Pretend You're Mine(134)
Rameson stalked to the table and grabbed the sunglasses out of Luke’s shirt. “You’ve been stuck in here too long, asshole. Technology’s advancing. These pretty little things record audio and video.”
“You can’t do that! You can’t record me without a warrant!” He was shrieking now.
Rameson shrugged. “Oh, you mean this little piece of paper here? Know what else we have? We’ve got a full confession from your buddy Glenn Diller. Conspiracy to commit murder carries a max of twenty-five years. Welcome to the rest of your life.”
She turned on heel and stalked out of the room. Luke followed her and paused in the door. “You know what she really feels when she reads your letters? Pity.”
He slammed the door behind him on the feral wails and walked out into the light.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Luke shrugged off Melissa and Ty’s offer of a celebratory lunch. He couldn’t face the office, either, and instead went home. He needed to be alone. Sort through what happened
He flopped down on the couch and was immediately covered in dogs. “Oh my God, guys. Give me a break. I had a hard day keeping sick psychopaths away from Mommy.”
Lola wiggled her entire back end and Max licked his face.
A knock on the front door interrupted the mauling. “Hey, you home?” Aldo said, letting himself in.
“In here,” Luke answered.
The dogs jumped off of Luke to dance around Aldo.
He stooped to pet them. “What are you doing home in the middle of the day?”
Luke stood up. “What are you doing in my house in the middle of the day? And do you want a beer?”
Aldo shrugged. “Sure. Why not?” He followed Luke into the kitchen.
“So what do I owe the pleasure?” Luke opened the refrigerator and pulled out two beers.
Aldo popped the top and took a sip. “You’re probably gonna want to open yours before I say what I have to say”
Luke sighed. “We’re doing this now?”
Aldo shook his head. “Yeah. So what the hell is your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem,” Luke said.
“You have a huge problem” he jerked his thumb at the boxes of Harper’s stuff stacked in the dining room. “Is this what you think Karen wants?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Do you think Karen would have wanted you to spend your life miserable and alone?”
Luke felt his jaw clench.
“I don’t care that we’re not supposed to mention her name around poor, delicate Luke. You’re being a dumbass, and as your friend, it’s my job to knock you on your ass when you’re being a dumbass.”
Why did everyone keep calling him a dumbass?
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Luke drilled a finger into Aldo’s chest.
Aldo shoved his hand out of the way. “Let’s say you died. You’re dead. Karen’s still alive. What kind of life would you want her to have without you? Would your stupid fucking ghost be happy to see her locking herself away from everyone who loves her? Burying herself in work. Coming home to an empty house every night to relive her misery?”
Luke turned away and put his hands on his head. “Of course not.”
“Then why the hell would you do that to Harper?”
“I didn’t do that to Harper! She was the one that built this whole pretend life —”
“Pretend? So she didn’t love you? She didn’t love us? She didn’t love this whole fucking town?”
“Of course she did.”
“Then why did you take that away from her? For Karen? For you?”
Luke put his hands on hips.
“It’s a completely different story if you didn’t love her, Luke. But if you love her and threw away that life that she built for both of you, you’re a fucking idiot.”
Luke stared at his feet. He felt his throat tighten. “Of course I love her. How could I not? I just don’t know how to be with someone who isn’t Karen.”
Aldo grabbed him in a bear hug and slapped him on the back. “You’re such a stupid asshole.”
“Learned it from watching you.”
Aldo released him but kept a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Do you know that Harp puts flowers on Karen’s grave every week?”
“That’s Harper doing that?”
He nodded. “You aren’t choosing between them or replacing Karen with Harp. You’re allowed to love them both. How do you think parents have more than one kid? They don’t just love the first one.”
“I just assumed that’s what my parents did,” Luke joked.