by Mj Fields
���Yes, hopefully all four of us will be there,��� Landon said.
���Good, I want to see the girls. Goodnight, Dad.���
���Goodnight, Lucas. I love you.���
* * *
They woke up for school the next day and like usual Tessa was up and had breakfast on the table and the clothes ironed. Lucas watched her as she tried to avoid his stare.
���Good morning, Tessa,��� he said quietly.
���Good morning, Lucas,��� she smiled.
���Did you sleep well?���
���I did, and you?���
He not only saw her eyes sadden, but felt it deep inside his chest. ���Yep. State finals tomorrow right?���
���Yes,��� Tessa answered trying to keep it together.
���You nervous?��� Lucas asked. She shook her head. ���Is it alright if I come?���
���Sure, that would be great.���
���Good. Are you going to Alex���s game?���
���Yes, Lucas, and to yours.���
���Can I hug you yet?���
She looked down and walked toward him. ���Yes.���
He stood and grabbed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her head.
He opened his eyes and kissed her lips lightly, Tears started falling down her cheeks.
���Tessa, don���t cry. Baby, please… I���m sorry,��� Lucas said, wiping away her tears.
She let go of his neck and took one last deep breath. Then she walked into the bathroom, sat on the floor, and quietly cried. He walked in a moment later.
���Tessa, please. God, I am so fucking stupid,��� he said.
She took a deep breath as he wiped her tears away. ���You can���t kiss me, Lucas, okay?���
���I won���t,��� he said. ���I won���t do it again. I���m sorry.���
* * *
They pulled into the school and got out of the car.
They both looked when the heard Sadi���s voice.
Alex grabbed Tessa and wrapped his arm around her and walked her in. Lucas looked at her and glared.
���What, no kiss? Did you tell her you and I had sex last night?���
He grabbed her arm and squeezed. ���You better keep your mouth shut, Sadi. She and I are through. But you need to know I love her, and not a damn thing you do to me will stop that. I���m working through some stuff here hoping that I can be a good father and we can parent together, and that���s all Tessa���s doing. I promised her I would try. Last night was a big blurry mistake. Leave her alone and thank god she made me promise to try.���
Sadi yanked her arm away. ���Fine ��� as long as you don���t keep fucking her.���
���It was never that with her, Sadi. It was all here.��� He held his hand over his heart. ���Don���t you get it? I love her,��� he said, sounding defeated.
���You loved me once, too, and before this baby is born, you will again.��� Sadi stormed away.
* * *
���Tessa,��� Alex yelled as he walked in. ���I started the hot tub for you, Phoebe says you may need it, you practiced pretty hard today.���
���Thanks Alex, dinners in the oven maybe after that I will go out,��� Tessa yelled back.
Lucas walked in and bent over her shoulder and looked at the computer, she felt his breath on her neck, ���How are you Lucas?���
���Lots of friend requests,��� he reached over and clicked on them, ���Wow lots of guys, that one���s good looking,��� he said flatly and kissed her head.
She laughed, ���Sit down Lucas you seem interested, why haven���t you friend requested me?���
���Seriously Tessa me on Facebook? That would be interesting,��� they both laughed.
���Oh,��� he said pointing, ���There���s GI Joe, better accept that one,��� he said biting on an apple as he pressed accept.
���Well thank you,��� she smiled, ���Oh and there���s your baby momma, requesting me as a friend, shall I accept that one?���
���Is there a fuck off button?��� He said and hit deny and frowned at her.
They went through the list and he denied all the guys. She rolled her eyes and laughed. Next the girls, she accepted Phoebe and he went through and denied the three B���s, ���Seriously? What is wrong with people? This is the dumbest crap I have ever seen,��� Tessa pointed to Audrianna and he hit accept. She clicked on her page and he saw pictures Audrianna had taken at his game with the girls, and some of Lucas and Tessa.
���Still think it���s dumb?���
���No that���s pretty cool,��� Lucas admitted. ���Look at you, all fine looking���. and pissed off as hell at me, you should be an actress Tessa,��� Lucas leaned over and kissed her cheek.
���Lips off Links,��� she said quietly.
���Sorry baby.���
The timer went off and she jumped up and got dinner out of the oven. He walked out behind her, ���We okay?��� She smiled and shook her head yes. ���What���s for dinner?���
���Chicken shit.���
���Excuse me?���
Alex laughed, ���Look at it man, looks just like it.���
John and the kids came in and they ate. ���You kids hitting the hot tub after dinner?���
���Yes, Phoebe said Tessa over did it today,��� Alex said.
* * *
Dinner was cleaned up and Tessa was upstairs changing. She ran downstairs and grabbed a towel. Lucas watched her as she went out the door, smoking hot he thought and shook his head.
���You going in?��� Alex asked.
���Are you?���
���Yep.���
���Ok then,��� Lucas said and he went up and threw on some trunks. Tessa had in ear plugs and was singing with a towel over her eyes. Lucas watched her as Alex got in. She jumped when Alex eased into the water, then took the towel off her eyes.
���Hey Alex,��� she laughed.
She saw Lucas standing there, his trunks hanging on his hips. He had no shirt on. She closed her eyes. ���Lucas, you getting in or do you need an invitation?���
Lucas got in.
They sat quietly; keep your eyes closed, Tessa told herself. She swore she could feel his eyes burning through her. Alex���s phone rang and he got out and walked into the house. Tessa opened her eyes and saw that she was right; he was watching her. She quickly closed her eyes again. She felt him move beside her, and she sat very still as he took her hand.
���This is awful. I miss you.���
Tessa kept her eyes closed. ���How can you miss me, Lucas? I���m right here,��� she said, knowing full well what he meant. She missed him too.
Lucas laughed. ���This may come as a shock, but I miss the talking.���
Tessa opened her eyes. ���If you let go of my hand, I may be able to actually relax.��� He kissed it and let go, ���So, what shall we talk about, my friend,��� she said, emphasizing ���friend���.
���Where were you all day?���
���Avoiding conflict, avoiding seeing you, basically avoiding a break down. This morning was awful,��� she laughed.
���I���m sorry,��� he said softly.
���It���s going to take some getting used to.��� Tessa tried to make the situation seem less significant.
���I am so pissed that I didn���t me
et you before all that happened.���
���Things happen for a reason,��� she said, taking a deep breath trying to convince herself. ���Can we talk about something else, please?���
���Sure, what can we talk about, baby?��� He grabbed her hand.
She smiled. ���How about what is acceptable between friends when they are of the opposite sex.���
���Okay, that���ll be interesting. I have to be honest with you; I have never had a female friend,��� he said.
���Why does that not surprise me?��� Tessa laughed.
���Let me have the rules.���
���Let���s start with appropriate touch. Hugging; a quick hug when you���re excited or happy, and a longer one when someone needs comfort. Kisses; a quick one like the ones you give me on the head are sweet and show that you���re there and being supportive. A kiss on the cheek in a situation like a death or congratulations, but never on the mouth. Hand holding is for support, but not an everyday thing.���
���Well, what about when someone seems sad? What should I do when you look sad?��� Lucas asked softly.
She ignored the question. ���Now let���s talk about nicknames. Baby is for people who love each other for more than friends, and FYI, I used to love it, but it kind of stings now. So maybe use a last name or something fun.���
���How about TT?��� She laughed. ���Tessa the Terrible, Tessa the Temptress, Tessa the Terrific������ He looked down at her chest. ���Tessa with the terrific, tasty t������
���What are you guys talking about?��� Alex asked, returning to the hot tub.
���Male and Female friendship appropriateness,��� Tessa laughed. ���Any advice?���
���Respect,��� Alex said.
���Alright then, that���s a lot to comprehend. I���ll try.��� Lucas smiled at Tessa.
���It���s a deal.��� She stood up, and his jaw dropped as he looked at her. ���Goodnight.���
* * *
Lucas woke to Tessa screaming. He grabbed the magnet that disarmed the door alarm up and ran into her room in his pajama pants. He grabbed her and picked her up and hugged her, he sat on her bed and kissed her gently on the head over and over again.
���Tessa you���re okay?��� he whispered.
Tessa shook her head and held tightly to his neck pushing her face was against his bare chest, she was shaking. Lucas grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her. He took turns kissing her head and lightly caressing her hair. She finally stopped crying.
Tessa raised her face to his. ���Kiss me please Lucas.���
He did gently and moved to her neck. He pulled away and looked at her, the moonlight from the windows shined on her, ���You look so good,��� he said, and he wiped away her tears. ���Did you have a bad dream baby?���
���There was an accident with four people and people died, I don���t know who, but I know I loved them. Lucas you have to promise me you���ll be careful please?��� he shook his head yes, ���No say it, promise me you���ll be careful.���
���I promise Tessa, but it was just a dream, okay?��� he kissed her again.
���Please stay with me tonight,��� Tessa asked.
���Tessa you really don���t want that, you���re just upset right now, baby,��� he said and she kissed him and lay down. He followed her down. Her kisses were deep and full of passion.
���I Love you, Lucas, please be careful, please I love you,��� she kissed him, she pulled away, ���Did you hear me?���
���Yes Baby,��� Lucas started to say.
���Then why didn���t you answer me?��� she started to tear up again.
He took her face, ���You didn���t give me a chance Tessa, I promise I will be careful.���
���Good,��� she laid down and wrapped her arms around him. She fell asleep on his chest.
* * *
She was still wrapped around him when he opened his eyes. He kissed her and she slowly woke up.
���Good morning, baby,��� Lucas said quietly.
���How did you get in here?��� she whispered, looking over at Kendall.
���A magnet. You had a bad dream. We can talk about it later,��� he said. ���I need to sneak out of here before your Dad or Alex gets up. I love you, Tessa Ross,��� he bent to kiss her, her eyes widened.
He kissed her head.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Her heart beat hard as they walked into the arena for that night���s game. They ran drills and went through plays. Just as the game was about to start, she saw her parents and Molly, Kendall, and Jake walk in, behind them were Alex, Ryan, Tommy, and Lucas. She smiled when she saw them. Lucas winked at her.
They played hard, but were behind by two in the second half. The first play of the second half, Tessa made a goal. Then they were behind by one. In the fourth quarter, Tessa was hit in the face with a stick, knocking her down and slicing her forehead open. She jumped up and ran to the sidelines. Lucas watched her avoid her coach, grab the first aid kit, and cover the gash. She stomped her foot and argued with Coach V, and her bandage was already saturated when she returned to the field. Tessa immediately got the ball and made a goal, then walked off and changed the bandage. She started to go back out, but the coach grabbed her arm and shook his head, pointing to the bench. Lucas saw her yell ���Bull shit��� and Coach V glared at her and pointed to the bench again. She sat, pouting.
Becca had the ball and passed it to Phoebe who took it in. Only thirty seconds left and they lead by one. The other team was given a penalty shot. Jade stopped it, and the clock ran out, giving them the win by one point. Lucas got up and made his way to Tessa; her Mom was right behind him.
Tessa was on the field, celebrating with her team, when she started to throw up. Lucas ran to her, scooping her up in his arms. Maggie told Coach V that they were taking her to the hospital; she thought Tessa had a concussion.
Lucas drove and Maggie rode with them. They were seen quickly, and Tessa got three stitches in her hairline. Maggie had been right; Tessa had a concussion. She insisted on going back to the farm, and Maggie asked that Lucas check on her every three hours. They dropped Maggie off, and Tessa smiled. ���We won.���
���You kicked ass, Tessa,��� he said. ���But seriously, you need to be more careful. You play rough.���
They both laughed. He took her hand and kissed it, a bit nervous as to how she would react. She allowed it. Lucas asked her to open the glove box. She did, and there was a box inside of it.
���Open it,��� he said. Inside was a silver necklace with two hockey sticks crossing one another. ���Read the back.��� He smiled and she did. LYA LUCAS
���It���s beautiful,��� she said. ���Thank you.���
���Before you get freaked out, it���s just a friendly gesture. I do love you, Tessa, even if we can be just what we are���.for now.��� That night they both slept in the living room. After John went to bed, Lucas snuggled up on the couch with Tessa. Every three hours his alarm vibrated, and he woke her up with a kiss. Each time she smiled and said, ���I���m still alive.���
* * *
She didn���t avoid her friends on Wednesday and he sat at the same table at lunch, Sadi walked by and made snide remarks which Tessa ignored. She touched her neck often to make sure her necklace was still there. It was a token of his love. A love that as quickly as it began was forced to go away.
Tessa���s head was hurting badly after lunch, so she went to the nurse. She lay down and slept until the last b
ell.
She walked out and went to her locker.
���Hey, you feel okay?��� Jade asked.
���A little sore.���
���We are going to stay and watch the guy���s practice. Do you feel up to it?��� Jade asked.
���No, I am pretty sure Crazy would get a little anxious. Besides, I���m going to run to the mall.���
���Hey, Alex Ross,��� Tessa yelled into the boy���s locker room,- ���I need the keys to run some errands.���
Lucas walked out in black shorts, drying his hair and then his chest. ���Take mine TT,��� he said.
���You sure?���
���What are friends for? Just pick me up after practice.���
���Thanks.���
���Baby, whatcha looking at?���
Tessa rolled her eyes and started to turn around. He grabbed her arm. ���You like what you see, baby, don���t look away.���
Tessa started to say something but her mouth snapped shut. He popped his Pecs and winked. She scowled. ���No, all that is awful.���
He chuckled. ���Uh huh.���
Tessa stomped her foot and walked away chewing on her lip.
She got into the Lexus and drove out of the parking lot as Sadi glared at her. Tessa wanted to flip her off. BITCH!
Tessa went to the mall and bought some new undies and bras at Victoria Secrets. She decided on front closure. She went to the jewelers and got two sliver chains, one for Alex and one for Lucas. She got both with helmets. She had Lucas���s engraved LYA. Alex���s said BLESSED.
* * *
Tessa pulled in just in time to pick up Lucas. He walked out and jumped in. She saw Sadi start to walk toward them and pulled out.
���Let���s get Chinese,��� he said. Tessa pulled over and ran in to order. She saw Lucas on the phone arguing with someone, he hung up quickly. When she came out he was playing with the pink bag and grinning from ear to ear.
