Page 132 of Don't Make Me Beg
I blow out a long sigh as I nod.
“There’s no rush. All you need to focus on is the next right move for you,” he continues. “Everything else will work itself out.”
“What if I get tired of painting murals? Or I fall out of love with it? What if I lose my spark?”
Luka shrugs. “Then you’ll pivot. You’ll make adjustments along the way and follow your gut for what feels right.”
“But… isn’t that wasting my talent?”
He shakes his head; his lip curled into the faintest smirk like he’s trying not to laugh at how ridiculous I’m being. “No, Scout. You don’t owe anyone your talent. There’s nothing you have to do to prove you deserve it, and there’s no sunk cost fallacy when it comes to how long it takes.” He presses a kiss on my hand, sunlight glinting off my wedding ring. His voice is steady when he meets my gaze. “You can change your mind tomorrow, next week, ten years from now. Hell, go back to law school for all I care. I just want you to be happy. Whatever that looks like.”
His reassuring words send a wave of warmth through my chest, and I realize I’ve never had anyone lay it all out there forme like that. I’ve never felt more seen and unconditionally loved than I do in this moment.
Luka showed me what safety feels like, but he doesn’t just take care of me; he pushes me, he empowers me to go after what I want. I’ll never be able to thank him enough for helping me find my way back to myself.
And as scary as it feels to not have a plan, I know that I’ll be okay. If I’ve learned anything over these past few months, it’s that anything is possible; your whole life can change in the blink of an eye.
Maybe it’s finally time I started dreaming bigger.
“And what about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t expect me to believe that you don’t have something brewing in that big brain of yours.”
He sits back in his seat and smiles. “I’ve got a couple of ideas I’m bouncing around.”
“Do share,” I say, pinching off a bite of my French toast.
“As you know, I’ve done a little volunteer work, helping nonprofit organizations that work with helping acclimate soon-to-be ex-cons back into the workforce.” He pops a piece of bacon in his mouth and chews. “I’ve been thinking a lot about how so many of these guys don’t have the same opportunities to go to school. How most of them end up working labor-intensive jobs, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But having tech skills would open them up to a whole new industry.”
“I like where this is going.”
“I’ve been tossing around the idea of starting my own nonprofit, maybe partnering with the Chamber of Commerce. Creating a technology skills program that would teach them basic coding and give them a foundation to build off of. I think it could be a great way to give back and fulfill a need for so manypeople who need it most.” He shrugs, like he didn’t just casually drop the biggest anthropological bomb I’ve ever heard.
“Luka, that’s an incredible idea,” I say, and I swear this man never ceases to amaze me with how caring he is. “You should absolutely do that. I can’t think of anyone better to bring something like this to life.”
“It’s definitely going to happen,” he says with a grin. “I’ve already got L.O.K.I. doing some research.”
I shake my head and laugh, not at all surprised by his cavalier attitude. How he takes life by the horns and simply chases after the things he wants.
His phone buzzes on the table beside him, and he glances at it and rolls his eyes. “Speak of the devil.”
“Do I want to know?” I ask with a chuckle.
“He’s asking if he can set the hologram up in the house. I’m not sure I want to open that can.”
“Oh, come on. Let him have a little fun. He’s just bored.”
He types back a response, then pockets his phone. “I was actually thinking of a way to help that problem, too. But I wanted to make sure you’re cool with it first.”
I quirk a brow. “What do you have in mind?”
“Why don’t I just show you.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Luka
