by Jody Holford
“Hey. How’s my favorite five-year-old?” Char asked.
Luke kissed Julie’s cheek when he came into the kitchen where they had been sitting. Lucy’s family was fond of food, so they generally ended up in the kitchen.
“I’m almost six,” Carmen said.
Char smiled. “True. Say hi to daddy.”
Carmen tried to shuffle the deck. “Hi daddy.”
“Hey sweet girl,” Luke said, kissing Carmen noisily and coming to steal Mia from Lucy’s arms. “Hi other sweet girl.”
Lucy put a hand to her chest and tilted her head in jest. “Aw. Luke, you’re so nice. Oh, did you mean Mia?”
“Nah. You’re kinda cute too,” he said.
“How did everything go?” Julie asked. She had been typing something while Carmen drew pictures and Lucy cuddled Mia. Luke and Charlotte exchanged a glance.
“It was good. We found out a lot of helpful information,” Char said cautiously, her eyes not leaving Luke’s. Luke shook his head, a seemingly frustrated gesture, and began to pack up the girls’ bags.
“We can discuss it another time,” Julie offered, closing her laptop.
“Yeah,” Char agreed, looking from her mother to Lucy. “How’s it going with Sheriff Hottie?”
“Nice,” Luke snorted.
“Shut up,” Lucy replied.
“Shut up isn’t a nice thing to say. I’m not allowed,” said Carmen.
The adults laughed, which startled Mia and saved Lucy from having to answer.
Alex was greeted by two smells when he let himself into his house. Something burning and toast. Furball met him at the door and brushed his legs.
“Hi there. Do we have company? Is she hot?” Alex asked, bending down to pick up the cat. He carried him into the kitchen, where he found Lucy standing at the sink, washing her hands. Her hair was loose and flowing down her back. It looked a little damp, as though she’d just gotten out of the shower, and he felt a stab of regret that he’d missed out. She was wearing an almost see-through T-shirt and a pair of cropped pants. Her feet were bare, and he could see her toes were brightly colored. Watching her in his home, knowing she loved him, uncurled a need and tenderness in him that he hadn’t known was lying dormant in his heart. It scared him to think that she could become—could already be—everything to him.
“She is hot,” he murmured to Furball.
“Hey,” she greeted, turning off the tap and grabbing a hand towel from his stove. Two plates sat on the island counter, laden with toast and scrambled eggs, which didn’t look burnt.
“Hey yourself,” he said, rooted to his spot, unable to do more than just smile at her. She came to him, pet the cat, then reached up on tiptoes to kiss his lips. He leaned in and took the sweet greeting she offered. He put the cat down and pulled Lucy in for more, enjoying the feel of her arms winding around his neck, the feel of her breath on his face, and the weight of her body leaning against him.
“You made breakfast,” he murmured.
“Dinner. Well, breakfast for dinner. I warned you I could only handle eggs.”
“There’s toast.”
She laughed.
“Yes, and toast. Though I burnt the first slices.”
“I like eggs and toast,” he said, taking the kiss deeper, until he felt her sink against him; into him.
“Did you have a good day?” she asked, pulling away and grabbing the two glasses of milk she had poured. Other than the tagging, paperwork, missing her, and not being able to check in with Chuck, he figured it wasn’t a bad day. Alex took the plates, charmed to see that she had already set the small table by his kitchen window with cutlery and napkins.
“I should have been more thorough in my check last night when I thought I heard something,” he said, sitting across from her. She took a long swallow of milk—almost half the glass—and he arched his eyebrow. She shrugged sheepishly and set her glass down.
“Why?”
“My truck was tagged. The idiot painted up the passenger door. Mick noticed it when he parked beside me at the station,” Alex told her, taking a large mouthful of eggs.
“Do you think it’s the same person? Or people, I guess it could be.”
“Definitely. There’s a symbol on all of the tagging that my dad and I noticed, and it’s on my truck.”
“Hmm. What’s the symbol?”
“Some heart thing. I’ll show you after dinner. Which is good, by the way,” he said.
“Yeah, my talents know no bounds,” she answered and took another bite of her eggs.
“I agree.” He winked at her, making her laugh.
“I watched my nieces today. It was fun. Tiring and somewhat humiliating when I lost at Go Fish repeatedly, but fun.”
“Go Fish is a tough one.”
“Shut up. Oops, Carmen told us ‘shut up’ was not nice to say,” she said, laughing while pulling the crusts off of her toast.
“She’s not wrong. Just wait until she finds out there’s worse. Where were Luke and Char?” he asked, taking her crusts and popping them into his mouth.
“They went to a meeting about autism. Char seemed to think it was good, but Luke seemed kind of reserved about it. We didn’t get a lot of details, but I’m glad they’re realizing that they’ll need help with Carmen.”
“Can’t be easy. Admitting that something might be wrong with your child. Facing that must be breaking them a bit,” Alex said quietly.
“I think it is. But if they don’t face it, what good does it do Carmen? Or them? She’s still their little girl. It doesn’t change that or how much they love her. It just helps them find the best way to support her,” Lucy returned, finishing up her last bite of eggs.
“True. All true. But it still must be hard. Did you tell Kate about the internship?”
Lucy groaned and rose from the table, clearing her place.
“That bad?” Alex followed her with his plate and glass. Furball meowed at their feet. While Alex loaded the dishwasher, Lucy grabbed the cat food out of his pantry and shook some into the cat dish, earning Furball’s everlasting adoration.
“She was seriously pissed.”
“That seems weird.”
“It’s occurring to me that my family is a bit weird. I thought I was the only one,” she remarked, and Alex laughed loud.
“Did you think you cornered the market on strange? I don’t even think you are that strange. You seem pretty normal to me, and so do the rest of the Aarons’. You’re all pretty good in my book,” he said, still laughing. He saw her face tighten when she turned from the pantry.
“I’m not just like them. I’m … missing pieces of what makes them, them.”
He didn’t like the sound of her voice when she spoke as though she were on the outside looking in—her tone was vacant, far away. He walked over and took her hand, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her, happy that she returned the embrace immediately.
“Kate’s probably just in shock. Give it some time. And from where I’m standing, I think you have the best parts of all of them,” he said, trying to reassure her.
“Not all of them,” she murmured into his chest. He kissed the top of her head.
“What does that mean, Luce?”
She shook her head, leaned back and looked up into his eyes. Hers were clouded and he wished he could clear them. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but how could he know for sure?
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Right now, all that matters is this. Us.”
“Oh yeah? I like the sound of that.”
“Surprisingly, so do I. I didn’t see this—see you—coming.”
“Sometimes the things most worth having are the things we aren’t prepared for. If it helps, I didn’t plan on you, either.”
He kissed her lips, then trailed his mouth to her chin, bending his knees to scoop her up against him.
“But you love me anyway?”
“I really do. I love you. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of telling you,” he whis
pered against her ear. He felt the small shiver go through her body, and his own body tightened with need for her. She kissed his neck and ran her hands over his chest—restless, needy. Her fingers moved quickly, tugging at his buttons. Alex pushed her hair off her neck, touching his lips to the spot that made her sigh. His hands touched and explored, lowering over the curve of her hips, greedy to pull her as close as possible.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing it, either,” he encouraged. He felt her smile against the skin of his chest.
“I love you,” she whispered, walking backward, leading him through the kitchen. He smiled at the sly smirk on her face and the way her eyes danced in the dim light of his house. “I love you,” she repeated, then turned and ran toward his room. He did what he’d been doing since he was twelve—he followed Lucy, heart on his sleeve. Only this time, hers was there, too.
Chapter 16
“Okay. If this is a regular occurrence for you, I will happily become a photographer,” Kate said, a swooning lilt to her voice as Sam, Luke, and a two of Alex’s deputies joked around, shirtless. Lucy had asked them to toss a football around for now, to lighten up and relax. None of them were particularly shy, except maybe Cam, but it still wasn’t common practice for guys to meet up and take off their shirts.
Lucy and Kate were both enjoying the view, however. She had received permission to use one of the empty rooms at the town hall for the day. It was open, with good light coming through the wall of wide, long windows. Kate had grumbled about helping her set up the lighting Lucy had also borrowed.
“Worth carrying some lights?” Lucy joked, clicking from a distance, trying to let the boys have their fun. They were teasing Cam about his lack of chest hair, and Lucy almost felt bad for him, but the slightly embarrassed smile on his face was making for some great shots.
“I’ll say. Poor Cam. He’s so sweet,” Kate crooned.
“He’s also quite cute. Even without chest hair. He’s your age, right?”
“Hmm. Yes. We graduated together. I think the surprise of the day is Elliot. Those are some serious abs he’s got going on.”
“Alex says he’s got two little girls,” Lucy commented, moving in a little closer.
“Maybe he does sit-ups while lifting them,” replied Kate.
“Luce? We about done here?” Luke called.
Elliot shot the football right at him, but Luke looked in time to catch it.
“What’s the matter, Davis? Too much work for you? You should get him a calculator, Lucy. Maybe a desk,” Elliot goaded him good naturedly. In return, Luke, good-naturedly, suggested where Elliot could put a calculator.
“You should just get rid of these clowns. I’ve got all you need, Lucy,” Sam told her, flexing his appealing, muscled arms. Toned and defined described most of the men, like they spent their free time playing sports or staying active. Only Elliot looked like he put effort into sculpting his body, but not in an overdone way.
“I leave you alone for one morning, and I find you with a roomful of half-naked men,” Alex said from the doorway, getting Lucy’s attention. She smiled at the sight of him. He had needed to go to court that morning to testify and, as such, was dressed in a dark navy suit with a lighter blue tie. His hair was brushed to the side a little, making him seem both sexy and boyish. Her heart flip-flopped. She was turning into an absolute sap.
“She’s probably just bored with your lack of skill, Whitman,” Sam said.
“I hope she’s not looking your way then,” Alex replied easily. The guys laughed.
“Okay, water break, I guess. Then we’ll slick you boys up with some oil and get the good shots,” Lucy said.
“Oh! I want that job!” Kate jumped up and down a little while all five of the guys gaped at Lucy.
“Wow. I should take a picture of the look on all your faces right now,” she said, and did before telling them, “I’m joking about the oil. Relax.”
Alex walked to her and kissed her lightly, his grin playful. He tugged on a lock of her hair that had fallen out of the loose bun she’d made at the back of her head.
“I don’t think I like your job,” he said quietly, humor lacing his tone.
“I know. It’s tough, but I’m muddling through,” she replied. “How was court?”
“Fine. Everything went as expected. So do I get a private photo shoot later?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. Can I make you pose any way I want to?”
He arched an eyebrow, pretending to consider it. “Will the photographer be naked?”
“Unlikely.”
“Then no.”
“I’m trying to eat here,” Kate muttered, a pile of potato chips in her hand and a few in her mouth. Alex snagged one and shoved it in his mouth.
“Sorry. Didn’t know there were little ears around,” Alex said, earning a smack from Kate.
“Okay, enough. I need to get these shots, then I want to do individuals,” Lucy said, laughing.
Alex went to chat with the guys for a few minutes while Lucy got Kate to help her set up a dark backdrop. She’d found an old wooden chair. She wanted simple. She was also going to see if any of the men wanted to advertise along with the calendar. A small caption with their photo would give them extra business and, hopefully, the town a little extra cash.
“You seem different,” Kate commented, looking at her as she pulled down the dark screen.
“Different how?”
“Like both of your feet are firmly planted in one place,” Kate said carefully.
“That’s because they are. Maybe you should cut me some slack.”
“I just thought you’d be gone by now. You’re always gone by now.”
“Maybe I didn’t have the right reason to stay,” Lucy commented, then realized what she’d said. She saw the hurt flash across Kate’s face, but it was replaced immediately with a blank nod.
“Fair enough.”
“Kate. That is not what I mean. It’s complicated. I always thought it was better for everyone if I was somewhere else,” Lucy tried to explain quietly. The guys were still laughing and eating the snacks she and Kate had put out for them.
“That’s stupid. You belong here. With your family. And, I guess, with Alex.”
“It took me some time to realize that. I wasn’t ready before, but right now, there’s nowhere else I want to be. I think I needed to go all of the places I went to find where I belonged,” Lucy said, more to herself than Kate. Kate walked back to the small cooler bag she had brought and took out a water, offering Lucy one as well. Lucy sat on one of the upside down crates and took another chance.
“Kate. Holding yourself back will never help you find the place you’re meant to be.”
Kate drank her water, her dark eyes seeming far away. Recapping the bottle, she turned another crate upside down and sat carefully, testing its strength.
“It’s not that easy, Luce. Mom and Dad paid for my education. They wanted me to go to school and not have to worry about working. I can’t repay them by saying, ‘Oops, made a mistake. I don’t want to be a social worker. I want to be a designer.’ It just doesn’t feel right. How can I tell them that they wasted money they didn’t have on me?”
A part of Lucy was happy to know that she hadn’t been completely off about Kate’s unspoken desires. While she might not have been here physically, she kept in contact with her family, frequently checking in via whatever modes were available. She hated feeling like maybe she didn’t know Kate as well as she thought. It made her feel guilty, like the time away had affected more than just herself—which of course, it had. She had been naïve, and perhaps a little self-absorbed, to think that it wouldn’t. Knowing that Kate wanted something that Lucy felt like she could give her meant that she could start mending fences that she hadn’t realized were becoming weathered.
“Education is never a waste of money,” Lucy said gently, taking Kate’s hand.
“It is if you don’t have the money.”
“Mom and Dad have the money,�
� Lucy countered. With their dad having tenure at the university and their mother putting out anywhere from one to three books a year, Lucy had always known her family to be financially comfortable. Even when economic times had taken a hit, people still went to university, and they still bought books. Kate closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. She pulled her hand back from Lucy’s.
“No. They don’t, Lucy. When you stay in one place for longer than a week, you’ll find things aren’t always what they seem,” Kate said, standing and moving away from Lucy.
Lucy stared after her, puzzled and frustrated by her sister’s continued references to her staying power. It was starting to wear on her nerves.
“You okay, honey?” Alex asked, walking toward her. She looked up, standing too fast and swayed a little.
“Okay, seriously,” Alex said, steadying Lucy with his hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Lucy said and then laughed lightly. “Just stood too quick.” He continued to watch her for a moment, his hands tight on her shoulders. She still felt light-headed, but didn’t him to worry, so she stepped into him and put her arms around his waist.
“I’m fine.” Lucy hoped it was true, but right at that moment, she didn’t feel that way.
Alex popped the top off of a couple of beers and passed one to his dad.
“Thanks for helping me with this,” he said, taking a drink of his own.
“Happy to. It still feels a little strange to have you working on your own house. You got a good deal here,” Chuck said. They picked up their beers and headed toward the back deck. Alex could have easily stripped and stained the deck himself, but inviting his dad over served more than one purpose. Still early afternoon, Alex had taken the rest of the day off after he’d testified in court that morning. He had to drop his truck off to be painted, which still pissed him off, but the guys had the station covered and he had some questions he needed answered.
“I’m happy here. I knew I wanted to buy a house, but I didn’t think I’d enjoy fixing it up so much,” Alex said, grabbing the large pail of deck stripper.
“You and Sam did a hell of a job on that kitchen. I’m thinking of redoing the kitchen at the cabin. Needs some updating,” Chuck replied. Perfect opening.