“You okay?”
She nodded, then laughed at herself as she tried to pull away and stand on her own.
He held her close for a moment longer. “Are we good, sunshine?”
Just then, another guest of the motel exited his room three doors down and strode toward them. As he approached, a scowl twisted his face. “Jeez, get a room why don’t you!”
Sally met Luke’s gaze, which mirrored the same humor she was struggling to contain. Finally, she couldn’t hold it any longer, and they both burst out laughing. She barely heard the man continue his diatribe as he walked away. Glancing toward the windshield, she caught Jen smiling from ear to ear. When Sally cocked her head curiously, Jen raised her hand, thumb pointed up.
Sally turned back to Luke. “We aresogood.”
“You’ve just made me a happy man. Come on. Let’s go shopping.” Luke opened her door and helped her with the sizable step up into the vehicle, made more difficult by the hem of his shirt riding up her thighs. Jen used the bucket seat backs as leverage to swing into the back and plopped on the fabric-covered bench seat. With amusement crinkling the skin near his eyes, Luke tossed his duffel in the back across from Jen and slid behind the wheel.
Jen scooted forward again, hooking her arms around the corner of each front seat. “You guys were kissing.” Her singsong voice made Sally’s cheeks burn with embarrassment while Luke merely laughed.
He leaned sideways and hooked an arm over Jen’s shoulder. “Are you okay with that? Would it be all right with you if I love both you and your mom?”
Did Luke Harding just say helovedher? Sally’s gaze darted to his as her heart rate ratcheted up. He winked and turned his attention back to Jen.
“Will you stay with us in Huntington?” Jen’s eyes were wide with excitement.
Sally waited, barely breathing, to hear his answer.
Luke’s smile covered both of them. “If it’s A-OK with your mother, I plan to be wherever the two of you are.” He started the Jeep and drove from the parking lot.
“But Mom said you wanted to go home to your family.”
“Well, I’ll probably visit them once in a while, but I’d hope that you ladies would accompany me. Like a vacation. Would you like that?” He made a left turn before glancing toward Jen. His expression full of hope and happiness, he caught Sally’s eye for a second.
She clenched her teeth to stop the tremor that fluttered through her body. A voice in her head argued logically that this was happening too fast, but Sally did her best to block it out. She’d loved Luke for a year. Giving up on her dream of a life with him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. They’d all suffered, and now they had a chance of being a family. God, she wanted that.
“That sounds like fun, Luke. Doesn’t it, Jen?” Sally could see that something was troubling her daughter and hoped getting involved in the conversation would convince her not all changes were bad.
“Sure. I guess.” Jen appeared to have lost interest and started to turn toward her seat in the back.
“Hold it, Jen. What’s bothering you? Let’s get it out in the open so we can fix whatever it is.” Luke pulled into the parking lot of a mall and quickly found a place to park.
Sally had seen Jen’s expression many times—like when she knew she would have to stand in front of her class and give a book report, or when the teacher sent a note home saying Jen had been in a fight that day, even though it was to help another student who was being bullied. Sometimes Jen simply clammed up. Conversation over. Luke didn’t know the routine, however. He took her hand and waited patiently, his quiet expectancy filling the vehicle.
“Will you…like…will you be my dad?” It was obvious she’d tried but failed to keep her chin from trembling.
Sally’s heart broke with the weight of her daughter’s question. “Oh, honey, that’s not something—”
Luke’s gaze shifted to her for a split second, accompanied by a nearly indiscernible shake of his head before his focus returned to Jen. “Would you like that?”
“Yeah.” Her reply was half breath, half nervous giggle.
“Yeah? Me too…so, if your mom says it’s okay, I’m going to see if we can’t make that happen. I won’t lie to you, though. It’s going to take some time. There are a few things we have to do first. We need to find a place to live while we wait to see if your landlord will fix your old house up. Then—well, I think your mom and I have to be married before I can legally adopt you. What do you think about that?” Luke lowered his voice as though Jen were the only one to hear him, even though Sally sat less than a foot away.
Jen bounced up and down on her toes. “Really? You’re going to get married?” Her excited gaze jumped back and forth between Luke and Sally.
“Hold on. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” He leaned close and lowered his voice again. “I haven’t exactly asked her yet.” As Jen glanced toward her mother, Luke grinned smugly.
Sally snorted but remained silent, her eyes narrowed in mock irritation. She couldn’t be angry with him. Watching him confess his desire to be a dad to her daughter was the most endearing thing she’d ever observed, outside of a Hallmark Movie.
“Well, why not?” Jen was clearly perplexed.
A sparkle in his eyes gave away his enjoyment. “Can you keep a secret?”