Lukas (Ashes & Embers 3)

I watch as my beautiful daughter flirts with him, playing with her hair, and standing way too close to him. She’s wearing a tight sweater, her favorite jeans, and big fuzzy boots. She tilts her head, giggling at something he’s saying. They actually look really cute next to each other.

Oh no. This cannot be happening.

I feel like a squirrel in the middle of the road with an oncoming car, going this way and then that way and then the other way again. Total confusion of epic proportions.

Should I be feeling jealous? No. But I do.

Should I be glad that a guy as nice, talented, and caring as Lukas might be interested in my daughter’s attention? Yes. He’d definitely treat her a lot better than the last boy she dated, who I caught trying to sneak into her bedroom like a little perv. I kicked his ass right out of here.

But I don’t want Lukas interested in my daughter for any reason, because all I can think of is how he kissed me, and the passion I saw in his eyes, and how he made my legs weak. I can’t even think about him making my daughter feel that way, because I want him for myself, not to mention that I don’t want my little girl feeling that way until she’s at least thirty.

I watch him from the window for signs of flirting with Macy, but I don’t see any, and I’m ashamed to admit that I’m glad.

And what is he doing at my house anyway? How does he even know where I live?

I want to go out there and interrupt them, but I can’t because Macy will be furious and embarrassed if I do that when she’s so obviously flirting with him. A sick feeling creeps over me as I think about what my daughter would say if she knew Lukas and I were friends, and possibly a little bit more. This is definitely not a situation I ever thought I would be in.

Feeling guilty, I watch them talking until she spins around and comes back inside, smiling from ear to ear.

She playfully fans herself with her hand as she comes through the door. “Wow, is he hot. Did you see the body on him, Mom?” My God. When did my daughter start thinking about men like this? She was five only yesterday. Wasn’t she?

I smile weakly from behind my coffee cup. “Macy, he’s a friend of mine. He’s my tattoo artist.”

Her jaw falls open in shock. “Oh my God, Mom, are you kidding me right now?”

“Nope.”

She pounces into a chair at the breakfast table. “Mom! Can you talk to him for me? Kinda set us up or something? I was hoping he’d ask for my number, but he didn’t.” Her face turns into a pout, just like it did when she was a little girl. “Is he single? Do you know?”

The awkwardness of this entire conversation makes me queasy. “I think he is, honey, but I think he might be a little too old for you. He’s in his twenties.” And too young for me, I remind myself.

She rolls her eyes. “The boys my age are lame, Mom. And they don’t have bodies like him. And those tats! Not to mention his hair and those eyes. And that lip piercing. He’s amazing.”

All true, but I simply cannot even contemplate any of this with my daughter. Talking about men, and being attracted to the same man? No. Just no.

I knew that by having her when I was just eighteen I would always be a young mom, but I am definitely not prepared to hear my teen daughter talk about how sexy a man is, especially one that just kissed me practically senseless the night before and I’m still swooning over. I blame this new mess on Paul. His lust for Charlene has put us all in awkward positions.

Macy jumps to her feet. “I’m gonna go upstairs to call Shelly and tell her about him. I’m gonna snap a pic of him from my bedroom window to show her.”

“Macy, don’t do that!” I yell as she bounds for the stairway, but it’s too late. She’s already gone.

I grab a sweatshirt that’s draped over one of the kitchen chairs, step into a pair of boots that are by the back door, and walk out to the back yard to find out what Lukas is up to.

“Hi . . . What are you doing here?” I ask, squinting against the sun as I approach him.

Smiling, he points to the shed, like I didn’t know it was there. “I fixed it.”

“I can see that, and it’s really nice of you to do, but why? You shouldn’t be doing things like this for me. You’re not a handyman.”

He shrugs and wipes his face with a bandanna. “I just wanted to do something for you. Now, you don’t have to worry about it. It took like ten minutes. No big deal.”

Again, he’s melting my heart. “That’s incredibly sweet but totally not necessary. I could have found someone to do it.”

He takes a sip from the bottle of water that Macy gave him. “Now you won’t have to.” He nods toward the house. “You have a really nice house. It’s big. Very suburbs.”

“I honestly appreciate you doing this, but really, you didn’t have to. And as you can see, my teenage daughter has developed an insta-crush on you.”

He twists the top back on the water bottle and actually blushes a little. “She’s cute but too young for me. I like older women, one in particular,” he tilts his head toward me with that adorable crooked smile on his face.

How does he make me feel so wanted with just a few words and a smile? “Lukas, this cannot happen. I feel really bad that you came over here to do this, and I’m going to pay you.”

He scrunches up his face. “No way. You can pay me by going out with me tonight.”

I cross my arms. “I have plans tonight.”

His eyes narrow at me suspiciously. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Okay, then,” he says, looking unhappy. “How about Sunday night?”

Damn, he’s persistent! “I can’t. My son is coming home from his father’s.”

“Next week then? Any night. You pick.”

I laugh and shake my head. “I give you credit for your persiste

nce, but I can’t. I like you, I really do. I just can’t. My daughter thinks you’re hot. I can’t even wrap my head around what she would say if she knew I went out with you. It’s way too strange for me.”

He turns to close the shed door and latches it, giving me a great view of his broad back. I love how his hair falls down past his shoulders and his butt looks amazing in those faded jeans. He turns around to face me again, and I quickly look away. “Ivy, it doesn’t have to be strange. Just tell her the truth. She’ll be okay.”

“What truth? There is no truth.”

He reaches for my hand, holding it in the warmth of his. “The truth that I’m interested in you, and hopefully, you feel the same way. I mean, you were just checking out my ass, so that must mean something, right?” he teases.

Pulling my hand away, I glance uneasily up at Macy’s bedroom window, hoping she’s not taking pictures and uploading them to the interwebs. “Lukas, please. I can’t do displays of affection from a stranger in front of my kids. They’re confused enough already over their father and his new girlfriend. And I was not checking out your ass.”

“You can’t punish yourself for what he did. He’s enjoying his life. You’re allowed to do the same. Eventually, your kids will see you with another man, just like they’re seeing him with another woman. I know it sucks, but unless you plan to stay single for the rest of your life, which would be a total fucking shame, then you have to let your kids see you around other men.”

“I know that, but . . .”

He pulls a pack of gum out of his pocket and pops a piece into his mouth. “But what?” he asks “Is it me you don’t want them to see you with?”

I stare off for a moment before answering. “They would have a hard time with it,” I admit, trying to envision introducing him to my kids.

Leaning his back against the shed, he blows a bubble, pops it, and looks at me. “With it? With me? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”