Luke blew out a breath as he stared at her in awe. He knew that right there, on the patio of the rehab center she was in, with the counselor as their audience, Cara owned a small piece of his heart. He turned and looked at Ms. Snyder. “Can I hug her?” He asked hoarsely.
Ms. Snyder simply nodded and that was all the permission Luke needed. He stood up and leaned down and brought Cara into his arms. She cried against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.
“Thank you for being there for me even when I didn’t deserve it.” She said through her tears.
“I’ll always be here for you.” He whispered into her hair. “I promise.” They latched onto one another for a few moments before she pulled back and her eyes that had turned green stared up into his brown ones. He marveled at their color, seeing the flecks of green and knowing that she was completely sober. He smiled at her for a moment before he sat back in his seat. He tore his eyes from her and looked back at the counselor.
“You did wonderful Cara. I’m very proud of you as you should be of yourself.”
Cara smiled at her. “Thank you.” She let out a deep breath and couldn’t describe how amazing it felt to have that off her chest.
“It was nice to meet you, Luke.” Ms. Snyder said as she stood to her full height.
Luke glanced back and forth between the two women. “We’re done?” He asked.
“That concludes our session. Thank you for coming and for supporting Cara in her recovery.”
Luke and Cara stood in unison. “It was nice to meet you too, Ms. Snyder.” He said and shook her hand.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Cara said to her counselor and led Luke to the office. Once they were outside, they turned to one another, sharing an awkward silence.
“So…” She whispered.
“So…” He repeated.
“Do you want to go for a walk by the lake before you head home? If you have to leave it’s fine. I understand. I know you have a long drive ahead of you…”
“Cara…”
“I’m rambling.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I have time for a walk, but you should probably grab a jacket or something. The weather is changing.”
“Okay. Stay right here. I’ll be right back and we’ll head out through those doors.” She motioned behind him at the glass doors.
“Okay.” He said and leaned against the wall, watching as she jogged down the hallway to what he assumed was the direction of her room. This place was huge. If he closed his eyes and someone spun him around, he’d be lost. It didn’t take her long and when she came back to him she was wearing the sweatshirt he gave her when she first arrived at Lakeview. He took in her appearance and couldn’t help the smile.
“Nice shirt.” He commented and bit back the laugh when she rolled up the sleeves that were too long.
“Thanks. This guy I know gave it to me.” She bit her lip and looked around to make sure they were alone in the hallway and no one could hear her. “Can you keep a secret?”
He looked at her skeptically. “I think we both know I can keep a secret.” She hit his arm playfully and rolled her eyes.
“So, this guy that gave me the shirt?”
“What about him?” He asked playing along.
“He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s not getting his shirt back.” She grinned wickedly and started towards the doors. She looked over her shoulder and brought her finger to her lips. “Shh! Don’t tell him.”
Luke laughed. “My lips are sealed.” He said and followed her out the doors to walk along the lake. The crisp air hit them as soon as they stepped onto the grass. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Luke took in the serenity of the center and how calm and peaceful everything was there.
“How is everyone at home?” She asked beside him.
He took a moment to think and then shrugged his shoulders. “The same really, I told you Nick has a fetish for romance novels?”
She grinned. “Yes, you told me you walked in on him reading Fifty Shades of Grey.” He shook his head at the memory and she laughed. “How’s Sam? Is she showing yet?”
“She swears she is but if you ask me she isn’t. She and my father had an argument about that the other day. He came downstairs with a magnifying glass and a tape measure.”
Cara laughed out loud. “I can completely picture him doing that.”
Luke shook his head. “I thought my mother was going to strangle him with the tape measure.”
She stood silent for a moment. “I miss them.”
He glanced over at her. “They miss you too. Deb’s planning a big dinner when you get home and Joe’s counting down the days because he hasn’t had a proper cup of espresso.”
Cara didn’t say anything she just looked out towards the lake.
“Hey… what’s wrong?” He asked softly.
She kept her eyes on the lake. “I’m afraid of hurting them. Your parents associate me with Jake. I just don’t want to cause them anymore heartache. I don’t want to be a constant reminder to them of what they lost.”