Love, Lies & Blood Ties - Whitby Shadows Series Book 2

Chapter Five

When a soft knock sounded at my door, I expected it to be Marcus. However, when I saw Luke's grimace staring back at me, I couldn't ignore the relief I felt.

"Marcus is talking to your dad, trying to calm him down I think," he said, closing the door behind him.

I walked back to my bed and threw myself on it, staring up at the ceiling. "Why is life such a bitch?"

He gave a light chuckle. "Sometimes she's good, sometimes she's bad."

"I obviously did something really wrong in a previous life. No one deserves to go through this, Luke. I never thought emotional pain could physically hurt but it does, it really does."

He sat on the bed next to me, making the wooden frame creak under his weight. He grabbed my hand and sighed. "It'll get better, Cat, I promise. Time heals all wounds."

I shook my head. "No, it doesn't. Time just makes it easier to live with."

"When did you become so philosophical?"

I couldn't help but grin. I turned my head and looked at him. "We had to have my childhood dog put down when I was twelve. I literally felt like I'd lost a limb. I cried for weeks. He was my best friend."

Luke's lips twitched. "You're comparing the loss of your father to the loss of a dog?"

"That was really traumatic for me and I still miss him now. What the hell do you think losing my dad is going to do to me?"

He squeezed my hand. "Don't dwell on it. You're souring the time you do have left with him by thinking about when he won't be here." He cleared his throat. "Do you want something to make you smile?"

"If this is another corny joke, it's really not going to work."

"Meredith."

I frowned. What did he mean? Then the penny dropped. I sat bolt upright and covered my mouth with my hands. "No..."

He lifted an eyebrow and nodded.

I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard I actually snorted. By the time I regained any sort of composure, I had stitch in both my sides and my jaw ached. "But..." I laughed again "...it's a girl's name."

"Nowadays, yes, it is. Traditionally speaking, it's actually a unisex name and back in the day was given more to boys than girls."

I giggled. "That justifies nothing."

"I'm so glad I shared this secret of mine with you."

"You wanted to make me smile."

He grinned. "Well, that definitely worked."

"So where did Luke come from?"

He pulled his lips into a thin line. "My middle name."

I raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Hey, I gave you Meredith. That's enough for today."

I poked him in his side, just under his ribs. I expected the normal reflex of most people, bending away and complaining how it hurt. Instead, I found my fingertip nearly bending back on itself. How could he be so solid?

"Lucius," he said.

I sat up, trying to hide the fact I was nursing my bent finger. "That's not that bad."

"Meredith Lucius?" he said, snorting. "Come on."

I pressed my lips together, hiding a grin. "Kinda sounds like Meredith Lucious."

He stared at me with a blank face. "Thanks, Cat."

"At least," I giggled. I couldn't say what I wanted to say without laughing. I sucked in a deep breath and started again. "At least if you wanted to do drag you've already got the name."