by Lane Hart
“Sure,” I reply since I don’t have any problems with them spoiling him. My uber religious parents sure haven’t. They’re still ashamed that I had him so young without being married. That’s the main reason why I didn’t come home after I found out I was pregnant. They didn’t want anyone at church to know the pastor’s daughter was a slut. Thankfully, Aunt Pattie didn’t mind taking me in and helping me raise Lennox while I finished school.
Lennox is already inside the house when I hear his squeal of delight at whatever he found. I follow behind them, stumbling into what looks like Santa’s workshop.
“She went a little overboard, right?” Luke asks when he appears next to me --- or more like towers over me. It’s still crazy that he’s no longer Eli’s “little” brother as I remembered. The summer before the accident Luke started hitting a growth spurt, but it looks like that was just the beginning.
“It’s fine,” I reply. “I feel bad about the years she didn’t have with him. Guess she’s making up for lost time?”
“Yeah,” he answers, his eyes following Lennox as he runs around the room from one toy to the next. “He’s really cute and…energetic.”
“You have no idea,” I tell him. “He goes like that until he just passes out wherever he happens to be at that particular moment.”
“Luke used to do the same thing,” Nancy states as she shows Lennox how to get the train going on the track.
“I’m sure that’s most toddlers,” Phillip, Luke’s father, says when he appears in the living room. “Hi, Megan. Good to see you.”
“You too,” I reply with a nod and fake smile.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Luke tells us before heading back toward the kitchen. “Burgers okay?” he asks over his shoulder. “I mean, he can have those, right?”
“Yeah, of course,” I assure him, my eyes taking in his broad shoulders, lean waist, and firm backside while I can. “Thanks, Luke.”
When my eyes flick around the room, I realize I wasn’t as covert at checking him out as I thought. His father frowns at me in silent disapproval before he comes over and surreptitiously hands me the small slip of paper as promised. Without looking at it, I shove it into my jeans pocket, already certain that I’ve made a huge mistake.
…
“The burgers were great,” I tell Luke as I help him clean the table. His parents have taken Lennox to the backyard so he can drive his monster truck around a little while longer before it gets dark.
“Thanks,” Luke replies, putting away the ketchup and other condiments in the fridge.
“Do you always cook dinner and get stuck with the cleanup?” I ask him.
“Pretty much,” he answers with a chuckle. “I don’t have a job; just training at Havoc whenever I want. And since Dad’s always working and Mom is…well, you know, I’ve pretty much taken over all the household responsibilities since Eli…”
“Is that why you never left?” I ask him, resting my back against the kitchen island across from him.
“How do you know I never left?” he asks with an arched eyebrow.
“Because you’re a nice guy and a good son,” I answer honestly.
“You got me there,” he replies, shoving his hands in the front of his jeans pockets while resting his back against the counter. “I never left. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t, you know?”
“Yeah,” I answer on a sigh. “And I wanted to come back,” I confess. “But I couldn’t…”
“Why not?” he asks with a furrowed brow.
“How many times have you seen my parents in the last few years?” I ask him. “Every Sunday at church?”
“The infrequent trips around Christmas and Easter that my mom drags me to,” he answers with a nod. “Why?”
“And yet they never mentioned that I had a son, did they?”
“No, of course not. My mom would’ve assumed it was Eli’s and released the hounds of hell to find you if they had,” he responds.
“Right,” I mutter. “I disgraced my parents and their religion by getting knocked up. So I had to live with my aunt until I finished school and could finally get a job,” I explain. “Neither of them have spoken a word to me directly since the phone call when I told them I was pregnant. I was a sobbing, scared mess and…my dad just hung up on me.”
“God, I’m sorry, Meg,” Luke says softly before his blue eyes lower to the tiled floor. “So you wanted to come back?” he asks.
“Yes and no,” I answer honestly, and Luke’s gaze lifts again, holding mine. “I told myself I didn’t want to come back and deal with my parents, but now I’m thinking maybe I was just scared, worried about what would happen if I did…”
“Because of my psychotic mother?” he asks softly with a smile.
“Because it would mean telling Lennox the truth about his father…”
“MOMMYYY!”
Lennox’s ear-piercing scream is easily heard inside the house. On autopilot, my feet race out the back door toward him, my heart hammering out of control with worry…to find him sitting on his new truck, wailing with his hands on the steering wheel and his head thrown back.
“The battery died,” Nancy tells me with a wince.
“Oh thank God,” I gasp in relief, holding my chest.
“Jesus Christ! I thought he had lost a limb or something horrible had happened,” Luke says from beside me, just as out of breath as I am.
“He can be a bit…overdramatic,” I tell them with a wave in his direction.
“Ya think?” Luke says, followed by a laugh that the rest of us join in on. Which only makes Lennox more upset because now he thinks we’re all laughing at him. And we are, but not how he thinks.
“He’s probably getting tired. I guess I better get him home,” I tell the Campbells, surprised to find that I’m not ready to leave yet. It’s actually been fun, and nothing like the nightmare I imagined coming over and sharing my son with them would be. I expected them to be angry for missing out on the first few years of his life, but they just seem thankful to be able to meet him now.
Luke’s father lifts a crying Lennox out of the truck, and he comes running over to me, burying his wet face on my leg.
“Shh, baby. It’s time to go home tonight since the truck fell asleep. Would you like to come back again?” I ask him, looking toward Nancy, who nods vigorously in agreement.
“Yes,” Lennox mutters with a sniffle.
“We’re free anytime,” Nancy says.
“How about tomorrow night, then?” I ask since tomorrow’s Friday, and I won’t have to worry about getting to bed early or getting things ready for work the next day.
“Perfect,” Nancy answers with a clap of her hands.
“Can you give everyone a hug and tell them thank you for the toys and dinner so you can come back tomorrow?” I squat down and ask Lennox, pulling him away from me.
Spinning around, he runs first to Nancy and then Phillip, giving them each a hug and murmured words that sound like thanks before he comes to a stop in front of Luke and looks up at him.
“You’re tall as a mountain,” Lennox tells Luke, who is several inches taller and leaner than his own father, while still being buff instead of lanky like I remember from years ago.
“Oh really?” Luke asks with a chuckle before he snatches Lennox up and puts him on his shoulders, holding him by his legs to keep him safe. “Now you’re taller than a mountain,” Luke tells him.
“Look how big I am, Mommy!” Lennox calls out to me.
“Wow, very big,” I tell him, swallowing down the emotions that try to leak from my eyes. “Can Luke give you a ride to the car?”
“Bye, Lennox,” Phillip says with a wave of his hand.
“Bye, sweet Lennox. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!” Nancy calls out.
“Thanks for doing this,” Luke says softly to me as we walk around the side of the house to the front yard. “My mom hasn’t been this happy in…a long time.”
“Sure,” I tell him. “He had a lot of
fun, and I did too,” I admit.
“Good,” Luke replies. “So, um, I was wondering if...are you, you know, seeing anyone?”
I bark out a laugh as we come to a stop at the edge of the lawn. “You mean, like, am I dating anyone?” I ask for clarification.
“Well, yeah,” Luke says before lifting Lennox off his shoulders and placing his feet on the ground. Luke then takes Lennox’s small hand in his as we start to approach my car that’s parked in the street. Just a simple, protective gesture to make sure Lennox doesn’t run out into the road, but one I’m not even sure Luke realized he was doing.
“No, I’m not seeing anyone,” I answer, opening Lennox’s car door for him to climb up inside.
“Bye, Luke,” Lennox says, hugging Luke’s legs.
“Bye, Lennox. You should thank your mom for giving you such a cool name,” Luke says with a smile as he squats down and hugs him back. Lennox then presses a quick kiss to Luke’s cheek before he turns around and climbs up into his car seat.
Luke’s blue eyes widen and snap to mine while he remains crouched down next to the car.
“Sorry,” I mouth to him with a cringe. “I’m not sure why he…”
“It’s okay,” Luke says, standing and straightening to his full height. “I was just…surprised because he doesn’t really know me…”
“Guess he already likes you,” I tell him.
“Good,” Luke replies with a smile. “I’m gonna be his favorite uncle.”
“You’re his only uncle,” I remind him.
“Even if I weren’t, I would still be his favorite,” he says with a cocky grin. “Here, let me get him buckled in.”
Reaching inside, Luke fastens the harness straps over Lennox’s chest and then snaps them securely into the base like he’s done it a thousand times before.
“See ya, buddy,” Luke says to Lennox, ruffling his blond curls before he shuts the car door.
“Wow, you looked like a pro at that,” I tell him with a gesture toward the car seat.
“Thanks,” he responds proudly. “I’ve had a little practice with Eden, Abby’s daughter. She’s a doll, almost ten months old now. Took her first steps the other day for some Fruit Loops,” he tells me, his fondness for Eden and/or her mother, Abby, obvious from the way his face lights up talking about them.
“So, Abby, is she a friend or something more…” I start to ask while closely examining the tops of my shoes.
“She’s my best friend,” he answers. “We nearly lost her to leukemia last year, but thanks to Eden’s bone marrow she was able to pull through.”
“Oh, well that’s good…”
“And she’s very happily married,” he adds.
“Oh,” I mutter. “So, you’re not seeing anyone right now?”
Leaning his hip against the car so close that we’re almost touching from chest to…much lower body parts, he tells me, “As pathetic as this may sound, other than Abby, I haven’t been with anyone since you, Meg.”
“Wow, that’s…that’s…wait, I thought you said she’s married,” I say, rather shocked by both parts of his statement. He’s really only been with one woman in almost four years? If so, that’s more lovers than me during that time.
“Long story for another day. The point being, Senn finally stepped up and made things right with Abby. They were married right after she had the baby.”
“Sorry, that’s really none of my business,” I mutter before turning to open my car door to escape the awkwardness I’ve caused. “So, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, about that,” Luke says. Stepping forward, he braces one hand on the open door and the other on the frame of the car, caging me in. “Would you maybe want to have dinner with me? My parents can babysit Lennox, and you can have a night off.”
“Like a date?” I ask.
“Yeah, Meg, a date,” he confirms with an amused smile.
“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Luke –” I start to say before he leans down and kisses me. Our lips and tongues are the only parts of our bodies touching, which makes it innocent yet…highly arousing since I long for more physical contact. Much more. I tell myself I deserve a few moments of this selfish indulgence since Luke was the last man to ever hold me or kiss me. But then I remember the consequences and the son I have sitting in the backseat, so I pull away.
“It’s a date, then,” Luke says as he grins down at me.
“Wh-what? But I didn’t agree,” I remind him, barely refraining from reaching up to touch my lips that are still damp and tingling.
“You didn’t have to agree. You kissed me back, so I’ll take that as a yes,” he replies smugly before he starts walking around the car back toward the house.
“I-I can’t leave Lennox alone,” I tell him, glancing through the window of the backseat to find my son with his eyes already closed, head lolled over to the side, out like a light.
“My parents can watch him for a few hours, and we’ll stay close to the house in case they call,” Luke promises.
“Fine,” I agree. “But we can’t be gone for more than an hour.”
“Two,” he counters. “When was the last time you had a break?”
“We’ll see,” I tell him.
“Bye, Meg,” he calls out from the front yard before I sit down and crank the car.
Lifting a hand in his direction, I wave goodbye before driving off in a daze, wondering what the hell I’ve just gotten myself into.
Chapter Five
Luke
I’m still smiling when I walk back into the house, high on the scent of Meg’s familiar strawberry fragrance and excited that I was actually able to convince her to go on a date with me.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” my father asks from his recliner as soon I step in the living room.
“What?” I ask innocently, although I’m guessing he likely saw us from the big picture window since it faces the front yard.
“You know what. And kissing her in front of Lennox is unacceptable behavior, son,” he replies, catching me completely off-guard with his unusually harsh criticism.
“Wait, why is it unacceptable?” I ask him with my hands braced on my hips in confusion.
“Because it’s inappropriate for a kid his age to see that sort of thing. And she’s our pastor’s daughter and your brother’s girlfriend for chrissakes,” he grumbles while keeping his eyes on the television.
“Her parents have disowned her, in case you hadn’t heard. And I’m pretty sure she would be his ex-girlfriend since Eli was screwing a guy behind her back. Oh, and the last time I checked, he’s still dead.”
“Watch it,” my father warns with a glare when the words come out harsher and angrier than I intended. And yeah, I sort of regret them after I say them, but I don’t get what his problem is. He obviously doesn’t have any idea how much I cared about Meg or how I would’ve given anything to be with her.
“If you start something with her and it ends badly, she may not let us see the boy. You know that would absolutely crush your mother. Don’t be selfish, son.”
“Are you fucking serious?” I ask him, my fists now clenched by my sides with the urge to hit something. “When have I had a chance to be selfish? Since Eli died, the only thing good I’ve had for myself was a few weeks with Abby last year and a week in Florida with Havoc. That’s it! I passed up three out-of-state scholarships so I could stay here and help out. I’m only twenty years old, and one day, hopefully soon, I’m gonna have my own damn life!”
“If you want to leave, leave,” he replies through clenched teeth. “But if you fuck this up, it’s your mother who will suffer the most, and that will be all on you!”
Rather than say something to my father that I’ll later regret, I walk over and jerk my car keys from the hook hanging by the front door. Heading outside, I jump in my Clemson orange Mustang and try to figure out where the fuck to go.
Havoc is about to close for the night, so there’s only one other pl
ace I know I’m welcome. Since it’s likely that Eden’s already asleep, I call before I go and bang on their door.
“Lucas Robert Campbell! Why haven’t you returned my texts or called me back?” Abby asks haughtily when she answers. And just like that, she’s already put a smile on my face and defused some of my anger.
“Robert?” I repeat. “Um, no.”
“One day I will guess your middle name,” Abby promises. “Or I’ll just sneak and check your driver’s license. So, where have you been? Senn said he hasn’t seen you at Havoc today either.”
“I’ve had a strange and busy couple of days,” I tell her. “Mind if I come over and vent?”
“Sure. Eden just went down for the night, so I’ll unlock the door, and you can just come on in,” she says.
“Okay. Thanks, Abby. See you in a few,” I tell her.
A short drive later and I’m pulling up at their house. When I walk inside, Abby’s head is resting on Senn’s shoulder. Her petite body is curled up beside his giant one on the sofa with his arm around her while they watch some comedy on the television. A few of Eden’s abandoned toys are strewn about on the floor, well played with from earlier in the day. It’s such a nice and normal family scene, and I realize that I’m…envious.
I fell for Abby hard last year, and it wasn’t easy to let her go and strictly be friends with her, but I did it. She and Senn share a daughter and not only that, but they were meant to be together. How could I be an asshole and not appreciate that? That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell seeing them together and happy those first few weeks. But then when Abby got so sick she went into a coma, I realized that no matter what she’s my best friend, and I’ll take whatever I can get with her. In a way, I think Abby always reminded me of Meg, the older sexy woman, in love with someone else, just out of my reach, crushing my heart but not on purpose…
“Hey,” I say softly when Senn and Abby both look over at me after hearing my footsteps.
“Lucas James Campbell?” Abby asks while patting the sofa seat beside her.
“Not even close,” I reply when I flop down next to her.
