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It’s quite the feast that he’s laid out before me. Two boxes of fried chicken and an assortment of seasoned dips. Egg-fried rice. Onion rings. And two boxes of sweet potato fries drizzled with cheese sauce and sprinkled with chili flakes. Mouthwatering. My stomach growls, a reminder that I did, in fact, need a proper meal.
“It looks fantastic,” I reply.
“Please, help yourself,” he says.
That isn’t hard to do. Once I dig in, it’s game over. I practically inhale half a box of fried chicken and some of the rice before slowing down and taking my sweet time enjoying the cheesy potatoes. There’s plenty of ice-cold soda as well. We eat in relative silence for a while. Whenever I look at him, he looks away. Whenever I feel his eyes on me and glance his way, he’s quick to shift his focus elsewhere. My heart is beating a little too fast, and I can’t help but gaze at him for a while—his strong profile, his sharp jaw hidden beneath that sandy blonde beard, his aquiline nose and curious eyes. His lips.
Blinking that last thought away, I devour the rest of my fries and wash them down with cold soda before I decide to have a conversation with the man who just bought me lunch. “So, tell me, Luke, how long have you had this security company for?” I ask.
“About four years. It’ll be five in the spring,” he says, giving me a sideways glance.
“Did you always want to do this? I mean, was it planned before you joined the Navy?”
He shakes his head. “Not really. I thought I’d be a Navy officer until I’d retire, but fate decided otherwise.” I sense the drop in his voice. Something happened. Something he’s not that willing to talk about. I glance down at his knees and notice a bump that I hadn’t noticed before. Luke follows my gaze and exhales sharply. “I lost my leg.”
“Oh.” My stomach sinks. I feel awful, all of a sudden. It certainly explains the slight limp. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. These things happen on active duty,” Luke says. “It was an explosion. It almost killed me, but Kellan and Fallon got me out before the boat sank with me in it. I got pinned under a steel beam, the flames were eating me alive.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah, not a pretty sight,” Luke sighs deeply. “But they got me out. I survived, my leg didn’t. That’s pretty much all there is to it.”
I think we both know there’s way more to it, though he doesn’t seem willing to talk about the entire incident. I’ve learned from my own experiences that it’s best not to press people on matters that are still sensitive to their hearts. In Luke’s case, we’re talking about the loss of a limb. I can’t imagine the adjustment process of dealing with not having a part of himself anymore. “I had no idea, Luke. But no matter what, you’re still you. You’ll always still be you and I happen to think you’re pretty amazing.”
“Thank you,” Luke says. He seems a bit surprised and I have a feeling he doesn’t hear such words that often. “It means a lot.”
“I see a good man, a really good man, in front of me. You took me and my two children under your roof without even knowing us. You’re actively helping to bring my ex-husband to justice. You brought me lunch. A few words of truth coming out of my mouth are nothing compared to everything you’ve done for my daughters and me, Luke. Technically, we’re complete strangers.”
“I dare say we’re not strangers. Not anymore,” he smiles softly. “How’s your food, by the way?”
“Considering the fact that I’ve practically devoured it, what do you think?”
He laughs, and I love the sound of it. It’s as if the sky opened up in his eyes and rays of sunshine burst from his throat. It’s a beautiful sight and sound and makes me want to make it my mission to never see this man frown ever again. He is handsome, sure, a delicious morsel of a man, but what truly makes him stand out is his kindness, his energy. It’s rare.
“How long has it been since the divorce?” Luke asks as we work our way through what’s left of the sweet potato fries.
“Less than a year. But to be fair, I was already falling out of love with Daniel years ago. Shortly after Annie was born, actually, when it became clear that he would never change. And that a lot of what I based our entire relationship on had been a lie. Once I understood that, it got easier for me to emotionally detach myself from him. Once I got it into my head that I did, in fact, deserve better, something just clicked.”
“Have you ever considered going back to him?”
I shake my head so hard and fast I almost snap my own spine. “Never in a thousand years. Daniel could be the last man on earth, and I would gladly throw myself off a cliff before ever going back to him. My dad had this saying about people, that we’re like rivers—”
“We only flow forward. We can’t flow back,” he finishes for me.
“Precisely.”
“Your dad was a wise man. I’m sorry you lost him at such a young age.”
All I can do is shrug. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat with my feelings regarding my father, and I’m not ready to delve into that department anytime soon. There’s enough on my plate right now, I doubt I have enough of an emotional bandwidth to deal with his loss, too. I never allowed myself to grieve growing up, and I didn’t have the opportunity to grieve while I lived with Daniel. Maybe someday, I’ll be able to just sit down and process everything in peace. But for right now, I need to figure out my next move for what’s best for me and my daughters.
“I realize my daughters will grow up without a father,” I say, my voice trembling slightly. “It won’t be easy, but at least they will be safe and happy.”
“You never know where the river will take you, though,” Luke replies, half-smiling. “You might come across someone who sees you precisely as you are. Someone who wants you, who wants to be with you, all of you, Avery, and that includes your daughters.”
We gaze into each other’s eyes for what feels like forever. I don’t know what to say. I wish I could read his mind and figure out if there’s a deeper meaning to his words. I do know that there is something going on between us, the kind of energy that has my body responding with a soul-swelling vibe filled with hope that I will find love again. The kind of love that pushes me to want to be a better version of myself. The kind of woman that a man like Luke would be proud to have by his side. Or a man like Kellan. Holy hell, my mind is racing out of control right now.
Luke reaches out and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. His touch makes my skin tingle, my nerve endings humming everywhere as I take a deep breath and allow myself to smile.
