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“What are you thinking, Red?” Luke asks, and I force myself to open my eyes and look at him.
“Just thinking what a wonderful family I have,” I respond.
“That’s my girl,” he praises, and it does feel like a praise. “Let’s load up and go meet Jasmine’s family, Daisy baby,” he says picking her up into his strong arms—all while keeping one arm around me.
“But, Daddy! You said we were Jazz-Min’s family. Aren’t we?” Daisy asks, looking at me, confused.
I smile because I like the broken way she says my name, stressing the Jazz part and rushing the last. My smile deepens, because she clearly doesn’t want anyone else taking her chance to be part of my family.
“You are, baby,” I hasten to assure her. “But, I have a mommy, a daddy, and a bunch of other family that will love meeting you and claiming you as part of their family too.”
“Babe,” Luke warns, and I look up at him, shaking his head.
“They will,” I tell him, answering his unspoken question.
“They might her, her daddy I’m not so sure of.”
“You planning on letting me walk away anytime soon, Luke?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“You can try, Red, but in case you haven’t realized it yet, I’ll always come after you.”
“Yeah! We’ll come after you, right, Daddy?”
“Right, sweetheart,” he says, his face softening as his smile deepens.
“Then, they’ll either accept it, or they’ll lose me.”
Luke doesn’t say anything, choosing instead to secure Daisy into her car seat. He had used the remote to start the car when Daisy went in to get her stuffed bear, and I can feel a blast of cool air hit me as he makes sure his daughter is safe and snug.
“Just like that?” he asks, rising up to look at me. His face has gone serious, his eyes deepening in their dark color. I could lose myself in those eyes and maybe I already have to a certain extent.
“You and Daisy are my family. A girl would be crazy to give that up,” I tell him softly.
His hand stretches out to hook along the side of my neck, his fingers forcing pressure on the back of my skull as he holds me perfectly still, unable to move.
“Fuck, Red, I love you,” he rumbles and my heart squeezes in my chest.
“I thought you weren’t the kind of man who believed in love.”
“I wasn’t,” he confirms. “And then, I met you,” he adds.
He kisses me after adding on those sweet words and his kiss is magical, because it heals every open wound I had inside from my past. For the first time in a very long time—maybe forever—I feel whole.
When we pull apart, I know he can see the unshed tears in my eyes, but I don’t care. They’re tears of happiness. He opens my truck door and I climb inside, barely breaking eye contact with him.
“Call your girl and tell her you don’t need her, Red.”
“Okay, Luke,” I tell him softly. He still doesn’t close the door. He just stands there looking at me. “Sweetheart?” I question after a moment.
“I’m thinking I understand why I didn’t believe in love before, Jasmine.”
I rub my lips together and dry my suddenly sweaty palms on my pants leg.
“Why’s that?”
“I never wanted anyone’s love until you came along. Before you, it wouldn’t have mattered. It would have just withered and died. Yours has taken root inside of me, baby,” he says, slapping his hand against his chest where his heart is.
“Luke,” I murmur, thinking if I live to be a hundred, that nothing will ever hit me as sweet as what he just said.
“You best believe I’m going to nurture that, and not let it go. I’m not letting you go. I’m keeping you forever, Red.”
“You’re going to make me cry,” I warn him, already feeling the wet tracks as the tears leak from my eyes.
“Call your girl, baby,” he says, softly.
“I will,” I nod, trying to suck it up and not bawl like a baby.
“Good,” he grins and before he can close the door, it’s me who stops him this time.
“Remember when I said I thought I was in love before, Luke?” I ask, but I don’t give him time to answer, because I can already see that he isn’t a fan of that reminder. “I was a stupid fool,” I hasten to explain. “Because before you, I wasn’t capable of love. I had too many holes, too much missing inside of me.”
“Red—”
“You made everything whole,” I tell him. “You made me feel safe enough to just be me… I never felt that was good enough before,” I tell him, my eyes dropping down as I hear Daisy singing to her Bear-Bear in the background.
“You can banish that fucking thought, Red. You’re everything and more,” he rumbles. Then he gives me a quick kiss. “Call your girl, baby,” he urges again, and I pick my cell up and start dialing, as he closes the door.
