My Lucky Catch (University Park #6)

by C. M. Doporto

I jumped when my phone rang. Glancing at the screen, I saw that it was Veronica. I hesitated to answer it, but decided I needed to hear her voice.

  I slid my finger across the screen. “Hello?”

  “Hey, sweetie, how are you?” Veronica always knew how to release that heavy sigh I held inside.

  “Okay.” I took a few deep breaths, trying to shake the negative energy. “Well to be honest, I feel sad, hurt, confused. I don’t know.” I rested my forehead against the palm of my hand. “I’m kind of mess right now.”

  “I figured that talk last night might have resurfaced some old memories.”

  “Oh, yeah, Luke’s mom really knows how to pitch the balls at me.”

  Veronica muttered an agreeing confirmation. “Why is she like that?”

  “I don’t know, she has some serious issues.” I rubbed my temples, wishing my head would stop pounding.

  “Obviously. Is she okay? Have you called to check on her?”

  “No, but Luke called his dad last night after we got home, and he said she was still in bed.” I got up and went to the bathroom to get something for my headache.

  “Poor thing. We’ve not had any symptoms. What about you and Luke?”

  Popping two pills in mouth, I quickly swallowed them with a glass of water. “No, we’ve been fine. Luke’s dad said he’s not felt sick at all either.”

  “Weird,” Veronica commented. “Martin said he got a bad vibe from her, but couldn’t put his finger on it. Usually he’s good with assessing people and being right.”

  “Yeah, he is.” Instead of returning to my office, I went to our bedroom and lay on the bed. “I think she’s just a bad seed. She never has anything positive to say. When I used to go over to hang out with Lexi, she drove us nuts. I don’t know how Luke and Lexi put up with her shit.”

  “You’d better get used to it, because she’s going to be your mother-in-law.”

  “Don’t remind me.” I moaned and pulled the covers over my body.

  “Last night you said you and Luke were thinking about a winter wedding.”

  “Yeah, it would be less hectic for us. Everyone wants to get married in the spring or fall, which interferes with Luke’s job. We decided that an early December wedding would work best for us.”

  “Olivia didn’t think so.”

  “Oh, don’t remind me.” I cringed, hearing her whining voice reverberate inside of my head. Christmas time is so busy for me. I have the toy drive, the meetings at the country club, yada yada. It made me sick just recalling the conversation.

  “Sorry, sweetie. Let’s talk about something fun.” Her voice picked up. “When do you want to go look at dresses?”

  I smiled, recalling when I went with Lexi to look for wedding dresses. She might not have had fun with her mother dictating what to try on, but it was magical looking at all the beautiful dresses. “Do you think it’s rude if I don’t invite Olivia, but invite Lexi?”

  “Do you think Lexi would be offended?”

  “Are you kidding?” I laughed. “Lexi’s not that close to her mom.”

  “That’s what I thought. Can she come to town soon?”

  I smiled, knowing Veronica was excited about the wedding planning. “I’ll call her. It’s harder now that she has the twins.”

  “I can only image.”

  The front door to the apartment opened, and I sat up in bed, listening. “Laney?” I heard Luke’s voice echo from down the hall.

  Holding the phone away from my mouth, I hollered, “In the bedroom.” I lowered the phone back down. “Hey, Luke just got here, so I’ll call you back later.”

  “Okay. I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing.”

  “Thanks for calling.” My throat thickened, as tears threatened. “I really appreciate it.”

  “What kind of mom would I be if I didn’t check on her daughter?”

  That comment struck the center of my chest. Through the good and the bad, Veronica was always there for me, but for some reason, I still couldn’t call her Mom.

  I took a hard swallow and warded away the tears. “You’re the best.”

  “Thank you, sweetie. Talk to you later.”

  “Bye.” I hung up the phone and quickly wiped away a stray tear.

  “You okay?” Luke dropped his duffle bag on the floor and sat next to me on the bed.

  I nodded, unable to form words without entering into a crying spell.

  “Are you sure?” With the edge of his pointer finger, he lifted my chain. “Do you feel okay? You’re not catching what my mother has, are you?”

  “No, I have a headache, that’s all.” I pushed the hair hanging in front of my face behind my ear. “Veronica called to check on me.”

  Luke released an audible sigh. “I’m sorry my mother was acting like a bitch last night. She deserves to be sick.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not your fault. That’s how she is.”

  “That doesn’t make it acceptable.”

  “True.” I couldn’t disagree. “I guess I have to learn how to ignore her and not let her insensitive and demeaning remarks get to me.”

  “You didn’t have to tell her a damn thing.” He kicked off his shoes and raised his feet to the bed, sitting next to me.

  “I know, but something was pushing me to tell them what happened.” I shuddered, recalling the feeling that passed through me last night. “It was a voice urging me. It was weird.” I rested my head against his shoulder.

  “She pisses me off at times, and last night, I swear I was ready to punch her in the throat.”

  “You can’t hit her,” I glared at him, “she’s your mom.”

  “I know, and I would never do that, but the woman knows how to pull my strings.”

  There was no disagreeing with him. In fact, I wanted to throat punch her a few times, too. “I don’t know how your dad puts up with her.”

  “Me, either, but I promise you this, we will not have a marriage like that.” Luke gathered me closer in his arms.

  “Good, because I don’t need a yes man.” I glanced at him, and he cracked a smile.

  “I wasn’t going to let you wear the pants anyways.” He cleared his throat, trying to hide his grin.

  “Oh, is that right?” I elbowed him in the ribs and started to get off the bed, but he pulled me back.

  “No, I thought we could wear them together. Like we’re supposed to.”

  “I like that better.” I straddled him, pressing my pelvis against his. His hard-on told me he agreed.

  “Oh, yeah, baby.” His hands gripped my waist, and his fingers slipped beneath the elastic of my workout shorts. “But let’s start by taking off our shorts first.”

  I laughed and then aligned my lips to his. “I think we’re going to have a great marriage.”

  “Me, too.”

  Chapter 16

  Luke

  I hung up the phone after talking with my dad and called Delaney. The phone rang a few times before she answered it.

  “Hi, baby.”

  “Hey.”

  “Are you okay? You sound kind of tired.”

  “Yeah,” I released a heavy sigh. “I’m headed to my parents’ house for a family meeting, so I’ll be home late.

  “Okay.” I heard a car door shut. “I’ll be home late, too. I have another bridal shoot this evening. I’m waiting for the sun to start setting before we begin.”

  “Oh, really. Where are you taking the photos?”

  “At the Dallas Arboretum. Do you want me to go to your parents’ place when I’m done? I won’t be too far from there.”

  “Um . . .” I wasn’t sure how to tell her she wasn’t invited. My dad stressed that she not come. “You don’t have to go. They probably just want to give us an update on their will or something stupid like that.” I hated snubbing her, especially since she was about to become part of my family.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I really don’t want to go. Seeing your mom once a week is enough for me.”
>
  I released a low chuckle. “I can’t blame you, baby. I wouldn’t go either, but my dad insisted I be there.”

  “Sounds serious.” Her voice deepened, as though trying to mimic my father.

  “I hope not.” I yawned, feeling the tiredness from the past three days settle over me. The team had been practicing non-stop for the big tournament “I have a long day tomorrow.”

  “They couldn’t wait until this weekend? They know you’re working long days.”

  “I’m going to Omaha this weekend, remember?” I merged on to the highway and cringed when I saw the traffic backed up for a few miles. “PHU made the playoffs.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Delaney huffed, sounding disappointed. “I totally forgot. Sorry.” With her hectic schedule, I wasn’t surprised.

  “Come with me,” I said with a sexy voice.

  She laughed. “I wish I could, but I have a wedding Friday night, two on Saturday, and a family photo shoot on Sunday.”

  “Damn, you sound busier than I am.”

  “June is absolutely crazy, I tell you.”

  “I believe it.” I yawned again, and shook my head, trying to ward off the sleepiness. “I’ll call you when I leave my parents’ house.”

  “Okay, be careful. I love you.”

  “Love you, too. Bye.” I hung up the phone and cranked up the music so I wouldn’t fall asleep. The traffic was so bad, I almost turned around and went home, but when Lexi called me and said Dad would FaceTime her so she could be at the meeting, too, I figured I had better show up.

  An hour and a half later, I pulled up at my parents’ house. I cringed when I saw my sister, Ashley’s, Range Rover parked in front of the house. Regardless of who called the meeting, she would make it a point to take charge. We didn’t get along, and I’d told her off a time or two, but I put up with her because she was my sister. And that was the only reason.

  “Hey,” I shoved my keys in the pocket of my shorts as I walked into the house.

  “Hey, Son.” Dad hooked an arm around me and gave me a squeeze. His arms stayed in place a little longer than normal, which seemed odd.

  “Hey, Luke, how’s it going?” My brother-in-law, Ryan, extended a hand.

  “Busy,” I replied, as I shook his hand. “PHU made it to the playoffs.”

  “Congrats.”

  “Thanks.” I glanced around the kitchen and living room. “Where’s Mom?”

  Just as I said that, she appeared from the hallway with my sister, Ashley. “Are you still sick?” Dark circles covered her light eyes, and her skin looked a shade of green. “We could’ve waited for you to get better.”

  “This couldn’t wait.” Dad pulled out a bar stool for her to sit down.

  “I don’t have time to get sick.” I huffed, and my sister glared at me. That’s when it occurred to me that something was wrong with my mother. My heart dropped to my stomach, and I instantly felt ill.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not contagious.” Ashley rolled her eyes. Pulling her laptop from her purse, she dialed my sister, Lexi, for a video conversation.

  Within a few seconds, she appeared with Raven and the babies in their laps. “Hey, everyone.” She waved.

  “Hey, princess, how are my grandbabies?” Dad asked, leaning over Ashley.

  “They are doing good.” Lexi bounced Jonah on her leg, and he giggled. Mom smiled, but didn’t say anything. Although Delaney wasn’t my wife yet, it bothered me that Dad invited Ryan and Raven to attend the family meeting, but not Delaney.

  “Nevara cut a tooth this week.” Raven held her up to the camera and pulled down on her lip. Everyone awed at the cute sight.

  “It’s only been three weeks since we saw you guys, and look how much they’ve grown.” I admired my niece and nephew and made it a point to FaceTime my sister more often. Delaney would agree that we weren’t being a good aunt and uncle.

  “I know. All they do is eat.” Raven joked, and we laughed. “By the way, congratulations on the engagement.”

  “Thanks. We’re excited.”

  Ashley humphed, not bothering to congratulate me. Then it occurred to me that neither her nor Ryan had bothered to say anything to me. It had already been five days since I’d proposed, and we hadn’t even received a phone call from them. Keeping my comments to myself, I sat on a stool at the opposite end of the bar.

  Dad positioned the computer so we could all see Lexi and Raven. “Thanks everyone for taking time out of your busy evening to come over.” Dad released a long breath. “The past few days haven’t been easy for your mom, or me.” His brows raised and then fell.

  “Is everything okay?” Lexi asked, staring curiously at the screen.

  Ashley shifted in her chair and twisted her neck from side to side. My stomach tightened, dreading to hear the bad news. Even though my mom raked on my nerves, I didn’t want to hear she had some type of debilitating illness. No one likes to see a family member sick.

  “Well . . .” Mom started to talk, but stopped when tears streamed down her eyes. My mom was known for putting on a show, but this time, I saw real tears. Tears that indicated something were seriously wrong.

  “It’s okay if you can’t tell them.” Dad handed her a tissue. “I can do it.”

  Mom shook her head and wiped her face. “No, I need to tell them.”

  “Tell us what?” I asked, unable to handle the suspense. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  Slowly, she lifted her head. With tear-filled eyes, she said. “It’s not good, Luke, and I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” I held up my hands as everyone looked at me.

  Jonah started crying, and Lexi shushed him. “What’s going on, Mom?”

  Dad continued to rub Mom’s back, coaxing her to reveal whatever was tormenting her. “There’s no easy way to say this, so you just need to tell them.”

  “We’re here for you, Mom.” Ashley reached for her hand, and she latched on to it.

  “Thanks, baby.” She squeezed Ashley’s hand tightly. It took Mom a few minutes to gather herself. Tears poured from her eyes, and her lip quivered. Looking straight at me she said, “I killed Delaney’s parents.”

  “Oh, my God!” Lexi shrieked. “What? How?”

  “What the hell?” Raven spoke the words slowly.

  “You did what?” I inclined my head, making sure I heard her correctly. I was expecting her to say she had cancer or some other disease. Not that she had killed my fiancée’s birth parents. This was beyond fucked up.

  “I’m so sorry, Luke.” She yelped and heaved, crying hard. I blinked a few times, trying to process the news. “I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.” She reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.

  “Wait a minute.” The words she spoke reverberated in my head until they became clear. “You’re the one who caused the wreck?”

  Wiping her nose, she nodded. “I lost control and swerved into their lane.”

  My chest caved, and I slumped forward against the cold marble island. I shoved my fingers through my hair and gripped my head. I couldn’t believe this was happening. What would I tell Delaney?

  “I don’t understand.” I knew very little about what happened more than fourteen years ago on New Year’s Eve. Only that my mom had lost control in the rain and hit a guardrail on a state highway. “Why didn’t you stop and help them?”

  “I wanted to stop and help, but I couldn’t.” Her body shuddered as she continued to cry. Ashley wrapped her arm around Mom’s body and held her close.

  “What do you mean, you couldn’t?”

  “I was scared, Luke.”

  I glared at her, not understanding why my mother didn’t want to help Delaney and her parents. “Scared of what?”

  “I was drinking, and . . .” she sucked a deep breath, “I didn’t want to go to jail.”

  “Are you sure it was their car?” Lexi asked. Tears filled her eyes, and she was obviously just as shocked as I was.

  She nodded. “I followed the story on the news and in the p
aper.”

  Pulling myself up from the kitchen island, I took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you.” I shook my head, looking at the woman that had just ripped my heart out of my body.

  Moms aren’t supposed to do that. They’re supposed to help mend it.

  “Wait a minute.” I stood up. “This does sound like something you’d do.”

  Her eyes widened and she stopped crying for a moment. “What?”

  “The only person you ever think about is yourself!” I pointed at her, feeing the anger rise within me.

  “Luke, calm down.” Dad warned me.

  “You caused their car to flip and didn’t even have the heart to stop and help them? What kind of person are you?” My jaw clenched, and I took a hard swallow. Tears stung my nose, and my eyes blurred. “You’re one messed up person. But it all makes sense now. No wonder you preached for us not to drink.” I gripped the edge of the counter, steading myself. “You were a damn alcoholic.”

  “No, I wasn’t! I just drank occasionally. But see what alcohol can do? See what it can cause?”

  “Take some responsibility for once.” I shoved away from the counter, tired of hearing my mother’s pitiful excuses.

  “Luke, I’ve only wanted the best for you, Lexi, and Ashley.”

  “Mom reacted out of fear. Can’t you see that?” Ashley asked, stroking Mom’s hair.

  Bile rose up in my throat, and I wanted to throw up. “Whatever. She’s a killer.”

  “Luke. Please.” Mom wailed.

  “Just . . . don’t . . .” I waved off her plea for forgiveness. If she was seeking comfort or understanding from me, she was in for a big surprise. “I gotta go.”

  “Are you going to tell Delaney?” Mom asked.

  I glared at her. “What do you think?”

  “Luke, wait.” Dad grabbed my arm. “If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me.”

  “Huh?” My head retracted, and I stared at my dad. “Seriously? You want to take up for her wrong actions? For once, grow some balls.” I yanked my arm away and shouldered past him.

  “It’s not all her fault!” Dad yelled, and I turned around. His nostrils flared, and his eyes glossed over. In all the years, I’d only seen my dad cry at funerals and when he gave Lexi away to Raven. The anger mixed with sadness told me there was more to the story. “I’m guilty, too.”