“Do you think he’s one of them though? I trust my brother, and he’s best friends with Tucker, so I’ve been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“If you had asked me that question a month ago, I would have told you without hesitation that he was one of them. The more time I spend around Tucker, the less I believe that to be true.”

“Well, then there’s your answer. It’s okay to be worried, but remember that you do sort of trust him, even if it is a tentative, new kind of faith in him.” Luna stood and grabbed her purse. “How come he didn’t ask you to come along this time?”

“I don’t know. I think that’s what’s bugging me the most.” It was honestly the number one thing bugging me about his upcoming trip. He mentioned that he had wanted me to go the last time. Tucker never even bothered to ask this time though. Maybe it was because he knew I had exams coming up. It also could have been because he didn’t want me to miss out on my weekly therapy sessions or the trauma survivors’ group that I went to. They were helping me to realize that even though I had gone back to that school and held my head high, I’d been hiding away from actually living my life, in fear of someone else betraying my trust. They weren’t wrong.

I had been making good progress in realizing those things and working to make sure that I didn’t stay stuck in that rut. Tucker claimed to be proud of me when I talked to him about it. Even if that was why he hadn’t asked, it still rankled. I would have rather had the chance to turn him down. That’s exactly what I would have done too, because I had too much on my plate at the moment. My very first manuscript was finished and had been sent off to an editorial team that came highly recommended in the book community. It was due back any day now with the corrections I would need to make as well as suggestions for how the story could be improved.

I was excited about it. I needed to remember that and focus on what was in front of me. That meant putting my concerns about Tucker to the back of my mind for now. I also hoped that Wes would help keep Tucker on the straight and narrow while they were away. He seemed to be the best voice of reason, even if he didn’t always have the greatest follow-through.

“I just need a distraction, and I’m hoping my edits will come back soon in order to keep me busy,” I admitted to Luna as she moved toward the door.

“Well, you know how to reach me if you need someone to hold your hand,” she suggested. I shook my head though. Luna had a date, and it was her first in quite some time apparently. There was no way I could stand in the way of her having the best night ever. I hoped that she would have a great night, at any rate. She deserved it.