Chapter 39
Daniel
“I have a problem.” I say
“The last time you had a problem, it was resolved by you moving in with your girl. So, what could possibly be your problem this time?” Luke smirks. “Things aren’t going good with her?”
I chuckle, something I find myself doing a lot lately. Things are great, moving in the right direction, long as I keep picking her messes off the floor.
“Things are great with her, when she’s not driving me crazy. My problem isn’t her, it's a twelve-year-old boy that eats all the pastries she bakes for me.”
Luke bursts into laughter.
“I’m serious. This kid tells me most of the time that he’s going to marry my girl when he’s older.
That I disregard, but what rubs me wrong the most is when he eats the pastries Anu makes for me without care.
” Luke laughs more. “For real, this kid is practically stealing my food, poking me and smiling all the way to the couch with a smirk on his face.”
“I got to hand it to you,” he says through laughter. “You really do have all the big problems.” He laughs and pats my back. “If it’s any consolation, I just dropped my boys at my mom’s for the weekend so they can stop cock-blocking me.”
Now, I’m the one laughing.
“Little boys are now our problems,” I say.
“Who would have thought?”
“I just solved my problem, and how do you plan to solve yours?” He asks
“I honestly don’t know, but I’ll figure something out. Maybe another twelve-year-old girl or a fourteen-year-old girl, but I need to win this. Because this kid gives me a smug smile every time he eats my stuff, like he knowingly did it because he’s hoping I get upset enough and leave.
“Are you likely to get upset enough and leave, so he can marry your girl as he has professed?” Luke teases.
“Fuck no! I just have to find something he wants more than my food and my girl,” I answer with a little determination to resolve my problem.
“Do you need Bruce on his ass?”
Now I know Luke is mocking me.
“I’m tempted to get Bruce on his ass, but I think I can resolve my problem on my own without the big gun.” Luke laughs at my demise, even I laugh inside at my own demise.
“So, how’s living with a woman?”
I release a slow, frustrated sigh.
“That bad uh?”
“You got me,” I state.
“I told myself that I just wanted our agreement, but I find myself looking forward to the end of each day so I can return home and I get cranky when the apartment is empty. I race home just to see her. Didn’t realize how much I would dislike not finding her at home sometimes,” I take a drink and sigh.
“Your craving for her was easy, now the love is settled. Stop resisting and accept the fact that you are in love with her or let her go.”
I snicker at his words. Can’t mention that I asked her to marry her.
“You knew, didn’t you, when you advised me to move in with her?”
“I guessed. Truth is, you already made up your mind. I just did the nudging.”
I exhale. He’s right, there wasn’t the slightest chance I was going to allow any man besides me move in with her.
My soul had claimed her before my brain registered it.
Now my heart needs to accept it and get my whole being into the task of making her claim me back.
There lies my real challenge. Everything else is a distraction.
“Thanks, Luke, for nudging me.”
“That was easy, because you already laid claim to her.” He chuckles taking a sip of his drink.
I nod.
“I get it now, why you and Declan have Bruce always watching and protecting your wives. I can’t imagine how mad I would be if something happened to her.”
“Are you telling me Bruce is tailing her?” he questions.
“Damn right he is. Turns out her brother, who she told me was happy to buy her a house and let her live alone in Chicago, isn’t so happy about the idea, so he’s got guys watching her.”
“Now that’s interesting. How did that go down?”
“It wasn’t easy, if that’s what you are asking. Bottom line, we both agreed to work together.” I say
“Good. So, she knows you are working with her brother?” he asks
“No, she doesn’t know that we’ve talked at all.” I reply
“Be careful. She might not like it when she finds out you teamed up with her brother.” Luke says.
“I’ll deal with that situation when she finds out rather than leave her unguarded and have something crazy happens. You know she rolls with Cole A, and some crazy fans just might do something stupid. You and I both know you can’t teach stupid.”
“I hear you.”