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I chuckle. "Yeah, I’ve heard that before."

She looks up at me, with tears in her eyes. She nods her head towards the picture. "Do you remember?"

I nod. "Of course, I remember. That was the day we saw the shark."

"It was also the day I fell in love with you."

I smile down at her, because I am pretty sure that is the day I fell in love with her, too. We were both out in the water. We were pretty far from the shore, when I noticed a dorsal fin a few feet from where Lindy was swimming. It scared me so fucking bad that I thought I was going to shit myself. I started screaming for her to move, but she couldn’t hear me over the sound of the surf. So I swam as fast as my young body would let me. I made it to her, just as the shark nudged her leg. Not knowing what to do, I kicked the damn thing in the nose as hard as I could. Surprisingly. the shark swam away. "I think I knew I loved you the moment I saw that shark coming at you."

She gives me a sad smile. "If you love me, then why didn’t you tell me about Kelsey and the baby?"

Fuck. How do I explain this without coming off as a dick? I decide to stick with the truth. It’s worked so far. I climb into the bed and pull her into my lap. "I didn’t know how to tell you. To be honest, I don’t think about it much. Don’t get me wrong. I hate that she lost the baby, but I’m not even sure it was mine. I mean, she says it was. But I don’t know if she was telling the truth or not. I was only with her once. I was drunk as hell, but I know that I wore a condom. No matter what she said, I planned on doing a DNA test as soon as the kid was born."

"But you were still with her when I got home. Abbie said that she lost the baby months ago."

I pull Lindy closer. "It’s close to five months now. I wasn’t with her, but I couldn’t just leave her alone after the miscarriage. Her dad is a dick, and her mom is like some kind of robot. She never even told them about the baby. She doesn’t really have any friends, which I know is her own fault. She had no one, and I couldn’t just walk out on her. We were never together. No matter what she made up in her own head."

"It seemed like you were together that day I got home," she whispers into my shoulder.

"I ran into her that morning at the Waffle House. She was crying and shit. I tried to get rid of her ass, but I ended up being stuck with her the whole damn day. I wanted to drop her off before going to your mom’s, but she knew all the right things to say to make me feel guilty as hell. So I ended up bringing her with me." I give Lindy a tight squeeze. "I swear we were not together. We never really were."

"You said it was just once. What about in high school?"

"I was never with Kelsey in high school. I know that was the rumor going around, but it wasn’t true." I look into her eyes and can see her searching my face to try to figure out if I am lying. "I promise."

Finally, she lets out a deep breath and wraps her arms around me. "I’m sorry about the baby."

"I am too, but I am glad that she will not be the mother of my child. That is your job." I can feel her body grow stiff in my arms. "It’s coming. You best get used to the idea. In a few years, you will be running around with a little Lindy in your belly."

I can feel her start to relax. She kisses my neck and whispers, "A little Lucas."

I flip her onto the bed and come down on top of her. "Hell, no. I want a little Lindy, with red hair and pretty green eyes."

She smiles up to me. "Well, we can practice now. So we have it down pat when we’re ready."

"I love you so fucking much," I say then place my lips onto hers.

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Why haven’t you played with me all day?" Lucas asks.

Lindy looks over to him. "I’m mad at you."

"What did I do to make you mad?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I don’t remember."

LINDY

Lucas and I are still kissing when my phone rings. I pull away and grab it off the bedside table. I don’t even look at who is calling before I answer, "Hello."

"Stay away from Luke!" Kelsey shouts.

"What the hell?" I say more to myself than to her.

"If you don’t stay away from him, I swear I will make you pay." She yells so loud that my ears ring.

I look over at Lucas and hand him the phone. "You can take care of this shit yourself."

I jump off the bed and head to the kitchen. I can hear Lucas yelling, but I try to ignore it. I am so pissed that Kelsey would call me that I am shaking. I don’t even know how she got my number, but I do know that I will be changing it right away. I do what I always do when I get mad. I cook. I pull out the stuff for my dad’s favorite peanut butter cookies. Just as I am scooping them onto the cookie sheet, Lucas storms into the kitchen.

He stops in the doorway, runs his fingers through his hair, and lets out a frustrated breath. "Shit, Lindy. I’m sorry. I told her that she better not ever call you again."

"How did she get my number in the first place?"

He shakes his head. "I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask."

"Well, I’m changing my number as soon as I get these in the oven," I say as I spoon the last few rounds of cookie dough onto the pan.

"I wish I could say that you won’t need to, but it might be a good idea. I think the bitch is crazy."

I look over at him and slam the spoon onto the table. "Why the hell did you sleep with her then?"

He looks at me with a pained expression. "I was drunk when it happened."

"That seems to be habit of yours," I say, anger filling my voice.

"What do you mean by that?" he growls out.

"You fucked me when you were drunk, then regretted it afterwards. Maybe you should consider not drinking anymore, then you won’t have so many regrets to deal with."

"Damn it, Lindy. I thought we moved past this shit," he shouts.

I walk up to him and shout right back. "That was before I knew it was a pattern for you."

"That’s not fucking true," he says through clenched teeth.

"Who else is going to call me? Am going to be running into women you have fucked all over town?" I can tell by the look on his face that I am. I shake my head and start to walk away. "I’m leaving
, Lucas, and when I get back, I expect you to be out of here. Find someone else to deal with your shit, because I am done with it."

He grabs my arm as I walk past him. "Don’t fucking do this."

I jerk away. "It’s already done."

LUCAS

I watch Lindy walk out the door, and it takes every bit of my will power not to go after her. But I know Lindy. She does this shit. She blows up, but once she calms down, she’ll come back and then we can talk. Fuck. I am so pissed right now that I feel like sending my fist through the damn wall. Instead, I grab my keys and jump on my bike. I stop at Black Jack’s and pick up a twelve pack then head to Daniel’s.

I don’t even bother to knock. I just open the door and walk right in. What I see shocks the shit out of me. Daniel and Tara are going at it balls to the wall on the couch. Their clothes are still on, but I can tell that they were fixing to lose them. "What the fuck?"

Daniel jumps away from Tara and gives me a look that says he wants to kick my ass. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

I look at Tara and see her trying to make her way to the other room. "I think the better question would be why is
she
here?"

"That is none of your fucking business," Daniel shouts.

"I disagree. She was just in the hospital last night. I doubt she should be out getting felt up yet," I say through a sneer.

Daniel starts to charge at m
e, and I’m more than ready. But he stops when Tara screams. "Just quit it. We should have known someone would find out sooner or later."

Daniel looks even more pissed off when he hears her. "It wasn’t my idea to hide it in the first place."

Tara looks towards the floor and whispers, "I know."

"Can someone tell me what in the fuck is going on?" I ask.

"Tara and I have been together for a while. For some fucked up reason, she doesn’t want anyone to know," Daniel explains.

"How long’s a while?"

Daniel looks towards her than back to me. "For nearly a year."

I shake my head. "How is that possible when she’s only been back in town for about a month?"

Tara looks up. "We started seeing each other when I was at home last summer. After that, we would meet up on weekends and stuff."

"Why the big secret?"

Daniel shakes his head. "Ask her."

Tara looks like she is about to cry. "I’m afraid that Lindy will be upset, because of all that shit that happened in high school. She tried to help Daniel out, and he still treated her like crap."

"That’s bullshit. You know Lindy won’t care. As long as you’re happy, she will be happy too."

"You think?" she asks as she walks towards me.

"I know and so do you. My girl loves you. She would become friends with the devil, if she thought it would make you happy," I say, giving her a hug.

"Speaking of your girl. Why aren’t you with her? That way I can be alone with mine," Daniel says, pulling Tara out of my arms.

I walk over to the chair and sit down. I toss the beers on the table and tell Daniel and Tara what happened.

"No, that bitch didn’t," Tara shouts and pulls her phone out. "I will try to calm Lindy’s ass down. But then I am going to beat the hell out of Kelsey."

I watch her walk from the room, already dialing the phone. Then I look over to Daniel and roll my eyes. We both know that she means every word she says, but we also know that we aren’t letting her go anywhere. The last thing she needs is more bruises. Not that Kelsey would get the chance to give her any, but it’s not a risk that we are willing to take.

I open a beer and lift it towards Daniel. "Congratulations. You got yourself a handful there. But at least I don’t have to worry about you
trying to take my woman anymore," I say with a sarcastic smile, because we both know that there was no way that shit would ever happen.

He smiles at me. "I didn’t want your woman anyway. I just like to fuck with you, but she does have a fine ass."

I glare at him. "Not fucking funny."

LINDY

I’m sitting at the Dairy Dip, thinking about what to say to Lucas when I get home. Tara reamed my ass good when she called. I know that she is right and none of this is really Lucas’ fault. I don’t know why I blew up at him like I did. I know that he didn’t want Kelsey calling me any more than I did, but the thought of him being with her pisses me way the hell off. I doesn’t matter that it was only one time. I still want to scratch her eyes out. I know I need to go home and apologize, but I haven’t worked up the nerve yet. I’m just about to get up and refill my glass, when I see Kelsey walk through the door. Oh shit.

She makes her way right towards me and sits down. "We need to talk about Luke."

I shake my head at her. "I told you already. You need to talk to Lucas, not me."

"I’ve tried, but he won’t listen to me. You need to help him realize that we are meant to be together. He will never be satisfied with someone like you. He needs someone that is part of his own crowd."

"What crowd is that?"

"The popular crowd, of course. The beautiful people. How could someone like Luke ever be happy with a piglet like you?" she says with an evil smile.

"You do realize that we are not in high school anymore. Right?"

She laughs. "Of course, I do. But, that does not change the fact
that you are not good enough for Luke."

I stand up and look down at her. "I think that’s Lucas’ decision."

"He’s not thinking straight. If he was, then he would never even touch you," she says, then breaks into tears.

"You have got to be kidding me."

I try to walk away, but she grabs my hand. "Please, let me have Luke. I need him."

Lucas is right. Kelsey is crazy. "He is not a toy that I can just give away when I’m done playing with it. Lucas is a person. He makes his own decisions, but I do promise that if he wants you
, I won’t stand in his way."

She tries to say more, but I refuse to listen. I jerk my hand away and make my way to the car. I start to pull out my keys, but notice that my hand is covered in something red. I must have spilled ketchup on it while I was eating. I grab a napkin from my purse, clean it off and head home to tell Lucas how sorry I am.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"What’s wrong?" Lucas asks.

Lindy shrugs her shoulders. "How do you know that something is wrong?"

"The only time you eat peanut butter cookies is when you’re upset."

LUCAS

I finish my beer and head home. I’m driving down Main Street, when I see Lindy’s car at the service station. She is standing right beside it talking to the tire guy, Mark. He is bent down checking out the side of her tire. I pull in behind her car and cut the engine. "What’s wrong?"

"She’s got a flat. Something punched a big ass hole in her tire," Mark answers without standing up. He motions for me to come look.

I get off my bike and squat down to see what’s wrong. There is gash about an inch long on the side of her tire. I look over at Mark. He nods his head at me, and I look up at Lindy. "How long did you drive on this?"

She points across the road. "I was just at the Dairy Dip. I knew something was wrong as soon as I started driving, so I came right over here."

Thank God she did not try to drive home. "Call Dad."

She gets a puzzled look on her face. "Why?"

"’Cause, someone cut your tire on purpose. You need to report it."

She looks from me to Mark, then back again. "Are you sure?"

She sounds scared. So I stand up and pull her into my arms. "Yeah, I’m positive. There is no way a cut like that came from regular wear and tear. Plus, there’s blood on the tire. It looks like someone cut himself while they were fucking with your tire."

"Oh my God!" She pulls out of my arms, reaches into her purse, and pulls out a napkin. She holds it up to
the light. "It wasn’t ketchup."

"What are talking about?"

She shoves the napkin in my face. "I thought I had ketchup on my hand, but it must have been Kelsey’s blood from when she grabbed my hand."

I take the napkin from her and pull her back into my arms. "Tell me everything."

By the time she is done, I want to kill Kelsey. I knew the bitch was screwed in the head, but this is even worse than I thought. I end up calling Dad myself and explain what is going on. A squad car shows up a few minutes later. Dad and Chris are only a few minutes behind it. Lindy repeats her story twice more, before the first officer on the scene goes to pick Kelsey up. Dad says he and Chris can’t be involved, because it could cause problems with the case. I don’t care who does it. I just want the bitch arrested. She probably won’t even spend the night in jail, but maybe being arrested will scare her ass enough to make her stay the fuck away. All I want is for her to leave Lindy alone.

*****

It is nearly two hours later before we get home. As soon as we walk in the door, Lindy heads to the kitchen to clean up all the cookie mess from earlier. I walk in just as she is dumping it into the trash. "That’s a waste. I’ve always loved your peanut butter cookies."

She smiles at me. "They were my dad’s favorite."

I nod my head. "I know, baby. He loved peanut butter cookies and chicken dumplings, and you always make them when you get upset about something."

"Yeah! That’s how I got so fat," she says.

"You were never fat. There was just more of you to love."

She chuckles. "Bull shit, I was fat. But I don’t eat peanut butter or chicken now. So, I don’t have to worry about that anymore."

"Why not? I thought they were your favorites."

She laughs again. "They were, but I ate way too many peanut butter sandwiches and chicken flavored Ramen Noodles in college. I hate them both now."

I walk over and place a soft kiss on her lips. "Don’t worry, baby. I will eat them for you from now on."

She wraps her arms around me. "Are you planning on upsetting me a lot?"

I smile at her. "I don’t know. Is that the only way I’ll get chicken and dumplings or your peanut butter cookies?"

She looks up at me and gives me a sexy smile. "I doubt it. I figure you could get about anything you want. All you need to do is ask."

"I can think of a thing or two that I want more than food right now."

She runs her tongue across her top lip. "Like I said, anything you want."

LINDY

We barely make it to the bedroom before we’re tearing each other’s clothes off. I am two steps from the bed when Lucas picks me up and tosses me on it. He jerks my legs apart and crawls in between them. "I have been wanting to do this forever," he says then places his head between my thighs.

My back bows up in pleasure as soon as his tongue makes contact with my clit. "That feels so good!"

He lifts his head and smiles at me. "You haven’t felt anything yet." Then he dives back in. He is sucking on my clit, while his fingers work their way in and out of me. I have never felt anything like this my life. I am just about to go over the edge, when he sits up and grabs his cock.

"Not without me," he says and sinks into me. This is different from last night. His thrusts are more forceful, almost brutal, but I love every second of it. "Don’t ever walk out me again, Lindy. You are mine."

I nod my head in agreement.

"Say it." he shouts between thrusts. "Tell me that you are mine."

"I’m yours." Just saying the words sends me soaring. I am just starting to come down from my orgasm when I notice his thrusts speed up. I know he is almost there, so I lift myself up to him and grab his ass, making him go deeper. He stays deep within me and lets out a loud moan.

We lay still for a few minutes, both of us trying to catch our breath. Finally, he lifts his head and looks at me. "I didn’t pull out again."

Shit! That time it was all my fault. I swear, I never even thought about a condom. I look up at him and shake my head. "I’m sorry."

He rolls over and starts to laugh. "You’re sorry? I just got a taste of the finest pussy ever made, then I got to fuck that same pussy so hard that it’s a wonder the bed didn’t break, and you’re sorry? Well, I’m not. I’m fucking thrilled."

"I mean about holding you in there like that. I just… Well, I like the feel of you deep inside me," I whisper in embarrassment. It’s one thing to do it, but it’s a completely different thing to talk about it.

Lucas pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head. "I had no intentions of pulling out, if that’s what you mean. When I am inside you, the last thing I want to do is ever leave."

"I made an appointment with the doctor for next
week, to get on birth control."

He takes in a deep breath. "If you want, I can use a condom until then. But I got to tell you, baby, I don’t like the idea of anything coming between us."

For some reason, Kelsey’s face pops into my head. Then I start to think of all the other women that Lucas has probably slept with throughout the years. I don’t want to ask, but I know that I have to. "You said you were clean, but how do you know for sure."

He sucks in a deep breath then lets it out slowly. "I have never been with anyone without a condom but you, not even in high school. Ma preached that shit every day. So I never even considered it an option. I wrapped it up, or it just didn’t go in."

"How did Kelsey get pregnant, if you wore a condom?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don’t know. I guess the condom broke. After that shit went down with the bitch, I got tested. I haven’t been with anyone since."

I think about his words for a little while. "What’s different about me? Why would you not wear one with me?"

"Because you’re my Lindy Lou. I know that you don’t have some fucked up disease, and I’m not really worried about you getting pregnant."

"It may not be the right time of the month, but it could happen you know," I say, not understanding his attitude.

"If it did, I would be beyond fucking happy. The woman that I love, carrying my child. Shit! I would be ecstatic."

He has got to be kidding. "You can’t mean that. We have only been together like two days."

"Hell yeah, I mean it. You know as well as I do that we have been together for our entire lives. I was just too damn stupid to realize it. Do I think that we are ready to have a baby right now? No, but I don’t think it would be the worst thing that could happen. I meant what I told you earlier. I want a little Lindy or a little Lucas sometime in the next few years."

"A little Sammy," I whisper in a voice so quiet that I know he can’t hear.

"What?" he says leaning his head towards mine.

"I want my first child to be named Samuel or Samantha, after my dad."

He squeezes me tight. "That’s sounds like a good plan, baby."

We lay there quietly for what seems like forever. I am just starting nod off, when I hear Lucas say that he loves me. Again, sleep takes me before I can say it back.

LUCAS

I feel Lindy fall asleep, and I hold her close for a few more minutes, then remove her gently from my arms and get out of the bed. I grab my phone and head to the living room. I dial Dad’s number and place it to my ear.

It rings a few times, before Dad answers. "Luke, what’s wrong?"

I can tell he was asleep, but I don’t fucking care. I need to talk to him. "What am I supposed to do about this shit with Kelsey?"

"What are you talking about
, Son?"

"How can I make that bitch leave Lindy alone?" I ask, hoping like hell that he has the answer.

"I don’t know. I think you tied yourself to a loose cannon when you stuck your dick in that bitch." Dad has always been a straight shooter.

"I know I did, but I got to do something. I barely got Lindy back. I can’t lose her again."

I can hear Dad moving around. I assume he is getting out of bed with Ma. In other words, he does not want her to hear what he is about to say. "What’s going on between the two of you? You’re my son, but I love Melinda like she was one of my own. I’m not going to have you fucking around with her."

"I love her, Dad."

I hear him suck in a breath. "Well, hell. That changes things, don’t it?"

I chuckle. "Yeah, it sure in hell does."

"Damn, your Ma is going to shove this shit in my face for years. Not that I’m not happy as hell for you, but I hate eating shit."

"What are you talking about, Dad?"

I can hear him lighting a cigarette, before he responds. "Wanda always said that you two would end up together, but I kept telling her that you were like brother and sister. After twenty-four years, it looks like I would know better than to doubt her. Not fucking lying when I say she is always right."

"I don’t know about always, but she is right this time. The only problem is that Lindy is just starting to come around, and this shit with Kelsey could scare her off. And there is someone just waiting for me to fuck up. I know he’ll be all over her, if he’s even given half the chance."

"Don’t give him the chance. You make sure she knows that she’s yours. If she’s not with you, make sure her ass is thinking about you. Hard for a woman to even think about another man, when she can still feel you between her legs." I hear dad take a deep breath. "Fuck! I cannot believe I just said that shit about Melinda. I don’t even want to think about that shit."

I can’t help but laugh. "Now you know how I feel when you talk about Mom."

"Well, you don’t have to worry about that happening ever again. I swear that I just threw up a little."

We talk a while longer, then say our goodbyes. I head back to the bed and crawl in. I pull Lindy close and kiss her cheek. I am just about to fall to sleep, when Dad’s words come back to me. I always listen to my dad.

I roll over and start kissing her. She slowly opens her eyes. "What are you doing?"

I don’t answer at first, I just reach down and slide my fingers inside her. She is already wet. Thank God. I move myself between her thighs and slide in. "I’m making sure you can still feel me between your legs in the morning."