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“They’re having a baby?”
“Yep, a little boy due around Christmas.”
Well there you go. Good on him.“I bet Katie’s excited.”
“Over the moon.” She smiles and then her nose crinkles in thought. “Although, I don’t think she’s prepared for Dylan’s attention to be on someone else.”
“Nothing ever prepares us for that.”And I know exactly how she’s going to feel.
“I suppose you’re right,” Lucy laughs, obviously not sensing the melancholy in my voice.
“And Summer is Thomas Kelly’s sister, right?” I ask casually. As though this very topic hasn’t been on my mind for a while.
“That’s right. I guess you probably know him too?”
“Not really. I mean we’ve played against each other, but that’s it. How well doyouknow him?”
Lucy’s brows furrow at my questions, probably due to the slight rise of my voice, but she doesn’t falter.
“I know him pretty well. We see each other on the holidays and the odd weekend here and there. He’s a great guy.”
A great guy.“And you have his surname?”
Lucy gasps but recovers quickly, turning it into a laugh. “Oh. Yeah, I do.”
She grimaces slightly before biting her lip as a pensive expression crosses her face. I’m not sure whether to ask more or if that short answer meant I’m supposed to drop the subject, so I nod, lifting my glass to my lips, needing a moment to decide. But Lucy continues.
“Since I already saw Summer as family, Thomas suggested I use their name after I decided I didn’t want to put Mathers on Katie’s birth certificate. I guess you could say he lent me their name.” She laughs nervously. “I registered Katie as Kelly and changed my name at the same time.”
“Lentit to you?”
“Yes. I’m hoping one day I’ll be able to change it again. To my husband’s name.” She shrugs as though it’s a passing thought, but the words hit me like a gut punch. The feelings they conjure up are unlike any I’ve felt before.Husband. I’ve never really thought about marriage. Actually I have, but I’ve always thought it to be a bit of a sham. That little piece of paper does nothing for the relationship. One party can still walk away at any moment and start a new family with no consequences whatsoever. And yet, when Lucy talks about a husband, why do I suddenly want that person to be me?
After we’ve finished dinner, I desperately want to take her home to bed, but I don’t. She deserves the full dating experience.Not that I know what I’m doing.
But I want it to be special.
To try.
For her.
As we walk silently through the lit-up streets of San Francisco, a sudden feeling of comfort takes over me, and I need to be touching her. Reaching for her hand, I entwine our fingers and squeeze, pulling her closer until our shoulders touch as we walk. We both remain silent, but it’s impossible to miss the moment Lucy’s lips lift and a shy smile appears. For someone so badass, it’s like she doesn’t see her worth. Doesn’t realize how amazing she is.
When it comes to sex, she’s this confident woman, but romance, that’s another story, and I want to change that for her. I want her to see how amazing she is. If only I knew how to do this romance stuff myself. The one thing I do know is how I feel, and it’s about time I told her.
Lifting our joined hands to my lips, I softly kiss each knuckle before pulling her closer to whisper in her ear, wanting to make sure she hears me loud and clear. “I like you, Lucy. A lot. I’ve wanted this for a long time. I’ve wantedyoufor a long time. You’re so fucking special and I don’t even think you realize it. The wait was worth it.”
Lucy’s breath hitches and she tilts her head back to look in my eyes, but before she can say anything, I reiterate my words. “Youwere worth the wait.”
I catch the flash of a smile before she burrows her face into my chest, wrapping her arms around me. She’s still for a moment until she looks up at me again, blinking through her long lashes. “I’m yours,” she says, and my chest tightens. I never wanted any of this until Lucy first came along, and now that she’s back in my life, I’m prepared to fight anyone that stands in our way.
Conversation starts up again, after our moment, and as we joke and laugh, I keep her hand firmly in my grasp, never wanting to let her go.
When it hits ten p.m., I invite Lucy to my place for dessert, just as my phone rings in my pocket—three times—distracting me from my question.Ugh, why do my friends know me so well?
“You should get that. They obviously want to speak to you,” Lucy says, patting me on the arm. I know it’s going to be one of two people, and whoever it is earned themselves an ass kicking.
After finally pulling the phone from my pocket, I see that it’s Gray, just as a message comes through.
