SAMANTHA’S POV

The silence that followed after I told Lucas about the family gathering was so palpable I could feel it at the back of my throat. I placed my hands against it and squeezed it gently, his breath became heavier and tension lined the edge of his shoulders.

I wonder how much damage Lucas' family must have cost him to make him uneasy about a mere family gathering.

"I'm not going…" the sound of his voice sharp like the edges of a blade.

No response.

I sucked in a breath and allowed his words to hang in the air, so visible I could see it floating around the room.

"Maybe I would afterall," he ran an absentminded thumb over the nape of my neck.

I shrugged, "How do you mean?" I paused, "You just said–"

He caressed my chin softly, "I know what I just said pumpkin," he looked at me intently with his eyes, his lips curled up in a small smile, "But there are exceptions to some rules, remember?"

No response.

Lucas folded his arms across his chest, "Andres and Audrey would be there at the family gath