Every Saturday Night (Firsts and Forever 6)

“It turns out my dad’s on his way to San Francisco. That was his administrative assistant, giving me a heads-up.”

“Why is he coming here?”

Lucky shrugged and said, “If I had to guess, I’d say he’s coming to yell at me. I called him this morning when you were in the shower and reached his voice mail. I wanted to explain why I’d rushed out of the meeting yesterday. All I’d told him at the time was that my boyfriend needed me, and that I’d be in touch soon. But this morning, I ended up spilling my guts. Turns out it’s a lot easier talking to his voice mail than to my dad.”

“I can understand that, but what did spilling your guts involve, exactly?”

“I told him I fully intend to honor my commitment and take over the company when he retires, but I’m going to be working from San Francisco, not Miami. I explained it has to be that way because I’m in love with you, and my place is here, at your side. I also said we’d have to postpone my training and briefly mentioned the custody hearing before the recording cut me off.”

“Wow,” I said, “that’s a lot to drop on someone in a voice mail.”

“I know, and I was planning to have a long talk with him later today about all of it. But it looks like that conversation will be happening in person, instead of over the phone.”

“I really hope he isn’t too angry.”

“I can deal with anger,” Lucky said. “I just hope he isn’t too disappointed. That would break my heart.” He sighed, and after a moment he added, “I really wish I’d handled everything differently from the start. Instead of moving back to Miami, I should have been honest with him and told him my life is here in San Francisco, with you. I was just locked in to the idea that I’d made a commitment to my dad, and that it had to happen the way we’d agreed.”

I asked, “Do you really think you can run the company from here?”

“It’ll definitely be an adjustment for my team, but the thing is, they’re running a global enterprise. Now that I’ve watched them work with clients and business partners all around the world, which mostly happens remotely, I don’t see why they couldn’t do the same with me.”

“This is huge, Lucky.”

“Moving away from you was a mistake, and I have to fix it. It was already agony to be so far from you every week. But then yesterday, when I knew you needed me and I had to spend all day traveling before I could be by your side, it was absolute torture. And it made me think, what if it had been urgent? What if you or Owen got sick or hurt and needed me right away? Taking seven hours to get to you would be totally unacceptable.”

“It’ll be so good to have you back here.”

He looked hopeful as he asked, “Are you ready to take this to the next level? Because I need you with me Logan, not just for the big events, but for the smallest day-to-day moments.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m more than ready. And are you ready to help me raise one amazing little boy?”

“It’ll be an honor and a privilege.”

I kissed him before resting my head on his shoulder, and after a pause he said, “There’s one more piece to this puzzle. I really want to convince my dad to move to San Francisco. It’ll be a hard sell, because he’s set in his ways. But I’m going to do my best to convince him it’s the right call. That way, we can see each other a lot more often, and continue to drive each other nuts playing golf, and I can keep an eye on him and encourage him to slow down and enjoy his life for a change, instead of constantly working.”

“It does sound like a tough sell for a workaholic like your dad, but I really hope you can convince him.”

“Me, too,” he said. “I’m just going to add ‘work miracles’ to today’s already very full to-do list.”

When we pulled up to his house a couple of minutes later, he told the driver we’d be about fifteen minutes. Then I went inside with him and tried to take it all in with a fresh perspective.

If there was one thing I understood, it was a father’s love for his son. That’s what all of this was, an attempt by Lucky’s dad to take care of him. Even if it was overdone, I could appreciate the intention behind it.

On the way upstairs, I asked, “Did you pick out the furniture?”

“No, my dad hired a designer to handle all of that, and it was done by the time I moved to San Francisco. I get what he was going for, even if it’s nowhere near my style.”

We went to the main bedroom, which had that same masculine-rugged vibe as the rest of the house, and I sat on the large bed while he disappeared into a walk-in closet. While he changed, I tried to imagine the Lucky I knew living here, but it just didn’t make sense.

The Lucky that returned to the bedroom a few minutes later was a much better fit with this house. He’d changed into a pair of black pants and loafers, and he wore a pinstriped dress shirt with the sleeves rolled back. He was also carrying a black leather overnight bag, and there was a suit jacket draped over his arm.

He came up to me and traced my jaw as he said, “It’s weird, right? I look like I’m playing dress-up in someone else’s closet. These clothes remind me of the uniform I had to wear when I was in Catholic school. Maybe that’s why I’m always uncomfortable when I’m in anything besides a T-shirt and jeans.”

“It was jarring yesterday when I first saw you in a suit. But even in these clothes and in this setting, you’re still my Lucky,” I said. “It’s just taking me a minute to reconcile the different parts of you.”

He leaned down and kissed me, and then he grinned. “Come on, let’s take you shopping, so you too can get dressed up and feel like a poser.”

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