They didn't stay much longer, grabbing up their things, pulling on their shirts and walking side by side up to the house. When they walked inside, Emma and Meg were playing with Eliza in the living room. They said hello and skirted toward the kitchen, only to be greeted by another group of house guests.
"You two have fun?" asks Lily with a grin that makes Luke suspicious. He fumbles a bit in the door before shaking it off and moving toward the island, putting his towel, shoes, and the bag of food. Reid quietly walks beside him, doing the same.
"Yeah," starts Luke, his voice a little high. Reid is watching him uncertainly as he scratches the side of his face, a tick Reid knows too well. "The water is really starting to warm up. We took lunch with us as well."
"Sounds like a good time," pipes in Holden.
There is a third person in the room, sitting quietly but watching the two mean like they are prey and she is the hunter. Luke seems uneasy, though not necessarily nervous. Reid is confused by this reaction and so he decides to just stay quiet until forced to speak.
"Well it sounds to me like you two handsome men had a pretty good afternoon," the woman says, and Reid looks up with a slight look of shock, recognizing the voice. He calms quickly, an admiring grin on his lips. Luke blinks and then bounces over to her.
"It was," he says as he moves closer. "It's good to see you, Grandmother," he says, kissing the woman on the cheek.
"It's good to see you, too, darling," she replies. Reid is grinning even more, arms crossed over his chest as he eyes her with amusement. "So this must be the great Doctor Oliver in the flesh!" she says warmly, and Luke laughs nervously, stepping aside as she stands up.
"No need for introductions for you either, Ms. Walsh," says Reid, straightening up only as Lucinda approaches him. He isn't the least bit surprised when she simply steps up to him, giving him a complete once-over without the slightest bit of discretion.
"Lucinda will do just fine, dear," she insists, smirking at him. Reid knows that smirk. It's the same smirk he's seen too often on Luke. Funny, he thinks, realizing how many times now he's seen similarities between Luke and his non-biological family members.
Reid nods and then looks over Lucinda's shoulder at Luke, who is smiling, though his eyes are wide and he looks slightly petrified. Reid grins, scrunching his eyes a bit and making a face at Luke, who laughs a little to himself and makes a face right back.
"I'm here to invite you fine gentlemen to my house tomorrow evening for dinner. It would be lovely to finally get to know the gorgeous doctor," she grinned.
Reid looks to Luke, who's eyes continue to widen before looking at Lucinda.
"Sure, we'd love to, Grandmother," Luke says, and Reid is amused by how formal Luke is being.
"Wonderful," she says, clapping her hands together. "Six o'clock sharp." They agree and after sharing a cheek kiss with Luke and Lily and affectionately saying goodbye to Reid and Holden, she leaves.
They spent the rest of the evening with Lily and Holden and were joined by Emma and Meg once Eliza had fallen asleep. That night they curled up together in Luke's bed. No one bothered them with house rules anymore, probably because they were all just so grateful to see the boys had started to work things out that they didn't dare mess with a good thing.
In the morning Luke was up first but Reid was already stretching in the bed before Luke finished dressing. They decided to go into town for the day, catching a movie and eating at Al's before returning to the farm. They didn't swim today, the temperature had dropped overnight and there were storms to the west, but they did spend a great deal of time outside. Luke helped Holden with some of the chores in the barn and even got Reid to help him groom Pepper. It was a funny sight to Luke, especially since Reid was flinching away every time Pepper moved. He eventually got the hang of it, though. The three men enjoyed the afternoon sun, knowing it wouldn't last, and it was only when Luke insisted that he and Reid go riding sometime that Reid declared he was ready to go inside.
Upstairs a short while later Luke emerged from his bathroom, already in clean jeans and towel drying his hair. Reid stood in the middle of the room, buttoning up a shirt. His hair was still wet, but he didn't seem to care.
"You sure you're up for this?" asks Luke, half-serious.
"Dinner with Lucinda Walsh?" Reid clarifies. "If I can put up with you for so many months, I think I can handle a few hours with Lucinda."
"Ha, ha," says Luke, stepping close and placing a too-quick kiss on Reid's lips before stepping away again. Reid moans a complaint. "Lucinda is a whole new ballgame, though. You've been warned," Luke laughs as he pulls out a few shirts. He takes almost five minutes to decide, which Reid teases him mercilessly about as they finish changing and head down to the kitchen. Reid is pulling on a casual suit jacket wile Luke pops his head into the living room to say goodbye to Emma, Meg and Eliza. When he steps back into the kitchen Reid hands him his jacket and they head out to the car.
"Just one thing," says Luke as he pulls up to a house that Reid swears is larger than all the condos in his complex combined. "Think before you talk."
Reid fakes being insulted. "Me? When have you ever known me to talk without thinking?" Luke narrows his eyes and laughs.