck just happened?"

Kimberly blinked down at the ground in shock, tugging her arms over her chest. "I don't know, but..." Her eyes raised up to mine, a set thought in place. "I never believed that her and Justin were sleeping together, and I sure as hell don't believe she'd do it with Levi's brother. Especially Wyatt."

I had the same concern. Raven may joke and tease a lot, but when it came to Levi, there was no question about it. She was loyal. At least I think.

"Yeah..." I mumbled, glancing over the floor with concentration. "You heard her, though. She admitted it."

"What if she was just trying to get Levi off of her back or something?" she tossed the idea up. "Or, maybe she was wanting an easy way out with Levi, for some reason. Hurting him would be the perfect way to do that."

My head tilted in confusion. "Why would she wanna do that, though?" Kimberly shrugged, looking to the door Raven was behind. "That's the part we'll have to wait on. I say we just give her time."

I nodded in agreement. That may be best. She definitely wasn't coming out, right now. "Same."

"Norris," Luke called out from behind me at the same time that another curse sounded out from the ground level. "Let's go, baby."

Kimberly and I said our goodbyes, and gave hugs to one another. Once we finished, Luke grabbed me by the hand, and led us to our floor.

"Is Levi going to be okay?" I voiced my concern. From what I was hearing, it didn't sound like it.

Luke squeezed my hand, and used his other to open our door. "For right now, fuck no, but Kade and I are gonna stop him from trying to tear the entire house apart."

I nodded while he pulled us into our bedroom. Once we were in, he turned me by my waist so that we were facing one another.

When he craned his neck to kiss me, I caught up to that and him. Despite the situation, my body molded into his in the same way my heart did every single time he even looked at me.

"I love you," he mumbled against my lips, pecking them, again. I couldn't speak before he was kissing me all over, again. Just as I leaned in to deepen it, Luke was groaning against my lips, "Quit trying to tempt me into staying, damn it."

I giggled against him. "You're the one who keeps kissing me—" Another kiss that made the both of us sigh when we had to pull back.

His eyes lingered on my lips, before he was laying another kiss to them. "You know exactly what you're doing, woman," he grumbled against me. This time, he pried himself away from me, a scowl on his lips. "I'm onto you and your plan, so stop it, Norris."

My smile shifted into a grin. He was ridiculous. I pressed my lips together for a second to savor the feel of his. "I love you." I wanted to tease him, but I knew he needed to go to his friend, right now.

Luke's softened turn in his expression melted my heart into a puddle of feels. The space of the room meant nothing for me, not when it was all fuzzy and warped with the the emotions treading through me.

As hard as it appeared for him, he managed to release my waist. With one last squeeze, he left the bedroom with a soft click of the door to follow.

I remained in my spot, with my eyes on the door, and my disheveled excuse of a head barely attached. The more I tried to recover the fragments of whatever the fuck just happened, the more a headache threatened me.

I shook it all away. A hot bubble bath was calling my name after being in the cold for so long. I had planned on taking one with Luke, but I knew he'd be occupied for a while.

With a sigh, I turned my back to the door. Here we go.

***

My eyes fluttered open at the soothing trail of a finger being given over my face.

When they fully parted, a heavenly sight awaited me. Dark blues stared back into mine, as soft as the fingers running over my cheek.

Instantly, a smile trailed over my lips, the ones that only grew for him. It settled for good when another set pressed a kiss to them.

"You sleep good, angel?" Peering down at me, humor flashed across his face at my freshly woken grumpy expression. "I think I have my answer, already."

Chuckling, I turned until my face was pressed against his chest. His arms, already locked around me, only tightened, and locked me into my home.

After everything, I had taken a bath that was relaxing. I had put on the movie for when Luke would come back, but never pressed play because he didn't. At least not before I ended up going under his blankets and his pillow, then falling asleep to the perfect solace of his scent.

The next realization made my heart skip an entire cycle. I didn't have a nightmare.

My eyes found his, and I had to stop myself from bouncing in place from the excitement. "Guess what?"

He stroked the hair out of my face. "Mhm?"

It seemed like something so small, because it probably was, but it wasn't to me. After a decade of having them routinely disrupt a moment that was meant for peace, this was a very significant accomplishment for me.

My grin stretched ear to ear. "I didn't have a nightmare."

Luke turned his eyes to me, taken aback. Then, the pride in them grew so big, it helped relax my nerves of it not being a big deal back into place.

"Fuck." A large smile raised high at me. "I knew you could do it, Norris." My own matched it as he hauled me even closer to him, kisses going all over my face. "That's my girl."

The happiness bloomed in my heart. My hands roamed his backside to hold him as close as possible. "I didn't do it my own. I had to use your blankets, but still. No nightmares."

"Fuck that," the prideful tone in his voice warned my heart, and his kiss to the top of my head lit it on fire. "It doesn't matter what you used or how you did it because you still did it. You did that shit all on your own, regardless." He repeated the action, stroking the back of my head. "I'm so proud of you, Maggie. So proud."

My cheeks were beginning to hurt from all of the smiles he was bringing out of me. I would gladly take the ache, though.

The only thing that made it fall was the realization that Luke's perfect night was ruined. I hadn't even thought myself sleepy, but that apparently changed the moment I got into bed. We had been running all over town today.

Luke caught hold of my absence, his hand trapped my face to lift it up to him.

"Hey," he said softly, his fingers on my chin to hold me to him. "What's wrong, angel?"

I sighed around a smile. It was too late to keep it a secret, now. "I had plans for us to binge Harry Potter until you fell asleep." My smile fell into a frown of disappointment. "I wanted to end your birthday perfectly."

Luke cocked a brow at that. His eyes went over my head to focus on something before lowering to me, again. A cocky smile lifted his lips. "Maggie."

"Yeah?"

"Say you love me, baby."

I didn't hesitate. "I love you."

Luke reached over to grasp his phone, then showed me the screen, which read: 11:59 P.M.

His dimples sunk in as he grinned at me. "My birthday ended perfectly, Norris."

It took me a moment before it registered. Once it did, my heart thumped, adding to the tickle in my chest.

I clasped my arm around his neck, my smile softening. "You're such a sap." I couldn't talk too much shit, though, considering how he had me just as much as I had him.

Luke laughed softly, his lips brushing along my shoulder. When he pulled back, he nodded toward the television. "Do you still wanna watch them with me or are you tired?"

My eyelids were still heavy from the sleep, but I definitely wasn't missing out on this. I could make it.

At my nod, Luke hauled me closer to him until he earned my laughter. Kissing along my neck, he tapped at his phone until the introduction of the first Harry Potter movie started.

Luke tugged a blanket over us, while his hand went under his shirt I was wearing, and began to stroke in comforting circles. Since I was laying on top of him, too, I was as warm and as comfortable as could be.

"Is Levi okay?" I asked.

He nodded against me. "He's not perfect, but he calmed down enough to stop Kade and I from having to knock him out."

I nearly chuckled before I caught the seriousness in his tone. Lifting my head, I leaned back to have a full view of his face. There was no humor in it. My eyebrows raised at the realization that he was being as honest as could be, right now.

Well.

Shrugging, I returned to my stance. It wasn't my business."I honestly have no idea what Raven was talking about."

I didn't even have to look at him to see the wheels turning in his head. I knew that Levi was his friend, just as Raven was mine, but I genuinely had nothing to give him on that.

"I know. I trust you," he said, removing his hand from my back and bringing it to my hair, instead. "That shit was crazy, though. All I know is that Wyatt is in for some shit the second Levi sees his ass."

I nodded, intertwining our hands, then bringing them in front of me until they were resting on my stomach.

Just as I cast my gaze over the television, I heard the rumble of Luke's voice, "What was that shit with you and Kimberly earlier? Kade noticed it, too."

Hell.

Attempting to wipe my startled expression off, I asked, "What shit?"

His eyes dug into the top of my head. "Maggie."

I kissed our tangled fingers. "Mhm?"

"Look at me. Now, baby."

Sighing, I raised my head until our eyes collided. His were already scrutinizing me over.

A frown tugged at his lips at whatever he found. "You'd tell me if something happened or if someone made you uncomfortable, wouldn't you?"

I tried to hold our eye contact, but it was difficult with how deeply he was staring into mine. I managed a seemingly convincing nod, anyway, but it was different when I had someone who could read into me like a paper back, now.

Luke didn't fall for it. Tipping his head, he scooted himself up until he was against the headboard, and flicked his head at me. "Did Wyatt try to fuck with you or something?"

I needed to clear the tracks of curiosity, but I didn't want to lie to him, either. I gave a mix of a nod and a shake of the head, then moved to return my head to his shoulder.

Luke shook his head, and turned me back to him. "Nah, fuck that. Hold on." I rolled back a sigh, just wishing for an exit out of the conversation.

It wasn't a big deal to me since I never planned to be around Wyatt, again, and I knew Kimberly didn't, either. The guy was weird as shit, more than that, really. Even if Raven was involved with him, I definitely wouldn't associate myself with him, and friend or not, I wouldn't support the relationship, either. Not with the way it started.

Either way, I knew how Luke was about me, and how protective he was, especially after knowing about my past with my father and the others. Even though Wyatt would deserve it, I didn't want Luke to suffer through another set of busted knuckles for me. He had had enough.

I sighed. "Luke."

"Maggie," he returned, that familiar tone of protectiveness stringing his voice along. "If the fucker was being weird or any of that disrespectful shit with you or to you, I want to know—"

The ringing of his phone provided a temporary escape from the conversation, thankfully.

Luke ignored it, keeping his eyes on mine. A frown dipped his lips as he scanned me over.

I raised my brow at him. "You're not gonna get it?"

"Not before I finish my conversation with my girl, no," he said, nodding back at me. "What—"

I pecked his lips to quiet him. "Later." I reached for his phone, and brought it to my front for a look of who was calling him so late at night.

I wasn't sure who I expected it to be, but when I saw the number, my frown matched Luke's.

Luke tilted his head at my reaction, a brow raising as he lowered his eyes to the phone. "Who is it?"

"It's the hospital."

"The hospital?" he repeated, confused. Looking to the phone, the call ended, but just as it did, another one was being sent through.

Luke sighed, moving his eyes to mine. I could see how badly he wanted to finish our previous conversation, but knew it would have to wait. "I'll make it quick, yeah?"

I nodded, lifting myself off of him. His hands remained around my waist, anyway, pulling me back. The uncertainty in his eyes was presented to me.

I nodded in reassurance. "Take it. I'm fine." I moved to the other side of the bed. "I'll be right here."

Sighing, again, he kissed my cheek, and lifted himself out of bed to get the call. Before he got to the door, he was already accepting it. I couldn't tell much from how quickly he left, though.

I paused the movie, and grabbed my own phone from the nightstand. I took the time to answer Jax, who was having the time of his life sending me terrible selfies that sent me into laughter. Tony did the same, but I knew that Jax had forced him into the pictures. It was comical.

I finished my responses to him, then headed over to the text messages Kimberly had sent me while I was sleeping. 

Just as I went to type it out, the door to Luke and I's bedroom clicked open. My heart jolted in excitement. A smile flashed over my lips at it, since I knew who was coming.

I scooted over to my side of the bed to allow him in, but paused when I didn't hear anymore footsteps. I moved my eyes to Luke, but was immediately taken aback.

The phone in his hand was still lit, but it was held by a trembling hand. Around his downhearted, fallen expression, his eyes were glued on the ground below. All color had left him, but beneath it, I could see the tremble of his skin.

Alarm made my skin run cold. It crept up my backside, until finally sticking me with the shards of reality long enough to reach him.

Immediately, I stood to get to him. I grasped his cool, shaky hands in mine.

"Luke," I rushed out, glancing between him and the phone in concern. "Hey."

As if he were in a trance, his hardened gaze remained on the floor. My chest sucked in with nerves at his distress.

"Luke," I repeated, softly, bringing my hand to his jaw to lift his head. "Is everything okay? Why did the hospital call?"

His eyes darted up to mine, and I was taken aback by the glaze in them. A deep, indignant wave of pain had crashed the blues I could have usually swam in for hours. His chest struggled under a breath, but I wasn't sure if he ever managed to release it. I wasn't sure if he cared if he did.

"My mom..." he began in a whisper. The hard clench in his jaw nearly seemed painful. "Someone..." His head dipped, again, as his voice cracked over,"Someone smothered her in her sleep."