We pulled into my driveway and sat in the car for a few minutes. It was dark, and the street seemed quiet. I unbuckled my seat belt, and climbed over to Lucas, straddling him in the driver’s seat. He looked at me strangely, and I took his face in my hands.
“There is no chance I willeverget back with Marc. We are over and have been for years. He can play games with the papers if he wants, and I’ll find a way around him. I loveyou. Alwaysyou. Got it?” I sank down a little and rubbed myself against him. His body seemed to feel better as he was already hard beneath me. He chuckled and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Got it. I love you, too.” Lucas pulled me close and brought his lips to mine. There was so much in his kiss—love mixed with a little desperation. My divorce needed to go through ASAP, as all this stress was majorly screwing with Lucas’s head.
“I got a little scared, too. I didn’t want to think about what I would do if you really did back off.” Lucas’s glossy eyes darted from mine, and I took his face in my hands again to make him face me.
“There is no way I could ever back off. I’ve waited for you for most of my life. Nothing, and no one could ever take me away from you.” I gave him a soft peck on the lips, and he pulled me into another deep kiss.
“Let’s get inside before we give the neighbors a show.”
Lucas nodded with a smirk. “If you insist.”
We got Bella out of the car and put her right into bed. As far as I was concerned, Lucas, Bella, and I were a family. Papers were exactly that,paper. What was in my heart was what mattered. And in my heart—there was only Lucas. I needed to find a way to make him believe that.
Twenty-Two
Lucas
Why didI still pay rent at my apartment? It was a waste since I was with Sam and Bella almost every night. Every time I went home without them, everything seemed way too quiet and just—off. It didn’t feel like home without my girls. My sister was right. Ihadgotten attached to both of them, and it didn’t look like Marc was signing those papers anytime soon. A couple of months had passed since Jessica told Sam to back off. Even though our fight blew over, she was still constantly on my case—telling me I should keep a little distance, but I couldn’t. I decided it was better to risk getting my heart ripped out than spending every moment missing the hell out of them when we were apart.
I walked out of Sam’s bedroom and found Bella on the couch staring blankly at the TV.
“What’s the matter, Butterfly?” Bella shrugged at me as I sat next to her.
Sam answered for her from the kitchen as she made us breakfast. “All her friends are going to a dance tonight, and she isn’t.”
“Dance? She’s five years old! Do they all have dates too?”
Sam laughed. “Yes, with their fathers. Every November, her Daisy troop has a father-daughter dance at her school. That was the one thing Marc took her to last year because he was friends with a couple of the dads. I offered to take her, but she said no because all her friends would be with their daddies.”
“Why can’t I take her?” It came out before I realized it.
“You would?” Sam and Bella both asked me at the same time. Bella gazed at me with big sad eyes that screamed, “Please, Lucas!” I didn’t know what I had to do at this dance, but I couldn’t disappoint her.
“Why not? How ‘bout it, Butterfly? Would it be okay if I took you—?”
“Yes!” Bella shot up and knocked me over with a hug. I chuckled at how excited she was.
“Thank you for saying yes. So what do I have to wear for our date tonight?”
“Mommy, I’m going on a date with Lucas.” Bella scurried over to her mother in the kitchen. I could never understand why Marc completely ignored his daughter. If she were mine, I would spoil the shit out of her.
“I know! I’ll miss you guys tonight.” Sam lifted her up and came into the living room.
“Bella, I think you can wear your blue dress.” She turned to face me. “All you need is a button-down shirt and pants, nothing too fancy.”
“Could you paint my nails for tonight, Mommy? Please.”
“Sure! You know where the nail polish is. Go pick a color.”
“Yay!” Sam put Bella down, and she rushed into Sam’s room. What a difference from the mopey little girl she was when she woke up.
Sam put breakfast on the table and strutted over to the couch, planting herself on my lap.
“You’re not jealous, are you? We could still go on a private date tonight—later.” I whispered in her ear and bit her earlobe. A little moan escaped Sam as I moved my lips over her neck.
Sam giggled and put her arms around me. “Thank you. This means a lot to her.”
