Fallen

by Natasha Grace

  “Hmm…remind me to look for those twenty pounds later on. I haven’t seen them, but perhaps I haven’t been looking close enough.”

  He gave her a rakish smile, and heat spread through her face at the thought of him inspecting her. She was positive he knew every inch of her, but it couldn’t hurt to check.

  * * *

  “It’s sweet that you got them a new place,” Sam said as she got the box of chocolates out of his trunk twenty minutes later. Luke’s heart swelled as he remembered her asking if his parents liked chocolate. It showed that she wanted to make an impression on his parents, and he hoped it meant that she was falling for him.

  “I’m sure you would’ve done the same if you were in my shoes,” he said as he got the ice cream then closed the trunk.

  “Hey, do you need help?” Anna called out as she approached them. She was staying home for spring break.

  “No. We’re good. Thanks.”

  “Hey, Sam!” Anna beamed as she hugged Sam.

  “Hey, Anna, long time no see.”

  “I know! I’ve been so busy with school that I haven’t had time to visit the office.”

  Luke was surprised that Anna saw Sam when she visited him at the office, but he shouldn’t have been. Sam was friends with everyone. Anna smiled as she hugged him.

  “Hey, Diana,” Sam said and he looked up to see Sam hugging his mom. “I brought you and Richard some chocolates.”

  “Aww… Thank you, dear. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “It’s nothing. Do you need any help in the kitchen?”

  Knowing how much Sam hated cooking, Luke felt his heart soften at the thought of her willing to help his mom and just about become a puddle when his mom accepted Sam’s offer. His mom only allowed people that she liked in her kitchen.

  “Let me just put the ice cream in the freezer,” he said, and his mom waved him off.

  “I’ll get it,” she said as she took it from him and hugged him. “I think your brother wants to talk with you,” she said softly.

  Curious, he nodded and watched as the three most important women in his life walked into the house, laughing. The weight that he’d felt ever since his call with his mom lifted as he followed them into the house.

  His brother quickly stepped into view. Brian tilted his head towards the kitchen.

  “She looks happy,” his brother said. “You do, too.”

  “I really am.” He just hoped he made Sam half as happy as she made him.

  Brian flashed him a smile. “Do you want to see something cool?”

  “Sure.”

  His brother nodded at something behind him. Luke turned around and noticed the new wooden blinds. Surprised, he walked towards them.

  “Dad made them,” Brian continued behind him and Luke turned, surprised.

  “Dad made this?” Luke asked as he opened and closed the blinds, admiring his dad’s handiwork. It looked like something from a catalogue.

  “Yeah. He said he was getting bored with retirement.”

  Luke opened and closed the blinds again—he hadn’t known that Dad was so talented. Though Dad had always fixed things around the house, Luke had thought it was because they couldn’t afford a handyman. Was it possible Dad had done the work because he’d enjoyed it?

  “Do you want to see what he’s doing with the extra wood?”

  “Please don’t tell me that he’s redoing the floors.” That had to be too much work for Dad. Though he was glad his father had found something to do with his time, Luke didn’t want him to be overtaxed. He’d earned his retirement.

  “Nope.” Brian grinned. “I’ll show you.”

  “All right. Lead the way.” As they made their way towards the basement, Luke asked, “So, how’s everything?”

  “It could be better.” Brian sighed and shook his head. “I think I’m just burnt out. To be honest, I never thought that I’d stay at the bank this long.”

  It must be a family thing to never look for a better job. Both of their parents had retired from the first jobs they’d ever had. The jobs weren’t the best, but he guessed that they’d felt lucky just to have a job, and it seemed he and his siblings had inherited the same trait. He himself would’ve still been at Brown and Hale if it wasn’t for Jason. He’d been content at the chance of a better life, not knowing that there was a whole other world out there just within his grasp.

  “The offer for a loan is still available if you ever decide to pursue something else.” Brian had always been the creative one in the family. He’d used to drive Mom crazy when he took things in the house apart to make his own gadgets.

  Luke had always thought his brother would become an engineer or an inventor, so he’d been surprised when Brian had gotten a job at a local bank right after graduation.

  “Thanks. I’ll think about it. Sometimes I think I’m just jealous when I see all the fun Dad is having woodworking.” Brian opened the basement door and the smell of wood hit Luke.

  “Oh, is it time for dinner, already?” his dad asked as he stopped hammering.

  “Almost,” Brian answered as they went down the stairs. “Mom hasn’t said anything yet.”

  Luke looked at the rough sketch on the table. His dad wasn’t as good at drawing as he was at woodworking, but Luke could see that this was going to be a beautiful bird house.

  “It’s going to be my anniversary present to your mother,” Dad said.

  “Mom’s going to love it,” Luke said with a smile. Mom had always had a fondness for animals. And while he was happy that his father was doing something that he clearly enjoyed, he hated that his dad had to wait until he was already retired before he got to do the things he wanted. Dad had never even gone on a vacation until last year when he and Mom had done a cruise in Europe. They’d enjoyed it so much that they’d booked another cruise within a week of coming back home.

  It was strange to think about how his parents had never had the money for these type of luxuries when he’d been younger—they’d always just had enough—and how he now had the money to do just about anything he wanted, but not the time and he realized that that had to change if he wanted a family with Sam. And he did. He wanted everything with her—the house in the suburbs, children… But at the same time, he didn’t want to be like his dad, who’d always come home too exhausted to play catch or to help with homework.

  Though he knew that his father had done the best that he could, under the circumstances, he also knew that he was in a different place in life than his dad had been. He could step back from work without suffering financially, and he would when he and Sam had children, he suddenly decided. He didn’t want to end up like his father, who’d only gotten to enjoy life after he’d retired—especially when he had a choice.

  * * *

  “Thanks so much for coming with me tonight,” Luke said as the elevator doors opened to his apartment.

  “I think that’s the fourth time you thanked me.”

  Luke smiled as he took her in his arms. “I’m just really happy.”

  Pleasure filled her at the thought that something as simple as her accompanying him to his family dinner could make him so happy.

  From Luke’s mom, she knew that she was the first woman he’d ever brought home. A big part of her was thrilled at the thought. She loved being with Luke and was glad he felt something with her that he hadn’t felt with anyone else. But another, more rational part of her worried that things were moving too fast. She’d literally found out that her husband had been cheating minutes before jumping into bed with Luke and now she was going to his family dinners?

  Luke’s arms tightened around her. “Dance with me?” he asked as he swayed her.

  She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him. “There’s no music.”

  “I got it right here,” he said as he took his cell phone out. With his eyes on her, he asked the phone for smooth music then tossed it on the couch. Soon, the sound of a saxophone filled the room. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her again
. “Now, where were we?”

  “Hmm…you were saying how you were going to make me your famous pecan waffles in the morning as a thank–you for going to your parents’ tonight.”

  “Was I?”

  She grabbed his butt and felt his hardness against her belly. “Among other things.”

  “Oh, you’ll get your waffles,” he murmured as he bent his head and ran his tongue over her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “Among other things,” he continued before he kissed her.

  Chapter Twenty–One

  Insane. He was definitely insane.

  One dinner with Sam and he was already picking out rings? She wasn’t even ready to tell people that they were seeing each other.

  But even with that knowledge, Luke typed his credit card information into the website where he’d just spent the last two hours designing a ring for Sam. Somehow, he’d gone from reading a report about a mining company to looking for a wedding ring. After not finding anything worthy of her at the main jewelers, he’d ended up on a site that allowed him to design the perfect ring.

  He’d played with a lot of settings and stones before deciding on a simple platinum ring with a flawless princess–cut diamond in the middle. It wasn’t the big diamond she deserved, but he knew that she would never like anything that was flashy or gaudy. Besides, he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable wearing it. In fact, he wanted her to wear it everywhere she went.

  Satisfaction coursed through him at the thought of her wearing his ring before reality set in. Going to a family dinner with him had definitely been a move in the right direction, but it was still far, far, far away from marriage. Hell, he couldn’t even get her to agree to a date out in public where they might be seen by people they know. How was he going to get her to spend the rest of her life with him?

  He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He knew that she’d been through a lot with Jason, and it was understandable that she wanted to control the boundaries of their relationship. But he hated that he only got to spend nights and mornings with her. He wanted so much more. He wanted to take her out on dates and to see her throughout the day. He wanted it to be okay to call her and to have someone know who he was talking to. After being used to having her at the office, he missed being able to step out of his office and seeing her in hers. And not only that, he wanted to live with her. He wanted to come home to her every day and wanted to be the one she came home to every day as well. And because of that, he continued with the transaction.

  He didn’t even know her size.

  He would’ve laughed if it wasn’t so depressing. If Nina had known that they were seeing each other, he could’ve asked her for help. But Sam hadn’t even confided in her best friend about them. And he was not going to borrow her old wedding ring to check its size, even though he knew exactly where it was. He didn’t want something so special to be tainted by her relationship with Jason.

  But for some odd reason, Luke thought she was a five. He didn’t have any experience with rings, but he felt it in his bones. Besides, he could have the ring adjusted if it was the wrong size.

  He pushed aside the doubts that were crowding in. However impulsive purchasing this ring was, it was the right thing to do. She was the only person he could ever imagine spending the rest of his life with. And when he finally had the chance to ask her to marry him? Well, he’d worry about her answer then.

  * * *

  “We’re expecting the competition in the toy industry to be fiercer in the years to come,” George told him. “Toyco’s market share has been steadily increasing and Playtime has just signed a licensing deal with Juniper.”

  “Juniper is the company who’s been doing all those superhero movies?” Luke clarified. He was pretty sure he’d seen the commercials.

  “Yeah. They just released The Menagerie in November and their upcoming Bearman film is expected to be a huge hit.”

  Luke nodded and looked over Seidler’s financials. The distressed fund had owned the company’s stock for almost two years and had made a decent amount of return. The financials were still strong—even stronger than when they’d first bought them—but they were just facing too many headwinds. A new line of toys coming up or new additions to their current lines might’ve helped, but they didn’t have those. Not even plans to develop them in the near future.

  He flipped through the financials and frowned when he saw that the company had started buying back their stock. Though buying back stock often added value to a company, Luke didn’t like it here. There was still room for growth in the company and instead of doing that, they’d chosen to remain stagnant.

  Henry, one of the analysts, began talking about how their strong earnings last quarter made it the best time to sell their position in the company, and Luke found himself mentally agreeing.

  Suddenly, the air suddenly changed. He turned and saw Samantha talking to one of the lawyers near the coffee station. As if sensing him watching her, she turned and smiled at him before returning to her conversation. His heart beat faster as he turned back towards the financials. What was she doing here? Had she come to see him? Knowing that George and the analysts had already done their due diligence before approaching him about selling the stock, he nodded at them. “Sell it all.”

  The group quickly disassembled, and Luke headed out to meet Sam. She was now talking to Karen and he couldn’t help but think about how right it was to have Sam back at the office. She belonged here.

  Karen laughed at something Sam said and Sam joined in. His heart skipped a beat as their gazes met. Even after they’d been in each other’s pockets for months, she still made his heart stop at the sight of her. She smiled, and he couldn’t help but feel pride at the thought that the smile was for him alone. It was petty of him, but he was really glad that it was finally him and not Jason she was sharing her smiles with.

  Noticing that Sam’s attention was elsewhere, Karen turned and saw him.

  “Uh–oh,” she said as she turned towards Sam and touched her arm. “I better get back to my desk before the two of you come to blows. It was nice seeing you.”

  Luke’s first instinct was to hug and kiss Sam, the way he always did when he saw her, but Karen’s words gave him pause. They were in public, and Sam hadn’t said that she was willing to out their relationship and so, he stuck his hands in his pockets.

  “Hey, Sam.”

  “Hey, Luke,” she said as she tightened the grip on her bag. “I just wanted to see if you were free for lunch.”

  She wanted to take him out to lunch?

  He couldn’t move fast enough. “Sure. Just give me a minute.” It was almost too good to be true. First, he’d been hoping that she’d be more comfortable with their relationship, and now she was here.

  He went to Sheila and made sure that there was nothing urgent he had to do in the next hour, then told her that he was going out. By the time he returned to the trading floor, Sam was talking to Cecilia.

  Cecilia noticed him as he approached them and quickly moved her mouse to close the window on her computer. His lips twitched. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that the accountant showed pictures of her nieces and nephews to anyone that would look at them. Her voice was so loud that he would often hear her from across the floor.

  But since she didn’t want to be caught, he chose not to comment on it and suddenly wondered if Sam would be just as eager to show everyone pictures of their children. His chest tightened at the thought. He’d never really imagined himself as a family man, but he found himself wanting a family with Sam. Hell. Even the suburbs were starting to sound good as long as she was there with him.

  “You ready?” he asked as he approached her. The urge to wrap his arm around her waist and kiss her was overwhelming, but he resisted. He didn’t want to make her regret inviting him to lunch.

  Sam nodded then said goodbye to Cecilia. He didn’t miss the way the accountant beamed as she turned back to her computer. Sam had that effect on people.

  “You know
the door’s always open if you want to come back,” he said as they headed toward the elevator. She froze, so he rushed to explain. “You’re already doing the work. You might as well do it here. You can even have the other guys analyze the companies you don’t want to do. Who knows? Maybe they even did it already. I’m sure that there’s some overlap between the companies you’re looking into and the ones the guys are doing here. We could set aside a portion of a fund for you to manage—”

  “I—that’s—” She shook her head. “I really appreciate the offer, but I can’t.”

  His stomach dropped. Did she not want to spend all her time with him the way he did with her? He’d hoped her surprising him at the office was a sign that she’d begun to miss him during the day, but perhaps he’d been wrong.

  Did she not think that they were going to last? Was that why she was refusing to let their relationship be known and why she’d refused his offer? She didn’t want to make things awkward between the two of them when things ended?

  Because he was just offering her to do the same thing she was already doing at home, but around the people he knew she loved to work with and she wasn’t having any of it. Trying not to let the hurt dig into him, he changed topics as they began walking again. At least she was here. That was something.

  “She’s always been so skittish around me,” he said, indicating Cecilia with a motion of his head.

  “Who? Cecilia?”

  “Yeah. At first, I thought it was because I was the boss, but then I saw how normal she acted around Jason.”

  Sam laughed. “That’s because Jason was practically harmless. You, on the other hand, can be downright frightening at times. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but almost everyone here has been wary of you at one point or another.”

  “Even you?” he asked, surprised.

  “Especially me. I’ll admit that there were times I thought I wouldn’t last at the company—especially during those first few months. You just always seemed so angry at me.” She shrugged as she turned towards him. “I know you never wanted me working here in the first place.”