Only Her

She nodded agreeing with him. Ramona had never liked Tag or what Skylar was doing with him. She hadn’t understood it.

Luka reached over the fence surrounding the goat pen. He caressed his daughter’s face. Ava smiled up at him. “I love you Daddy.”

Those words made everything all better. He didn’t know how he had lived without hearing them the first ten years of her life. “I love you too Ava.”

“You should probably go inside and talk to her,” Brett suggested.

“I got pinched twice suggesting we talk. I think I’ll change clothes and let her cool down for a bit.”

Ava frowned at her father. He patted her cheek. “Don’t worry sweetheart. It’s not the first time that I’ve riled your Momma to the point that she’s pinched me or kicked me in places I don’t need to discuss with my young daughter.”

She wasn’t relieved by that statement. “Momma has never hurt anyone.”

He chuckled at his daughter. “You’ve never seen us together sweetheart. I just seem to have that effect on her.”

In her room, Skylar had changed and washed her feet. They were dusty from walking on the road out of town. She laid on the bed for a bit to cool her temper that only seemed to flare at Luka Shaw. Usually, she was mild mannered but when pushed she had a temper from the fires of hell. Right now, she just wanted to explode on Luka.

Picking up her iPad she wanted to see what the fuss was about where Luka Shaw was concerned. She remembered Ava’s coach’s reaction to him yesterday. Ava’s fear at seeing him fight.

She googled Luka Shaw. There were some events when she saw him in black tie. She ran her finger over his image. He looked so handsome in formal wear. A few pictures where several lanky, beautiful women were on his arm. So different than her. They both waved for the cameras. She felt tears well in her eyes. She closed those pictures quickly because they hurt her heart.

Then she went to some videos of his cage matches. She watched him beat another human being until they were both bloody. She was biting on her thumbnail. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She watched a second one.

A foot to his face and his head snapped back. He staggered. The sound of pain coming from his mouth. Then a retaliation strike, against his opponent. She cringed. Then another and another. With his feet and his hands. He was powerful and controlled with every movement of his body directed at his opponent.

She didn’t hear him come in. She didn’t see him sit on her bed. She was staring at her screen watching him fight another man, worrying that he would die even though she knew that he hadn’t. It was like watching someone else fight this battle just as Ava suggested. So much blood.

Luka took the iPad from her hands. “What are you doing?” His voice was soft and filled with worry. He had changed too. He now wore jeans and a soft, cotton shirt that clung to his muscles.

Skylar pulled herself up against the headboard. After stopping the video feed, he laid the iPad on the nightstand. She wiped her tears from her face.

“Did you have a serious girlfriend in the last ten years?” She asked.

“No,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”

“No?”

“Sky, no one could replace you. I’ve told you that.”

“Who are the women I saw at the events?” He appeared puzzled. “I saw them. Tall, beautiful women. They looked like models. Who are they?” She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice.

“No one. Not girlfriends for sure. I never dated. I had events I had to attend sometimes. They were acquaintances who agreed to go with me.”

“You never slept with them?”

“Skylar don’t do this,” he said shaking his head.

She shook her head. “You’re right. I have slept with other men. Of course, you have slept with other women.”

He visibly cringed. She saw it and she almost smiled at the pain that it caused him. “It bothers you,” she said.

He chuckled a sad sound escaping him and she heard that sadness. “Yes it does,” he admitted.

“Did you think that I wouldn’t have sex with anyone in ten years?”

“I liked to pretend that you were being celibate,” he mumbled.

Skylar rolled her eyes at him. “Well I wasn’t. I didn’t sleep around. I had a small child to take care of and three sisters to get through high school. A ranch to run but I did date and I did have sex. Get used to it.”