Page 93 of Promised Love
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Would you and Lukas come over for dinner tonight?” Mom asks out of the blue.
“Um, I’ll have to ask Lukas.” I bite my lip, avoiding her eye.
“You tell him we’ll be grilling. I need him there with Jasper.” She smiles, as if sharing an inside joke and I love it, especially knowing how much Lukas misses his own mother.
31
LUKAS
Autumn and I take the short cobbled walkway to her parents’ house. There’s a well-maintained garden with solar garden lights giving it a warm ambience. I can already smell the grill, and when we reach the patio, there’s a fire burning in a cauldron-style outdoor fire pit.
“We rarely grill. I don’t know what made Mom decide this.” Autumn’s words are still in the air when Jasper walks out wearing a red apron with his picture on it.
“Hey, tums. How’s my Valentine’s Day gift?” He cocks his eyebrow and points his spatula toward his photo on the apron.
Autumn laughs. “Dad, you look so dashing.”
She hugs her father, and a forgotten emotion hits me.
“Hey, Lukas. How are you?” We shake hands, and then he gives me a side hug. “I heard you inspired Laura to take out our forgotten grill.”
“Really?” Autumn raises an eyebrow.
I shrug, and when the door opens next, it’s Grandma.
“Hi, kiddos.” She pulls Autumn into a hug and then, taking me by surprise, her small arms loop around my waist.
“You should have visited us sooner, Lukas. You’re part of the family now.”
Before I can get over the fact that I loved the feel of her tight and affectionate hug, Autumn’s grandpop and Laura join us.
Grandpop gives me a nod and smiles. He usually doesn’t speak much and keeps more to himself, but when Autumn kisses his cheek, there’s a wide grin on his face.
“Sit. Sit.” Laura guides everyone to the table, which is beautifully set for six people.
I decide to check on Jasper first.
“We heard you guys did great today.” Jasper looks between his daughter and me.
“It was all Autumn. She’s amazing when it comes to the inn.” Pride fills my chest as I remember how she treats everyone, be it the staff or guests, like they’re a part of the family.
“She is, isn’t she?” Laura shares a quick look with Jasper and Autumn’s grandparents before grabbing a manila file from the side table and placing it before Autumn.
“What’s this?” Even from the distance I can spot the hitch in Autumn’s breath, and her face pales when she flips through the few pages. “Mom!” Her loud gasp echoes throughout the patio.
“It’s about time we acknowledge that there’d be no one more suited to run the inn than you.” Laura holds Autumn’s hands.
“B-but you still have months to decide.” She looks between her mother and grandmother.
“You left quite an impression today, tums.” Jasper leaves me at the grill and walks to his daughter. Autumn’s smile returns when he places a kiss on her forehead.
“Today definitely helped, but it wasn’t just today. I’ve seen you work over the years. The staff adores you. Mr. Big and Suzie miss no chance to tell me how much they love working with you. Maybe even more than me.”
“That’s not true, Mom!”
Laura shrugs with an emotional smile on her face. “I’m proud of you, Autumn. I know we can be overbearing, but that’s only because we love you so much and want the best for you.” Is it my imagination or does Laura’s gaze linger on me for a second before she hugs Autumn?