Alpha Hero - Hope Ford Page 0,66

no problem.”

I start walking to the door but by the time I get there, he’s cutting me off, standing in front of the door, stopping me from going out. “Wait, uh, before I go into work, I was going to take Anna to lunch and an early movie. Will you join us?”

I reach for the door, planning to make an excuse when Anna jumps off the couch and stands next to me, bouncing from foot to foot. “Yes, please, Carly. Please go with us?”

I can’t help but laugh at her antics. Already my thoughts of Luke have done a 180 in less than 24 hours. I thought he was some irresponsible guy and come to find out after the way Anna talked today, he’s the best big brother ever. It’s obvious he loves his sister and will do anything for her.

“I’m sure you guys would rather spend time on your own,” I say, looking for a way to say no without hurting her feelings.

Luke reaches out and touches my hair, brushing it off my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have asked if we didn’t want you with us.”

I look at Luke and there’s no mistaking the look in his eyes. I’m sure it mirrors mine. I tear my gaze away and look down at Anna. She’s smiling up at the two of us with hope in her eyes. I can’t turn her down. There’s no way I can say no to her.

I finally nod my head at them and only after I agree does Luke open the door and let me out, watching me the whole time until I’m in my apartment.

Luke

As soon as she shuts the door and I hear the lock, I shut our door and look down at Anna. She has her hand in mine and already I know she’s attached to Carly. Who wouldn’t be? She’s everything I would want in a woman… if I had the time for one.

“So did you have fun today, bug?” I ask her as she pulls me over to the couch.

She bounces up and down excitedly. “Yes, we went to the park and Carly actually played with me instead of just watching me. She raced me on the slide and I beat her. She got caught going down it and she told me it was our secret.”

She gasps then, worried that she told the secret.

“It’s okay. I won’t say anything to her,” I promise.

I walk with her to her bedroom and help her get settled on the bed. “What book do you want to read tonight?”

She looks at me strangely, and I pull the weathered book off the shelf. I don’t know why I ask. She always chooses the same one. I pull it off the shelf and hand it to her while I get settled into the chair next to her bed. I lay my head back and wait for her to start.

“Luke?”

With my eyes closed, I say to her, “Yeah, honey?”

“Do you think Carly likes me, like enough to stay?” I hear her words and know how heavy this conversation is going to be. It’s what I was afraid of. Already she’s attached.

“Anna, we don’t even know her that well—well, except that she’s had one parking ticket and there’s no warrants out for her arrest,” I say to her.

She looks at me weirdly but it doesn’t sway her. “I know her. I know her a lot,” she persists.

“Yeah, but we don’t know how long she’ll be here. She may have a family waiting for her or something. We just don’t know…”

“No, that’s not true,” she grunts at me. She sits back up in the bed. “She’s like us. She doesn’t have anyone. Her parents are dead too. And she doesn’t even have a brother. But we have each other, so I think we should be her family, Bub. We should.”

Tears are welling up in her eyes and I know I don’t have the heart to argue with her on this. The only thing I can do is try and protect her as much as I can. It’s been less than a day, and already we’re both thinking of having her in our lives.

“Scoot over,” I tell her. She scoots over and I lie on my back next to her. She curls into my arm. “Are you going to read the story, or do you want me to?”

She looks like she’s about to argue, but instead she brings the book up and starts reading. I know the story by heart, but