An hour later, he was having a family dinner with Lucky. She’d turned a package of boneless chicken thighs, leftover rice from Chinese takeout that Lincoln had hardly touched, a bag of frozen broccoli, a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, and a jar of nacho cheese sauce into a cheesy chicken divan casserole. It was delicious, even if Lucky insisted real cheddar cheese would have been better.
Lincoln lost the bet and paid up by making her a pitcher of peach sangria, which she shared with everyone.
Even better was the way his mom, dad, and Lincoln spent the whole dinner asking about Lucky’s life and sharing stories about him. He didn’t mind that most were embarrassing. He just loved having her sitting next to him, her hand in his on top of the table for all of them to see.
He was so damn happy. Happier than he could ever remember.
When his parents headed for the front door, they turned back and gave him a look, one he hadn’t seen in a long time. They were proud of him. They were happy for him. All the worry they’d carried since he joined the military and came home a broken man had disappeared, leaving only the joy of seeing their son finally content.
Lucky had given him that moment. She made all the difference.
He was finally settled. Safe. Home. Maybe not whole, but as close as he’d get.
All he had to do was hold on to Lucky and keep her safe.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hawk pulled into his driveway and stared up at his house lit up inside and out.Lucky’s home.The warm glow welcomed him and made him feel like the house was more than just the walls and roof. It felt like their place. A place filled with warmth, conversations, togetherness, and laughter.
He loved having her in his house. He loved coming home to her.I love her.
And he wanted more.
Dinner with his family last night had gone so well. His mom and dad both called him at work today to tell him how much they liked her. They thought she was good for him. More than that, they wanted him to know they were happy to see him so happy.
It had been a long time coming. He’d spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering if he’d ever truly be happy again and if he even deserved it.
She made him want it. He’d become a better man for her. Because of her.
They needed to have a talk about the future. He didn’t want to wait for the dreams he was having. He wanted everything now.
He hoped she did, too.
It seemed the more time he spent with her, the more impatient he became.
The second he walked in the door, he smiled at the soft music playing, the smell of something cheesy, and the sight of his woman standing in the kitchen humming and stirring something in a pot, a plate of chocolate cupcakes on the counter beside her.
“Honey, I’m home,” he called out with a grin and a chuckle, loving having someone to come home to.
Her gaze shot to his, her smile blooming, brightening her gorgeous green eyes.
He wished he’d brought her flowers or something. He needed to do better, showing her how much he appreciated her, especially since they hadn’t done the traditional dating things.
“Hey. I was just thinking about you.”
He walked up behind her, kissed her neck, and stared down into the pot of homemade cheesy mac and cheese with chicken, bacon, and green onions. “That smells delicious.” He rubbed his nose up her neck and into her hair. “And so do you.” Strawberries and flowers. She went straight to his head, heart, and cock.
God, he wanted her. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her back to his chest, letting her feel the steel length of him against her amazing ass.
She rubbed her cheek against his jaw and pressed her hands to his forearms. “How was your day, honey?”
“Busy. One of the shipments went out late. Another had several cases stolen while it was being unloaded outside a posh bar in New York.”
“I bet your customer was upset.”
“Not really. I promised to replace what was stolen and add a case to keep him happy. The driver’s the one who got reprimanded for leaving the truck unlocked.”
“I bet he’ll never do it again.”
