“Thanks, doc.” Luc nodded to the doctor before he disappeared down the hallway, then turned his attention back to his teammates. “Guys, I appreciate you coming down. But things look okay, and I’m sure your wives could use you at home.”
“Dude, we’re always here for you. We’re your family too, you know,” Sam said with a smile. “I just needed to know that you and your dad were okay. When Tyler got your message, he didn’t know who was hurt or how bad things were. And we wanted to be here for you.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you guys.” Luc apologized to everyone, but his gaze was on Kassie.
She finally let him go. Her eyes darted between the floor and him. He could only assume she was nervous about what was said when she didn’t know he was standing behind her.
“You didn’t… We were just… I… We thought… We didn’t know…” Kassie rambled, not finishing a single thought.
“Kass. It’s okay.” Luc took her in his arms and gently kissed her forehead. Sliding his thumb over her jawline, he felt her trembling. Was she nervous about what she’d admitted or still upset over the accident? He laced his fingers through hers, holding her hand, hoping it would give her some comfort and keep her close.
Tyler cleared his throat. “I’m glad you’re okay. You gave us all a scare. I think we’ll get going and let you tend to your father.”
“Yeah,” Sam added. “Text us once you get your dad’s results.” Sam looked at Kaden and waited.
“Uh, Ty, you think I can get a ride home?” Kaden asked calmly. “I drove Kassie here in her car, thinking she’d need it to get home or to take Luc home in.”
Kaden had been surprisingly quiet all this time.
Tyler nodded. “Absolutely, K-man.” He walked towards Luc and put his hand on Luc’s shoulder. “Marcella, let Coach know if you need a day or two to take care of your father. Give me a call in the morning and let me know how you’re feeling and what the doc says. I’m sure you’ll be sore. Coach has already given you the morning off, just in case. Please tell your dad we all hope he’s okay.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll hit you up tomorrow morning. Thanks again for checking on me.”
“Don’t forget to call me when you’re ready to go car shopping, dude,” Sam joked. “Maybe we can get you into a muscle car this time.” He smiled and gave Luc a fist bump. “Kassie, nice to see you again. If you need any help with this guy, please give me a call.”
“Thanks, Sam. I absolutely will,” Kassie said in a quiet voice.
Tyler moved his attention from Luc to Kaden. “Kaden, you coming?”
“Yeah. Uh, can you give me a second? I’ll meet you out front.”
Tyler nodded.
Once Sam and Tyler were out of earshot, Luc waited to see exactly what was going to go down. Kassie tightened her hold on Luc’s hand.
“Look, Luc,” Kaden said. “I’m glad that you and your dad are okay.” He paused and moved his eyes to Kassie then back to Luc. “I know we haven’t seen eye to eye on this. And I’ve been kind of an ass lately.”
“Kind of?” Kassie exclaimed.
“Kass, please. Let me say this. You can criticize me later.” Kaden continued, “Luc, you know I can’t apologize for my feelings. But I will for how I handled this situation. I could’ve done things much differently. I think that you and I should sit down and talk about everything once you feel up to it.”
Luc nodded. “Yeah, absolutely. I’d like that.”
“And Kass, I know I’ve given you a lot of crap about this and the code. But you’re my sister and I just want you to be happy. Even if it’s with my teammate—I mean, if Luc makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect to hear that. Thanks, bro. I am very happy, I swear.” Kassie pulled away from Luc and hugged her brother.
“Okay, enough hugging. I’m sure Ty wants to get going, and Ali is probably wondering what’s going on. I’ll call her and mom in the car to let them know everyone is okay. I’m sure Mom will want to make Joe some soup or something.” Kaden started to walk away, but stopped in front of Luc first. He put his hand out to Luc. “We’ll talk in a few days. I’m glad you’re okay, buddy.”
Luc smiled and nodded. Overcome by such a modest gesture, he didn’t know what else to do or say. They had done nothing but argue over Kassie, and suddenly things had turned a corner. He watched as Kaden walked away. Kassie was back to holding his hand, and she had herself wrapped around him as if she was afraid he was going to leave her.
“Kass.” Luc gently lifted her chin to meet his glance. Her dark eyes were wide and glistening. She was beautiful. Not being able to contain his love for her, his lips curled into a smile. There was a certain feeling of a weight being lifted from him. Sure, Kaden wasn’t one hundred percent okay with them, but he was willing to give them a chance. And he’d finally agreed to have a man-to-man sit-down with Luc; that was the best part. That was all he wanted from Kaden, a chance to explain, to prove himself.
“I know I already said it, but I’m so glad you’re okay.” Kassie put some space between them and glanced to the floor. “I’m sure you heard me saying some things to Kaden.”
Her expression had changed, and it punched him in the gut that she was now nervous because he’d heard her admit her feelings. Softly tipping her face back up to him, he smiled what he hoped was a soft smile. “Yes sweets, I heard what you said. And you don’t have to be nervous or embarrassed. I’ve had this weird feeling in my chest since the day I met you. I didn’t know what it meant then, but with each passing day, the need to be with you grew stronger. We hadn’t known each other that long, so I was convinced that it couldn’t be love. Because love at first sight isn’t real. That’s what I thought, anyway.”
He was rambling, but he didn’t care. These words were long past due. She needed to know exactly how he felt. All of it. Every crazy detail.
“But the feeling didn’t go away. It just got more intense. When I wasn’t with you, I wanted to be. Even my dad tried to convince me, but I didn’t believe it could happen so soon. And I dare to say it felt crazy.” He stared into her deep eyes. Studying her sweet lips, her rosy cheeks, and her long dark lashes, he knew. “But my dad was right, as always. Even though I haven’t known you long, Kassie, I’m in love with you, too.”
“Um, excuse me,” a nurse said from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but you can go back and see your dad now, Mr. Marcella.”
What a time for the nurse to come out. At least he got out everything that he needed to say. He whispered to Kassie, “We’ll continue this later.” Leaning down, he kissed Kassie on her forehead and took hold of her hand before following the nurse back to his dad.
His dad was sitting up in a hospital bed in slacks and a hospital gown, still in the emergency department. A black eye was forming, and his arm was in a sling. “Dad? You okay?”