Chapter 31
Jordan
The last few days have been the most exhausting of my life. After our multiple trips to the police station, I told Lucas that I needed to talk to Penny in person.
Us girls had a long talk, where she rightfully freaked out, and then it ended with us both crying and snot running down our noses. I never wanted to keep the secret about my dad and our financial situation from her, but I had to. The less she knew the better. And now that it’s all over, I can breathe easier knowing the people around me won’t be in danger.
Before I left her place, she invited me, Lucas, and my dad over to her parents for Thanksgiving and I graciously accepted. I spent last year with her family, leaving my dad to be by himself, and in retrospect, I feel ashamed that I let my animosity go as far as it did.
I had a long conversation on the phone with Kyle too. I let him know I’m okay, but to reschedule any clients for the next few days and offer a free shoot for the people I missed while being kidnapped. He was already ahead of me though. When he called Lucas, he knew something was wrong and took the liberty of letting my clients know that I had some family trouble andwouldn’t be available for a little bit. The kid is smart, and I couldn’t be more grateful for him despite everything he did.
“Yeah, okay. I understand, sir,” Lucas says into the phone and then hangs up. He looks pensive as sets the phone down on the island.
“Everything okay?” I ask as I get off the couch to meet him where he stands.
“Uh…yeah. I just got off the phone with my Captain in Los Angeles. He wants me back in the city as soon as the case is wrapped up down here.”
“Right, of course,” I say. Because what else is there to say?
He reaches for me and wraps his arms around my shoulders in a tight hug. I wrap mine around his waist and we just stand there together in a comfortable embrace.
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to quit.”
I pull back enough to look up at his face. “Quit? You can’t do that though. It’s your job,” I state the obvious. I know he said we would figure our relationship out, but I didn’t think that meant for him to quit his job. I thought maybe it was more like a long-distance thing.
He pulls away just enough to pick me up and set me on the kitchen island, a position I’m all too familiar with at this point. He picks up both of my hands in his and kisses each of my palms. “When I went into undercover work, I knew the reality of having a life outside of my job was going to be next to none. And it didn’t bother me because up until this point, I had never had a serious relationship before. But I can’t keep doing this job and give you the quality time you deserve from a partnership. We’ll both end up suffering and I want you more than I want my job.”
I search his eyes. He’s serious and I’m not sure what to say. “What if we don’t work out though?” I question.
“And what if we do?” he asks like it’s a no-brainer. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering what if? We’vealready been through so much together in such a short amount of time, and all I know is that I want to be with you. I know that I love you and I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. You’re it for me. I know this with every fiber of my being.”
“What if we fight?”
“Then we communicate and work through it. Maybe with some makeup sex.” He smirks.
“What if you hate my bathroom habits, or I’m not clean enough?”
“We lived together for almost two weeks. Both are fine.”
I swallow. “What if I want kids?”
He cradles my face in his hands. “If you would have let me, I would have knocked you up by now.”
I give him a small smile. “Okay. You have all the right answers. But I still don’t know anything about your life in L.A.”
“I was thinking about that…what if you took a few days off and came with me to check out my place? I could show you around and maybe you could help me pack?”
“Pack? So, you’re serious about quitting? What are you going to do instead? I don’t want you to resent me if things go south,” I voice my worries.
“I’ve done some research and there’s a few different avenues I could take. But to be honest, I kind of want to take some time off before I figure it all out.”
“And you don’t think we’re moving too fast?” I ask nervously. I’m eight years younger than him and have never been in a relationship either. My feelings for him are so strong that they scare me sometimes.
“I know what I want and what I want is you. There is no time limit on love.”
A knock at the door has us pausing our conversation.
“It’s your dad,” Lucas says and kisses me before he walks to open the door.
