𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦, ʟᴜᴋᴇ ʜᴜɢʜᴇs

twenty-one

THE sun was barely up when Luke found himself standing outside Charlotte-Alexandria's room. It was a little too early for knocking, but he couldn't help himself; there was something about the quiet of the morning that made everything feel a little less complicated. He hesitated for a moment before giving a gentle tap on the door.

"Come in," came Charlotte's voice, soft and a little sleepy.

Luke pushed the door open to find her sitting on the edge of the bed, her wild curls framing her face in a way that made his heart skip. She was in the middle of pulling a sweater over her head, and for a split second, he caught the barest glimpse of her shoulder before the fabric covered it.

"Morning," he said, leaning against the doorframe. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

She smiled, tugging the sweater into place. "You're not. Just trying to get myself together before things get crazy today."

"Yeah, about that..." Luke shifted his weight, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to let you know that we're having a big barbecue later. Extended family and all."

Charlotte's smile faltered just a bit, and he could almost see the gears turning in her head, the way she was processing this new information. "Oh," she said after a beat, "that sounds... fun."

He chuckled, catching the hesitation in her voice. "It'll be fine, I promise. My aunts might be a little overbearing, but they mean well. And Quinn and Jack will be around to keep things from getting too crazy."

Charlotte nodded, her expression softening. "Okay, thanks for the heads-up."

"No problem." He lingered in the doorway for a moment longer, feeling like there was more he wanted to say but not quite sure how to say it. "You look... you look nice this morning."

Her cheeks flushed a light pink. "Thanks, Luke."

He gave her one last smile before heading back to his room, feeling a bit lighter than he had when he woke up.

A few hours later, the house was a flurry of activity. Charlotte had decided to leave her hair natural, the soft curls framing her face in a way that made her look effortlessly beautiful. She slipped into a baby blue sundress, the color complementing her complexion perfectly. As she stood in front of the mirror, she took a deep breath, trying to steady the nerves that had been building since Luke mentioned the barbecue.

When she finally emerged from her room, she found Ellen already bustling around the kitchen, prepping vegetables for the day's feast.

"Morning, Charlotte," Ellen greeted her with a warm smile. "You look lovely. That dress is perfect for today."

"Thanks," Charlotte replied, smiling back as she grabbed a knife and joined Ellen at the counter. "Anything I can help with?"

Ellen handed her a cutting board and a pile of vegetables. "You can start with these. I figured we'd get most of the prep work done early so we can relax a bit before everyone gets here."

Charlotte nodded, focusing on the task at hand. She found the rhythm of chopping vegetables oddly soothing, a nice distraction from the impending chaos of meeting more of Luke's family.

As they worked side by side, Charlotte felt herself relaxing into the moment. Ellen's presence was comforting, and the easy conversation between them made the time pass quickly.

"Luke mentioned the barbecue," Charlotte said after a while, glancing at Ellen. "It sounds like it's going to be a big deal."

Ellen chuckled, nodding. "Oh, you have no idea. Our family loves any excuse to get together, and summer barbecues at the lake house have become a bit of a tradition. You'll get used to it."