Book of Luke (Book 2) Read Online Free

We’re going skiing.”
    “In ten below?” Dad crossed his arms.
    “ Dad.”
    Dad raised his eyebrows. “Yes, Adonia?”
    “Dad, there’s no rule saying we can’t ski in
ten below.”
    Dad smiled at Luke, and it wasn’t genuine.
“Have her back by eight.”
    Luke nodded.
    “ Paul.” Mom widened her eyes and put
a hand on her hip. “She’s eighteen. She’s an adult .”
    My father sighed. “On second thought, Luke,
make it eight-thirty.”
    ~ ~ ~
    With the looks he’d given me, I didn’t think skiing was really on his mind. As it turns out, it was.
    We took the lift to the top of the expert
ski trail on Grizzly Mountain. Interior Alaska has the biggest
temperature shifts in the occupied world—I’ve seen temperatures
rise or fall about ten degrees per hour. It makes planning tricky.
And, as expected, the slopes were nearly deserted.
    At the top of the trail, he stood behind me,
cradling me. Surrounded by moon-lit mountains, we watched green
aurora dance just above their caps. The northern lights trailed
across the star-filled sky as he put his lips to my ear. “You like
this?”
    “I love this,” I breathed, squeezing his
hands.
    His grip on me tightened. “You’re going to
love the Alps, too.”
    I turned to him, shocked. “What?”
    He grinned. “Wanna go?”
    “ What?!” I repeated in disbelief.
    He cupped his hands around my face and
kissed me. Our foreheads touched, and when he opened his sparkling
blues, they gazed into my eyes. “Burke’s giving a guest lecture at
an astronomy seminar in Zurich. We’re going to Switzerland for five
days.” He nudged my chin. “But I’m not quite complete without you , so I bought you a ticket.”
    “Oh my God!” I squealed, jumping on him. I’m
sure my skis felt great, stabbing him in the back. “Oh my God,
you’re amazing! ” I was in tears.
    Frozen tears.
    “So, you want to go?” he confirmed with a
grin.
    I laughed. “Yeah I want to go!” I kissed him
vicariously.
    Until I remembered Dad .
    He’d bought me a ticket without asking my
dad; how would that work out?
    His face dropped. “Is something wrong?”
    “Yeah,” I said, falling to my feet. “My
dad.”
    Luke looked thoughtful. “Hmm, I didn’t have
enough notice to think about that. I literally got us the last two
tickets available. Burke will be there, so we’ll technically be supervised… and we are eighteen.” He moved some hair out
of my face. “Think he won’t let you go?”
    I liked how he said “technically” —like he had no intention of leaving our room.
I pecked his cheek. “He’s going to have to! If he doesn’t, he’ll
regret it!” I said with a giggle.
    To celebrate, we spent the next few minutes
making out. Somehow—despite the trip to the gynecologist and my
barfing on our lunch date—he’d managed to make this the best Valentine’s Day of my entire life!
    Our lips parted. “What happened to your
dad?” I asked, afraid maybe his dad disowned him.
    He smiled and shook his head. “My dad’s too
busy for me, remember? He’s out with that waitress.”
    “Oh,” I said simply. “I feel really bad
about the vomiting episode, and I hope he doesn’t hate me.”
    Luke laughed. “How can anyone hate
you? You’re amazing.”
    Amazingly ordinary.
    “Honestly, I’m lucky he took the time to
come up and meet you,” Luke breathed. “That alone should tell you
something. My dad has never made much time for me.” He looked down
for a moment. Then our eyes locked, and he shrugged a shoulder.
    I felt bad for him. Not just because I threw
up at a much-anticipated lunch date, but because he really seemed
affected by his dad… or lack thereof. And I could relate, because
up until a few months ago, my mom was the same.
    Ironically, now she gives me way more
attention than I even want!
    I pulled him into a tight embrace. His heart
beat eagerly. “I love you so much, Luke.”
    He kissed the top of my head. “I love you
way more.” His grip on me