by Kari Lemor
“He’s going to be great,” Darcy whispered as she rocked her baby in her arms.
“Great?” What was she talking about?
“Luke. He’ll be a great dad. He’s so good with the kids. Patient and loving and fun. Don’t you worry about anything.”
Elle had noticed Luke’s actions with the kids, and yes, he was excellent with them. That wasn’t the biggest thing she was worried about.
“You just saw me yesterday, Luke. I don’t know why you feel the need to take me out tonight.”
Elle lowered herself into the black Camaro and wrestled with the seat belt. She always had to readjust them to fit over her ever-growing middle.
Once he got in and started up the car, Luke said, “Yesterday was a party for me. Today is Valentine’s Day and is for you.”
“Valentine’s Day is for lovers. Hardly what we are.”
Luke patted her stomach and chuckled. “I’m going to dispute that fact.”
“You know what I mean. It was a one-time thing. It’s not going to happen again.”
His brows drew together, and his lips tightened. “It’s not? Why?”
Did he honestly think they could simply pick up where they left off six months ago? “Because this was you freaking out about going on deployment. Now that you’re back and in perfect shape—”
“You think I’m in perfect shape?” Those dimples flashed, causing her insides to melt.
“I’m actually surprised you aren’t with one of your more…exciting…ladies tonight.”
“What do you know about any of my ladies?”
The fact he didn’t deny he had them killed her a little inside. Why? She didn’t know. Luke being a player wasn’t anything new. Just because she was irresponsible enough to get pregnant didn’t change who he was.
“Where are we going? You know most places will need reservations for tonight. I doubt we can just walk in and get a table.”
“The Bayside.”
“What? You’re crazy if you think that hasn’t been booked four months in advance. Not to mention, you’d need to sell this car to afford the cheapest thing on the menu.”
“Don’t you worry, Elle. I’ve got it all taken care of. You sit back and enjoy the ride.”
“Did you have this planned out before you left? For someone else, I mean. I know you wouldn’t have thought to take me here.”
“Stop insinuating that I want to be with anyone else. I’m with you tonight, and that isn’t going to change.”
Elle stayed silent while Luke drove through the streets of Portsmouth. She wasn’t sure what to even think about tonight. She’d spent a good portion of yesterday at Alex’s with the Storm family. Good people, through and through. What she wouldn’t give to be a part of them. At least her child would be. That made her happy. You couldn’t do better than the Storms. Luke included, even with his never-ending supply of women. For some reason, he’d chosen to be with her today.
Rubbing her belly as the baby kicked, she was reminded of the reason. “I know, I know.”
“Are you okay?” Luke put the car in park and pressed his hand on top of hers.
“I’m good. Junior, here, is just reminding me I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch.”
Luke kissed her cheek. “Well, we’ll have to take care of that right away.”
The wind off Portsmouth Harbor kicked up as they got out, the ocean scent permeating the air. Luke slung his arm over her shoulder as they hustled toward the restaurant.
Flowers and red decorations adorned many of the surfaces inside the elegant dining room. Luke gave them his name, and they were escorted to a little table in a tiny alcove under the stairs. The chairs sat kitty corner to each other with a view of the harbor.
“How’d you manage this table on Valentine’s Day?” She peeled her coat off, and Luke hung it along with his on a hook behind him.
Once he was settled, knee to knee, he glanced around. “They don’t usually have a table here, hence the tight space, but the chef is a friend. When I told him I needed something for tonight, he made it happen. He’s a huge military supporter and knew I’d just gotten back from deployment.”
“Lucky. Have you done this often with your lady friends? Brought them here?” Elle glanced through the menu, wondering why there weren’t any prices listed.
Luke scowled, and she could tell he didn’t like her line of questioning. Inhaling deeply, he took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her skin. “Ellie, there are no other women in my life right now. Only you.”
If she could only believe it. “Right now?” She gave a soft laugh. “But, at some point, you’ll let them all back in.”
“I don’t—”
“Hi, I’m Amber. I’ll be your server tonight.”
Elle glanced at the gorgeous blonde in a skintight black skirt and snug white blouse. As the woman slid a pen from her pocket, recognition dawned on her face. “Luke, welcome back. I heard you’d been deployed.”
Luke’s jaw turned to granite, but he smiled nonetheless. “Amber. I didn’t realize you’d started working here.”
Amber grinned, and her shoulders practically shimmied. “Sure. The clientele is much higher end, so the tips are excellent. Can I get you some drinks to start? We’ve got a complimentary glass of champagne for all couples tonight.”
Elle fumbled her menu over her stomach and sat straighter. No sense showing one of Luke’s women how stupid she’d been. “Champagne will be lovely, thanks. And maybe some water with lemon, please.”
Amber cocked her head at Luke, who nodded. “That’s fine, thanks.”
As the Victoria’s Secret model sashayed away, Luke narrowed his eyes. “You can’t have alcohol.”
“I don’t plan to drink it, Luke. I also didn’t want to announce to your old flame that I’m pregnant.” The light was dim enough in this corner that she might get away with it.
He closed one eye. “How do you know she’s an old flame?”
Was he honestly that stupid? “The way she looked at you and practically drooled on your lap. Are you saying you’ve never dated her?”
His lips pressed together, and he took a breath. “Dated?”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Had sex with? Have carnal knowledge of each other? I think you know what I mean.”
“It was a long time ago. I haven’t seen her in over a year.”
As she perused the menu, she muttered, “Maybe she’ll just think I’m fat and you’ve lowered your standards. I mean after six months in the dessert, anyone would look good, right?”
The menu was plucked from her hands, and Luke cupped her face. “Please, stop, Ellie. I’m here with you tonight because I want to be here with you. You’re all I could think about the entire time I was away. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t know about the baby, because I doubt I could have concentrated on what I was doing. As it was, I spent hours every day reliving our time together.”
God, she wanted his words to be true so badly. Could she pretend, even just for one night, that he meant them?
Touching the hand on her face, she smiled at him. “That’s very sweet. Thank you.”
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then eased back into his chair. “Have you decided what you want?”
Scanning the menu, she tried to find what might be the least expensive meal. “There aren’t any prices on this.”
“You don’t need to worry about the cost. I’ve got this. Order what you want.”
“What? You’ve come into an inheritance recently or something?”
“No, but for the six months I was gone I didn’t have to pay rent.”
“Your landlord let you do that? Wow. Nice.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s Alex. He didn’t feel right charging me for a room I wasn’t using.”
“You live with Alex and Gina?”
“For now. It gets awkward at times when Gina’s feeling frisky.”
Elle laughed. “From what I’ve seen of Alex, I can imagine. He seems a little up
tight at times.”
“And he was relaxed yesterday.”
Amber appeared with their drinks, then cocked her hip. “Are you ready to order? Would you like an appetizer to start with?’
Luke glanced at her, and she shook her head. There was no way she’d be able to eat anything if she had an appetizer first.
“I’ll have the filet. Medium, please.” Surprisingly, Amber was a good waitress, asking about sides and salad dressings all while very genial. Apparently, her old lover being here with another woman didn’t faze her.
“What can I get you, Luke?”
“The swordfish, and I’ll—” His brows rose in question.
Had she done something? Shit. She hadn’t meant to react to his choice of dinner.
“I’m sorry, Amber. Make that the chicken piccata with angel hair. Ranch dressing on the side for the salad. And could we get some breadsticks before the meal?”
“Absolutely. I’ll take those.” She motioned for the menus. Elle hated to give hers up. It had hidden her baby belly. Snagging her napkin, she unrolled it and held it over her lap as Amber reached for the leather folders.
As she departed, Luke tapped her foot with his. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You made a face when I ordered the swordfish.”
Had he changed his order for her? “Oh, I didn’t mean to. If you want the swordfish, we can get her back and change it.”
“Does the smell bother you?”
“How did you know?” She hadn’t told him about her aversion to the smell of fish.
His mouth twisted to the side. “Tessa used to turn green if she smelled fish when she was pregnant with Joey. Your reaction made me think it might bother you as well.”
Now, it was her turn to take his hand. The action had his dimples showing up. “That was really sweet of you. I feel bad you didn’t get the meal you wanted, though.”
His fingers tightened on hers. “All I wanted for tonight was to spend some quality time with you, Ellie. Seeing you get sick wouldn’t have accomplished that.”
When Amber delivered the breadsticks, Elle kept her hands folded resting on the table until she left. Luke glanced over his shoulder at her, then back to Elle.
“Why are you trying to hide your pregnancy? You’ve been acting like you’ve got a scarlet letter on your forehead.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “It was on her dress, not her forehead.”
Luke pursed his lips and glared. “That’s right. We were in Sophomore Lit together, too. You said yesterday people didn’t feel the need to get married with a pregnancy these days.”
Great, he was quoting her now. “I guess I’m a throwback to a bygone era.”
His hand found her cheek again, and her heart thumped louder in her chest. Could he hear it? How she wanted to curl into him right now?
“So marry me. Please, Ellie. I want my child to have two parents who love him. If we get married, that will happen.”
Why was he torturing her like this? “Marriage doesn’t make you love your kids. Sometimes it sparks the opposite.”
His brows inched closer to each other. “What are you talking about?”
“My parents got married because of me, and that didn’t work out too well.”
She could see the gears grinding in his head, trying to remember what her story was. She didn’t think she’d ever told him the entire thing. Admitting to people your parents didn’t care enough to stick around and raise you kind of sucked, so often she let people think her parents had died.
“Are your parents still alive?” His hand was doing things to hers that caused her mind to dry up.
“I think so. I haven’t heard otherwise.”
“You grew up with your aunt and uncle as your guardians.”
Might as well tell him the whole sordid story. He deserved to know why she wasn’t falling into his arms, no matter how much she desired it.
“My parents were young when my mother got pregnant. My father was a bit of a playboy, but my mother had a huge crush on him and fell hard and fast. He decided to do the right thing and marry her. She was ecstatic. Him, not so much. Having a wife and kid kind of put a crimp in his lifestyle. He lasted about a month after I was born, then he took off. My mother was devastated, of course. Unfortunately, instead of being happy with the child she had, she became more and more depressed. Every time she looked at me, she was reminded of him. So she dropped me off with her sister, who already had two kids, and hit the road.”
“She just left you?” Luke’s expressive face showed his anger.
“She sent my aunt money. My father did, too. They didn’t completely abandon me in their mind. They paid for my upkeep, to a point; they just never helped raise me. My aunt and uncle did a decent job, but I always felt my aunt’s resentment at having to take care of another child that wasn’t hers.”
“She was always pleasant to me when I came over.”
“Of course, she was. You’re a Storm. Your family is well thought of in Squamscott Falls. She nearly fell over when I said you were taking me to the prom.”
He cocked his head. “Why?”
“In her eyes, I was just that strange child who was too smart and very awkward. She accepted that you’d want to study with me, but to go out on a date, even a pity date, was beyond her reasoning.”
Luke seemed confused, so she patted his hand and took a sip of her water. “Drink up some of the champagne. From my glass, too, so it’ll look like I had some.”
That made him smile. Good. She didn’t want tonight to all be about poor little abandoned Murielle who got herself knocked up by the town bad boy. Like mother, like daughter.
They began chatting about her job and his and people they both knew. The meal was excellent, and Elle began to relax. Luke was good company. She’d always thought so, even at the impressionable age of twelve. The camaraderie they’d shared as teenagers—well, preteen for her—came back, and she found herself laughing and enjoying herself.
When the bill came, she started to reach for it, but Luke beat her to it.
“Let me know what I owe you.” It would be way out of her budget, but she wasn’t letting Luke cover the entire meal.
“The meal is on me, Ellie. I invited you.”
“Ordered me here is more like it.” It was true. He’d basically said he was picking her up after work and she couldn’t argue. “I can pay my share.”
“You’ve already forked out more money than you needed to for stuff I should have been paying for.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Doctor’s bills. Maternity clothes. Don’t think I didn’t see some of the baby items on the floor in your living room.”
“Why do you think those are your responsibility?”
“I’m the one who got you in this condition.”
“You had some help. You weren’t in it alone.”
His grin returned. “I do remember that.”
While he settled the tab, she slipped into her coat, then they headed out. The ride back to her apartment was quiet, and he insisted he walk her up, no matter how much she objected. It was kind of nice, and she secretly liked his taking care of her this way.
After unlocking the door, she stepped inside. Luke followed. Should she ask if he wanted a drink? There was no alcohol in her apartment, and it was kind of late for coffee if he wanted to sleep tonight.
“Thank you for tonight, Luke. I’ve never been much for Valentine’s Day, but this was definitely the nicest I’ve ever had.” She shrugged out of her coat and dropped it on the kitchen chair.
He closed the door and leaned against it, his arms over his chest. “I’m glad. And appalled at how stupid the men in your life have been. I’ll have to make sure Valentine’s Day from now on will always be this good. I enjoyed myself, too.”
A yawn erupted from her mouth, and she covered it with her hand. “Sorry. It was a long day at work, and I’m usually in bed by this time. Sherman will be on m
y case tomorrow if I’m not perky and awake.”
“Maybe I should stop in and let him know it’s my fault.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “He’s already been asking about you and making assumptions.” She rubbed her belly.
Luke’s gaze darkened. “He doesn’t know I’m the baby’s father?”
“No.”
Luke tipped his head. “Who does know? You told your family, right?”
Elle gave a half shrug. “They know I’m pregnant. I haven’t really seen them much since I dropped the bomb.”
“You didn’t tell them about me?”
“What was there to tell? I had a one-night stand with the town bad boy? Kind of déjà vu.”
The easygoing Luke Storm disappeared. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“Ashamed, yes. Because I was stupid enough to get pregnant. Of you, no. I’d probably get a big old pat on the back from some people for settling down Lukas Storm, except I don’t expect you to settle. You’re free to do whatever you want. I don’t want you making decisions based on this.” Her hand rested on their child.
Luke tipped his chin up. “I have made a decision, Ellie. I’m buying Gina’s house, regardless of what you do. I want my child raised in the same neighborhood that I was raised in, next to his cousins.”
He took a step closer and framed her face with his hands. “I want to marry you, and I’ll keep asking you until you eventually say yes.”
His lips descended on hers, making her head spin with wishes. As she reached up to touch him, he about-faced and walked out.
Chapter Eight
Luke dropped a large plastic storage container on the floor and rapped his knuckles on Elle’s door. Hopefully, she’d be happy to see him. He’d left her staring at him Monday night after their Valentine’s Day dinner. He’d wanted to stay and talk. Okay, he’d wanted to continue kissing her, then talk. Maybe kiss her some more. The fact she hadn’t told anyone he was the father of her child had thrown him for a loop. He’d needed time to process that.
Yet, each day he’d texted her, asking how she was feeling and if she needed anything. Each day, she’d replied she was fine and was all set, thanks.
