I was staring at a spreadsheet on my computer when the doorbell rang. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was just after ten, still early, so I had no idea who that could be. One click saved my work, then I made my way to the front door. Halfway there, I realized that the silhouette on the other side of the frosted glass could only belong to one person.
"Hey, Luke," I said, opening the door to invite him in.
He stood there with his hat in his hand. "I, uh..." Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at me. "I still intend to cut that hay for you, if you're needing it."
Stepping back a bit more, I gestured inside. "Got a few types of coke in the fridge. Help yourself to one. And I think I've got everything I need for the hay, but I know nothing about this."
He huffed, sounding more like relief than a laugh, and stepped in. "Not exactly rocket science. Cut the grass, dry it, bale it, and sell it." But he stood there awkwardly, looking around the living room. "You redecorated?"
"Yeah." The easy banter between us was gone, replaced by a tension I couldn't quite shake. Desperate, I gestured to a pair of chairs. "That's why Ashton was here, to help me pack Gran's things and put the memories in perspective."
"So all her stuff's gone?" He still hadn't moved.
"No. A lot of it I put in the office. Some I moved to the guest bedrooms. I just..." I flicked my eyes up, making sure they wouldn't start running. It was hard, looking around and seeing nothing but memories, especially when I could have used my grandmother's advice the most. "I figured if I wanted to live here, I'd have to make it a little less Gran's and a bit more mine."
"Yeah." His hands shifted on his hat, holding it before him like a shield. "Look, about last week..."
"I like kids," I blurted out.
He paused, his mouth still open. "What?"
"Kids," I tried again, shoving my hair away from my face as I headed for the kitchen to get drinks. That would give him a reason to stay, and I didn't want him running away. "I said I didn't want to be a mom, but I still like kids. Well, mostly after they're walking, but I have a weakness for teenagers."
I yanked open the fridge and grabbed a Dr. Pepper for him, and a chilled bottle of flavored water for me. When I turned, he was behind me, carefully placing his hat on the kitchen bar. He'd followed, but had yet to relax. Desperately, I offered him the bottle of soda.
"So," I kept going, hoping to dig my way out, "I like kids. When I said I didn't want to be a mom, I wasn't trying to say it like it was a bad thing, and I didn't mean for you to take it that way - I just didn't know you had a daughter. I meant that I'm not ready to get pregnant myself."
"I should have told you."
I waved that away. "No. I mean, just drop that out there, like, 'Sure, I'll help you with hay, and oh, I have a thirteen-year-old daughter, just in case you needed that information since we barely know each other.' I can see why it didn't come up."
"She's actually twelve," he corrected, a hint of a smile curling his lips. "But, yeah. Her birthday is at the end of the month."
"Oh." For the life of me, I couldn't think of another thing to say.
Luke chuckled, pushing his hand across his face. "Look, I knocked up her mom in high school. When my parents kicked me out, Vera put me up, talked me through my freak-outs, and those two women helped me figure it out. That's why I wanted to help so bad."
"You seem like a great dad."
That broke the ice. Luke's shoulders relaxed and he took a step closer. "From both minutes you saw me with her?"
"Yeah. You look at her like she's important, not a pain in your ass. I dunno, like how I always thought a dad should treat his daughter." I leaned my hip against the bar. "And don't think I missed the part where you put her above everything else. Not a lot of guys would do that."
"Not a lot of women who'd see that as a good thing. A dorky kid who wants me to chauffeur her around on the weekends? Kinda kills my dating life."
"And yet you still do it." I shrugged. "I meant it when I said she should come over. Faith seems like a great kid. She can use the pool whenever, or ride, or whatever you want, but she'salwayswelcome." Licking my lips, I looked up at him. "Always, Luke. She's your daughter."
In two steps, he closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me. "Thank you. She idolizes you, and you have no idea how hard it's been trying to explain to her that you might be busy, or - "
"I'm not," I insisted. "Even if I am, I'm not."
"Yeah." He sighed, slowly letting me go to step back. "And I sure as hell don't deserve that after punching your partner in the gut."
I couldn't stop a giggle from slipping out. "No kidding." A grin proved I was mostly joking. "And I'm well aware that Ashton helped with that. He might be my best friend, but he can be a real ass."
"Thought he was your partner?"
"Yeah, and my best friend," I repeated.
