Lukas (Ashes & Embers 3)

She nods. “I know . . . you’re right. Just let me think about the best way to do this. I promise I will. I don’t want to only see you every other weekend.”

I lead her out and lock the door behind us. “I hope not. I’ve had my share of booty call relationships and flings. I don’t want that with you.”

When I drop her off at her house, I’m worried about Paul confronting her when he brings Tommy home. What if he starts a fight with her?

I grab her arm before she gets out of my car. “Ivy, I have to tell you something.”

“Okay . . .”

“Paul was at my house this morning. I found him in the parking lot when I went to get us coffee.”

“What?” she shouts. “What was he doing there? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Yikes. She’s pissed.

“He said he used some GPS app to find your phone, and it took him right to my fucking house.”

“Shit. Did you talk to him?”

“Yeah, he was in my parking lot. I thought he was a customer or something, but then he said he was looking for you.”

“Oh my God. What’s wrong with him?”

“Fuck if I know. Anyway, I told him you were inside, so he knows you were with me. He seemed really pissed off, kept calling you his wife. I’m a little worried about him starting with you when he gets here with Tommy.”

She lets out an exasperated sigh and stares out the window. “You should have told me,” she says pointedly.

“I know. I just didn’t want to upset you and ruin our day. He didn’t text you about it, so I figured he was embarrassed and didn’t want you to know he was stalking you.”

“Ugh. Well, I’m sorry he showed up at your place. You shouldn’t have to deal with that. But, I want you to tell me things like this from now on.”

“All right. Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad at you. I just don’t know what’s wrong with him. He got what he wanted, so now he needs to leave me alone. This wasn’t my choice. It was his.”

Her words cut in to me, ramping up my paranoia that he wants her back and may be able to sway her into letting him back in. Sensing this, she turns to me. “Lukas, being with you is my choice. I’m just saying, he’s the one that left to begin with. I was happy . . . or I thought I was.” She leans across the car and kisses my cheek. “Don’t worry. I had an amazing weekend with you. Let’s just take things one day at a time, okay? Don’t worry about him coming over here. He’s not the yelling, fighting type.”

No, he’s just the stalking type.

“All right. I don’t want him on my property again, though. If Vandal catches him creeping around, it’s not going to be pretty.”

“I’m sure he won’t be doing that again.”

“Will you call me or text me later? Let me know everything is okay?”

“Yes, of course I will.”

I give her a long kiss before letting her go. “I’m crazy about you, Ivy. I really want this.” I hug her close to me, burying my face in her hair, liking that her hair smells like my shampoo, as if she’s part of me.

“I do too,” she murmurs. “Your persistence worked.”

IVY

MY ANGER AT PAUL GETS WORSE as I prepare dinner for the kids and wait for him to drop Tommy off. How dare he track me and show up at Lukas’ place? Talk about a total invasion of my privacy and just all around juvenile behavior.

“Mom, are you wearing an Ashes and Embers hoodie?” Macy asks, coming into the kitchen.

Oh, crap. I completely forgot that I’m still wearing it and that she would recognize the band logo.

“Yes, I went to their concert last night,” I say nonchalantly, hoping she will just get distracted by her cell phone as usual and not zone in on me.

She practically leaps across the room. “Are you kidding me right now? Why didn’t you ask me to go? That show was totally sold out! You don’t even like that kind of music!”

I take a deep breath, knowing I am falling deeper into the hole I’ve dug and have to just come clean.

“Okay, honey, I have to tell you something. You know the tattoo artist, the guy that fixed our shed?”

“Yeah.” She nods excitedly. “The hottie with the body.”

“His name is Lukas. I’m dating him, and he took me to the concert. He’s in the band—”

“Holy shit, Mom!” she shrieks. “Lukas Valentine? That was him?!” I thought he looked familiar!”

I take a step back and lean against the kitchen counter. “Yes, that’s him. I didn’t know he was in the band.”

“He’s new, Mom! He just plays these amazing solos on their new album. This shit is crazy!”

“Macy, stop swearing and yelling.” I rub my temples. Her voice is going straight through my brain and making my head hurt.

She looks at me like I’m crazy and flops dramatically into one of the chairs at the table. “I’m totally freaking out! I mean, what the hell! He’s like, twenty, Mom! And he’s hot. You don’t like hot guys.”

I add some pasta to the boiling water, trying not to think about Lukas naked on top of me, with all those muscles and tattoos and long hair. I definitely like hot guys.

“Macy, he’s twenty-four, and of course I like attractive men.”

“Yeah, but not like him! You like boring old guys like Dad.”

Stirring the pasta, I try to think of a decent reply without bashing Paul. “There’s more to men than looks, and your father is really not old at all. He’s only thirty-seven. Lukas is a nice guy. He’s extremely talented. He has his own business, and he’s very polite and thoughtful.”

She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Mom! Get serious! Nobody thinks of those things when they look at someone like him!”

“Well, they should. He’s a person, not an object.”

“A sexy person. I hafta tell Shelly. She is gonna so freak out.” She whips out her cell phone and starts typing, but I grab it away from her.

“No. This isn’t a game, Macy. I don’t want you gossiping with your friends about my relationships.”

She stares up at me. “Oh, wow. Are you like serious with him? Like Dad and Charlene?”

Ugh. What a terrible comparison. I think Paul’s interest in Charlene is entirely based on her looks and has nothing to do with what kind of person she is, but I’m definitely not going to tell our daughter that.

“Yes, I think it could get serious. I need you to be an adult about this, Macy, please. This isn’t easy for me, but I really do like him, and I want you and Tommy to meet him and hopefully like him too.”

“Mom? Hello? I did meet him, and I flirted with him right in our back yard.”

“I know . . .”

She chews her lip and looks at me guiltily. “I’m sorry. So awkward. I had no idea. I wouldn’t have acted like a hookah with him if I knew you liked him.”

“I don’t even know what that means, but you shouldn’t be acting like that with anyone.”

I stir the pasta again and take several deep breaths. I think I am going to need a Valium to get through the rest of this night.

“Mom, stuff is crazy lately. It’s like we’re in some reality show or something. First, Dad takes off with the gum scraper, and now, you’re dating a rock star. I’m waiting for a camera crew to start following me around.”

“Honey, I want things to be normal, or as close as they can be. Lukas is really just a regular guy who happens to be related to a bunch of rock stars that used his talents for a few songs. Being with him isn’t going to change me or make anything crazy.”

“You’re wearing a rock band shirt with the hashtag worshipme, Mom. That’s kinda crazy. Just sayin’.”

I strain the pasta and put it in a serving dish, visions of Lukas ravishing me up against his church wall playing through my head.

“Macy, please, I really want your support and understanding with this. As you can see, I’m totally out of my element with, him but I really do like him. He makes me happy.”

&nbs

p; “Well, that’s obvious. When Dad was here, you hardly ever smiled. Ever since your tattoo appointments, you’ve been smiling and dressing nicer, and you seem much happier. If you’re happy, I’m happy. I’m totally jelly you have a hot boyfriend and I don’t, though,” she teases. “It’s kinda nice to have a cool mom.” She gets up and hugs me. “I love you. I’m glad you’re happy.”

I hug her back, hoping my daughter and I will be best friends someday, like I dreamed about when I was only eighteen and pregnant. I wanted her more than anything in the world.

“I love you, too.”

She’s quiet for a few minutes as she sets the table. “Did you meet Talon?”

“Talon?” I repeat, putting sauce in a bowl.

“Yeah, he’s the guitarist. He has longish dirty blonde hair, and he’s wicked cute.”

Oh. The shirtless guy. “I didn’t actually talk to him, but I saw him. I only met briefly with Storm and Vandal.”

“Storm! Is he totally swoon-worthy in person?”

“He was very nice. Lukas seems close to him.”

“Well, Talon is my favorite. Lukas is the youngest, I think, and then Talon.”

We’re interrupted by the doorbell, which I finally talked Paul in to using, instead of just walking into the house whenever he felt like it. I didn’t think he had the right to do that anymore.

“I’ll go get Tommy,” Macy offers and disappears, but a few seconds later, she’s yelling down the hallway.