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“Mommy was rescued by a fireman. A very handsome one.”
Her comment has Luke’s head swiveling slowly in my direction with an arched brow and a devilish smirk. “Good to know.” He leans forward and asks Ainsley, “I’m a firefighter. Do you think I’m handsome?”
“You’re okay, but you have a butt chin, like me.”
His eyes narrow. “Look at that. I never heard it called a butt chin before.”
“Mikey—he sits in front of me in school—called it that. He’s a meanie. I want to sew my chin closed and make it look like a normal chin.”
“Absolutely not.” He slaps his knee. “Chin clefts are dignified. They command respect.”
“It’s ugly, and no one else has them. Especially girls.”
“They are rare. I got mine from my dad.” He runs his hand over the back of his neck and glances at me for a beat and then back to Ainsley.
My heart feels like it’s in my throat, and I wipe my hands on my jeans.
“Ainsley, I think you’ve been chewing Luke’s ear off. He just came for a quick visit and has a long drive back home. Besides, you have to get to bed. School tomorrow.”
She grumbles as she rises to her feet. My girl might be sassy, but she’s a good kid when it comes to doing as she’s told. Well, except when it’s direct orders to not open the front door.
Luke takes the hint and rises. I’m thankful he moves easily to the front door. Ainsley and I are fast behind him—her wanting to be near our new visitor for as long as possible and me needing him to get him out the door as quickly as possible.
Luke opens the front door but stops, spins around, and takes a knee, making him Ainsley’s height. The two stare at each other, eye to eye. His dark blue to her light green.
His hand reaches up and brushes her untamed hair behind her ear as he takes her in with a silent look. I rest a hand on my belly. There’s a narrowing of his eyes and a tilt of his chin. He’s studying her face, as if trying to commit it to memory.
“Ainsley Lisette Hathaway, I’m glad I got to meet you. I hope we get to see each other again.”
She smiles bigly. “Can you bring your fire truck next time?”
“Maybe. I’ll see what I can do.” Luke winks, and I swear my little girl internally faints with happiness.
He stands erect, taking up the doorway, and I place a hand on the door and start to close it. His feet are steadfast as he pauses a beat longer than is comfortable.
Mouth pursed, eyes slanted, and chin raised.
“Good night, Jillian.”
I close the door as fast as I can and usher Ainsley to go upstairs to get ready for bed. While she’s upstairs, I’m still standing here in the hallway with my back up against the door, wondering why his good night felt so triggering.
Probably because it wasn’t a good-bye.
It’s a promise.
When Luke gets something in his head, he won’t stop until he sees it through.
“Heard you’re off the clock until two.” Luke, the handsome stranger in Aruba who had me dancing on the beach the night before, practically jumped out of the bushes along the path I was walking on.
My hand rose to my chest as I closed my eyes and caught my breath.
“You scared the heck out of me,” I reprimanded.
With teeth skimming his bottom lip, he leaned down and waited for me to open my eyes. When I did, it was to the sight of his gloriously shirtless and sun-drenched body. Firm pectorals with a chiseled torso and arms that looked like they could carry me for days without him breaking a sweat. I had a faint vision of just where I would like to be carried, then shook the feeling away … fast.
“You’re cute as hell. Did you just say heck? Please tell me you curse.”
“There are plenty of words in the English language. No need to use profanity.”
