Kate (The Dimarco Series Book 5)

by Jennifer Hanks

  I tried to school my features, but ultimately failed and gave him exactly what he wanted.

  I should’ve known better than to ask.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  KATE

  “Well I’d say that was a successful shopping trip.”

  I glanced in the backseat of her car and grinned. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had that much fun. Lanie and I left right after the game, which Andy’s team won, promising to be back as soon as we could. I gave Andy a long lecture on being good and using his manners, earning me an exaggerated eye roll. I hid my smile, but he was really developing his personality and I loved seeing him being himself so openly. He skipped along beside Jack towards the parking lot with Bray and Lexi while I walked behind talking to Lanie. Luke grabbed my hand, tucking it tight in his while we walked and I again hid my smile when I shot him a glare and he just laughed.

  My glare was losing its heat with my boys. I’d need to work on that.

  It was after that thought, when I was in Lanie’s car, that I let myself ponder it and start to worry. Lanie caught on right away, I could tell, and began talking about where to go for lunch and where I wanted to start shopping. We made a plan, grabbed lunch and dived right into shopping. I forgot all about my earlier concerns after I referred to both Luke and Andy as “my boys” until we were back in the car heading home, with a huge pile of bags in the back.

  “You okay?” Lanie asked after I glanced in the backseat and then at her.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I thought something earlier that’s bothering me a little bit.”

  She glanced my way before returning her attention to the road. “You wanna talk about it?”

  Did I? It only took me a second to realize I needed to talk about it with someone. “Earlier, I thought of Luke as mine.”

  “He is yours.” Lanie said casually, but then added. “Do you not want him to be yours?”

  I rubbed my hand along my forehead. “I stopped wanting things, especially things with men a long time ago.”

  She tilted her head. “Why? Because of your ex?”

  “Yeah.” I admitted. “I don’t trust my judgement, I don’t trust their intentions, so for me it was just easier to stop wanting to find someone.”

  Her lips tipped up in a smile. “Do you know how Jake and I met?”

  I shook my head. “No. Well, I know you lived next door to each other when you met, right?”

  She stopped at a light and faced me. “I’d already lived there for a while when he moved in and to be honest, he scared the crap out of me. I did my best to avoid him in the beginning.”

  “Why?”

  She glanced at the light, saw it was still red and faced me again. “Because I was shy Kate. Not a little bit shy, but ridiculously shy around men, specifically hot men. Jake blew into my world with his brothers and they wouldn’t let me be shy, wouldn’t let me retreat, they literally would not leave me alone.” Traffic started to move so she faced forward and started moving again. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t always pretty, but it was real. He hurt me without even knowing he could and I let him until I decided to take charge of my life, to make my own decisions, to be the person I needed to be, to feel I deserved someone like Jake. Like all the brothers really.”

  I played with the straps of my purse sitting on my lap. “I don’t understand.”

  “They’re rare Kate, at least in my experience. They all love unconditionally and when they love you they are committed and loyal and so damn amazing you can’t believe you could ever get so lucky.” She snorted, making me smile. “They’re also bossy, demanding, and a little possessive, but I’ve found ways to settle Jake down when he’s being that way and I’m sure you can do the same with Luke.”

  I groaned. “Luke’s that way.”

  “I know.” Lanie giggled. “When Jake moved in, I babysat Bray for him while his parents took a much-deserved vacation and Luke was living with Jake at the time.”

  “After he was shot.” I said quietly.

  She angled her face towards me for a minute and I saw the grief in her eyes. It had to mirror my own. “Yeah, so he was pretty much in the house all the time and we spent a lot of time together.” She cringed. “Actually, Jake thought Luke and I were interested in each other, but it was never like that. He felt like a brother to me right from the start. We became friends and I watched him heal not just physically, but emotionally as well. What stuck out to me more than anything else was his absolute dedication and love for his family.” She threw her hand out to the side. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re all that way, but Luke’s is intense, it’s like when he loves, he loves with everything in him.”

  I sighed. “He sounds too good to be true, and in my experience, when that’s the case, it’s usually true.”

  She pulled into her driveway, knowing we’d only have to carry my bags across the yard to Luke’s house and faced me. “I’ll never pretend to understand what you’ve been through with your douchey ex,”—that made me smile—“but I will tell you the man in that house, hanging out with your little boy, making time to coach his team, tucking him in at night, reading him stories, that man would never abandon Andy or you. That man would hurt too much if he hurt you. That man would protect you, not try to destroy you. That man would love you in a way you never thought possible, but he can only do that if you trust him enough to let him in, and only if you believe you deserve his love.” She smiled softly. “I know all of that because I was just as scared and untrusting until I let his brother in and Kate, in my whole life, I’ve never been happier.”

  I leaned forward, tears in my eyes, and I rolled my lips together. “What if he leaves me?”

  Lanie leaned forward, her smile still soft. “What if he doesn’t?

  I saw movement in my peripheral and looked out the front window in time to watch Luke walk across the yard with Andy on his shoulders and Cookie jumping around his legs. How he wasn’t tripping over the dog, I have no idea, but he wasn’t. He was walking with confidence, a smile on his face, Andy laughing on his shoulders. I saw around him that Bray and Jake were also making their way across the yard, dogs running with them and they were laughing as well.

  “My boys.” Lanie whispered, repeating my thoughts from earlier. She reached over and squeezed my hand before she threw open her door and got out. I took a deep breath and did the same.

  “Hi Mom!” Andy waved excitedly from Luke’s shoulders and I smiled up at him.

  “Hey kiddo. I guess you’re having fun.”

  “Yep!” He bobbed his head excitedly, which in turn wiggled his body. I watched Luke’s hands tighten on his ankles, holding him steadily in place.

  “How was the shopping trip?” My eyes slid from Andy to meet Luke’s.

  “Good, great actually.” I smiled and gestured towards Lanie’s car. “I have a ton of stuff to carry in.”

  Luke reached up and lifted Andy from his shoulders, placing him on the ground. “Okay, kiddo, let’s go grab the bags.”

  “You don’t have to—” I started, but stopped when Luke came up beside me and wrapped his hand around my hip, pulling me close, his lips hovering near mine.

  “We got them.” He leaned in and brushed his lips softly against mine before pulling away and leading Andy to the car.

  “I help!” Bray yelled from across the yard where he was playing with the dogs and came running, dogs following.

  Jake and Lanie, deep in conversation, tight up against each other glanced his way and laughed. I wanted that. What they had. I wanted that so bad I could taste it.

  Arms loaded with bags, Luke and the boys walked across the grass towards Luke’s house.

  “Is there more?”

  Jake asked and Luke nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they didn’t leave anything at the store.”

  Luke stopped beside me, grinning and winked. “Did you get everything you need?”

  I nodded. “It was hard replacing an entire wardrobe.
” His grin slipped a little, I guess from the reminder that I had to replace everything. “I just hope the insurance check comes in soon to pay for all of this.” I gestured towards the bags.

  “Don’t worry about that. I got you.” He kissed my lips softly again and moved towards the house, so I followed.

  When I saw all the bags spread out on the couch, my eyes widened. It looked like more now that it was in the house. I giggled when I looked at Lanie and her expression was the same. She giggled along with me and shook her head.

  “Hey Mom guess what?”

  Still smiling, I looked down at Andy. “What?”

  “Jake said he’d take me and Bray to the Burger Joint tonight and then I get to sleep over at their house.”

  My head snapped up to look at Jake who was standing next to Luke now. “Sleepover?”

  Jake dropped his eyes to his feet, but he was grinning so I turned my attention to Luke. “Luke?”

  He smirked. “I asked Jake if he and Lanie would keep Andy tonight so I could take you out.”

  “On a date!” Andy yelled. “And guess what, Luke told me what a date is!”

  My eyes widened and I scowled at Luke before dropping my eyes to look at Andy’s upturned face. “And what did Luke tell you?”

  “He said it’s when two people who like each other hang out so they can talk and stuff.” I nodded and he continued. “And I told him it was good then cuz I know you like him cuz your face gets funny when you look at him and he’s not looking at you.”

  I felt heat rush up my neck, burning my face, only getting worse when I heard a snort and then a slap, followed by Lanie’s voice. “Jake, stop it.”

  “Baby, slapping my arm is not going to make this less funny.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath only opening them when Andy spoke again. “Can I mom? Can I sleep at Bray’s so you can date Luke tonight?”

  “Sure Andy.” I said and looked to Lanie. “Is that okay with you?” I called out to her over Andy’s cheering.

  She nodded and then gestured towards the bags. “Come on, I’ll help you get this stuff where it belongs for now.”

  I walked past Luke or at least I tried to with some sort of dignity but he stopped me, his side against mine, his hand grabbing my hand. “I’m gonna wanna see the look Andy’s talking about.”

  I straightened my back. “Andy’s six Luke, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  He chuckled. “I think Andy has a better idea of what’s going on here than you do.”

  I turned my head and narrowed my eyes. “You’re about to lose your date for tonight.”

  He grinned. “I think I can convince you to reconsider.”

  I pulled my hand from his and started walking away, mumbling. “So damn cocky.”

  I didn’t make it far before I heard his laughter behind me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  KATE

  I adjusted the strap on my dress and turned sideways, looking in the mirror. It was strange getting ready for a date with my date sitting in the living room, already ready to go. Hell, it was strange getting ready for a date at all. I hadn’t been on a date since high school and once Kurt and I were married, those rare dates dwindled to none at all. Luke had gotten dressed in nice pants and a collared shirt and told me to dress up because he was taking me to a nice restaurant a little out of New Hope. When I asked him why and told him I was okay with burgers, he said that was exactly the reason he was taking me someplace nice.

  I had no idea what he was talking about, but when I saw what he was wearing I decided to wear a dress. Well, after I drooled by myself in the bathroom when I saw him in his dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his butt in his dress pants, then I decided to wear a dress. Really, he can wear anything and make me feel like my skin’s on fire. I don’t think that’s normal.

  I frowned at my new dress, not sure if it was me, but then again unless I was dressed up for work, I was a jeans kind-of girl. The skinny strap slid off my shoulder so I reached up and adjusted it, running my hand down over the side admiring the color. I really like the light sage color and the style of the dress, tight around my breasts but flares out at my hips, billowing around my legs, and ending at the knee. I don’t have much of a figure, having always been tall and lanky, but this dress makes me appear to have some curves that’s why I’d let Lanie talk me into it. She’s not one to dress up either, but she said her friend Paige told her every girl has to have at least one date dress in their closet at all times. She laughed when she told me she has exactly one, which irritates Paige who loves to dress up, heels and all.

  I glanced towards the door, biting my lip, my stomach in nervous knots. I knew Luke was back from taking Andy and Cookie to Jake and Lanie’s because I heard the door, but he also told me we’d need to leave at six, which is right now, so I needed to stop delaying, grow a backbone and go on this date. I was still a little embarrassed about what Andy said earlier, but I couldn’t do anything about it so I had to let it go. Who knew my kid was so perceptive?

  After another quick look, I ran my hand over my long hair. I was so used to having it pulled back that if felt strange hanging down my back, but I knew Luke liked it down and I wanted him to like how I looked tonight. I nodded, gave myself a quick pep talk and opened the bedroom door. I hit the living room, my stomach in knots and saw Luke’s head jerk up from texting on his phone. If I could memorize the look on his face, I would, knowing there will never be another time in my life when a man will look at me like I’m all he can see.

  “Kate.” He breathed out, shoving his phone into his pocket and making his way towards me. “You look incredible.”

  I ran my shaky hands over the skirt of my dress. “I don’t usually dress up.”

  Standing in front of me, he ran his hands up my arms to wrap around the sides of my neck, his eyes running over the length of my hair. “Fuck, I love your hair.”

  I bit my lip. I wasn’t good at this. It felt intimate, more intimate than when we had sex. “I’ve been thinking about cutting it.”

  He shook his head and ran his hand through the long strands. “If I get a vote, I vote no.”

  My breath hitched when his head lowered and I braced, knowing a kiss from him would, like always, make my knees weak, but he didn’t kiss me. He ran his nose along my cheek, tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered. “We should go. We have a reservation.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, disappointed he didn’t kiss me, but at the same time relieved. God, I was such a disaster. He slid his hand down my arm and wrapped it around mine, pulling me gently behind him as we made our way through the kitchen. I grabbed my purse from where it was hanging on the hook by the door on our way past and followed him out to his vehicle. As always, he opened the door for me and helped me in before making his way to his side and getting in.

  He reached across the seat and grabbed my hand, wrapping it tightly in his before resting our combined hands on my leg and starting up the SUV. We rode in silence for a while, the intoxicating scent of his cologne overwhelming my senses, making me unconsciously lean towards him.

  “So, you look at me funny when I’m not looking?”

  I closed my eyes, feeling the blush heat my cheeks and tried to pull my hand from his. Of course he would bring that up, I should’ve realized he wasn’t going to let that go. He held my hand tighter in his and laughed, causing me to smile despite my embarrassment. “Kate, don’t worry, I look at you funny too.”

  He stopped at a red light and leaned in, wrapping his other hand around my neck to pull my face close to his. “I just can’t hide it.”

  I smiled softly when he leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, his tongue running along the seam of my lips until I opened my mouth and ran my tongue along his. He groaned, angling his body, his hand tightening on my neck when I deepened the kiss. It may have gone down as the best kiss of my life, except for the obnoxious sound of a horn beeping behind us. We jerked apart and Luke straightened
himself in the seat, starting forward, but scowling in the rear-view mirror at the person behind us.

  I giggled at the look on his face, unable to stop myself even when he turned his head sharply to look at me, still scowling. “I should pull that fucker over.”

  I couldn’t help it, I broke out in a loud laugh, throwing my head back at the absurdity of the situation. “What would you say to him? I mean, is there a law against beeping the horn?”

  The scowl dropped from his face and he kept glancing my way, a soft smile on his face. I wiped my eyes, hoping I didn’t smear my mascara too much, but only because I didn’t want it running down my face. His scowl had been entirely too funny to worry about my make-up. Still chuckling, I glanced over to see his eyes flick from the road to mine and back. “What?”

  He shook his head, his smile widening. “I just really like you.”

  I felt a flutter in my belly and sighed quietly. I’d never met a man before who so easily wore his heart on his sleeve. He didn’t hold back his feelings and he sure as hell wasn’t ashamed to admit them. I squeezed his hand and for the first time in a long time, I let myself have the moment. “I really like you too.”

  He grinned, turned his head slightly and winked. “I know.”

  I shook my head, but did it smiling, looking out the window when we pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. It didn’t look fancy, but it did look a little nicer than the Burger Joint. Luke parked and rounded the front end, coming to my door, opening it and helping me down. He once again grabbed my hand and I followed him through the parking lot, into a dimly lit, large room filled with rounded booths. Looking around, I noticed a band setting up on the vast stage at the other end of the room and people sitting with their backs to the hostess station where we were standing, all eating, cozied up to each other and watching the band set up. I felt a tug on my hand and started walking, unable to stop looking around. I slid into the booth, Luke sliding in beside me, and thanked the hostess when she handed us our menus.