“You got in that fast?”
“Yeah, they had a cancellation. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Are you coming to the bar now? There’s something I want to show you.”
“Yep, I’m on my way now,” I said as I got into the Explorer and shut the door.
“Good. I’ll be waiting, babe, and park around the back. I love you.”
“I love you more.” I smiled as I quickly ended the call before he had a chance to say anything.
***
I pulled into the back lot of the bar like Luke had asked, and he was standing there waiting for me. As I smiled and parked the Explorer, he walked over and opened my door. He leaned in, smiled, and brushed his lips against mine.
“I’ve been waiting to do that since this morning,” he said.
As I got out of the truck, Luke bent down and picked me up.
“What are you doing?” I laughed.
“Close your eyes. Make sure they’re closed tight because I don’t want you peeking.”
“Luke, what’s going on?”
“I want to show you something. Just do as I say, and keep your eyes closed.”
He carried me through the parking lot, and I did as he asked and kept my eyes closed. He stopped, put me down, and told me to open my eyes. When I opened them, they darted to the new bar sign that read, ‘Luke’s Bar & Grille.’ I covered my mouth with my hands in excitement as I stared at the artistry that officially made this Luke’s bar.
“It’s perfect, Luke!” I squealed as I threw my arms around him.
“They put it up this morning. Do you know how awesome it is to see my name up on that sign? I’ve dreamed of this for so long, Lily, and it finally happened.”
“I know, baby, and I’m so happy for you,” I said as a damn tear rolled down my cheek.
“Babe, don’t,” he said as he wiped it away with his thumb.
“It’s a tear of happiness. I love you so much,” I whispered as I hugged him tight.
“I love you more.” He smiled. “Come on, let’s go have some lunch. Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” I said as we walked into the bar.
As Luke walked to the back, I sat down at the bar where Maddie was putting glasses away.
“Hi, Lily.”
“Hi, Maddie. How are you?”
“I’m good. I’m glad to see you here today.”
I gave her a strange look, and then it dawned on me that Luke must have told her about last night.
“I’m assuming Luke told you about our argument.”
“Yeah; he was so upset last night when he walked in here.”
“I know, and I feel awful about that, but we’re good, and I’m seeking help to deal with my past.”
“You have no idea how proud of you I am. You’re an amazing person, and Luke is deeply in love with you.”
I smiled at her as Luke came up behind me. “What do you want to eat, babe?” he asked.
“I’ll just have a burger; you know how I like it.”
“Yes, I do,” he growled as he leaned in and kissed my neck.
“Ok, that’s enough!” Maddie smirked.
I got up from the bar and sat down at a table. I pulled my phone from my purse and there was a text message from Brynn. My heart started racing, and a sick feeling emerged in the pit of my stomach.
“Lily, please don’t be mad. I went through Mom’s phone and got your number. I really need to see you, or at the very least, talk to you.”
As I threw my phone on the table and sighed, Luke came walking over with our burgers. He set the plate down in front of me as he took the seat across from me.
“What’s wrong, Lily? You have that look.”
I picked up my phone and handed it to him. He looked at me as he set my phone down on the table.
“Don’t let that upset you,” he said.
“How can I not?!” I exclaimed as I leaned in closer to him.
“I hate to say this, Lily, and I know your therapist is going to tell you the same thing, but you need to talk to Brynn to let go and get closure. I told you the same thing about your mom, and look how that turned out. The two of you are speaking again and trying to put the past behind you.”
I took a bite of my burger and I looked at Luke. “OMG, this burger is amazing! Why is this burger so amazing?!”
Luke threw his head back and laughed. “I hired a new chef yesterday, and he uses some secret ingredient. It’s so secret that he won’t even tell me what it is. I’ll be sure to tell him that you love his burgers.”
Once I got over how amazing the burger was, I went back to the subject of Brynn.
“I can’t believe you would suggest I talk to her after what she did. Have you forgotten that she carried on a relationship with my fiancé, and then fucked him in the church on my wedding day?!”
“No, babe, I haven’t forgotten that. But maybe you need to hear why she did it. You’re carrying an awful lot of anger around with you about Brynn and Hunter, and maybe it’s time you hear her out and let it all go. Besides, look at where you are right now. Just think, if you wouldn’t have found them in the church, you’d be living your dream life with a big real estate agent, in a big house with a white picket fence, pretending that everything was great, and I’d be sitting in my apartment, all alone and feeling sorry for myself. It’s called fate, Lily. You were meant to find out about them that day.”
A part of me knew he was right. Luke was always right, and it drove me nuts. I got up from my chair and sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my neck.
“You’re right, Luke. It’s time to let go,” I said as I kissed him.
“Do you think that you two could either go get a room somewhere or at least go lock yourselves in the office?” Maddie said as she walked over to us.
“Go away or you’re fired,” Luke mumbled.
Suddenly, we heard a crash. Luke looked up as Maddie dropped a glass on the floor and stared straight ahead towards the door. I got up from Luke’s lap and looked over to where she was looking at someone standing in the doorway.
“Who’s that?”
“It’s Adam, that motherfucker!” Luke said as he quickly got up and started walking over to him.
37
Luke
Lily grabbed my arm to prevent me from kicking Adam’s ass out of my bar.
“Don’t, Luke, please. Think of Charley,” she said as she tried to pull me back.
As I approached Adam, he put his hands up.
“Hey, Luke, I’m not here to cause any trouble. I just want to talk to Maddie.”
“Well she doesn’t want to talk to you!” I spat.
“Why don’t you let her decide that for herself,” he said as Maddie came walking over.
“Luke, pull back,” Maddie said as she looked at me.
“Maddie, you can’t be serious!”
As Lily pulled me over to the side, Maddie and Adam sat down at a table.
“Luke, take your own advice!” Lily said between gritted teeth.
“What are you talking about, Lily?”
“We just had a conversation about letting things go and moving forward. You told me that I need to talk to Brynn. Well, maybe it’s time you talk to Adam.”
“It’s different. There’s a little girl involved here.”
“I understand that, but he’s her father, and you at least owe it to Charley to listen to what he has to say.”
I rolled my eyes and turned away from her. She was throwing my own advice back in my face. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she asked me to please stay calm for her. I sighed, turned around, and kissed her forehead. I grabbed her hand, and I led her to the table where Maddie and Adam were sitting.
“Hi, Adam, I’m Lily Gilmore, Luke’s girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she extended her hand to him.
“Hi, Lily. It’s nice to meet you too.” Adam smiled as he took her hand and shook it.
Seeing
him touch Lily made me sick, and I wanted to fucking punch him right then and there. But, I promised I would stay calm for Lily’s sake.
“Would you like to explain why you just showed up here without calling?” I asked as I folded my arms and leaned back in the chair.
“Before I answer that, I just want to congratulate you on the bar. I was very surprised when I walked up and saw the sign.”
I didn’t say a word to him. I just sat there and stared him down as he continued to speak.
“I’m a changed man—”
“The fuck you are!” I exclaimed.
Lily looked over at me and gave me a dirty look. “Watch your mouth,” she said with a serious tone.
“I’m clean, and I have been for over a year. I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, and I’ve quit smoking cigarettes. If you don’t believe me, then I can do a drug test for you.”
“Why this sudden change of character?” I asked.
“Because I hit rock bottom and almost died. I guess you could say I had an epiphany, because when I woke up in that hospital bed, alone and scared, I knew I couldn’t live my life like that anymore. So, I checked myself into one of the best rehab programs in the country and they helped me.”
“Then why the hell didn’t you come see your daughter like you promised her you would? Do you have any idea how you broke that little girl’s heart?”
Adam sighed and looked at Maddie. “The reason I couldn’t visit was because I’m a sponsor, and the person I’m sponsoring, who had been clean for six months, decided to shoot himself up with heroine the night before I was supposed to leave. I had an obligation to be there for him and help him.”
I got out of my seat and slammed my fists on the table. “You have an obligation to your daughter!” I yelled.
Lily grabbed my arm. “Luke, that’s enough!”
As I took in a deep breath, I sat down. I was angry that he would put a drug addict before his daughter, and I wanted to kill him.
“I understand you being angry, Luke; trust me, I do. After waking up in that hospital and realizing that I had almost died, the only two people I could think about were Maddie and Charley, and how I was given a second chance.”
“Wow,” Lily said.
I looked at her and rolled my eyes as she smacked me on the arm. “Stop it!” she spat.
“You’re full of shit, Adam, and I don’t believe one word of what you’re saying. You’ve done way too much damage, and you left a trail of tears and scars with Maddie and Charley, and I will not let you walk back into their normal lives and fuck everything up!”
Suddenly, I heard a small voice from across the bar. “Daddy?” Charley said as she stood a few feet away from Adam.
“There’s my baby girl.” He smiled as he got out of his chair and held his arms out to her.
Charley ran to him and threw her arms around him as he picked her up and swung her around.
“Let me look at you,” he said as he put her down. “You’re beautiful, and you’re so grown up,” he said as he hugged her.
“Daddy, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came to see you and Mommy.”
I looked over at Maddie as she took in the moment between her daughter and her daughter’s father. I shook my head because I knew by the look on her face that she believed him, and she was going to let him back into their lives.
“Can I talk to you for a minute, Maddie?” I asked as I took a hold of her arm and led her to the back room.
“I know what you’re going to say, Luke, but there’s a part of me that believes him.”
“Damn it, Maddie! I knew this was going to happen.”
Maddie pointed her finger in my face. “Listen to me. I owe it to Charley to give her father a chance.”
“You can’t relate, Luke, because you grew up with a mother and father who loved each other and were there for you and Maddie,” Lily said as she walked up behind me. “Let’s go out to dinner tonight and have some general conversation; maybe you’ll be able to see things differently.”
“That’s a great idea, Lily.” Maddie smiled.
“What do you say, Luke?” Lily asked me as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Whatever. I have to go. I have work to do,” I said as I stormed off and went to my office.
38
Lily
I could see the anger in his eyes as he stormed off into his office. Maddie looked over at me with tears in her eyes.
“He’s so angry, and he has so much hatred for Adam that I don’t think he’ll ever accept him.”
As I gave her a hug, I told her that I would talk to him. We walked back to the table where Adam was talking to Charley. Maddie excused herself as she pulled out her phone to make a phone call. When she came back to the table, she told Charley to get her things ready, because Mrs. Clements was coming to pick her up, take her to dance class, and then home with her so she could play with Allie for a while. Charley whined, and she said that she didn’t want to go.
“You have to go to dance class if you’re going to dance for me,” Adam said to her.
“But I want to stay with you,” she whined.
“I want you to stay too, but dance class is a little more important. So, I’ll tell you what, you go to dance class, and tomorrow, when you get home from school, I’ll take you and your mom out somewhere really fun.”
Charley’s eyes lit up as she looked over at Maddie. “Can we, Mom?”
Maddie smiled and patted her head. “Yeah, that sounds great,” she said as she looked at Adam.
Charley gave Adam a hug and a kiss goodbye as Maddie took her outside to wait for Mrs. Clements. I looked Adam over as he watched Maddie and Charley walk out of the bar. As much as I hated to admit it, he was hot. He stood over six feet tall with a nice build, and he wore his light brown hair short. I saw a lot of him in Charley, especially in their bluish-green eyes.
Adam turned and looked at me. “Regardless of what everyone tells you, I love that little girl more than anything in this world, and I came back here to make things right with her.”
“Listen, Adam, I don’t know you, and I’m not judging you. But, you have a track record and a history. I came from a father that was somewhat like you, and he fucked me up, and now I’m in therapy because of him. So, I just want to let you know that I love that little girl too, and I won’t stand by and let you ruin her if you decide to go back to your old life.”
Luke came walking up behind me just as I finished my sentence. “Are you ready to go?” he asked me.
“Yes, I am. Adam, we’ll see you later for dinner. Maddie will fill you in on the details.”
He looked down and nodded his head. “Thanks, Lily, Luke; I’ll see you both later.”
Luke just shot him a look and put his arm around me as we walked out of the bar. “I heard what you said to him,” he said.
“Ok, and?”
“Nothing, I just thought you were pretty bad ass.” He smiled as he brushed his lips against mine.
As I climbed into the Explorer, Luke got on his bike, and we headed home.
***
“You better be nice at dinner,” I said to Luke as he was in the shower, and I was touching up my makeup.
“I can’t make any promises when it comes to that douchebag.”
“Luke, I swear, I’ll be so mad at you if you don’t let him talk and explain everything.”
“What’s to explain, Lily? He’s a drunk, a drug addict, and a thief. He’ll always be those things to me.”
“Wow, I never took you for the grudge type.”
“Only with him, babe.”
I took the towel that Luke had waiting for him off the counter, and I hid the one that was on the towel rack. As he turned off the shower, I stepped out of the bathroom. “What the hell,” I heard him say as he opened the shower curtain.
“Lily, where’s the towel that I had sitting on the counter?”
As Luke stood there, dripping wet, I stopped in t
he doorway of the bathroom and held up the towel.
“Do you mean this one?”
He tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows. “Yes, that one,” he said as he held out his hand.
“Sorry, but you’re not getting this towel until you promise me that you’ll give Adam a chance.”
“Damn it, Lily, just give me the towel,” he said with irritation.
“No! Not until you promise me.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m cold.”
My eyes wandered down to his flaccid cock. “Yeah, I can tell.” I smiled.
“That’s it!” he exclaimed as he stepped out of the tub and started coming towards me.
“Oh shit!” I said as I ran down the hall and out the apartment door, knowing he wouldn’t open it.
Sam was coming out of his apartment, and he looked at me. “What’s going on, Lily?” he asked.
“Oh nothing; how are you?”
Sam gave me a strange look and he said he was good. Just as he was about to ask me why I was standing in the hallway with a towel in my hand, my apartment door opened, and Luke grabbed me from behind, pulling me into the apartment and shutting the door.
“Now you’re in trouble, babe,” he said as he took me to the bedroom and threw me on the bed.
He was in a pair of sweat shorts and no shirt. His hair was dripping wet, and he looked as sexy as hell. As he pinned me on the bed, he climbed on top and sat on my legs so I couldn’t move. He took both my hands and brought them over my head as he tightly held my wrists with his hand.
“Tell me how much you love me.” He smiled.
“No,” I said as I tried to wiggle myself free.
“What do you mean, no?” he asked as he leaned down and smashed his lips against mine.
His kiss was rough as I parted my lips and his tongue slipped into my mouth. He stopped and looked at me.
“Tell me how much you love me.”
“Let go of my wrists and I will.” I smiled.
As he let go of my wrists, I brought my hand to his face, and I stared into his beautiful brown eyes. “I love more than anything and anyone in this entire world.”
“I promise you, Lily, I’ll be nice tonight, and I won’t get out of line.” He smiled.
I pulled him down to me as I wrapped my arms around him and whispered in his ear, “Thank you, baby.”