AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I drop to my knees, the skin of my knees scratching against the hard concrete, and yet it’s nothing compared to the pain my soul feels at the break in this beautiful man’s soul. I place my hand on his face as he looks down in defeat.
“What if you’re negative? You’rebothnegative?”
His lashes glisten as he looks up at me, his eyes hooded and defeated.
“Then, I almost killed my daughter because I was too much of a goddamn pussy to take a test. I gave up being there when she was born, the first time she crawled and walked. Birthdays and holding her close to me and telling herI love youover and over—because I do. I do.”
He breaks down in tears, and I lean forward to hold him. Luke buries his head into my neck and grips my clothes, sobbing into me. All the questions I have are answered in the form of love.
“People born with passion react in the moment. You are a passionate man, Luke. You made mistakes, but no one knows what it’s like to experience your pain.”
“You can’t make excuses for me.”
“If it wasn’t for you, Ainsley wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m going to get tested.”
He looks up at me, and I swallow down the shock that I, too, might cry in this moment. He places a hand on the side of my face. His thumb grazes my cheek, running small circles over my skin, as he stares into my eyes.
“I will do it for Ainsley. I will for you. We need to know what her future holds. If I’m positive, we’ll let her decide when she’s grown if she wants to find out.”
I stare down at this man, his navy eyes that burn deep into my soul. He’s beaten and broken, and yet my heart is practically aching for him. As he looks at me with a yearning ache in his pout and the vulnerability seeping from his skin, I fall for him.
Yes, there was always something about his light and charm that swooped me in, but there’s more about him in this moment. This raw, passionate man that has me willing to give him my whole world.
“Are you sure?”
He leans his forehead against mine. “You’re my family. I’d do anything for you.”
I close my eyes and let the rush of relief fall from my chest. “You’re a good father, Luke.” He blinks up at my words, and I grip his neck as I declare, “It’s time we tell Ainsley that too.”
“You mean it?”
I smile through almost-fallen tears. “I do.”
His grin is luminous as he brushes a tear from his own cheek and then kisses my forehead. “Where is she?”
“In the car. She’s a heavy sleeper. You want to carry her in?”
“More than anything.”
He wipes his eyes with the backs of his hands, and he stands. He helps me up and then walks to the car and opens the back door. Ainsley is still curled against the pillow, heavily sleeping in her seat. While I open the front door, he scoops her up and cradles her in his arms as she lays her head against his chest.
I hold the door open for them, and he walks her up the stairs to her room.
Together, we undress her from her play clothes and change her into her pajamas. When she’s all settled, Luke kneels at her bed and rubs her head.
I move to the doorway and rest against the doorjamb.
The moon is shining through the bedroom window as he bends his head down into his hands—a father praying for his daughter, asking for forgiveness for his sins and pleading for a bright future.
When he looks up, those desperate eyes seek mine for more than forgiveness.
They’re asking for everything.
twenty-four
WHEN I TOLD LUKEI had a doctor in mind to do his testing, he immediately grunted at me.
