My stomach plunged with fear. Did something bad happen?
“Luna, I’ll be right back.” I didn’t bother to put on shoes before I bolted down the walkway.
I tapped on the window and his head popped up with a start. The car locks clicked. I climbed up into the passenger seat and reached for his forearm.
“What happened?” I asked softly, trying to stop my mind from jumping to horrible conclusions.
He took a deep breath and blew it out. His eyes were glassy and contemplative. My chest ached before he even said a word. “I ran into one of Monica’s friends from high school. Totally random, first time she and her family went on vacation here. She was with her husband and—and little kid.” His voice broke, along with my heart. “Fuck.” His hand ran roughly down his face.
He looked at me, his face broken. “That should be her, you know? Vacationing with her husband and kid.” He turned back and stared out the windshield. “It fucking sucks that she’s gone.”
I climbed over the center console and wedged myself into hislap between his chest and the steering wheel. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he dropped his head on my shoulder, holding me tight in his arms. He shuddered into me. It may as well have come from my own body.Let me take some of it,I begged the universe.
But that wasn’t how life worked. So I held him, running my fingers through the ends of his hair and over his shoulders in a way I hoped was soothing until his breaths steadied. Fingers still locked behind his head, I pulled back enough to look at his face. “It’s not fair,” I said. “It should be her. You and your sister, her husband, Luna, your parents—you were all robbed.”
After a minute of holding each other, breathing into each other, I asked, “Wanna go in? I could hug you forever, but I think you need one from the little girl inside right now.”
He swallowed. “I think you’re right.”
Luna was right where I left her. Luke circled the couch and said, “Hey, Luns.”
“Hey, Dad,” she said, not looking away from the screen, where dragons flew through clouds to an inspirational song. Luke sat down next to her, pulled her into his lap and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “Dad!” she squealed at the distraction. When he didn’t let go, she looked at him for the first time since he walked in the door. Then she squeezed him back, no longer squirming to break away and focus on her movie.That beautiful, intuitive little human.Another quick squeeze and he plopped her back on the couch.
“How about pizza for dinner?” he asked her.
“Yay!” was her only response. A smile broke through on Luke’s face. I chuckled internally. Ice cream and pizza, what a day for an eight-year-old.
He needed her today. And she was going to need him on lots of days, for the rest of her life, not least of all once the magnitude of what she lost when she was young sinks in. Maybe someday, when she was older, they’d be able to talk about it more.
But today it seemed like having each other was enough.
All day Sunday I bounced around Mimi’s house and yard, cleaning, gardening, cooking, checking the clock. When would Luke get home from dropping Luna off with his parents at their agreed meeting point in Connecticut? I wished I’d asked.
I’d offered to go with them, but he insisted I stay back to get some writing done and spend some time with Mimi before he got home. When he said it, he gave me a knowing look that sent heat through my body.
I could call him to ask, but I didn’t want to seemsoeager to spend an entire week alone with him. Even though I absolutely was.
When my cell rang just after 6:00 p.m., I lunged for it like a nineties teenager lunging for the landline. After telling me the drive went well, he asked, “Is it weird if I ask you to be there when I get home?”
“No.” I laughed.
“Why is that funny?”
“Because I’ve been thinking about how badly I want to see you when you get back, but I was worried you might be too tired.”
“I’ve never had more energy,” he deadpanned. I smiled giddily at my phone.
My skin buzzed with anticipation as I all but ran down the hall to shower.
I drove to Luke’s house an hour later, and when his headlights flashed into his living room through the front-facing picture window, I abandoned my wine and book on the coffee table to meet him at the door.
I opened it when he reached the bottom step.
“Hi!” I said, heart thundering.
He looked at me as his feet carried him up the front steps two at a time, eyes blazing. He didn’t say a thing. His hands grabbed my face and brought my lips to his in an urgent kiss, greeting me with his mouth instead of his words. It might have been the hottestthing I’d ever experienced. My body lit up with a rush of excitement.
The kiss deepened and got sloppier as I backed us into the house, closing the front door behind him. His lips pressed into my neck, leaving goose bumps. His hands turned me around by my waist and nudged me up the stairs, no detour to the living room. He kicked off his shoes aggressively and followed me, a hasty, calloused hand pushing me up each step. I giggled, looking over my shoulder. The heat in his gaze only got more intense.
