Loving Luke

By Avery Adams

Brandon:
I had grandiose plans for me and my best friend the summer between high school and college— plans that didn’t include falling head over heels for her twin brother. Of course, they also didn’t factor in him showing up out of the blue after an eight year absence, throwing a wrench in everything. I really wanted to hate him but my heart seemed to have other plans.
Luke:
I’d imagined how my reunion with my mom and sisters would go for eight long years. Not once did it include my twin’s hot best friend and the feelings he was igniting inside me. As my sister’s bestie, he was off limits, so why couldn’t I get my heart to listen?
A sweet, spicy, sappy insta-love, accidentally married, best friend’s brother gay romance with a little heat and a HEA. Contains f-bombs and other adult language. 18+

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cindy Larie
• Release date: Nov 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005695651

Avery Adams

Avery Adams currently resides in the deep south and loves to go fishing, take road trips, and spend lots of time with family when not writing.

Book preview

cover-image, Loving Luke

Loving Luke 

Teaser

Brandon:

I had grandiose plans for me and my best friend the summer between high school and college — plans that didn ’ t include falling head over heels for her twin brother. Of course, they also didn ’ t factor in him showing up out of the blue after an eight-year absence, throwing a wrench in everything. I really wanted to hate him, but my heart seemed to have other plans.

Luke:

I ’ d imagined how my reunion with my mom and sisters would go for eight long years. Not once did it include my twin ’ s hot best friend and the feelings he was igniting inside me. As my sister ’ s bestie, he was off limits, so why couldn ’ t I get my heart to listen?

A sweet, spicy, sappy insta-love, accidentally married, best friend ’ s brother gay romance with a little heat and a HEA. Contains f-bombs and other adult language. 18+

Loving Luke

Avery Adams

Copyright © 2021 by C Cowles.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author ’ s imagination.

Front cover image by C Cowles

First printing edition 2021.

A Adams c/o

213 E Ratcliff St

Shreveport, La 71104

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Love crosses all boundaries and unites us all.

1

Brandon

I wasn’t looking for love the summer after my high school graduation. My plans were simple. I’d scrimped and saved all year to take my best friend, Lily Ryder, to Disney World in Orlando. Neither of us had ever been and her eighteenth birthday conveniently followed the Independence Day holiday— the perfect time for a week in Florida. High school was over, and college still lurked around the corner, weeks away. But what is it they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Oh yeah— they often go awry.

I laid the groundwork and told her not to make any summer plans as soon as I knew I’d have the money— which I officially had since Aunt Trudy’s graduation check cleared a few days before. I was deep in thought, imagining her reaction, when my bedroom door flew open, bouncing off the door stopper Dad bought after the one and only time she buried the knob in the sheetrock wall, early in our friendship.

Guess what! She gasped for breath, red-faced, chest heaving beneath her Mickey Mouse t-shirt.

You ran all the way here.

Yes, I did, but that’s not what I’m talking about. She shoved ebony waves away from her sweaty forehead with both hands, flashing the sweat circles in the armpits of her pink shirt as she did.

We live smack-dab in the middle of the South— in the tiny town of Gullywash, Louisiana, to be exact. It was muggy and humid as fuck outside. Okay, yeah, I know— it’s pretty much always like that, here, but that’s not the point. It was summertime . Sweltering. Sticky. Miserable. Imagine Hell, but sultry. It is not a dry heat by any means so, understandably, I was immediately concerned.

What were you thinking? You never run! You’re the least running-est person I know, and I know a ton of people. Are you trying to die from a nasty case of heatstroke? Cuz if you are, this is a good way to do it. Here, I scooted over and patted the edge of my bed. Sit down in front of the fan before you fall down— and breathe, slow and deep, in and out.

I don’t have time, she shook her head, sending droplets of sweat flying. I have to be waiting at the end of the drive in five minutes.

A cold chill slithered down my spine. Why?

She threw her head back and laughed hysterically. "Mom didn’t want to say anything until she was sure it was happening, but my brother is flying in from Oregon for a visit . She did a little happy dance and squeed, adding, He’s arriving within the hour. OMG, I’m so excited."

My brow furrowed, but in my defense, I was lost, Why wouldn’t she say anything until now, though?

Cuz, she popped a slender shoulder up in a shrug. "Remember what happened two summers back? Luke was supposed to spend the entire month of July here with us? We were gonna have a double-header sweet sixteen party?"

My stomach churned at the memory, and I gritted my teeth, pissed all over again. I remember. Your dad canceled the whole thing at the last second, ruining your whole birthday.

Exactly. I spent the entire week holed up in my room, bawling my eyes out.

She wasn’t exaggerating either. She wouldn’t see anyone but me, lost ten pounds because she wouldn’t eat. My heart ached and tears burned my eyes at the memory. I was so pissed at your dad.

Mom was, too. That’s why, when Luke told her he was coming here for the summer and riding down to NSU with us in the fall, she swore him to secrecy until it was definitely happening.

When did she tell you?

A few seconds ago. That’s why I ran all the way here, silly. She laughed again, her head back. She was nervous. I could tell. She never laughed like that unless she was. But hell, I didn’t blame her. If I had a sibling I hadn’t seen in eight years, I might be, too. I glanced up, pulled out of my reverie when she finally added, fanning her cheeks, You know I don’t run unless I absolutely have to.

"That’s what I said. I goggled my eyes at her. You should have called, and I would have totally picked you up."

I couldn’t wait that long. She leaned over and hugged me. I better get out there. Oh, I’m so excited! We’re gonna have so much fun! You’ll love Luke as much as I do— I just know it! Bye!

As she disappeared back the way she came, it hit me right in the gut. We wouldn’t be going to Florida for her birthday like I planned. There would be no frolicking in the ocean. No basking on sparkling white beaches. No pictures of her and Mickey at Disney World. Her twin brother was coming home for the summer. She wouldn’t want to go anywhere unless he could go, too. An unreasonable resentment simmered in my veins, and I felt a burgeoning sense of dislike for the guy I’d only seen in pictures scattered throughout their house— pictures that abruptly cut off right around their tenth birthday because that’s when their father took off, taking Luke with him.

That whole mess happened shortly before my family moved here from Morgan City. From what I understand about the situation— pieced together from things she’s said and other stuff I’ve heard from the busybodies around town through the years— their parents had had an ironclad prenup. It was understood by both parties from the start— if the couple had any boys, they would go with their father in the event anything ever happened, and the marriage dissolved. In return, Lily’s mom would receive the house, and her car, plus twenty-five-thousand dollars a month in spousal support for the rest of her life, and an additional ten thousand a month in child support per daughter, until they graduated college, for any daughters they had. Each daughter would also receive a trust fund, payable in full on their twenty-first birthdays in the amount of ten-million dollars, plus interest, and he’d pay all of their doctor bills and their