Making the Cut (Saving Dallas 2)

“Well, ya found me,” he said, not at all fazed by her chastisement.

“Come on, you have to get ready for school.” School?

“What day is it?” I asked no one in particular.

“Monday,” Logan replied, slurping the last little bit of his chocolate milk from his bowl.

“Oh my God. Monday?” I said, looking over at Luke, who was looking at me with an eyebrow cocked.

“That’s what I said. I’m in first grade. My teacher is nice, and she tells me I’m her favorite.” Nanny huffed from the door.

“So, that’s why you get a paddling every day and a note sent home?”

“Yep.” I looked down at Logan to see he had not taken his eyes off the T.V..

“Come on, Logan. We are gonna be late.” Nanny moved her little robust body into the room, taking our bowls from us and leaving.

“My cartoon ain’t even over!” Logan whined.

“Logan,” Luke warned, giving him a look that made even me shiver.

“I’m going,” he huffed and scrambled out of the bed to find Nanny.

“I love that kid. My mom says he acts just like me when I was that age.” At the mention of Luke’s mother, a warm sensation engulfed me.

“Will I get to meet her?”

“Yes, ma’am. As soon as this shit is handled, I want us to spend a couple of days there. Escape from all this shit for a while,” Luke said, lying down and pulling me with him.

“Was that your nanny too?” I asked, tracing Luke’s lips with the tip of my fingernail.

“She was. I borrowed her for the week. Some of the kids are here and she is gonna help out until we get everything settled. These are all club kids. Either they are my brothers’ children or part of our extended family. It’s just safer right now having everyone together.” Luke kissed my finger, then my palm, then pulled my hand to his chest and kissed my head. “Let’s get dressed. We have a lot of shit to do today.” I had heard that before.

Thankfully, I had thought to pack at least one outfit that was suited for work. In the mixture of jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and tank tops, I managed to find a black pencil skirt, a simple, button up aqua blouse, and a pair of aqua heels made by Jimmy Choo that matched only two outfits I had, this being one of them. I straightened my long hair, which was wavy from my wet-bed-head, and applied makeup to my face that was almost back to normal. I looked refreshed and ready to take on the world when I walked into the living room that now looked like a daycare center.

The couch was lined with five children ranging from Logan being the smallest to one who could almost pass for a teenager.

“Dallas, I want you to meet the Devil’s children,” Luke said, walking to stand next to me.

“Luke!” Nanny yelled from the kitchen.

“This is Zack, Dylon, Aloura, Joseph, and you already know Logan,” Luke said, pointing to each one and ignoring Nanny completely. None of the kids acknowledged my presence. They didn’t seem to notice Nanny either until she turned off the T.V. and ushered them off the couch.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” I said to them, hoping to make eye contact with at least one.

“They aren’t morning people, but I promise by the end of the week, they will be talking your head off,” Luke said, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You look beautiful today, babe. Just like every other day.” I let the thoughts of the unsociable children leave my head and noticed how Luke was looking at me. His face was full of pride and adoration. It didn’t matter to him that we were in a room full of people; public displays of affection were something Luke was good at. He grabbed my face in his hands, turning my head slightly and kissing me long and deep. Giggles were heard around the room and I pulled away, blushing at the children who were watching us just as intently as they were their cartoons only minutes before.

“They sleep naked too,” Logan informed all of them. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die at his casual comment. Of course, Luke didn’t seem to mind. He just laughed at Logan’s statement and said his goodbyes.

In a single file line, the children followed Nanny out of the room and each gave me a sly smile and a wave. It would have been better if they had ignored me. I was expecting them to bust out singing the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song any minute.

“You ready, babe?” Luke asked, walking out of the room and giving me that great view of him from behind. Luke was dressed nicely too, in khaki pants and a baby blue button up that was tucked in evenly around his waist. He wore a pair of brown loafers that matched my favorite brown belt, and if it were Sunday, we could have passed as a couple on our way to church.