“It’s late,” Mr. Kane says. “Your mom just needed to see you for herself so she could have a good night's rest. You still have some explaining to do. You can’t just drop off the face of the earth.”
“It will never happen again,” he reassures them. Everyone heads out, leaving Luke and me all alone. I feel like I’m being pulled from both sides. I love Luke, and I love this baby inside of me. I’m sure he’ll say he’s happy about it. The thing that bothers me is that I won’t know if it’s the truth. I don’t want him to have some lingering resentment about it. Toward me or the baby. Not that I think he will, but I’m just not sure. We haven’t known each other for that long. I don’t want my baby to grow up thinking that it is some sort of burden. All of these unknown things are really messing with my head. I know one thing for sure: I don’t have to tell him tonight.
He walks over to me, not saying a word. He picks me up, easily carrying me all the way to the bedroom. Our first round of lovemaking is desperate and fast. It’s us making up for lost time. The second round is slow and soft. Luke kisses every part of me. I can feel his love with every touch.
“I love you so damn much,” he says. “I couldn't live without you, pretty eyes.”
I turn in the bed resting my head on his chest. I kiss him over his heart. He plays with my hair. I close my eyes.
“I love you too,” I tell him. But I wonder if love will be enough.13Luke“Look what the cat dragged in,” Gerrit says, standing from his desk. I can tell he’s pissed at me by the tone of his voice.
“I went to your office first, but they said you were working from home. I almost died of shock.” I pick up some weird-looking piece of art. I’m going to guess Mom got it for him.
“You’ve been dodging death a lot these days.” That gets my attention.
“You know?”
“I only found out recently or I would have had your ass in a hospital here.” He grits out the words.
“I lived.”
“This fucking time!” he shouts at me. Kennedy comes rushing into the room.
“What the heck is going on?”
“Brotherly fighting,” I reassure her. She glances between us. Gerrit gives her a smile before he walks over to kiss her. A spike of jealousy hits me when he brushes his hand across her stomach. I want what they have with Kinley. For her to have my ring on her finger and be round with my child. Kennedy leaves us alone once again. When she’s gone, the smile drops from my brother’s face.
“Are you staying here for good?”
“Yes.” I’m staying. I am actually thinking of moving and buying something bigger. I’m going to need more space. The hope is that Kinley and I will have children one day.
“How did you find out?” I ask, walking over to sit on the sofa in his office. I kick my feet up, resting them on the table. I do it to annoy him. I can’t help myself.
“I have friends in high places.” He knocks my feet off as he walks over to his desk, sitting down. “You broke her heart.”
I lean forward, putting my elbows on my knees. “I’ll spend my life making it up to her. I swear it.”
He lets out a long sigh. “I get it. The bust was huge. I’m sure Kinley would want it to still have turned out this way with all those lowlifes and drugs seized. I just want you to know she was broken.”
“Thank you for watching over her. God knows her fucking parents would be no help.”
“Where is Kinley right now? I’m surprised you don’t have her stuck to your side.”
“She’s having lunch with that bitch of a mom.”
“Kennedy has talked to them a few times. It always comes back to money. She’s cut all ties. I’m sure Kinley will learn that lesson soon.”
“She wouldn't let me go with her.”
Luke lets out a chuckle. “I’ve put that evil woman in her place a few times. There is a reason Kinley walked her sister down the aisle and not her father.”
“I know. Kinley talks about them here and there. You never know how great you have it until you see it from the other side.” Gerrit nods in agreement. Our parents went above and beyond with us. They are the gold standard when it comes to being parents and showing us what true love looks like.
“Now our wives have them too.” That makes me smile. My mind flashes to Thanksgiving dinners, to play dates and Christmas. Things I would have never thought about before, but now I want them. All of them.