Page 73 of Lucky Strike

Liam squeals with laughter. “And he ate my Halloween candy and puked allllll over the floor and we had to bring him to the vet!” He slides off his chair and runs off, calling for Bacon to follow.

“Actually, what happened was he ate some of Tristan’s edibles,” Lucky says once they’ve disappeared. “I don’t know if he got themunchies or what, but he got into Liam’s chocolate next. Double whammy. No good.”

“Oh no!” I whirl around, wide eyed. “How’d he get into Tristan’s stuff?”

“The dummy forgot it on the patio. I made him pay the vet bill.”

“Poor Bacon.” Plating Liam’s French toast, I sprinkle a touch of powdered sugar and hand Lucky the plate. “The syrup’s in the fridge. Can you grab it?”

“I’m a big boy, Bria. I’m gonna need more than this.”

I point the spatula at him. “This is Liam’s. Yours is next.”

After breakfast, we go for a swim in the pool. As wonderful as the beach is, the pool is more relaxing. The dogs are contained, and there are no waves to fight or sand to get in anybody’s eyes. Lucky works with Liam on his strokes, teaching him the ins and outs of breaststroke, gentle and patient even when the little boy gets frustrated.

“I can’t do it,” he says after a while, pouting from the steps.

“You can,” I remind him. “It just takes time. I didn’t know how to swim well until I was ten, so you have a big head start on me!”

“He’s like me, I guess.” Lucky shrugs. “We don’t like the process. We just want results.”

I nod from my lounge chair, applying another coat of sunblock. “That’s actually quite self-aware. So many people loathe the process without even realizing it, and they can’t understand why they keep on butting their heads against the wall.”

“Yeah.” He grabs Liam and tosses him back into the shallow end, swimming alongside him. “Like my dad used to tell me, you don’t have to like it. You just have to do it.” He looks at his son. “Hear that? You don’t have to like learning how to swim. You just have to do it. Because one day you’ll know how to do it and you won’t even remember how annoying it was to learn.”

Liam scrunches his nose like he has no idea what he’s talking about.

Sliding my sunglasses back on, I pick up the forensic science textbook I’ve been working my way through all summer. I can’t be in class just yet, but nothing’s stopping me from familiarizing myself with the material. I’ll be that much more prepared when I finally do start grad school. Whenever that is.

After a dinnerof burgers that Lucky grills out on the deck, Terry and Mitch head into town to their favorite watering hole. There’s not much for them to do while Lucky’s around, so the past couple of days have been like a vacation for them, too.

Stars emerge as the sun goes down, sparkling against the deep purples and blues. We stargaze as we roast marshmallows over the grill, eating s’mores and consulting Liam’s new astronomy club books until he falls asleep in a lounge chair. I watch Lucky pick him up and carry him inside, my stomach aching with how much I love him.

He finds me in the kitchen a little later, loading the dishwasher. “I’m going to have to go back soon.”

“I figured.” I pour detergent in and close the door, setting it to clean. “How much longer will we have to stay, you think? I love it here, I just …”

“No, I know.” He lets out a deep breath. “You two can’t stay out here forever. Tristan seems to think things have died down for now, so maybe you should just come back with me.”

That’s a relief. Nodding, I pour myself a glass of water. “You done in here?”

“Yeah.” Gesturing for me to go ahead, he turns off the light. At the top of the stairs, he touches my hip, his lips brushing my ear. “Take a shower with me.”

A shower with him sounds like heaven, but I hesitate. Every time we do something like this, it strengthens the bond between us, and I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do.

Lucky leans against the wall outside my door, watching me. Reading me. “We don’t have to. I don’t want you to feel like that’s all I care about.”

I nod. “I know.”

“I’m serious, Bria.”

“I know, I just …” I shake my head. We’ve already slept together. How do I explain the way I feel? “Let me get my pajamas.”

He takes a step back, searching my eyes. “Okay.”

It’s different this time, knowing exactly what’s going to happen. I mean, I knew last night when he came to my room. But now, I knowwhat he feels like inside of me again. What he sounds like. And he has that knowledge of me, too. Maybe that’s why the Bible talks about couplesknowingeach other. It’s a special kind of knowing, isn’t it?

Tonight, I’m the one knocking softly on his door. He calls for me to come in, and when I do, he’s already got the shower going. I strip down, joining him in the steamy bathroom. He has the master suite, so his shower is huge. We wash our bodies and our hair, sharing smiles as we slide past each other until he crowds me against the wall and kisses me.

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