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I can’t help but soak up the baby’s laugh. It’s so free and happy, loud and without a care in the world. And I can see the smile on the neighbor’s face, even from where I am. She looks just as happy.
Raising a baby can be really hard, and I know I’m going to struggle. But seeing my neighbor with her baby, looking so proud of her little boy and cuddling him, it makes me wonder if the hard times are worth it for the good parts.
That could be me in a few months. If I can get through this, that will be me.
I can do this.
Chapter 6 Luke
Six Years Later
My muscles are in agony. That run was tougher than I anticipated. I slow to a stop and start wheezing as I try to get air back into my lungs. Marcus laughs.
“You’re really getting out of shape, Luke. You can normally do this run without any problems.”
“I have been sick lately, Marcus,” I remind him, gasping for air as I try not to hunch over, my hands on my heads. “Maybe going for a run so soon after recovering from pneumonia was not such a good idea.”
“You were the one who wanted to do this, so don’t blame this on me.”
“Would I ever do that?”
“Yes.” Marcus grins as he heads towards his car. “I’d better go and change. The flight still hasn’t changed, has it?”
“It shouldn’t have unless the pilot says the weather is bad. We’re still scheduled for nine-thirty.”
“Then I’ll meet you at the airport in an hour. I’m already packed.” Marcus gives me a wave. “Good luck getting back in your state.”
“Fuck you, Marcus.”
“No, thanks. You’re not my type.”
I roll my eyes and head towards my car, surprised that my legs are not collapsing under me. That run is normally pretty good, and I can cope with it, but this morning it’s making me feel like I’ve just run the ironman course. Maybe we should have taken it slower, or gone on an easier route. It would have been better for me to do that.
But I’m an idiot. I would never do something that sensible. Even if I have been ill.
My body is shaking, but I manage to get home without any problems. Everything I need for our trip to Cleveland is ready to go, so all I need to do is shower and change. Then Marcus and I will be meeting up with our new purchase, the Cleveland Bulldogs. Marcus has been telling me that it’s a good purchase, and we won’t regret it. I have yet to believe it, but I trust Marcus’ judgment. He knows a good team when he sees it.
And he’s been right so far over the years.
I get home and take a quick shower. It takes a while for my body to stop feeling like it’s going to collapse on me, although my lungs are still hurting. Running on the tailend of pneumonia is not something I want to do again anytime soon.
Dressing doesn’t take long, and I put the alarm on before I leave the house. It will only be a couple of days, and then I’ll be back. My housekeeper will keep an eye on the place until I return.
Then again, I don’t expect any problems out here on the outskirts of the city. Things were far quieter than in the middle of the city. Four years, and I haven’t had any issues with my house.
It’s certainly nice to think that I come back to a place like this rather than my old apartment.
My phone is ringing as I’m pulling out of the drive. My dashboard indicates that it’s my mother calling. I sigh. I don’t really want to speak to Mom. She’s a pain at the best of times, especially in recent years. I love her, but Mom is always pestering me to find a woman to settle down with and raise kids. That’s not really an interest for me.
I mean, the one person I could see myself settling down with vanished six years ago and I have no idea where she is. Pathetic? Maybe, but I know other women pale in comparison to the young and gorgeous server I took to bed within an hour of meeting her.
Of course, Mom is not going to understand. I just wish she would stop.
But if I don’t answer the phone, she’s going to keep bothering me until I do. And I would like to get through this meeting with the Cleveland Bulldogs without embarrassing myself because my mother won’t stop calling.
I pressed the answer button on the dash.
“Hey, Mom.”
