Lucky for Her

by Stephanie Taylor

  He felt the swell of emotion in his throat and he coughed to clear it, to no avail. When she registered his tears, her own eyes shone bright in the dimly lit room. Lucky didn’t want to think about anything just then except his wife, the baby growing inside of her, and the wonderful life he’d been given.

  Lowering his mouth to hers, the room exploded with more applause. Lucky couldn’t help the smile of satisfaction that spread over his features as he released her. As the applause faded away, one lone clapper remained, his staccato a slow, mocking clap. Everyone remained silent as James stepped forward.

  “How sweet is this?” James asked with a snarl. “You think I’m stupid enough to fall for this, Lana?”

  “Let’s go, babe. I don’t want our night ruined,” Lucky said, putting a possessive arm around her waist and shielding her as much as he could with his body. Just looking at James sent a thrill of anger down his spine and his hand clenched at his belt.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lana said. He heard the slight tremble in her voice and once again cursed himself for not making her leave sooner. The outcome to this situation couldn’t be good.

  “You think I don’t know you staged all this just to get back with me? You don’t love Fat Jack. No one loves Fat Jack.” A few protests from the crowd lent Lucky some confidence.

  “Actually, he taught me what love really is. It’s not in a fist, not impatient, not jealous. He lifts me up instead of knocking me down. You were none of those things. I was just too young to see it.”

  “How sweet,” James crooned in a high-pitched voice.

  “Let’s go,” Lucky ordered Lana. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. Thankfully, she didn’t argue, but he couldn’t believe James was on their heels. A few men from the reunion followed them out, probably to either watch the fight or break it up. Either way, Lucky wasn’t happy to see he had witnesses to him losing his temper.

  “So you’re just going to run away again, like you did back then?” James ridiculed.

  He shoved his keys and cell phone at Lana and pointed to his truck. “Go sit in the car and wait for me. Call the station if things get ugly.” She opened her mouth to protest, but Lucky silenced her with a look.

  Abruptly turning, Lucky walked straight to James, fists balled and ready.

  “You gonna hit me, Fat Jack? Gonna show me you can hold your own now? Wanna hit me like you wanted to way back when?”

  For Lana’s sake, Lucky tried to stay calm. He didn’t want her to worry about him or go into pre-term labor because of stress.

  “This is all just a game to you. But you know what? I win. I won the day she agreed to marry me.”

  “She’s used goods. I lost interest about five minutes after I married her.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You wanted her and you had her physically. But she never loved you. She never looked at you the way she looks at me.”

  “Do you think I care?” James feigned boredom and nodded his head in greeting as a couple walked into the gym.

  “Of course you do, or you wouldn’t have shown your face in a town where everyone hates you.”

  He snorted and shuffled his feet. “You sure you didn’t miss your calling to be a shrink?”

  “No, ‘cause then I’d have to deal with idiots like you.”

  Some of the guys chuckled at Lucky’s statement, but he didn’t feel any better. Despite feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders the moment Lana had said she loved him, James still had the ability to rile him beyond comprehension.

  When James laughed with the small crowd, Lucky couldn’t stand it anymore. Nose-to-nose with his nemesis, Lucky bared his teeth. “Lana and I will be happy. And I’m going to take pleasure in raising your child to hate scum like you.”

  Pivoting on his heels, he marched back to his truck and got inside.

  It wasn’t until he slammed the door closed that he realized what he’d said.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Despite the arrival of her ex-husband, Lana felt like her goal at the reunion had been accomplished. She and Lucky had had a moment to rejoice in their marriage and she’d told him she was in love with him.

  So when Lucky didn’t say a word the whole way home, Lana didn’t know what to think.

  “Lucky? You can relax now. It’s over. And I’m sorry I made you go.” She slipped her hand in his and squeezed gently. They walked together to his front door, and he opened it for her.

  “Are you kidding me? What you did for me was unbelievable, Lana.”

  He closed the door and latched the deadbolt as well as the handle lock.

  “You never lock the front door.”

  “I think now is a good time to start.”

  “Why?”

  “Sit down, Lana.”

  This wasn’t how she had envisioned the rest of the night going. That stern expression on Lucky’s face certainly wasn’t the one she had expected to be there the second they walked through the door. She’d envisioned heated kisses, torn clothing and her back against the wall by now. Not this quiet, pensive Lucky who sat down silently beside her and ran a hand down his weary face.

  “We need to talk,” he said after a long exhale.

  “We can talk later,” she urged, a last ditch effort to keep her plans on track. Lana put her palm on his cheek and pulled his lips down to hers. He kissed her for a mere moment before pulling away.

  “I’ve told you everything James put me through. I don’t expect you to understand why that kind of thing sticks with you your whole life. But I didn’t expect to lose my head tonight when we were outside.”

  “But you didn’t. I know you wanted to, but you held it together. I’m proud of you.”

  “No, Lana.” Another exhale. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  Confused, Lana could only wait until he explained further.

  Vaulting from the couch, Lucky started pacing in front of her.

  “We need to think of something…”

  Lana’s eyebrows rose and still she waited. He wasn’t making any sense.

  Suddenly, he grabbed a vase from a nearby table and launched it toward the front door. Lana jumped as tears welled in her eyes at his sudden anger. She’d never seen him like this. She wasn’t sure what to think.

  “Lucky you’re scaring me,” she whispered. It didn’t appear as though he’d heard her, but then he abruptly changed course and walked to the couch, pulling her up and into his arms.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not mad at you. I’m furious with myself. I’ll never hurt you, you’ve gotta know that.”

  Lana swallowed the fear and put her arms around him. She’d lived with him for four months without any sign of violence. It was hard for her to do, but she chose to believe that whatever bothered him was big enough to warrant his outburst.

  “Tell me what’s going on, Lucky.”

  Pulling back once again to look into her face, his frown led her to further believe something major had been said between them. But for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what it could have been.

  “He knows.” Lucky bit his bottom lip and shook his head, looking away.

  “Knows what? He figured out who you were when Renee read my letter.”

  Lucky shook his head and she fell silent. “I let it slip about the baby.”

  Fear crept down Lana’s body, starting at the crown of her head and ending with a violent shiver as she fell back onto the couch.

  “How?”

  “I told him I was going to take pleasure in raising his kid to hate him.”

  It was Lana’s turn to be quiet.

  “I didn’t mean to do it, Lana. I swear.”

  She could hardly blame him. She’d felt how tense he was just going to the reunion and that was before James had arrived. If anything, it was her fault and she said so.

  “No way. I lost my head. I’ve been through training for this. I can keep my emotions in check during any situation I see as the sheriff
, but I can’t keep my cool when I need it the most.”

  Staring straight ahead, feeling oddly numb, Lana explained, “No, you see, I should have never asked you to go, but I was so determined to have that stupid dance with you.”

  Shifting his weight to face her on the couch, a concerned look filled his features.

  “No. It was beautiful. It was sweet. It was perfect. Truth be told, I knew I was gonna go the minute you first mentioned it because it seemed important to you. This is my fault. And I’m going to make it right. I’ll hire a bodyguard or you’ll stay with me at the station while I work. There is no way I’m leaving you here by yourself. I don’t trust James as far as I can throw him.”

  “So we’re going to live our lives in fear for…how long? A year? Five years? Twenty?”

  “My main concern is your and the baby’s safety, nothing else right now. We’ll deal with everything else as it comes. You’ve got a little over two months to go before delivery, and I don’t want to take any chances that he might hurt you or Lily.”

  Lana pursed her lips and looked at him. A shrug lifted her shoulders and she smiled half-heartedly.

  “This isn’t how I envisioned our night ending.”

  “Me either. That’s my fault, too.”

  “I’m not mad at you, Lucky. In a way, I’m kind of glad he knows. At least I don’t have to keep up pretenses anymore with everyone now. You’ll be free to move on if you want.” Lana’s stomach grew queasy at the thought, but it had to be said. He had to know she wouldn’t hold him to their arrangement if there was nothing for him to do for her anymore.

  “Are you serious?” he asked, his voice deadpan.

  “Yes.”

  “You think I want a divorce.”

  Lana shrugged.

  “After telling me you love me, you want me to just walk away.”

  “I didn’t say I wanted you to, but if it’s what you want, I can’t make you stay.”

  Lucky stared her down for so long with those eagle-eyes, not missing a thing, she thought he’d turned to stone. But then, he blinked, and he shook his head.

  “No. No. Uh uh. He’s not doing this to you again. He’s not going to have this power over either of us. I’ll protect you, not because we agreed to it, but because I love you. And I love that baby. Forget anything else we said before tonight, because our feelings for each other just broke the deal. We’re in uncharted territory.”

  Lana couldn’t help but smile at his determination. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his.

  “And you know what?” He rubbed his thumb over her jaw and licked his lips.

  “What?”

  “You envisioned the way you wanted this night to end, didn’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “We’re not going to let James take that away from us, either. Falling in love with you again is a gift.”

  “Again? You didn’t know me in high school. Not really,” she argued, her eyes bright.

  “Maybe not, but I still loved you the way a teenager loves. A little wild, reckless, and more than a little vulnerable.”

  “So you love me again, Lucky?”

  He swallowed past the lump in his throat. The more he’d tried to deny it over the last few months, the more he knew it was true.

  “Yes, Lana. I love you. Again.”

  “A little wild?” she asked softly.

  He nodded.

  “Recklessly?”

  He dipped his head and bit his lower lip.

  “Do you feel vulnerable?”

  He pressed his lips together, not wanting to disclose his deepest fear, but nodded anyway.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  A smile bloomed on his face. “It doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

  “None at all. But I’m finding out that’s the best kind of love.”

  “All we do is argue,” he voiced his concerns out loud.

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Yes we-” He caught her grin and laughed. “Good point.”

  Lana touched her forehead to his. “Do you remember what you told me when we first got married?”

  “What’s that?”

  “One day at a time?”

  “Mmm.”

  “We’ll get through this. I suspect James won’t cause too much trouble because that means he’ll have to be involved. And it means a trip to court to bring out all the ugly details of our marriage.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that, Lana.”

  She smiled at him, tracing his plush lips with her fingertip.

  “I’m not. I had to go through all of that to get to you. And it’s been worth every second knowing a life with you is the outcome.”

  With a strained grimace on his face, Lucky leaned forward and kissed her deeply. He did all the right things that she liked. His tongue swirled, dueling with hers. Hearing his sharp intake of breath, she knew he intended to pull away.

  “Make love to me, Lucky,” she whispered before she could lose her courage. When he didn’t immediately scoop her up and carry her upstairs, she said, “If you reject me again, I’m going to get a complex. I know I’m nearly seven months pregnant and all, but-”

  “Shut up,” he whispered with a grin, his eyes trailing the length of her. The gleam in his eye promised her it was going to be a long night. “I was beginning to think this would never happen,” he said quietly.

  “I’m sorry, but I’d like to enjoy my last days.”

  He chuckled at the image she’d painted the night at the party and again now. “Who am I to keep a woman’s last wish from coming true?”

  “Exactly.” She stood awkwardly, and she appreciated that he didn’t try to help. Tugging him up to stand, she pressed her body against his, making sure to rub her breasts against him.

  “My bed or yours?” he asked, trailing his hand down her arm, the gleam turning to fire.

  “Ours,” she whispered against his lips.

  *****

  “Sit,” Lucky ordered and nudged her down into the seat across from his desk.

  Lana rolled her eyes and readied herself to stand again.

  “Stay.”

  “Lucky, I’m not a dog.”

  “Then stop acting like you need obedience school.”

  Lana’s jaw slacked in disbelief, but Lucky threw her a grin and a wink over his shoulder as he read over the contents of a file.

  “Seriously. I need you to lift this protective restriction. It’s been over a week!”

  “You really want that?” he asked, looking at her.

  A surge of hope filled her chest. She nodded.

  “No.” He went back to reading.

  Frustrated, Lana picked up the only magazine in Lucky’s office; the magazine she’d read cover to cover a bazillion times.

  “You could at least get me some reading material.” She tossed the magazine back on the table and sighed.

  “I reminded you this morning to bring something. I knew you’d be bored.” Lucky’s gaze didn’t waiver from the file.

  Lana felt ignored. Restless. Useless.

  “I forgot,” she argued, knowing she was being whiny and pathetic.

  Silence fell and she could tell Lucky was trying to concentrate. Most days she tried to give him some quiet by chatting with Gretchen or cleaning up after the disgusting men at the station. She had to put her nesting to use somewhere.

  Today, however, she was determined to get him to stop being so silly.

  “Lucky?”

  “Mmm?” Again, his eyes didn’t even flicker to her.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, babe.”

  She squinted as she picked at her nails. “Did you know I faked it last night?”

  “Nope. How come?” He sighed to indicate his annoyance but kept his eyes riveted to the file.

  Then Lucky’s narrowed gaze shot to hers, and she giggled.

  “What did you just say?”

  Lana shrugged and giggled again.
/>
  “Did you say you faked it last night?”

  She couldn’t help it. Sitting in this office for the last ten days was making her slaphappy. Lana laughed so hard a tear trailed down her cheek.

  “Did you really?” he asked again, unamused.

  “No.”

  Shaking his head, Lucky’s narrowed eyes surveyed her to see if she was lying. Sobering, Lana sat still until he finished his perusal.

  With a sigh of resignation, he sat back and steepled his fingers under his chin.

  “You’re going to drive me crazy until you get your way, aren’t you?”

  Mustering up all the sweetness she could manage, she smiled at him and replied, “Of course.”

  “I’ve got work to do, woman.”

  “I know.”

  “What do you want from me? I’m just trying to protect you.”

  “I think you’re overreacting. It’s been ten days and no sign of James. If he registered what you said, and I doubt he did because he was drunk, he would have caused trouble by now.”

  “Maybe you’re right. But I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “Can we negotiate?” she asked hopefully.

  “With what?”

  “Maybe I could stay with my dad during the day while you work. He knows what to do with a loaded gun.”

  Lucky snorted. “I’ll say.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  “He can protect me. And I can spend some time with him and my sister when she gets home from school.”

  Lucky studied her with intense eyes, bouncing his chin off of his fingers while he thought about her proposal.

  “Will you promise to only stay with your dad? Call me if you want to go anywhere else?”

  “Sure, if that’ll make you more comfortable.”

  “It will…Call your dad. If he’s willing to put up with you during the day, I’m willing to get rid of you for a few hours.”

  Her mouth fell open in shock again. “You don’t like spending time with me?”

  Lucky shook his head, clearly flustered. “Which is it? You want to get away from me or you want to stay?”

  Lana laughed. “I could ask you the same question!”