“I’ll send someone,” Luke said again.
“Who is this someone?” Bella asked as she followed him to the doorway. She sent one last glance at her apartment before closing the door on that chapter of her life. Her heart ached a little, but she’d never been the kind of person to get too attached to things.
“I can hire people,” Luke told her. “Or I can come myself, if you’d feel more comfortable with that.”
“I just…” Bella sighed again. “I’m not sure I get this. Why you’re doing this. I mean, I understand that you want to make sure your baby is okay, but there must be an easier way than inviting me into your house and paying to have my errands run for me. It just all seems a little too selfless.”
They stepped out through the front door into the twilight, and Luke turned to Bella. “Maybe I’m not doing this because I’mselfless,” he said. “Maybe I’m doing it because I’m incrediblyselfish.Have you considered that?”
“How is helping me with everything selfish?” Bella asked.
Luke looked down at her, his expression barely visible in the fading light. “I thought I lost my one chance for family a long time ago,” he said. “I’ve lived alone with nothing but my work since then. I know this is an unusual situation, but forgive me for taking any chance I can to find family again. And forgive me for doing whatever I can to keep that family safe. I’m seizing the moment and listening to my instincts on this one.”
“I…” Bella couldn’t think of anything to say to that. It felt strange for Luke to claim the baby he’d only just found out about as family, but it was nice, too. It was nice that she wasn’t alone in this anymore. It was nice that someone else cared about their son almost as much as she did.
Luke smiled down at her, though there was something unreadable behind his eyes.
“So, like I said before, you’re doing me a favor by letting me help you. I mean that. Now, come on. Let’s get home.”
So, Bella followed him back to the car. They drove mostly in silence again, Bella lost in her thoughts. She wondered what Luke’s life was like that he was so ready to welcome her into it. She wondered if he really felt like their unborn child was family. And she wondered what things were going to be like over the next few months.
After a while, they pulled into the driveway of a large green house with a wraparound porch. It was the kind of house Bella always looked at with longing, knowing she’d never be able toafford it. It was no mansion, but it was beautiful and two-storied and had a yard, all the things Bella used to dream of.
“You live here?” she asked as they got out.
“I do. And now, so do you.”
Luke carried her suitcase up the steps and through the front door. Bella followed, blinking in surprise as she took in the inside of her new home.
The entryway was almost completely empty. There were three pairs of shoes neatly lined up on a shoe rack, along with a rain jacket and a winter coat. That was it. There were no mirrors or pictures or end tables with plants.
Luke took off his shoes, so Bella did, too, leaning carefully against the wall to avoid tipping over with her new center of gravity.
“I’ll give you the tour,” Luke explained. “First, your room. Head upstairs — I’ll be right behind you.”
Bella climbed the stairs slowly. At the top, she turned to the first bedroom, which had plain white walls, no pictures, and a large bed with white sheets.
“This must be the guestroom,” she said.
“No, that’s mine. Yours is just down the hall.”
Luke pointed, so Bella continued to the next room. It was also very plain: white walls, no pictures, a bed with white sheets. As they continued the tour, she noticed the same pattern in every room. There was no personality anywhere. The house was spacious and beautiful, but as empty as a staged home. No pictures. No plants. No books. Nothing.
“Do you really live here?” Bella asked when they ended the tour in the clean, empty kitchen. “Because you’ve just brought me to the house of a serial killer.” She raised her eyebrows at Luke, who chuckled.
“Okay, I see your point. Like I said, I’ve lived alone for a long time.”
“Can I please make a few changes around here?” Bella asked.
“Whatever you’d like,” Luke said easily.
“And is it okay if I use your kitchen?” Bella continued.
“Yes, it’s your kitchen too, now. But as I mentioned before, you should be mostly resting, even mostly on bed rest, for the next few weeks. So, take it easy.”
“Hmm.” Bella went into the kitchen and ran her hand over the countertop, then opened the fridge. Inside were two beers and a bottle of ketchup. “What do you eat?”
“I do a lot of takeout,” Luke said. “And I have some frozen meals.”
