Indelible (13 page)

Luna’s resolve returned. She didn’t want a repeat of her relationship with Ruby. If that was all she wanted, she wouldn’t have traded one for another. Still, Angie looked so good standing before her, glistening skin and tousled hair. Luna wanted to fall to her knees and drive her tongue between Angie’s legs. She loved watching her come from that angle, with Angie’s hands in her hair, urging her closer as she fucked her hips into Luna’s face. She’d taken Angie like that once, and when she finally climaxed, she’d collapsed on top of Luna.

She stilled Angie’s hands, needing to know exactly what Angie thought of their relationship. She wouldn’t be able to figure that out if she allowed herself to be distracted.

“You’re not doing anything at all this weekend?” She gave Angie another chance to invite her into her life.

Angie stepped back and looked away. “Hanging out with my family. Nothing exciting.” Angie’s gaze settled on her glass of water and she took a drink.

“Maybe we could do something. It would be nice to get to know Oliver.” Luna felt like an asshole. A jealous asshole, but she couldn’t let it go. “What do you say?”

Angie regarded Luna for a few moments, then crossed the room and pulled her work uniform from her bag and dressed hastily. “I forgot I promised my boss I’d go in early today.”

“Sit with me for a minute?” Luna fought to keep the emotion out of her voice. Angie’s obvious avoidance frustrated her. She caught Angie’s hand as she headed toward the door.

Angie hesitated, then did as she asked. When Luna didn’t speak, she said, “What?”

“Can we try this again?” Luna stroked her thumb over the back of Angie’s hand. She couldn’t thread together how they’d gone from naked and playful to dressed and serious so quickly.

Angie nodded, but her body remained tense. “I guess.”

How could she ask what she wanted to know without sounding like an insecure jerk? Finally she just gave in to her curiosity. “I’d really like to get to know your family, Oliver especially.”

“Why?”

Why? Why not?
“Isn’t that what couples do?” Wasn’t it normal to want to be a part of her girlfriend’s life? If, in fact, Angie considered herself Luna’s girlfriend. Luna needed to clarify.

Angie shrugged. “I don’t know. Is it required?”

Luna held Angie’s hand carefully. Her past relationships had all centered on sex, but Angie looked like a stable, long-term-relationship girl. Luna’s head spun, but that didn’t keep her from asking Angie to explain. “Angie, what are we doing? You and I?” She paused to give Angie a chance to answer. She didn’t, so Luna continued. “Are we just fucking? Because that’s not enough for me. I want to be your girlfriend and take you on dates. I want to get to know your son and have him get to know me.”

“Really, Luna? We’ve only been seeing each other for two weeks. That’s too much.” Angie rubbed her hands over her face.

“Three.” Luna didn’t know which was more disturbing, that Angie couldn’t keep track of three weeks or that she thought it was too soon for greater involvement. Angie was willing to take her clothes off and spend hours rubbing their bodies together, but she wasn’t willing to take her son to a movie together?

“Three what?”

“Three weeks, not two.” Luna was dwelling on details to keep from thinking about the big picture.

“Okay, three. It’s still too soon.”

Luna tried again. “I’m not saying I want it all right now, but I would like to expand our relationship beyond this bedroom.”

Angie didn’t reply.

“Angie, please, this is important.”

“Luna, this isn’t about you.” Angie stared at the bed. “Or me. I have to think about Oliver first.” Angie’s voice was flat, like she was negotiating an unwanted position.

“Let me help you.” It was the best offer Luna could make. She hoped someone had offered to help her own mother when Luna was little.

“It’s not that simple.”

Luna wanted to hold Angie but knew she would get distracted. The conversation was too important for her to risk getting sidetracked. She kept her hands folded in her lap. “Talk to me.”

Angie blew out a sigh. “He needs to know that he’s the most important person in my life.”

“Don’t you think he does?” Luna brushed her fingers over Angie’s arm. The need to comfort was too great to ignore.

“I hope so.” Angie sounded far away. Luna wanted to tap into Angie’s head and hear all the underlying reasons for her fears. As she was about to encourage her, Angie said, “After my mom left, my dad brought home a lot of women. Every single one of them had big hair, called me
honey
, and wore leather. I just wanted my dad to notice
me
, even once.”

Luna finally gave in to her need and wrapped her arms around Angie. “I don’t have big hair.” She kissed Angie’s eyelids. “I promise to never call Oliver
honey.
” She kissed her nose. “And I’ll throw out all my leather today. Right now, if you want.”

“Tell me what you want.” Angie tucked her head beneath Luna’s chin.

“Invite me to your barbecue.” Luna regretted her words immediately.

“I can’t.” Angie’s body tensed and she pulled away from Luna. “It’s just too soon.”

Luna wanted to go to Angie’s goddamned Labor Day barbecue, but was afraid she wouldn’t win the battle. She didn’t want a tense situation to escalate again. She compromised. “Okay, how about this? My friends are having a get-together next Sunday. Go with me?” Luna had known about the event for months, but had resigned herself to not attending when she and Ruby split. It was the perfect “safe” date with Angie. Not exactly public, but out of the house. The environment was friendly, and once committed, Angie wouldn’t bail. Luna didn’t know enough about her, but she was certain of that little detail.

“What’s the occasion?”

“Their anniversary.” Good. Angie was asking questions. She might actually go.

“What kind of gathering? Dinner? Party? Dinner party?”

“A low-key party.” Luna was getting excited.

“Any chance I’ll know anyone there?”

“Perez.” Luna didn’t want to mention Ruby. She weighed the cost of telling versus letting Angie discover for herself when they arrived. Full disclosure won over self-preservation. “Ruby will probably be there, too.”

“I have to work.” Angie’s answer was firm.

“Can’t you trade shifts with someone? Please?” Luna’s request was out of character. Work came first. Suggesting that Angie request a last-minute schedule change showed how desperate she was. Angie’s answer was more important than she wanted it to be. “Please.”

“I could try.” Angie didn’t sound convinced. “And I’ll have to make sure my dad can watch Oli.”

Oli, not Oliver.
How long would it be before she’d be comfortable using the nickname herself?

“Thank you.” Luna kissed Angie’s cheek. For the moment she was content to simply hold Angie’s hand and trust her promise to try.

Labor Day, September 7

“Toss these on the grill for me, Angie.” Jack handed her a platter of marinated steaks. This was their regular agreement for food prep. Jack did all the real cooking, but Angie managed to barbecue without destroying anything.

Oliver stood at the counter with Jack, trying to perfect the art of making a melon basket. Angie pilfered a chunk of watermelon and kissed the top of Oliver’s head. Then she snatched a piece of ice from the bag in the sink and dropped it down the back of Oliver’s shirt. He squealed and chased her to the deck. The steaks could wait until she’d thoroughly tormented him.

A couple of laps around the backyard and Angie surrendered. Oliver smiled sweetly, dumped a full cup of ice over her head, and ran inside before she could catch him. Could have been worse, she knew. Last time she provoked him, he’d doused her with the garden hose when she wasn’t looking.

She loved days like this. It was eighty-two degrees, with a few fluffy, white clouds floating across the sky. Most important, Oliver was in a rare good mood. He could flip to surly at any moment, but hopefully his pleasant attitude would hold. She shook the last of the ice chips from her hair and collected the steaks from the kitchen. Giving Oliver a warning glare, she retreated to the deck.

“You need any help?” Tori entered through the side gate, holding a six-pack of beer. Angie was surprised to see Perez following close behind Tori, holding her other hand.

So that was how Luna knew about the barbecue this weekend. She felt like an even bigger jerk for not inviting Luna, but she just wasn’t ready to set Oliver up like that. God forbid he got attached and then Luna disappeared from their lives.

“I’m good.” Angie dropped the steaks on the hot grill one by one. The sizzling lulled her. “I’ll take a beer, though.”

Tori set the six-pack on the patio table, twisted the top off a bottle, and handed it to Angie. “Want these inside?”

Angie pointed to the red cooler next to the back door. “Cooler is full of ice. You can put them in there.”

Perez opened two more, offered one to Tori and kept one for herself, then placed the remaining three in the cooler.

“Nice to see you, Perez.” Angie hoped she sounded friendly. It wasn’t Perez’s fault that Tori invited her without mentioning it to Angie.

“You, too, Angie. Sure I can’t help with anything?”

“Nope, I got this. You can check with my dad if you’re dying to ball up melon. Personally, I think you should pull up a chair and relax.” Angie took a sip of beer.

“I expected to see Luna here.” Tori looked around the small backyard. An exaggerated, unnecessary motion since the entire yard was approximately the size of a cracker box. “Is she in the house?”

“She’s not here.” Angie flipped the steaks, closed the lid, then joined Perez at the table.

“Why not?” Tori looked genuinely confused.

“I didn’t invite her.” Angie forced herself not to fidget with the label on her beer. She didn’t have any reason to feel guilty, so she had no reason to act like she was. Fidgeting, she’d read once, was a sign of guilt.

“Okay.” Tori took a drink of beer and blessedly let the subject drop.

Sandy, Jack’s girlfriend du jour, came through the back door carrying a bowl of potato salad. She set the dish on the table and took a beer from the cooler. How could anyone wear that much leather on such a warm day? The pants she understood as a safety precaution when riding, but the bustier? Angie couldn’t come up with a single function it served other than sex appeal. Thinking about her dad and Sandy—and Sandy’s reason for wearing sexy leather clothes around her dad—made Angie a little queasy. Luna would probably look hot as hell in the same outfit, but that didn’t mean she wanted Oliver to see it.

“Sandy.” Angie nodded toward her father’s on-again girlfriend and flipped the steaks. “Where’s my dad?” Sandy rarely ventured anywhere in the house without Jack at her side.

“Out front talking to Luna Rinaldi.” Sandy didn’t look happy about it.

“Who?” Angie choked. Sandy said Luna’s name casually, like they were old friends. Figured.

Sandy took a long pull of her beer. “Luna Rinaldi. She did a couple of my tattoos.”

Angie saw flames. No doubt Sandy was talking about her Luna. The same woman who Angie specifically didn’t invite to their family barbecue. What the hell was she doing in her front yard, with Oliver in the kitchen with a front-row seat? She’d kill Luna. And Jack.

“I’m going to check on Oli.” Angie headed toward the kitchen. “Tori, keep an eye on the steak?”

*

Luna was fed up. The more she thought about the role Angie had relegated her to, the more upset she’d become. She needed to continue their conversation, to convince Angie that she could be the kind of partner that Angie deserved. But how could she do that? She didn’t know what that kind of dedication looked like up close. She’d been raised by a single mom, and all her relationships had been spontaneous and short-lived. Until Ruby, that was. But how much had the three years they’d been exclusive counted since she hadn’t made an emotional commitment?

She’d left Coraggio earlier with no destination in mind, letting her feet decide which way to go when she reached an intersection. Walking was therapy and Luna didn’t get out often enough. When she looked up, she realized she was standing in front of Angie’s house. However unintentional, she’d walked directly to the source of her frustration.

Laughter filtered out of the open door, followed by a squealed, “Mom, stop.”

Then she heard Angie’s laugh along with Oliver’s. “What’s the matter, son? You afraid of a little ice?”

Oliver laughed again, a desperate peal of giggles that made Luna smile. She pictured herself chasing Oliver and Angie around the kitchen and debated knocking on the door, but opted against it. No reason to upset Angie and humiliate herself by showing up uninvited.

She was about to leave when a motorcycle roared into the driveway and an older man, presumably Angie’s father, walked out to meet it.

He ushered the rider, a woman he greeted with a lingering kiss, toward the house and was almost to the door when he saw Luna hovering on the edge of the yard. He sent his date in without him and greeted Luna.