FOUR
Hannah
What is Luka doing here?
"Did you tell your boyfriend?" I can't help but accuse Madisyn. Why else would Luka show up at the bar and stalk his way toward us?
I shouldn't have trusted her with my secret!
"Only that I was going out for drinks with a friend." She spins around on her heels and pokes Luka in the chest as he approaches.
"What the hell are you doing? Did Mikhail send you?" Madisyn's fuming. "Does he not trust me? Is that why you're spying on us?"
Luka clears his throat and forces a smile at me before returning his attention to Madisyn. "Take it down a notch."
"I would if you weren't being a barbarian," Madisyn says.
"What have I done to offend you?" Luka asks. He's calm, incredibly so for dealing with Madisyn, who is about to pound the shit out of him. But he's taller than she is and far more muscular. It wouldn't be difficult for him to subdue her if he wanted to.
"Other than showing up uninvited!"
He could be a bodyguard for celebrities or billionaires with his physique and roughness. I don't know what he does for a living. It's not something that we discussed the last time I saw him. We were too involved in ripping off each other's clothes.
"You're making a scene," Luka warns. His tone is threatening, disapproving of her behavior. But he hasn't laid a finger on her. He raises his arm, gesturing the bartender over. He'd started to approach earlier, but one look at the heated exchange between them, and he vanished as though it were a lover's quarrel.
Thankfully, it wasn't. As far as I know, Luka and Madisyn aren't an item. She's happily dating Mikhail.
But I don't quite know Luka's status. I never asked Madisyn if he was seeing someone. It shouldn't matter. I'm engaged. I'm supposed to be happily planning my wedding. I've been planning the wedding, but the happy part is debatable at times.
I'm sure it's just my nerves, cold feet, and Luka Ivanov, my daughter's father, is staring back at me.
"What do you want?" Luka asks.
"Excuse me?" I'm taken aback by his question.
Luka gestures at the bartender waiting to take our orders. "What do you drink? It's on me," he says, offering to foot the bill, at least for this round.
"Damn right it's on you," Madisyn says.
His gaze flinches, and he shoves his hand into his back pocket, retrieving his wallet. He opens the black bifold and grabs his credit card, sliding it across the bar top to pay for our drinks.
"I'll have a Fuzzy Navel," I say, giving the bartender my order.
"Anything for you?" the bartender asks Madisyn.
"Ginger ale," Madisyn says and slips out of Luka's grasp.
"Where are you going?" Luka asks.
Madisyn groans and throws her hands up into the air. "The bathroom!" She storms off toward the back of the bar, and he pushes himself away from the bar.
"Give the girl space and some privacy," I say.
He exhales a heavy sigh and leans back against the bar.
I sit on the stool, our knees brushing against one another. "How have you been?" I ask, trying to play it cool. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do? I don't know anything about him, and I'm not sure how to drop the: you're a father bomb on the guy.
The moment the bartender returns with my drink, I sip it hastily, using it as a temporary distraction.
"I've been good," Luka says. He's not a man who smiles much, but the corners of his lips quirk upwards. "What about you? I didn't know you and Madisyn were friends."
"Coworkers," I say. However, I'd like to think that we're becoming friends. "What are you doing here? Is it because her boyfriend is jealous and can't stand the thought of her having fun without him?"
"He sent me to keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid."
"She's not going to do anything stupid. You're the one being stupid."
He chuckles at my remark.
It's not supposed to be funny, but I'm standing up for my friend, even if I sound childish in my rebuke.
"Relax. I didn't come here to get into a boxing match. I'm here as your designated driver."
I roll my lips together. "The subway's only a few blocks from here. There's also a cab. And I don't need a designated driver, and by the looks of it, Madisyn isn't ordering alcohol. You can go home."
Does he think that we can't take care of ourselves? I've been looking after myself for as long as I can remember and taking care of my child without anyone else's help.
He holds up his hands. "I'm not looking to start a fight," Luka says.
"It's a little late for that," I mutter.
He glances away, avoiding eye contact. His attention is on the back hallway, where Madisyn disappeared a few minutes earlier to use the restroom.
Is he enthralled with Madisyn?
"Do you have a thing for her? Because she's dating someone," I say. I down the rest of my drink and gesture the bartender over for another. If I'm going to be dealing with Luka, I'll need quite a few more of these. All the better if it's on his tab.
"She's dating my boss, and no, I don't have a thing for anyone."
My mouth is dry, and I lick my lips, glancing away. "Okay," I say and expel a soft puff of air. "You're cranky. Someone missed their afternoon nap."
"I don't nap."
Well, maybe he should. It works for Bay when she's crabby.
Madisyn struts out of the bathroom, her head held high as she breezes past Luka and grabs the bar stool, plopping down beside me. "Did you miss me?" Her attention is entirely on me, and she hasn't feigned a glance in Luka's direction, even though he's hovering and right next to me.
She's ignoring him.
Will that work?
"Like you wouldn't believe," I say. Next time she runs to the bathroom, we're going together.
Luka takes the hint and scoots out of our way. "I'll be over there if you girls need anything," he says and gestures toward the corner of the bar.
"We won't," I say and breathe a sigh of relief when he heads to his seat in the back of the bar at a table by himself. It's a bit pathetic that he's stuck here, watching Madisyn.
I wait until he's out of earshot. "What the hell, Madisyn? Why is he following you?"
She grabs her ginger ale and takes a sip, avoiding my heated stare.
"Well?"
"Mikhail is a bit overprotective. He's worried because I'm pregnant. At least I think that's why he sent his bodyguard to keep an eye on us."
"You're pregnant?" I squeal.
Her eyes widen, and she gestures for me to keep it down. "Yes, but I'm not telling anyone. At least not at work. You have to keep it a secret."
Who am I going to tell? "Of course. I promise," I say, giving her my pinky.
She laughs, glancing at my hand gesture before locking pinkies with me. "I feel like I'm in the third grade all over again. Did you talk to Luka about Bay?"
"You do remember her name." I laugh and glance in Luka's direction. He's seated in the back, behind Madisyn. It's not difficult to glance past her subtly without him noticing. "No, it didn't feel like the right time."
"It's never going to be the right time. And I swear I didn't invite him tonight."
"I know. It was obvious with the fight between the two of you that you didn't expect him to be here. Are you mad at Mikhail for sending him?"
"I'm not happy about it," Madisyn says. She finishes her ginger ale and gestures the bartender over. "I'll have a Shirley Temple."
She grins and waves at Luka.
What is she up to?
The bartender spends a few minutes preparing our drinks before sliding them across the bar top. "Thanks," I say, grabbing mine, enjoying the slight buzz. I probably shouldn't have skipped lunch.