Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Luke
I haven't been this nervous since I took the test to get into the academy. My foot is tapping a rhythm against the asphalt as I stand next to my truck, waiting for Deanna to show up. Will she show up, or not? That's the question that keeps bouncing around back and forth in my head.
I'm prepared for both, and I've given myself a pep talk so that my ego knows it isn't me if she decides not to show up.
But every piece of my body wants her to show up. Even if we have some kind of awkward first date, I'll still be with her.
Just as I'm about to give up, two headlights turn into the parking lot. It's an older car, and I'm hoping like hell this is Deanna. I act as if I'm not paying attention because I don't want her to know I've been worried she won't show up.
The car parks next to me, and there she is, waving shyly at me. I head over to her driver's side door and open it for her. "Hey, glad you could make it."
She gives me a look, pursing her lips together, before she steps out. "I almost turned around and went home."
Reaching out, I offer her my hand, helping her out of the car. "You look nice." I admire the jeans that fit her like a second skin and the shirt that hugs her curves.
She runs her hands down her thighs, looking over at me. "They're not even mine. I had to borrow them from Lizzie. She's smaller than me. I know they don't look great."
"Hey..." I reach under her chin, tilting it up so that her eyes can meet mine. "There's no pressure here. We're in the parking lot of El Fuego. We're gonna go in, have a margarita or two, get full on cheese dip before the entree comes, and then we're gonna do whatever it is you want to. I'll reiterate, there's no pressure here, Dee."
Her lips curl in a smile. "No one's ever given me a nickname before."
"Not one person?" I find that hard to believe.
"Other than Mom, or the names Kyle used to call me, there's not been anything."
Fuck, that hurts. The man she was married to was a fucking piece of work. "Well, let's go inside, get started on that cheese dip, and see where the night takes us."
After starting off the night awkwardly, I've got her laughing.
"Did you really?" She giggles, holding her chip in front of her mouth. "What happened?"
"Oh, yes, I did that, and they didn't let me live it down the entire time I was in the academy. On the first day of patrol for Bellehaven, they put a sign on my back that said I didn't know how to use my pepper spray."
"So what happens if you spray it in a car with the windows up? I'm curious."
I roll my eyes to the ceiling. "It's the same thing that happens if someone sprays it in your face. You get all the effects. The guys who were in the car with me when it happened got out and started snotting everywhere. I coughed so hard I puked, and everyone was pissed at me. Not really the best way to make a good impression."
She takes a drink from her margarita. "It's good to know you aren't as perfect as you look."
"Oh, trust me, Dee, I'm far from perfect."
"So am I. I guess we're made for each other, huh?"
I'm surprised to hear those words come from her. She's been shy every time I've spoken to her, and Deanna has definitely never flirted with me, but I think she is right now. "Guess we are." I smirk, taking a drink from my bottle of Corona. We're sitting next to each other. All I want is to reach over and slip my arm around her neck so I can pull her closer.
"I've got the enchiladas." A waiter appears at the side of our table.
"That's me." I raise my hand.
"And that means you've got the pollo loco. If y'all need anything else, just let me know. I'll be around."
"This is so much food," Deanna says as she looks at the plate in front of her.
They always give a ton of food, and I'm surprised to hear her say this. I thought everyone in town had eaten at El Fuego. "Yeah, it's great for leftovers or lunch the next day. Have you ever eaten here?" I take the chance and ask her.
"No." She tucks her hands in between her thighs, as if she's afraid to take the first bite. "My ex-husband didn't want to spend the money to go out to eat. When we did, there would always be a fight, so it got to where I didn't ask."
I grip my fork so hard in between my fingers that I'm surprised I don't bend it. "You deserve the best of everything, Dee. If you let me, I'm gonna show you all the shit you've been missing."
She takes another drink from her glass, and then a bite. It's a diversion tactic, even though the food and drinks are amazing. Her eyes don't meet mine, even when she begins to speak. "Luke, don’t make promises you can't keep. Don't offer it unless you intend on following through. That's the worst thing anyone could do for me and my kids. We've lived a life where we couldn't count on anyone around us. All we want is something and someone we can trust. Can you be that man? If you can't..." She trails off. "Then we probably need to end this before it starts."
Reaching over, I tuck my hand behind her neck. "You can count on me, you can trust me. I know it's going to take time, and it won't happen overnight. I understand what it means, and I don't plan on failing you."
She dips her chin to her chest. "How do you understand?"
I wasn't planning on getting this deep into my past this early in our relationship, but here we are. Maybe if I can show her what life looks like when you truly leave the person who's making you sad, she'll believe that I'm an example of what happiness looks like. I let out a breath before turning in the booth and gazing into her eyes. "My dad was like Kyle. They could be brothers. That's how closely they resemble each other when it comes to their dispositions. He beat my mom daily, and he laid hands on me a few times, too."
"Ohhh, Luke," she whispers, reaching out to grab my hand.
"It taught me a lot. How to be a different man, how to decide that I wanted a life that didn't look like what we had. It wasn't until Mom called the cops on my dad that our life changed. The responding officer took one look at the both of us and knew we weren't going to make it unless there were changes made in the home. He took a chance by giving my mom his card, and his number."
"Like me?" She raises her eyebrows.
"Yeah." I drop my head, shy, admitting all of this to her. "It still took us a few months to get to where we were in a spot that she could call him. Eventually she did, and he started coming around. I was terrified." Thinking back to those early days when Shawn, my stepdad, came around, I can remember those feelings as if they're happening right now. "But he made promises that he didn't break, and when my mom came to me, saying that they were dating, it wasn't a surprise. It was welcome, because he was constant, he was comfort, and he was everything I'd come to know as steady. When they got married, and he allowed me to take his last name, it was the best day of my life." I get emotional at this point, my voice growing thin.
"Luke, you're lucky." She wipes at tears leaking from her eyes.
"I know I am, which is why I know what you and your kids need. I'm not making false promises, and I'm not doing it because I have some kind of savior kink. I'm doing it because those sad eyes of yours kill me. Because I see so much of myself in your son, and the two of you break my heart. There's a pull I can't stop, Dee. Let me show you what life can be like," I plead.
She takes a shaky bite of her food. "Is your dad a cop here? I've never heard that name before. Shawn Hartford."
I grin. She's checking me out, verifying that I'm not lying to her. "He's retired from the Lexington force. I didn't want to patrol a big city. I wanted to have a more hands-on approach. Drugs were a big part of it too, and while they are here, in Bellehaven, they aren't as prominent. When I chose to get into this line of work, I decided to get the next town over, so I could still be close to my family. I'll give you my parents' number. You can call them and check me out."
She laughs, throwing her head back in a carefree way I want to see more of. "I might take you up on that, Officer Hartford."
The smoky timbre of her voice travels all the way down between my thighs as she calls me Officer Hartford. "Give me your phone."
Without a question, she hands it over. It takes about two minutes for me to put it in and hand it back to her. She looks down, her eyes crinkling when she smiles. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Yeah, both my mom and dad's numbers. Feel free to call them whenever you need to ask them a question about me, or if you just want to talk."
Deanna puts the phone on the table. "Luke, nobody is this nice. Not unless they want something from you."
"I don't want anything, Deanna. There's no ulterior motive to any of this, I promise."
She seems to gather her courage. "What if I want something?"
"All you have to do is tell me what it is."
I'm surprised as hell when she reaches forward, grabs my face, and plants a kiss against my lips.