My Lucky Days: A Novel

by S. D. Hendrickson

  I heard a knock and went over to the entryway. I was still laughing at the mental image of a couch made of shoes when I pulled the door open.

  The words left me. My heart lurched as I sucked in a breath, seeing the image on the steps. He was standing there, wearing that Oklahoma State baseball cap again and a white T-shirt. But my eyes were not glued to him. They were on the little boy he was holding in his arms.

  “I um . . . I texted before we got here. To let you know what I was doing. But you didn’t answer. So we just stopped by anyway. I hope that’s okay.”

  “It’s okay.” I nodded, struggling to breathe normally. Looking back and forth between them, I wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Can you tell Katie hi?” he whispered in Sam’s ear.

  “Hi.” He seemed shy as he tucked his face into Lucky’s chest, and then his neck turned a bit so he could still watch me.

  I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Hi, Sam.”

  “Ask her,” Lucky prompted him. They were so cute together. He’d always been good with kids. And now. It was almost more than I could handle.

  Sam lifted his head up as that identical smile came naturally. “You want ice cream?”

  “Do I want to come eat ice cream?”

  His little head nodded. “With sprinkles.”

  “Oh, you like sprinkles?”

  “Yes. And sometimes worms. The stretchy worms.” His brown eyes were so vivid. So bright. So full of excitement as his fingers pulled apart an imaginary gummy worm.

  I smiled, glancing back at Lucky. He leaned in, kissing me on the cheek. “You want to hold him?”

  “I . . .” My eyes went back and forth between them. It all felt so real and quick, but not quick enough.

  “Hey, buddy. Can Katie get a hug? She really needs a hug.” Lucky leaned in to me, giving me a half hug while I felt Sam’s arms circle around my neck. As he was holding on, I felt Lucky shift his little body over to me.

  I tried to get a better grip on him. “I’m going to drop you. Hold on.”

  He broke in a fit of giggles as he moved around. “But I’m a worm.”

  “Yeah, you are a little worm.” His arms were still around my neck as his head rested on my shoulder. And I held him. In a tight hug. He smelled good like children’s soap and leather with oranges. I think Lucky’s cologne had rubbed off on him.

  I took in a deep breath, remembering every piece of this moment.

  I still believed that many different kinds of love existed in the world. Some kinds came slowly. Some were sweet and based on compassion. While others were full of wild and uncontrollable desire.

  And then there’s the rare kind of love that happened in the blink of an eye.

  Insta-love.

  People doubted insta-love, claiming it was a mythical thing that only happened in fairytales. They didn’t believe that two people could fall in love in the blink of an eye. With one kiss. Or just one hug.

  But I knew it existed. I knew because I had just felt it, deep inside my chest, the first time I held our child in my arms.

  Lucky leaned over, giving me a kiss on the lips. “You ready?”

  Ready for this? Maybe I really was.

  “Yeah, let me get my shoes.”

  Six Months Later

  I took one last walk-through of my house. I’d lived in the place since I was nineteen. I’d painted the walls twice. I’d scrubbed the floors. I’d washed the windows. And I’d paid the rent. This place was an illusion for me. This house had never actually been mine.

  And now I was leaving.

  His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling my back into his chest as he planted a kiss on my cheek. “You want some more time?”

  “No. It’s okay.”

  We walked hand in hand toward the door together. Turning around, I gave the place once last glace, seeing all the memories.

  Changes happened every day. Maybe little ones buried underneath the surface that went almost undetected or maybe the large life-altering kind that sent you spinning in a direction you never saw coming. Either way, it didn’t matter. Change always caught up with you. Change eventually happened. Always.

  But not all changes were bad. I know that now.

  I walked outside, feeling the bright sun hit my face. It was a gorgeous day in November. The Oklahoma weather couldn’t be more perfect. All of my belongings were already at our house. Today was more of a formality. The official goodbye before the new tenants moved in tomorrow.

  “Sam. Come on. We’re leaving,” I yelled back through the door.

  He came running out after us, holding a little truck. “We need balloons.”

  “Balloons?” I bent down, getting on his level, looking into those big brown eyes.

  “You said we’re having a party at home. Parties need balloons.”

  That sweet little grin melted my heart every time he gave it to me. This kid was going to be spoiled rotten. And I honestly didn’t care.

  “Well, this isn’t the kind of party that has balloons.” I caught Lucky’s eye, but he just shrugged.

  He was just as bad as me. Sam could ask for an ice cream truck and a Shetland pony at the party, and Lucky would stop to get those on the way home.

  Sam’s face puckered up in deep thought. “What parties don’t have balloons?”

  “Well . . .” I brushed the hair off his forehead and smiled. “Do you remember yesterday? When we went to the court house?”

  “And we got married.” He grinned.

  I laughed. “Yes. We got married.”

  We eloped. Just Lucky, me, and Sam. It was simple. Over in about fifteen minutes. And I loved it. I wore the original ring on my right hand. I never wanted to forget about the first time I’d said yes. But on my left hand, I had a ring that made Peyton shriek for ten solid minutes. If that diamond ever fell out, I might just shriek and faint myself.

  And today, our friends were throwing a party for us. All of them. Some new. Some old. Even Skylar and Dylan were flying in from New York for it. I was excited to see them. We’d stayed in touch over the years. She currently worked on Broadway as an assistant costume designer.

  Lucky put his hands on my shoulders. “Come on, Katie. I agree with Sam. I think we should have balloons at the reception.”

  “Oh, you do?”

  “Yep. Let’s get in the truck. I think the grocery store sells them.”

  Normal. We did normal. As best as we could. If you considered having your face on the tabloids at the grocery store as part of the normal. Yeah, that really happened too.

  I still could remember standing in line with my little basket of items to make spaghetti when I saw it. My face. Not just my face, but some terrible photo they had pulled from Peyton’s online account with the headline: “Landon Evans’s Secret Love Child with Mistress.”

  Many more followed over the next few weeks. “Landon Evans Blackmailed by Ex-Girlfriend.” But that wasn’t even the best one. “Carrie Loren Warns Mistress to Stay Away.” That story had a photo of the actress looking like a fire-breathing dragon as she yelled at a photo of me. So very weird.

  And after all these year, that’s also how my parents finally found out about Lucky. They had never known of his existence in my life. But I guess they sold tabloids in Miami, just not airline tickets to our reception.

  I didn’t let it bother me. I’d stopped caring years ago. Every person I wanted in my life was standing right here. Or would be at our house today.

  Lucky had been right about one piece of this new life. Being here did provide a certain amount of normal for him. The gossip stories eventually stopped. Carrie Loren was dating some guy from her latest movie. And Landon Evans became old news. And he started blending in with the residents of this little town.

  People noticed. But it’s like a pothole in the road. You saw it every day, driving around it. But eventually that glaring abnormality just becomes part of the road and you don’t even notice it.

  We pulled up in front of the grocery store.
I watched him get out of the truck. I still liked to look at him. The way his jeans fit. The way the white button-up shirt was open at the throat—one more button than what was considered appropriate, teasing the outer edge of that tattoo on his chest. He didn’t care. He did what he wanted, running around in those expensive custom-made boots.

  “Be right back.” He winked as he shut the door. Leaning back against the seat, I felt the bubbling happiness inside my heart. Every day had gotten a little bit easier with us until we felt completely normal too.

  We had talked, filling in the pieces between us. We made a promise to never hide our feelings. No matter how painful. And yesterday, we made a promise to never walk away from each other. No matter what roadblocks might come our way. No matter what heartache might come in the future.

  And with Sam, it was uncharted territory for both of us. Every day was a learning experience. One that I never regretted. Not even once. The three of us. We really were a little family. I loved them both so incredibly much.

  “Katie?” I turned around, seeing him in his car seat. Sometimes he called me Katie and sometimes he called me Mom. He did the same with Lucky. We told him it didn’t matter. Call us what felt right.

  I smiled at him. “Yeah?”

  “We need music.”

  “Okay.” I turned on the radio.

  I heard his little voice in the backseat, singing along with the song. He may not understand the words, but he definitely knew them. Sam loved music. I don’t know if that was Lucky’s influence or something deeper in the family genes.

  Lucky came out the automatic doors with a rainbow set of helium balloons. He flashed that famous smile as he reached the truck. Before the back door was even fully open, I heard Sam’s giggles coming from behind me. “Balloons! Can I have them? Please. I said please.”

  “Hold on, little buddy. I’ve got to tie them up so they don’t fly around in here.”

  “After the party, I’m keeping them in my room. I can keep them, right? Please? After the party?”

  Lucky laughed. “Yeah, you can keep them.”

  The back door shut, and he climbed in the driver’s seat. I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. “You could have gotten one, and he would have been just as happy.”

  “Why get just one when you can get ten?” He grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. As we pulled out of the parking lot, he lifted my fingers up, kissing each one.

  That’s the way we drove home, surrounded by music playing in the truck and one little voice, laughing as he held on to his colorful balloons.

  I felt it all around us. A love bigger than heartache, deeper than an ocean, stronger than rope, and brighter than a firecracker.

  That was us.

  Five Years Later

  The smell of popcorn filled the air as I opened the antique machine. This went on the list of my ridiculous purchases. But you couldn’t have a theater room without popcorn. Using the little scoop, I filled the red-and-white striped boxes.

  “Hurry up. It’s starting. You have to hurry.”

  “I’m coming, Sam.” I turned around, looking at the crowd of people gathered at our house. “Here. Help me hand these out.”

  “Okay, Mom.” His eyes were just as big and bright as they always had been when he got excited. Just a little bit older. “But we have to hurry. We’re going to miss him.”

  “I know. Let’s move fast.”

  We had spared nothing in this room. The giant screen was almost as big as the one in an actual theater. The bottom row had two couches and the tiered levels had actual reclining seats.

  As Sam and I passed out the popcorn, I smiled, feeling the emotions building in my heart. The room was packed. They were all here for the watch party. Colleen. Colt and Callie. Zach and his girlfriend. Hannah and Jake. Chris and Willa. And everyone’s kids. Including ours.

  I leaned over, giving Sunnie Evans a little kiss on the cheek as I picked her up from the floor. My little sunshine had turned two just a few weeks ago.

  The screen changed from the dishwashing detergent commercial to the red carpet. I was nervous for him. This was it. The comeback. Five years was a lifetime for radio play, awards, and concerts. Since he’d left, hundreds of new people had tried to break into the business. New guys had dominated the charts. Even the radio stations had different DJs. So many things had changed in five years.

  “Has it already started?”

  “No, they just started showing the red carpet.” I turned around, seeing Peyton come through the door with Carl.

  She’d met him in line at Starbucks. He thought she was hilarious and brought her roses on the first date. A dozen red roses. And it was an actual real first date. I’m not sure my dear friend had ever been on a real first date. After he dropped her off at her apartment door, she’d called me crying with tears of excitement.

  “Aunt Peyton, sit with us!” Sam was scooting over on the couch down in the front section. He was always so animated. And sweet. That kid had a heart as big as Texas. And he loved Peyton. Those two could spend hours laughing, which was good. Carl and Peyton would have their own in about four months.

  I was still in shock. But I think it would be okay. Some might even consider her a responsible adult now. She was happy and with a person who treated her like a queen.

  I shifted Sunnie around on my lap. My little miracle girl. Every day, I had been terrified while Lucky acted confident and optimistic. But I knew. I saw it in his eyes. He’d been just as afraid as me. But everything had gone perfect. Absolutely perfect.

  I buried my nose in her brown hair, smelling the baby shampoo. I loved her so very much. And part of me wanted to love another one. Lucky wanted another one. I just wasn’t sure. Maybe. After the tour.

  Lucky was ready to get back. We’d made a good run at it. Five years of normal with birthday parties, cookouts, fishing trips that started before sunrise, dinners with his family, and Saturday morning pancakes in bed. We even did our shopping at Walmart with Sam hanging off the cart.

  I still taught school. I’m not sure I would ever walk away from it. Those little sweet faces called to me each fall. But it was easier now, letting them go in the spring. Maybe it was my home with my own children that made my life finally feel complete.

  Even though Lucky walked away from the stage, he never stopped writing songs. He had piles of them scribbled across pages in his practice studio. And about two years ago, he decided to learn to play the banjo. Something he had dreamed of doing since touring with Keith Urban. It wasn’t as sexy as the guitar when he sang to me late at night in our bed, but I loved every note he played anyway.

  Some days, Lucky even pulled on a baseball cap and headed out with Colt to the construction sites. His brother said he still couldn’t stain a cabinet without leaving streaks. But it was good. They loved spending time together again. I half-expected to see pictures at the checkout line with the headline: “Landon Evans Hits Rock Bottom.” But it never happened. He had successfully slipped away, and the reporters didn’t care anymore about digging up a scandal.

  “There he is!” Sam yelled.

  I stared at the giant screen on the wall, looking at my husband—looking at Landon Evans. His hair was slicked back with gel. The dark jeans clung to his hips. And under the tuxedo jacket, his black button-up shirt was open at the throat, revealing several necklaces hanging against his chest. It was a little weird seeing him like this again.

  The star.

  Lucky flashed that famous smile as the reporter put the mic in front of him. He was nervous. But only I saw that in his eyes. The world saw the singer. The guy who could rock an entire stadium. The two-time Grammy winner.

  “Landon Evans. So this is your first appearance in five years. You’ve got a new album coming out. And you’re performing tonight. What can you tell us?”

  He laughed. “Well, first, I am so excited to be back. I’ve missed y’all.”

  The reporter in the gold sparkly dress laughed as a few people clapped around him.


  “But seriously. Album drops next week. It’s called Lucky. And I have loved writing every song on it. I’m playing a couple of them tonight.” He winked. “You’ll be the first to hear.”

  I saw her blush. That giant screen just amplified it. “Well, I’ve personally been waiting for this. I’m sure everyone out there is excited to have you back too.”

  “Thanks.”

  She smiled again. “So who’s the lucky lady here with you tonight?”

  The camera panned a little to the left, showing a tall girl with gorgeous upswept hair and a black sequin dress. She looked absolutely beautiful. “This is my niece Mia. And we want to say hi to everyone back home who is watching. Love ya.”

  The whole theater room cheered, and my eyes watered up as I whispered silently to myself, “Love you too.”

  The camera moved on to the next country star. And we were left to wait until his performance. Sunnie eventually fell asleep in my arms. I should’ve put her in bed, but part of me wanted to just hold her. I wanted all of us to be together tonight for the show.

  The stage changed over and over again, from performers to award winners—and then it happened. The screen filled with a guy on a stool and a single guitar. The slow notes from his fingers, captivating the auditorium full of people. I knew what he was playing. We all did. I looked over at Colleen, and she looked back at me. He was playing her song first.

  I saw the kindness shining in her eyes,

  On a dark and windy August night.

  Standing by a church, so afraid.

  Wasn’t sure if I’d ever be all right.

  But she took me in and took me home.

  Gave me a name.

  And a world of my own.

  And all that I could ever need,

  ’Cause she’s the mama that chose me.

  We may not be blood,

  But that never mattered to me.

  ’Cause when I’d fall down,