by Kari Lemor
He transplanted the roses into a vase and placed them on the counter, then started extracting the food from the bag.
“Ellie? Are you here?” Her car was in the driveway. Where would she have gone?
Footsteps on the back staircase alerted him to her whereabouts. Once he retrieved two dishes and set them on the table, he peeked up the stairs. Slowly, she descended, her hair mussed and her eyes sleepy.
“Are you okay?” He took her elbow and escorted her the rest of the way down.
“I’m fine. I made the mistake of putting my feet up when I changed after work. I was only going to close my eyes for a minute.” She glanced at her watch. “A minute turned into twenty-five.”
“Did you eat yet? I brought dinner from Bruschetti’s.”
“Oh, Luke, that’s so sweet. I love their food. And I’m starving. I only had a small salad at lunch.”
“No afternoon snack?” he asked, pulling out the kitchen chair for her.
She blushed. “Well, yeah, but it was only a few handfuls of pistachios. Protein, you know. But it doesn’t fill me up for the rest of the day.”
“Well, you just sit here, put your feet up, and I’ll get the food on the table.”
As she settled in, he bent and picked up her feet to rest them on the chair next to her. Her feet were puffier than the day he’d massaged them.
“These are swollen. Is that normal? Should I call the doctor?”
“All pregnant women get swollen feet and ankles. It’s water retention and is very normal. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Does it hurt?”
Elle sighed, then gave him a tiny smile. “Not really. I was just on my feet a lot today, so they’re worse than usual.”
Opening the containers, Luke asked, “Should I talk to Sherman? Let him know you can’t stand all day?”
Elle shot him a deadly glare. Oops. What had he done?
“I’m perfectly capable of speaking up for myself if I feel I need preferential treatment. Which I don’t. It won’t kill me or hurt the baby if I stand for a bit. We just had some clients in today for one of my projects, and I needed to show them around. Usually, I’m at my desk most of the day.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Okay, sorry. I didn’t mean to try and take over. I just want to make sure you’re okay. Let’s eat.”
Before he even got to his seat across the table, Elle had snagged a breadstick and heaped some linguini onto her plate.
“I love chicken parmesan. Bruschetti’s has some of the best I’ve ever had.”
Luke dished out a cutlet onto her plate, then scooped one onto his. “I know. You mentioned it on Valentine’s Day when it was on the menu at the Bayside.”
Her face softened. “And you remembered. Thank you. I’d been thinking I should start supper after I changed but hadn’t planned on falling asleep. I suppose we should discuss what we want to do with meals. I’m used to taking care of myself, so if that’s easier for you, fine. Or I can make us dinner if you’d prefer. What have you done in the past?”
Luke dabbed his face with a napkin. “I’ve lived with Alex my whole adult life. He has meals planned a few weeks in advance. I didn’t mess with that. He can get kind of scary if you interfere with his schedule. Before that, my mom always cooked.”
Elle narrowed her eyes. “So you can’t cook?”
“I never said that. Pretty sure I can make a mean grilled cheese. I’m an expert at peanut butter and jelly or cereal. I’ve even been known to boil up some pasta and add sauce from a jar.”
That got her laughing. Good. He never wanted their time together to be awkward or difficult.
“I don’t mind making dinner if you’re okay with that. There isn’t much in the fridge at the moment. Your mom brought some staples yesterday while you, Greg, and Alex were picking up my furniture. I think she didn’t want to overstep, though, and get too much. She said she wasn’t sure what I liked.”
“Oh, my mom’ll do anything you need her to. She loves making sure we’re taken care of. However, she isn’t the type to spoil us too much or make us dependent on her. Did you want to write up a menu and then a shopping list? We can go after we eat.”
Elle smiled and tried to hide her sigh. “Sure, we can do that.”
“But you don’t want to. It’s okay if you don’t. Are you all right?”
“Any other time, I’d probably be fine to go, but today was really stressful. Especially after the weekend of furniture shopping and moving. I’m exhausted. Can we go tomorrow?”
“Of course, we can. Or we can make a list and I’ll go. You don’t need to come with me, unless you don’t trust me to grocery shop.”
Laughing, Elle combed her fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face. “You’re a fairly intelligent man. I suppose you might be capable of going to the store.”
“Great.” Luke tucked into his meal, happy to do something to help Elle out.
They ate quietly for a while, yet the silence was comfortable. Luke kept glancing at Elle to make sure she was okay. He’d dated women and lounged around bars and clubs with them, but he’d rarely hung around if there wasn’t the goal of getting laid. Elle had made it perfectly clear there would be no sex forthcoming.
Except she’d said, “Maybe,” when he’d asked if she’d ever consider marrying him. Or had she meant maybe to sleeping in the same bed? Perhaps he should have clarified which question her answer had been to. He’d been too happy to hear there was a possibility to even think beyond her words.
“Mmm. That was excellent. Thank you, Luke. It was just what I needed tonight.”
“I’ll get you food from Bruschetti’s every night if you want it.”
Elle groaned. “Are you kidding me? I’ll gain a couple hundred pounds if I eat their food every night.”
“Okay, we’ll do every other night, then.”
Her laughter filled the kitchen, and Luke felt lighter. She’d always had an infectious laugh, prompting everyone around to join in.
“How about we make that list, and you can go to the store?” She got up, crossed to the counter where she picked up a pad of paper, then paused and pointed to the flowers. “Are those new flowers? I just noticed them.”
He got up and placed the roses on the table. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have left them on the counter. They were supposed to create a more romantic ambiance to the dinner. Kind of blew that one. Sorry.”
“They’re beautiful. But please don’t feel you have to buy me flowers every day. You’ll go broke in no time, and we’ll need the money when the baby comes. Kids aren’t cheap.”
Yet she’d originally planned to go it alone. The thought steamed him up, but he reminded himself she was only trying to let him off the hook if he didn’t want to be involved. With the way he was raised, there was no way he could ever abandon any child of his. Family was everything to the Storms.
He sat down, and they chatted about what kind of meals she could make and what they’d need for ingredients. He was a fairly casual guy and didn’t need fancy dishes. Even though Alex usually made dinner, he was a crockpot or roast-in-the-oven kind of guy, stuff he could set and forget while he did his work. With his home office, Alex was able to keep an eye on the food every now and then throughout the day. Luke had merely enjoyed the end results.
“Why don’t you put your feet up on the couch in the den and relax? Watch TV or read a book. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Elle got to her feet and carried some of the dishes to the sink. “I’ll do these first. Thanks for getting the food.”
“I’ll load the dishwasher when I get back. Go sit down.” He kissed her cheek, then picked up the list and grabbed his keys.
At the store, Luke saw there were lots more choices for items than he’d ever realized. Not wanting to bother Elle if she was relaxing, he made the decisions himself, hoping he was getting the right thing. A few times, he bought several of the same item in different brands because he had no idea which was better. Guess it was
something he’d have to learn.
When he got back, Elle padded out to the kitchen. “I’ll help put these away. We’ll need to figure out how we want to organize the cabinets at some point.”
Taking out a bag of shredded cheese, Luke said, “I’ll let you make those decisions.”
They worked together to put the groceries away, and Elle cocked her head and grinned every time she saw a few of the same item.
“I wasn’t sure which brand you prefer.” He tried for a pouty face, but she simply rolled her eyes.
“You can fold up these bags and store them in the cabinet on the end. I need to get the dishes done.”
“I said I’d do them later.”
“If we wait any longer, the food will be stuck on them for good and won’t come off in the dishwasher.”
As he gathered the empty grocery bags, she turned on the water and rinsed off the dishes and silverware, then loaded the dishwasher. He noticed a few things took a bit of scrubbing first. Maybe that was why Alex did the dishes immediately after eating. His brother refused to leave the kitchen before the dishes were done.
Luke filled the well with dishwasher liquid, then closed the door.
“There’s not enough in there to run the washer now,” Elle said. “It’ll waste water. We can do it tomorrow. That’s why I rinsed them all, so the food didn’t harden to the point it wouldn’t come off.”
“I’m sorry. I should have done the dishes before I left. I didn’t think.”
“It’s all right.” Elle yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. “Excuse me. I’m exhausted. I think I’ll head up to bed.”
“I’ll walk you up.”
“You don’t have to, Luke. I can find my bedroom by myself.”
He took her elbow and climbed the stairs with her. “Humor me.”
At the door to her room, she stopped and smiled at him. “Good night.”
Cupping her face, he kissed her. Lightly at first, then a bit stronger. A tiny moan drifted from her throat. He could push it and she might give in, but he never wanted anything from Elle she wasn’t willing to give freely. Not to mention, she was exhausted. She needed sleep. But first he needed to do something. Something he’d done five times now.
“Ellie? Will you marry me?”
Those darn tears filled her eyes again as they had each time he’d asked. She caressed his cheek and shook her head.
“No, Luke.”
Luke rang the bell of his parent’s condo, then walked in. It wasn’t the home he’d grown up in, but it was still his parents’ place, and his mom was the last one to stand on formality. Plus, she was the one who’d called him to stop by.
“Hey, Mom. Dad, you’re already home?” Luke glanced at his watch. “It’s barely five-thirty.”
Dad rolled his eyes. “Your mother hasn’t let me work a full day since I had that stupid heart attack.”
Luke kissed his mother’s cheek and shook his dad’s hand. “Because she’s smart, she loves you, and she doesn’t want to lose you. You scared all of us.”
He still hadn’t forgiven himself for not having seen any of the messages. On the other hand, if he had seen them and left the wedding early, he and Elle never would have gotten together. She wouldn’t be living with him now and carrying his baby. Objectively, he should think that was the better end result, but every time he thought about feeling his child moving inside Elle, he couldn’t regret the outcome.
“Aunt Luci made a huge batch of sauce again, huh?”
Mom laughed. “I’m not sure she knows how to cook small. However, since the rest of us benefit, I won’t complain. Your father and I won’t eat the amount she gave us, so I thought perhaps you and Ellie might like some. I’ve already divided it into smaller containers. Let me get it.”
He watched as his mom dug in the fridge and came back with a plastic container. “This should be enough for a couple meals. You’ve been in the house for a few days now. How are things going?”
“When’s the wedding?” Dad piped up, his voice gruff, so Luke knew he meant business. “Your mother can whip one together in no time. She planned Erik and Tessa’s in less than a week.”
Mom waved her hand in her husband’s direction. “It was eight days, dear.”
Dad leaned forward in his chair and stage whispered, “I’d bet she could do it faster if she had the right motivation.”
Luke’s mom blushed, but he had no doubt she could get a wedding organized for tomorrow if she set her mind to it. Too bad he didn’t have good news in that arena.
“Like a baby,” Mom said. “That’s good motivation.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you.” Luke sighed. “Ellie doesn’t want to marry me.”
Mom cocked her head. “Have you asked her?”
“Five times. She’s said no every time.”
“What have you said to her? A woman wants to know the man she’s marrying cares for her and not just because she’s carrying his DNA.”
“I told her I care.” Had he? Yes, though he wasn’t sure she believed him.
Mom narrowed her eyes. “Was it a good proposal? Romantic? Apparently when Nathaniel asked Darcy the first time, he botched it.”
“Okay, maybe the first time I just kind of blurted it out, but I also asked on Valentine’s Day at The Bayside.”
“Ooh, that’s a pricey place.” Dad grinned. “And she still said no?”
“It probably didn’t help that our waitress was an old…girlfriend.” Not that he and Amber were ever exclusive. He’d rarely dated anyone more than a few times.
“Oh, no, Luke.” Mom shook her head.
“Then, after her birthday party, I brought her to our new house and had filled the place with flowers in most every room. I even got down on one knee. It was still no.”
“Did she say why?” Mom asked.
Luke blew out a big breath. “My reputation. She thinks I’m still going to want other women.”
Dad scowled. “Will you?”
“No. Of course not.” Holy hell. Why did people think so poorly of him?
“Don’t get all bent out of shape, Lukas. Reputations are a hard thing to get rid of once you’ve gotten them. Can you say yours isn’t well deserved?”
His heart hurt from the reality that he’d done everything to earn it. “It was. But I don’t know how to get rid of it. What should I do?”
Mom patted his arm and gave him an encouraging smile. “Just keep trying.”
“I have tried.” He was so frickin’ frustrated that Elle wasn’t giving him a chance.
His mother tugged until he sat next to her on the couch. “You haven’t tried hard enough. You’ve always had everything come easy to you, Luke.”
“Easy? What are you talking about?” Did she really believe that?
“Think about it, sweetie. In school, you never needed to work all that hard. Sure, you studied, but learning came easy to you. You understood concepts much faster than any of your siblings. In sports, you were a natural and excelled at every one you tried. Then, girls. Admit it, they flocked to you in droves, and you never had to do much to get someone to go out with you. It made you a little spoiled.”
Luke’s stomach dropped as his mom spoke. “I worked hard for my job.”
“I know you did, sweetie. I’m not saying you’re lazy or a slacker. You’re intelligent and talented in many areas, but you’re used to putting in a little effort to get instant results. Now suddenly, something isn’t falling into place as easily as you want it to like it has in the past.”
His mom’s arm around him was comforting, but he was lost as to know what to try next. “What do I do?”
“You need to show Ellie how much you care about her and want to be with her. Unless you don’t, but I don’t believe that. I heard the longing in your voice when you spoke about seeing her again before you left on deployment. Make sure she hears it, too. For her. Not just the baby. Hopefully, eventually, she’ll realize you mean it.”
His shoulders fell as h
e listened to his mom. “I thought I had been sharing that with her. Maybe not enough.”
“Luke.” Dad sat up straighter and focused his gaze intently on him. “It’s been less than a month. That’s not a long time to erase the past ten years. You’ve got to give her some time. More than that, you have to show her that you’re a man who’ll stick by her and be responsible. Someone who’ll love her and be a good husband.”
Love her? Did he? Was it too soon to even talk about love? He’d been thinking about her non-stop for seven months now. But he’d never been in love before. What did he know about it?
And what did Elle feel for him? Did she care? How much? Or was she simply annoyed that they’d gotten into this predicament and now she was stuck with him? Is that why she didn’t want anything permanent? So they could go their separate ways once the child was older without a lot of legal entanglements?
“Thanks, Mom, Dad. And thank Aunt Luci for the sauce. I’ve got to get back home. I’ll think about what you said. Love you, both.”
After hugs and goodbyes, he headed to his car, wondering exactly how he could get Elle to finally see that he’d changed. And hoping that he had.
Chapter Twelve
Elle sat back and pushed her plate a few inches away. “That was excellent, Alex. Thanks for inviting us over for dinner.”
Alex shrugged. “I’m making a meal, anyway. Might as well share it with people we like.” Elle had discovered Luke’s older brother wasn’t big on pumping himself up.
She laughed. “Well, I’m glad you like us, then.”
Alex’s lips twisted to the side. “I like you. That knucklehead you hang out with is a different story.”
Luke threw Alex a scowl, yet there was laughter in his gaze. It was nice to be with a family that enjoyed being together.
“Luke said the baby furniture got delivered the other day,” Erik said, as he wiped Kiki’s hands with a wet cloth. “It’s all set up?”