Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (13 page)

“Is something wrong, Lil? Are you okay? You look nervous.” Luke searched my face for any clues.

“I’m perfectly fine. It’s just that…I have company.”
Please don’t blush, Lily. Now is not the time for that.

This was one of those conversations I wished I could avoid. Luke was my friend, and I did not want to hurt his feelings. He had been sending me mixed signals ever since Kyle had shown up.

“
Company?
Who do you have…”

I could see the thoughts churning in his head, and before I could explain, it clicked, and his eyes widened.

“Kyle is here? This early in the morning?” he asked loudly, his face hardening.

Luke had never raised his voice to me. I could tell his wheels were still turning as more thoughts silently fell into place.

“Yes,” I said quietly, not sure of what else to say.

When I heard footsteps behind me, I knew Kyle was making his way toward the door. I was sure Kyle couldn’t see who it was yet, but I assumed he’d
heard
who was at the door.

“What the hell, Lily?” Luke’s eyes bounced between Kyle and me, confirming his suspicions. “You fucking slept with him, didn’t you?”

He barely got the words out before Kyle broke in.

“Hey! Watch it, man.” Kyle’s tone was hard, and his body was tense. “Or I’m going to teach you some manners,” he threatened. His hand fell on my shoulder in a possessive yet supportive manner.

I stood motionless. I wasn’t sure what to do or say. I did not like confrontation.

“All this time, Lily…” Luke shook his head as sadness glimmered in his eyes. “I thought we had built a solid foundation, a friendship, and you threw it away so quickly…for someone you don’t even know! This dickhead just comes along, and you spread your—”

And that was it.

Not a split second later, Kyle lunged with his fist flying through the air, connecting with Luke’s jaw. I watched, frozen in horror, as it happened.

Luke stumbled back as Kyle yelled, “What did you just say to her?”

Before Luke had time to react, Kyle was already delivering a second blow. Luke tried to fight back, but Kyle was skilled and much quicker. Kyle’s forceful punch sent Luke to the ground, landing him flat on his back.

“Enough! Kyle, stop!” I screamed.

We all took a moment of silence while we caught our breaths. Luke stood up in front of me as I leaned against the doorway, facing him, and Kyle returned to my side. Luke looked ashamed, and I could see the hurt in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lil. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t mean any of that. I just thought…” He sighed heavily before continuing. “I just thought that when you were ready, we would date. I’ve tried to give you the space you wanted for these past three years—”

“Luke!” I yelped in shock.

The look on his face at that very moment told me all I needed to know.
Oh my god, it’s true.

“I’m in love with you, Lil.” Luke smiled sadly. “I have
always
been in love with you. I was just waiting for you to be ready.” His eyes dropped to his hands. He looked as though he feared my answer.

At Luke’s confession, Kyle’s body immediately tensed next to me. He looked ready to attack again. I gave him my best stand-down
glare. His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He seemed to respect that this was my battle. My conflict or not, words just didn’t want to leave my mouth.

“I’m sorry, Lil. I should have said something sooner, but I thought Kyle would just pass through. You always turn everyone down, and I thought you still weren’t ready. I didn’t think it would come to this. I mean, you barely know this guy.” Luke gestured to Kyle.

Kyle and I were standing side by side inside the entryway, giving Luke a bit of breathing space.

“Tread lightly, Luke,” Kyle growled.

I glanced at Kyle and then back at Luke again.
Please, please…this is not happening.

“Please say something, Lil. I don’t want to lose you,” Luke said with pleading eyes.

“For now, I think…it’s best if you go.” I shook my head. I felt as sad as Luke looked. “You’re my best friend, Luke…and I don’t want to lose you either, but we don’t seem to want the same thing. How about we each take a breather and talk about this later…okay?”

Luke looked defeated, and I didn’t know how to comfort him in a friendly way. Our friendship had always been so easy between us. Now, with Kyle in the picture, the thought of hugging Luke made me feel…uncomfortable.

It was in that moment that I knew our friendship had forever changed.

Instead of hugging him, I took a small step back. Luke sighed. His face was as stricken as I felt.

“Will you please consider still going to dinner with my parents and me today? I’m not sure how I’ll survive them without you.” He blinked, and his voice went softer. “I meant what I said about not wanting to lose your friendship.”

Kyle quietly waited, still rooted in his spot, silently watching.

Whether we were at odds or not, Luke was still my friend. I was not going to leave him to fend for himself with his horrible family.

“Yes.” I nodded. “You can text me the details later. I’m going to relax for a bit.”

“Okay, thank you. I’ll see you later, Lil.” With that, he walked off quietly.

When I turned to face Kyle, I noticed his tense posture and blank expression. He was clearly trying to figure out my thoughts. I moved closer toward him, my eyes never leaving his.

I decided to state the obvious. “Well, that was awkward.”

“Yes, you could say that.” His voice was taut. “But it was very obvious that he is in love with you.”

I frowned at his comment. “He is not in love with me. He just thinks he is. He doesn’t want to lose his friend. We have grown very close over the last three years, and his family life is complicated.” I sighed and put my hand on Kyle’s chest, wanting and needing him to understand. “He’s the only person I’ve had to lean on since I moved here.”

Luke had saved me from being completely alone, and he had his own family problems. In a way, we had helped each other.

“I can see the friendship, Lily, but there is definitely more on his part.” Kyle stared at me intently. “I can tell by the way he looks at you.”

“It doesn’t matter if he feels more because I don’t,” I stated.

“Okay, I believe you.” His stance was still rigid. “But if he ever speaks to you like that again, Lily, friend or not, I will beat the shit out of him.”

His protectiveness was delectable. The sensations he stirred deep inside me took over my body instantly, filling me with such sweet passion. I seemed to have no control over my body or feelings lately.

Even though I felt it was wrongly directed and Luke was by no means a threat, I respected Kyle for caring enough to defend me. I stepped into him, so we were touching. With my breasts pressed against his chest, I tilted my head up to look directly into his eyes. They were drawn in tight and darker than normal. I kissed him gently on his mouth.

“Thank you,” I whispered as I put my forehead on his chest.

“You’re welcome,” Kyle said in a soft voice before kissing my hair. “Are you ready for a morning do-over?”

“Oh, yes! What do you have in mind? Maybe I could make you breakfast this time?”

“Now, you’re talkin’ my language.” He beamed a handsome smile as I looked up at him.

Hand in hand, we walked into the kitchen. Kyle took a seat on a breakfast stool, and I began to rummage through my fridge and cabinets, quickly taking inventory.

“We could have ham, eggs, and bacon…a biscuit burrito…or maybe biscuits and gravy with bacon—”

“You can make biscuits and gravy?” Kyle sat up quickly as his eyebrows raised in question. “From scratch, I hope?”

“Of course, from scratch. How else would you make them?” I began to grab everything I would need. Then, I started simmering the sausage in a large skillet.

“Oh man, you’re definitely stuck with me now,” Kyle teased. “Who taught you how to make it?”

I mixed the batter for the biscuits, and Kyle moved next to me and reached for the scoop. He started placing the dough on the baking sheet.

“My mom cooked from scratch all the time, and my sister and I would help. It was great. My dad would set the table and do dishes. He would do anything to help out and be a part of it. There would be soft music playing in the background. We would all work together while talking and laughing…” I was lost in thought as I stirred butter and flour into my gravy before adding the final seasonings. I had such great memories with my family, but they were also so painful to remember.

Kyle’s hand brushed along my shoulder, removing me from my thoughts. “That sounds like a great remembrance of your family. I can almost picture it.”

We fell silent while we finished making breakfast. The biscuits and gravy smelled delicious as we took our plates to the table.

“So, what are your plans for the week?” Kyle had already devoured half of his plate.

“I’ll spend some time writing, and I plan to visit my editor, Brooke, sometime this week. How about you?” I grabbed some more bacon before Kyle could eat it all.

“I leave early in the morning for New York. A rare business opportunity presented itself, so I want to check it out quickly. Blake, a buddy of mine from my Army days, called last week and told me about it. We are partners in a few projects.”

“What exactly do you do in real estate?” I was interested in learning more about his career.

“When I was a kid, my dad would buy cheap houses that needed work. He’d fix them up and then sell them for profit. After school and on weekends, my brother and I would go with him and help. I really liked using my hands for handiwork, and I liked envisioning what the finished product would look like. While my dad sat and made changes to his blueprint, my brother and I would do the same to our kid-drawn blueprint as we told my dad what we wanted to do instead.” He laughed softly. “We had some pretty imaginative ideas back then, and we got overridden a lot.” His boyish grin was adorable.

“It sounds like you have very fond memories of that time. I bet you all had a lot of fun.”

“We did.” Kyle smiled softly. “After we finished the construction part, my mom and sister would do the cleaning, minor decorating, and landscaping to make the house look more presentable.”

“Do you all still do it together now?”

“A few projects, yes. I do more commercial-size deals now. I mostly work on my own or with Abbey. My parents have pretty much retired, but my sister helps me with miscellaneous things, like accounting, finding good deals, and hiring out and making things run smoothly with contractors.”

“That sounds fascinating. How does your Army friend fit into all of that?” I questioned.

“Blake and I met a few years back and got on the subject of real estate. We became good friends in our time serving the Army together. His father was a big investor in New York, so naturally, Blake got involved, too. When we got out of the Army, Blake and I worked up a solid business plan and took it to his father. He was impressed and loaned us the money to buy our first property. We fixed it and resold it for profit. We paid his father back and used the profit to buy another one. We haven’t stopped yet. It has been a great business for both of us.”

“It sounds like you really enjoy it.”

“I do.” Kyle nodded. “It was the chance of a lifetime.”

We had finished our plates, and we were just sitting at the table, enjoying each other’s company. I really liked the fact that we could just sit and talk. I felt so comfortable around Kyle.

“Did you like being in the Army?”

“Yes, I did, even though I missed my family. I learned a great deal. It made me the man I am today, and I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity to serve my country.”

I loved the strong and driven military part of Kyle.

“So, do you write a lot every week?” he asked.

“Yes. I have a second book due out by the end of this year, and I plan to finish early. My first one was almost 300 pages, and the second book is looking to be just as long. Plus, I’m already getting ideas for another series I’d like to write.”

“What is it you enjoy about writing so much?” He poured us each another glass of orange juice and then watched me thoughtfully.

I pondered a moment, rimming my glass with the top of my finger. “I love the way I can get lost in my writing, just as I do in reading. I can write a story as I see it in my mind. My characters sometimes feel like real people.” I laughed and looked up at Kyle with a shy smile. “I create these people with personalities and feelings. They have real lives with struggles and hardships, and it’s hard not to get attached.” It sounded weird coming out of my mouth, but it was true.

“That makes perfect sense, Lily.” Kyle’s eyes showed only understanding and affection. “Do you foresee yourself doing anything else in addition to writing? Like taking your photography more seriously?” He leaned back in his chair, waiting for my answer.

“Sometimes. I love looking at anything through a lens. I can perceive things the way I want, and with editing, I can make it look even better or entirely different. I’m not sure I would want to do it full-time. I think any passion in too large of doses can burn out, and I like things the way they are. I’m comfortable. Change is hard for me.”

“We all like to be comfortable, but you have to be able to change and grow. I think you are taking more steps than you think.” Kyle’s eyes fixated on mine. “So, when I get back, I was thinking we could have another date.”

“Okay. Where are we going this time?” I smiled at him. Another date sounded wonderful and made my heart flutter.

Kyle shook his head slowly, a grin forming at the corner of his mouth. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

I knew he was going to say that.

With that, I smiled and started picking up the dishes. As I began washing them, Kyle fell into step beside me, drying them. He then began guessing in which cabinet they each belonged, and I told him where some of the more difficult items went. The cottages were small, but they had lots of cabinets and closets. It was nice to have extra room for storage, not that it was really needed for one person.