Page 81 of Slide

Chapter Twenty-One

Lucy was leaning against the counter in her trailer when Hugh walked up to her, and his giant hand went to the back of her neck, tugging her forward. She collided with his massive chest and he wrapped his arms around her, giving her one of his famous bear hugs. Hugh might be a grumpy bastard at times, but he’d always given the best hugs.

His breathing was rough, ruffling the hair at the top of her head. “I’m sorry, squirt,” he rumbled.

She could feel his big body shaking. “I’m okay, Hugh.”

“You should never have had to go through that on your own. Fuck, and the way I laid into you when you came home.” He shook his head. “The shit I’ve been giving you…”

She gave him a squeeze, shutting him up. “It’s okay. You were worried. I get it.” She pulled back and he loosened his hold enough that she could look up at him. “But I need you to get it through that thick skull of yours that I’m grown. I don’t need you to protect me anymore. You can’t. I have to make my own choices, my own mistakes, and that’s okay.”

“I don’t like seeing you get hurt, Luce. Been protecting you your whole life. I’m not sure I can just step back like that.”

“You have to,” she whispered, throat getting tight. “I survived. It hurt, it still does. But I survived. If I need you, I’ll tell you. You can count on that.”

Joe stepped up, eyes suspiciously damp, and tugged her out of Hugh’s arms, engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug. “Can’t…breathe,” she choked.

Joe loosened his hold but didn’t let go. “Stop complaining and let me cuddle you for a second, would you, squirt?” He rocked her from side to side. “It’s taking everything in me not to go after that fucker, tear off his dick, and feed it to him.”

She patted Joe’s back. “Okay. We’ll cuddle as long as you need.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

Lucy glanced over at Adam. He was propped against the wall, momentarily forgotten by her brothers. He’d stayed quiet while she’d told them the real reason she left school, what had been going on the last few months, and about the pregnancy. His eyes were locked on her, more intense than she’d ever seen them. She offered him a small smile, but he didn’t return it. Adam looked troubled and the sight kicked off another round of butterflies in her belly. Not the good kind either.

She finally got Joe to let her go and herded them toward the door, hoping to have a moment with Adam alone, but he was right behind them. He was leaving?

Curling her fingers around his forearm, she pulled him to a stop. “Stay. We need to talk.”

“I…” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Hugh had turned to watch them and was scowling again, but he kept his mouth shut, so she was counting that as a win. She got it. Adam didn’t want to rub their relationship in her brothers’ faces. And after their morning, emotions were volatile to say the least. She nodded and let him go, trying to communicate to him that she understood the way he was feeling. Still, she hated watching him walk away on his own, the three of them not talking as they got into their trucks and drove away.

Hugh and Joe would come around to the idea of her and Adam together soon, wouldn’t they?

God, she hoped so. For all their sakes.

~ * ~

Lucy hitched her bag higher, and walked out of the elevator on Adam’s floor. It was late and she should probably have called to let him know she was coming over after work, but she was worried if she told him she was coming he might not be there when she arrived. She silently scolded herself. Adam wouldn’t do that. She was just being paranoid. They’d spent their first night apart last night and she was trying not to read too much into it, but it was getting damn hard, especially when he hadn’t returned her call last night either. Oh, he’d texted her back, saying something had come up and he couldn’t come over, but even the tone of the text felt off.

Ignoring the nervous flutter in her belly, she knocked on the door. Nothing. She tried again. She was starting to think he wasn’t there, but then she heard footsteps coming toward the door. The flutters got worse.

The door opened and Adam filled the space. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants, no shirt, and his hair was sticking up at odd angles. This apartment was dark behind him.

“I woke you,” she said.

He shook his head. “I couldn’t sleep.” He didn’t seem surprised to see her, and she struggled to stay where she was and not launch herself into his arm when his gaze moved over her in that familiar way.

He rubbed his hands over his face, giving his head a little shake. “Come in, Luce.”

And then he said it, the dreaded words.

“We need to talk.”

She knew what those four words meant, of course she did. But, God, how she didn’t want to believe that this was the end for them. She’d known it was coming. She’d known since their first night together. He’d told her himself that he didn’t want more, that a relationship, a commitment, wasn’t for him. Somehow she’d momentarily forgotten that, had stupidly allowed false hope to grow and bloom.

She knew better.