Page 47 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

He tangled his fingers in her hair, bent his head and asked into the top of hers, “Okay?”

She nodded, but said, “I mean, notokayokay. Like, you know, my dad was essentially one town over, raising some other woman’s kids, while we all suffered through. But I’m not going to cry or shout any more tonight.” She tipped her head back to look at him and added, “Though, I reserve the right to do so at a later date. Mostly the shouting part.”

He smiled at her.

She watched then shoved her face in his throat.

“What a jackass,” she mumbled there.

He had a different term for it, but he didn’t share.

“Hate this, baby,” he said quietly. “But I’m kinda not done.”

She tipped her head back again. “Do I need to fortify before this next by eating the napoleons? Special note, I referred to them in plural so I mean both of them, Luke. I’ll buy you a make-up one tomorrow.”

He laughed softly, fell to his back and pulled her up on his chest.

“No. You’re not eatin’ my napoleon. But I gotta remind you that he came lookin’ for me so he could find you.”

“Yeah. Unless he had some investigative work he needed done to take care of his other family, the one he stuck around to raise, and someone said my name, so with the one of you plus the one of me making two, he got curious.”

“It wasn’t that,” Luke murmured, watching her closely.

She noticed and asked, “What?”

Luke pointed out the obvious. “He’d like to see you.”

“What’d you tell him?”

“I told him I’d tell you what he wanted, and if he didn’t hear from you, he needed to take that as your answer and stay out of your life. I also told him, if you went the other way, you wouldn’t be seeing him without me there.”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “Did you threaten him?”

She knew him down to his soul.

Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to reply, “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“I kinda wish I saw that,” she muttered.

He gave her a shake. “Babe.”

She refocused on him and saw on his face he wanted an answer. “Do I need to decide now?”

“You can decide twenty years from now. I just wanna know you’re all right.”

“I’m fine, Luke.”

“My tee says different. It’s soaked, and I’m guessin’ half that is snot.”

“Ugh,” she grunted.

He smiled at her.

Then he ran his fingers through the soft mass of thick hair on the side of her head and again cupped the back of her neck.

“I’m with you whatever you decide,” he told her.

“What would you do?” she asked.

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