Chapter 17 #2
“I got arrested last fall. Well, not really. But that’s the rumor.”
She stood up fast, ignoring the spike of pain in both knees.
“Excuse me?” She fumbled for her phone. “Is this some kind of joke or something? Does, like, everyone in town know my real father is a felon? Are you trying to embarrass me?”
“What?” He jumped to his feet. “No. My God, Sarah, of course not. I thought your dad was a producer. This doesn’t have anything to do with you. I got in trouble last fall and everyone still talks about it like I’m some kind of criminal.”
She swallowed back the panic bubbling up her throat.
She didn’t believe for a second that he’d done anything criminal—only that a cute boy might be tricking her in some kind of school prank.
Besides, she already knew she could outrun his butt any day—track star or not. She was tricky, smart and fast.
“What happened?” Keeping her phone in one hand, she was grateful he gave her space while she thought through what he said.
“Domestic dispute. My mom and dad—same old crap and nothing new for them. But my dad got out of control and shoved Mom. Maybe he got away with that bullshit when I was four years old, but I’m eighteen.
Did he really think he could do that to my mother and I would just let him? ” He shook his head in disbelief.
“Oh, my God, Lucas.” She stuffed the phone back into her purse and scrambled over to him. “Don’t say you got involved.”
“Hell yes, I got involved. And I’ll be proud I did until the day I die.
” He remained tense as she slung her arms around him.
But when she squeezed tighter, he kissed her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Sarah. My father and I didn’t really fight.
The neighbors had called earlier when my mom and dad were yelling, so they got there before things got ugly.
But I’d pissed my dad off, and he accused me of hitting him.
I’d only just pushed him to keep him off mom. ”
Horrified to think that that was the kind of home life he dealt with, Sarah didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “It’s fine. It’s done. I’m living with my aunt now and I’m focusing on school and stuff instead of family drama. I can’t fix my parents, but I can make sure I don’t get drawn into that shit again.”
“Good for you.” She admired the set to his jaw and the determination in his gaze. “And can I apologize once again for bringing you more drama?”
“No.” He tipped her chin up and cradled her face so she was forced to meet his gaze. “Sarah, I looked at you the first time and—this is going to sound so cheesy—but I swear I saw that same crazy wildness in you that I feel all the time.”
“Lucas, I’m going to do you a huge favor and tell you that you do not need crazy wildness in your life anymore.” She took a deep breath. “You’re right about me and what you saw in me. I’m trying to get a handle on it, though. I don’t want to be the wild girl forever.”
“You don’t get it.” He shook his head, a dark wave of hair falling over one eye as he held her steady, his voice certain.
“I saw the good kind of wildness, Sarah. You were carrying a pink laser gun and vaulting over kiddie slides while the other girls were rolling their eyes at the game. I knew five minutes after meeting you that I needed to break up with the girl I’d been seeing because I was going to fall hard for you.
You’re so full of life and adventure. Well, maybe a little too much sometimes. But I liked you right away.”
Warm happiness twined through her, and it was so nice to feel good again after so much bad crap in her life.
“My dad—my real dad and not the felon—he says I have a powerhouse personality.”
Lucas laughed. “That’s about right. But then, just when I thought I couldn’t be more crazy about you, my mom called to give me an update on how she’s been doing since she left my dad.”
Puzzled, she couldn’t imagine how those things connected.
“And?” She threaded her fingers through his hair, wishing she never had to leave Heartache and this boy who saw good things inside her.
“And she told me she met ‘the kindest young woman’ on a television segment she was asked to film about her struggle to start over again.”
Frowning, Sarah tried to make the pieces fit…
She blinked. “Oh my God. Your mom is Jamie Raybourn?”
Pieces fell into place as she pictured the tiny blonde who’d just gotten an accounting job at Finleys’ Building Supplies. The woman who Erin had helped get an interview outfit and a makeover.
“The one and the same. I always wished I had her last name instead of my father’s.
” Lucas’s thumbs caressed her cheeks with infinite tenderness.
“But she told me all about a beautiful, warmhearted girl who made her feel good about herself on a hard day. Sarah, I almost freaking cried when she told me your name.”
Her voice wobbled. “In a good way though, right?”
“She’s my mom. I nearly got my ass sent to jail trying to keep her safe.
Yes, it’s a good thing you were kind to her.
” Lucas kissed her lips with an intensity that was a whole lot different than the way she’d kissed him under the slide.
There was intention in it. A depth of caring she’d never felt with a guy before.
“Oh.” She felt breathless. Dazed. “I thought so.”
“It’s been tough for me to live with my aunt and not be there for Mom, but my heart’s been with her, despite having to pull myself out of that whole mess for a while.
” Lucas straightened. “I hadn’t wanted to tell you about me getting hauled into the station and the rumors around town that I’d gotten arrested before I started school in Heartache.
But I’ve wanted to thank you for helping my mother and I couldn’t say it until you knew the whole truth about me. ”
He sighed with the satisfaction of someone who had gotten a lot off his chest, a feeling she could identify with, having experienced it recently herself in the police station. What strange paths they’d walked to one another.
“Now I know you and I like you even better,” she admitted.
The idea worried her a little because it put a whole lot of pressure on her matchmaking scheme between Dad and Erin. She wanted to stay in Heartache more than ever. But how could she make her father fall in love in a week’s time?
He’d been moving through life at a turtle’s pace for months.
“You said you wanted to talk tonight, too,” Lucas reminded her as he wound a strand of her hair around his finger.
Right. She’d wanted to tell him about slowing things down, but she knew he’d be okay with that. If anything, he’d been trying to slow her down.
She also needed to tell him about leaving Heartache, but she didn’t want to think about that yet. Maybe she should tell him about the violence in her own past. But with this new tenderness in her heart, she wasn’t ready for that tonight, either.
“It can wait.” She tipped her face into the spring breeze and inhaled the scent of barbecue on the breeze. “We should go dance.”
“But your knees must hurt.”
“I’m fine and I want to twirl around with you under the stars. Besides, I need to see you two-step for myself.”
“Maybe someone there will have bandages and we can clean up the cuts.” He turned around so his back was facing her. “I’ll give you a piggyback ride.”
She eyed his shoulders, liking the idea though it seemed way too far for him to carry her.
“I don’t know…”
Bending his knees he lifted her, putting her on his back with ease.
“Come on, Cajun Queen. We’ll dance sooner this way.”
Sarah laid her cheek against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. Her legs locked around his waist.
“Let the record show, I tried to warn you it wouldn’t be easy.”
“You keep right on warning me away.” He picked up his pace as they reached the walking path leading over the bridge and back toward the playground. “You can’t get rid of me, Sarah.”