Page 12 of Legends Luke

“The regulars knew it could happen. We put everyone on notice in case my niece or nephew decided to make an appearance, we would close shop to get to the hospital.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a perfect oval. Luke liked her surprised expression. Or maybe it was Melody’s expressive face in general that he liked.

“She’s in labor? How wonderful. Well, I hope everything goes very well. I know you two will spoil their precious baby rotten, as it deserves to be. And I will be back. I have to find out if she has a boy or girl.”

“Then I look forward to seeing you again. Nice to meet you, Melody. Luke, will you walk her out?”

Unsettled at the way his brother looked at Melody, Luke gave a curt nod and motioned for Melody to step in front of him. He pushed through the crowd, shielding her from being crushed amidst the chaos. The air was several degrees cooler when they stepped outside. Melody shivered as a breeze skittered over her exposed skin. She pointed to the gray car parked at the edge of the lot, and he shifted his steps toward it.

“You didn’t have to walk me out here. It’s sweet of Easton to volunteer you to do it, but I’m fine.”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “It’s late. You shouldn’t walk out here alone. Even in a place like Fire Creek.”

“Yeah, well, I appreciate it. Despite everything, I had a good time tonight, thanks to you and Easton.”

Luke stayed quiet, resisting the urge to keep her talking for the little time they were together. Her sexy voice with the husky lilt washed over him like a powerful aphrodisiac. He had to remind himself that Easton saw her first. If Luke wasn’t careful, he’d piss all over the bro code and make a play for her himself.

They reached her car, and Melody retrieved her keys from her purse. “So, I guess I’ll see you later. When I come back to the bar.”

“I’m not here every night.”

Melody opened the driver’s side door. “Then maybe I’ll get lucky and come on a night when you are here. Thanks again for watching out for me. It was a pleasure to meet you, Luke.”

He waited until she slid behind the wheel and closed the door. He lifted his hand in a wave as she drove through the parking lot congestion to turn on the road.

Luke turned and hustled back into the bar, pushing Melody from his mind. He had a baby to welcome into the world.

Chapter Six

Waiting…

Waiting had to be at the top of the list of ways to torture a person. The slow ticking of the seconds which felt more like hours. The awkward silences as topics of conversation ran thin. The uncomfortable aches of bodies which sat inactive for too long.

Leave it to Jackson’s kid to take his or her own sweet time in appearing.

The hospital had strict policies about the maternity ward, but somehow, their family commandeered a small waiting room to ride out the anticipated arrival of the newest addition. To the casual observer, their ragtag crew looked ordinary, like any extended family excited for a baby’s birth. But they were anything but ordinary. In fact, until a year ago, half of this group didn’t know the other half existed.

Luke’s gaze fell on English Barlowe, who paced a path around the room. His jeans hung loosely on his hips with a grey shirt tucked in the waistband. His shock of white hair only made his weathered skin appear more tanned, and the soles of his boots barely made a sound against the carpeted floor. He was firmly in his sixties with theair of a man used to being alone. He didn’t speak or acknowledge anyone in the room as he moved, even though he was the thread that tied them all together.

Only a little over two years ago, English’s life hung in the balance after he was stabbed and left for dead in the alley by the bar. Luke’s world had shaken when he thought he might lose the man who’d taken him in when he didn’t have a safe place to go. His home life had been anything but safe or loving. His parents fought violently when they weren’t drunk or high. Oftentimes, they turned their anger at each other toward him until he got old enough and smart enough to stay away.

Luke was sixteen when his father decided he’d had enough. While Luke was staying at a buddy’s house, his father shot and killed his mother before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. Luke hadn’t had enough time to worry about what might happen to him. When word got out about what happened, his fellow teammate on the high school football team invited him to stay over. It was the first time he and Jackson interacted outside of school and the first time he stepped into English’s home above the Fire Bar. Jackson convinced English to take Luke in, so he wouldn’t be shuffled through the foster care system, forced to relocate and change schools.

He always considered that day life-changing, but it was nothing compared to the day someone came after English and left him for dead. He would never forget seeing his mentor lying motionless in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. But what made matters worse waslearning English had a family he’d never told the boys about. While in the CIA, he met and married Traci Bell, and they had a daughter, Reagan. English tried to shield his family from the dangers of his job, but in the end, he’d had to make a choice to serve his country and leave his family alone to thrive without him. He still chose to name his only biological child as his medical proxy. After his attack, the boys had to track down Reagan and bring her to see the father she’d had nothing to do with for most of her life.

Luke and Reagan had clashed when they first met. She hated her father, and that, to Luke, was unacceptable. English had put her and her mother’s safety first, but when he needed her the most, she was ready to turn her back on him. Only she couldn’t, not when the danger against English threatened Reagan and Traci, who had since remarried to Randall Dunlap. The Legends took down the man responsible for the threat, and amid all of it, Reagan and Jackson fell in love, married, and were welcoming their first child into the world.

When people asked how Reagan and Jackson met, they all kept the story simple. After all, the complete truth felt more like fiction than the mystery novels Reagan wrote. She dropped into their lives from nowhere. The Legends came to her and her mother’s rescue. English recovered, and he and Reagan were working to repair their relationship. Reagan split her time between writing and helping the Legends manage their cases. They were one big extended family, including Reagan’s mom and stepdad.

And now their family was about to change once again.

Easton stepped into the waiting room, pocketing his cell phone.He’d stepped out into the hallway to call Ben and update him on the progress of Baby Moore’s birth. Luke watched his brother cross the waiting room and drop into the chair beside him. They occupied the corner of the room which gave them the best view of the doorway.

“Ben said to keep him posted, but he should be back tomorrow.” Easton stretched his legs out in front of him and rested his head against the wall behind him.

“So soon?”

Ben had only been gone on a case for a day. Luke expected it to take longer since it meant tracking down a woman’s stalker after the police had come up empty. It’s why he passed it off to his brother even though the case required more of Luke’s computer expertise than Ben’s skills at deception. If the case could be handled by one Legend, they tried to assign them based on strengths to ensure the best possible outcome. Luke was the obvious choice for the stalker case, but after Chief Tatum asked for the Legends’ assistance in identifying the criminal crew, Luke had started his own investigation. His brothers agreed it was too important to interrupt his work when one of them could handle the stalker case in his stead.

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