Chapter Eleven: Don't Go Bacon My Heart
My insides were tingling with anticipation like they did during every mission. After grabbing a light jacket, slipping out the front door, walking across three front yards so I wouldn't have to pass by Owen again, and sneaking into Luke's townhouse, I quickly skipped up the steps in a rush to his bedroom.
"Cindy? Uh, I mean, Luke?" I called out, coughing slightly on my involuntary slip and wandering through his door, following the sound of running water to his bathroom.
The scene before me made my jaw drop.
"Luke, what are you doing?" I cried in alarm, not having to fake my surprise when I saw his entire head submerged in an overflowing sink. Water splashed over the edges, his white knuckles grasping the vanity's edges in a death grip as his blonde mop flailed around in the water.
"What's wrong, Sang Baby?" North's concerned voice shot through my earpiece as I rushed to Luke, clutching his shirt in a tight grip before tugging backwards.
He came up spluttering and gasping for air, water flying everywhere.
"Are you okay, Luke?" I asked worriedly, trying to get a good look at his face but those damned beautiful blonde locks of his were plastered across every inch of skin. He really did resemble a mop. "Why were you doing that?"
"Doing what?" North's voice pressed impatiently. "Damn it, pull up the camera, Vic!"
"Why did you have your head underwater like that?" I clarified quickly for North's benefit, hastily wiping Luke's hair off his face as he continued to cough. His hands were shaking as they came up to wipe furiously at both closed eyes while leaning against me with a groan.
"Luke, talk to me," I coaxed quietly, rubbing my hands up and down his arms to try and calm his shuddering.
"I can still taste it," Luke moaned painfully, his forehead dipping against the top of my head as I moved both hands to press against his chest for support.
Oh God, he was taking this prank harder than I expected.
My hands rubbed soothingly up and down his chest as I took a tiny step closer. I was careful not to lean too closely against his lower half, knowing I didn't want what was basted on the front of his jeans to get on me.
"Taste what?" I asked innocently, trying not to cringe as I played along. He made North wear short, jean overalls, I kept reminding myself. Payback had always been fair play in this family.
Luke pulled back slowly, his unfocused gaze wandering around the quiet bathroom before sliding slowly to me. His haunted eyes gleamed at me, pulling tight at something in my soul as I felt the first pang of regret for pulling that stupid prank.
We should've listened to Victor and put sleeping pills in Luke's chocolate milk instead.
"The broccoli," Luke whispered despondently, and a shudder traveled down his entire body before my eyes. "I brushed my teeth four times, but I can't get rid of it. The essence will always be there."
"Oh, Luke," I cooed indulgently, moving my hands around his waist to rub at his lower back. "You poor thing."
"It won't leave me alone," he continued slowly, voice laced with forewarning. "I can never escape it."
"He's okay?" North asked suspiciously in my ear before snorting. "Of course he's okay, he's whining about vegetables."
"You're okay," I whispered mournfully, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on Luke's lean bicep.
"Maybe. Only time will tell," Luke muttered back doubtfully, and I was caught between a sigh and snort at his dramatics.
"You need to get him outside, Sang," Victor's voice cackled through my earpiece. His voice was serious, but not impatient.
"You know what might help?" I asked lightly as Luke's hands came up absentmindedly to rest on my hips.
"Nothing," Luke answered immediately.
I stifled an eyeroll. What a baby.
"How about some fresh air?" I offered, stepping back a bit and letting my hands slide down his arms to pull them off my hips, intertwining our fingers in the process.
Luke snorted, one hand leaving mine to rub harshly against his lips, as if he'd been just kissed by a giant slug.
"Come on," I pressed, tugging lightly on his fingers as he finally brought his gaze to meet mine. "I actually came here because I wanted to show you something."
"Show me what?" Luke's eyebrows rose expecting, a sense of awareness entering his eyes that allowed my shoulders to loosen slightly.
"A surprise," I grinned teasingly, echoing the same excuse I'd given Owen.
"I'm not sure how I feel about surprises right now, Cupcake," Luke shivered again, eyes narrowing slightly.
I felt a moment of hesitation. Luke already suffered enough, and the second part of our prank wasn't really necessary. Surely we could-
"Don't you dare back down, Sang," North growled into my ear. "Three days, baby. Three days in jean overalls that didn't even reach the middle of my thighs."
I snorted unceremoniously, trying to hide it with a cough. Luke gave me an odd look, but he was more focused on twisting his mouth in different grimaces.
"It involves...um, licking?" I asked hopefully, using both hands to tug on his free one now. Luke humored me, following me out of the bathroom at a slower, zombie-like pace.
"Licking, hmm?" Luke asked, clearly intrigued now.
I just couldn't tell if he thought the licking would involve me or a tasty treat.
But now wasn't the time to get jealous over baked goods again.
"You're cutting it close on time, Princess," Victor reported in as I pulled Luke through his room and into the hallway. "Everyone else is accounted for, and the coast is clear on your exit route. North, you're in position?"
"Yeah, and all clear out here, too," North answered gruffly as I started down the stairs. Luke had started playing with the fingers on my right hand, twisting them side to side playfully.
"So, you had some veggies for lunch?" I asked cautiously as we reached the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to bring it up again but knowing it would seem weird if I hadn't asked about that whole episode upstairs.
"Eh," Luke cringed, pulling up beside me and swinging the front door open. He tilted his head, one hand on my lower back as he nudged me through the threshold first. "Somebody has a very cruel, cruel sense of humor. At first I suspected North, but there's no way he could've planned that all himself."
"Oh yeah, fucker?" North's voice boomed. "I'll show you who-"
"Planned what?" I interjected North's tirade, despite Luke not being able to hear it.
"It was the worst, Sang," Luke sighed, grabbing my hand as I turned him left on the sidewalk. He followed easily as the dark memories overtook him. "I was tricked. I ate a...they made me eat a...it was a...a..."
"A piece of broccoli?" I prompted, anticipating Luke's involuntary shudder this time and giving his hand a squeeze.
"A piece of what nightmares are made of," Luke corrected with a wince, scooting closer to me as we strolled down the sidewalk.
"What a fucking baby," North continued, and I could practically hear his scowl before his voice turned serious. "Alert, Toby is on the move! I repeat, Toby is in the open and on the move. Heading West."
My heart jumped in anticipation as I picked up my pace and we turned the corner. Luke and I were about a block away, and I could see North's black jeep at its spot across the street. He was nearby.
"But enough about my afternoon from hell," Luke shrugged it off, his stride easily picking up to match mine. I looked up just in time to catch an eyebrow waggle he sent to me. "Tell me more about this licking surprise."
"We're almost there," I managed to smile despite my nerves. I was tempted to turn us around and head back home, but I needed to do this for North. North in overalls, I kept chanting to myself for courage. With no underwear.
Well, now my thoughts were getting a little heated.
Grumpy North with none of his black clothes to wear, I thought to myself instead, picturing how cranky he'd be. That worked better.
Luke would forgive me eventually, just like North would forgive him.
"What kind of licking is this gonna involve?" Luke questioned curiously, brow furrowing adorably. "We're outside, and I don't see a bakery anywhere nearby."
"You'll see. We're almost there," I assured him, placing my free hand on his forearm. It was a beautiful Fall day, and I was happy we actually had a chance to take a walk in it. I tried not to look at North's jeep as we passed it, wondering if he was inside or had found a different spot to hide.
"And we're live in three...two...one," Victor's relaxing, baritone voice traveled through my earpiece as I bit my lip. "It's go time."
Right on cue, a giant, black and white contraption came rushing around one of the side houses, heading towards us on the sidewalk.
"Oh look, Toby!" I pointed, tugging on Luke's hand.
A grin threatened to split Luke's face in two as he saw the Great Dane loping towards us on the sidewalk, pulling a small, elderly lady behind him. Luke sent a wave to Mrs. Banford as we picked up our pace.
"Hey, Mrs. Banford! Hi Toby!" Luke called out happily, Toby responding with his own bark of joy when he spotted us and started tugging harder on his leash. Mrs. Banford, used to running into us on walks, let go of Toby's leash and smiled fondly as he bounded towards us.
Phase Two was in motion.
Slipping my hand from Luke's, there was a hectic moment as Toby reached me and I was overwhelmed by a slobbery tongue, sniffing nose, and the powerful force of his almost two hundred pound body that would've knocked me over if it weren't for Luke's hand moving to support my back.
Toby's head reached my chest, and I patted his head, scratching behind his pointed ears as his overexcited nose sniffed all over my jacket.
Then the hyper dog-giant-hybrid moved to Luke, and his friendly attack became a warzone assault.
Toby went straight for the crotch.
I cringed as Luke howled, caving in on himself with a cry mixed of shock and discomfort. I stood there stupidly, glancing at Mrs. Banford hustling down the sidewalk towards us before looking back at Toby's furry head burrowing aggressively into Luke's privates. My muscles seized up, knowing I should be helping Luke but forcing myself to stay back from the panic. I saw lots of tongue, buckets of slobber, and even hints of teeth as I stood there silently while North and Victor's laughter almost overshadowed the sounds of Luke's cries.
"Uhh," I stammered, unable to stop myself from leaning forward and patting Toby's thrashing head. "Good boy, Toby. That's enough!"
"Lucian!" Mrs. Banford cried as Luke fell back onto the grass, overpowered by Toby's forceful advances. She was still hustling towards us, her short legs only able to move so fast. "Lucian, are you alright, dear? Toby, stop that!"
"Holy mother of-" Luke gasped out, wiggling against the grass as Toby went at him, both hands pushing against the dog's snout. I knew I would normally be laughing at such a scene, but I was worried Toby might be getting a little too rough.
A growl sounded, and my eyes widened.
"Shit!" Luke cried, cringing away from Toby and pushing harder against his head. "Stop, stop, stop! You mangy mutt!"
"Oh no," I murmured, officially regretting this as I leaned down and grabbed Toby's leash. I tugged back as hard as possible, but Toby was too focused on his treat. Mrs. Banford had managed to reach us by this point, and she grabbed a portion of the leash in front of me.
"Toby, stop!" She commanded, tugging hard on the leash with me. "Pull, young lady!"
"Yes, ma'am," I answered dutifully, and we both tugged at the same time. It barely moved Toby an inch.
"Oh my God, my balls," Luke moaned in agony, pinned down as Toby's paws found purchase on one of Luke's thighs and held him down. "Make it stop!"
"Toby!" Mrs. Banford called, tugging more on the leash as I joined in.
"Now, North, now!" I whispered worriedly into the earpiece, hoping he'd hear it over his own raucous laughter.
"Aww. Don't ruin my fun, Sang baby," North whined lightly with a sigh, but I knew he'd listen.
Within the next second, Toby's head shot up and looked to our left like a prairie dog. He sniffed the air once before taking off down the sidewalk at a quick jog, Mrs. Banford following after him as I let go of the leash.
Thank God North's dog whistle worked.
Bracing myself, I turned back to where Luke was collapsed in the grass. His chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath, and I stepped closer with both hands offered out to help him up.
"Are you alright, Luke?" I asked guiltily, feeling like a traitor.
"Yeah, I'm good," Luke breathed out, gripping my hands as we both worked to pull him upright. "That was crazy, though."
"Yeah," I agreed hesitantly, keeping hold of Luke's right hand as I looked around. We hadn't exactly planned what happened after the prank. Were North and Victor going to pop out? "Umm..."
"Go ahead and tell him, Sang," Victor snickered through my earpiece.
Me, take the blame? Alone? This was not the plan!
"Toby was seriously going at my junk," Luke said in disbelief, wiping off his jeans that were covered in slobber and grass stains now. "What the heck is going on today?"
"Luke," I started, but my throat closed up and silence fell. Luke's hands settled on my hips, pulling me closer. I took a deep breath of Fall air before steeling myself and ripping off the bandaid. "I have a confession."
My words were barely above the sound of breathing, but Luke was close enough that he could make them out.
"A confession?" Luke echoed, eyes lighting up in amusement as he sent me a wink. "Alright, Cupcake. Go ahead and confess your little heart out. What'd you do today? Make pancakes without chocolate chips in them?"
"Luke," I sighed, a little exasperated but mostly guilty. "I..."
"You...?" Luke pressed, lips tilting up into a full grin as he squeezed my waist.
"I...," I leaned closer, placing both hands on his lean chest as I reached up to whisper in his ear. "I basted bacon flavored seasoning onto the front of your jeans."
Even North and Victor were silent in my ear as Luke's body stiffened.
One heartbeat passed where the only sound was my own pulse, then two.
"Wait...what?" Luke stammered, pulling back to stare at me in confusion. "You basted..."
"Your jeans," I supplied readily, pursing my lips as I tried to read his expression.
"You basted my jeans with...," Luke trailed off again, looking at me finish the sentence.
"Bacon flavored seasoning," I winced, glancing down to the freshly cut grass before looking back up at him.
"Because you knew that Toby would...," Luke trailed off once more as his eyes narrowed dangerously at me.
"Dogs really love bacon," I mumbled in explanation, fiddling with a button on Luke's shirt.
"You did that?" Luke pressed expectantly, licking his lips as his mind worked through it. I couldn't tell if he felt betrayed or baffled. "You pranked me? Your own partner in crime?"
"God, what a drama queen," North snorted, snickering through my bluetooth.
"Yes," I admitted, my fingers dropping down to his belt loops. "I did it."
"You little minx," Luke muttered slowly, eyes narrowing even further. "You played me."
"I did," I nodded along, fussing with his belt loops.
"And what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" Luke frowned.
"Honestly?" I licked my lips, keeping my gaze locked on his as I leaned forward and whispered, "I liked it."
"Hey, Lucian!" North called, and it took me a moment to register that his voice wasn't only coming through my earpiece. Luke and I stumbled apart, turning to see North jogging down the sidewalk. The action looked out of place with his black jeans, but he caught up with us quickly. "Sean saw you guys head out. He wanted me to let you two know dinner should be ready soon."
"O-kay," Luke answered slowly, staring suspiciously at North.
"You alright, Luke?" North asked, giving him a concerned glance before I saw his lips twitching into that devastating smirk. "You're looking a little green."
Luke gasped, his body taking an automatic step forward before freezing in place.
"You," Luke growled, fixing North with a harsh glare. "The broccoli..."
"I'll see you two at dinner," North's smirk remained fixed in place as he started sauntering backwards, gaze fixed on Luke. "Sean said something about broccoli cheddar soup?"
"You asshole!" Luke accused, springing forward as North turned and started booking it down the sidewalk. Luke jutted to a stop after a few steps, turning to see me trying not to choke on my own laughter. He sent me a mischievous grin, looking way too evil for my liking as he stalked towards me on the pavement. Light on his feet, shoulders hunched forward, he looked like a predator sneaking up on the helpless antelope by the watering hole.
"Luke, stop it," I managed through my laughter, automatically taking a few steps backward onto the grass from the feeling of being hunted. "Don't come any closer!"
"You sneaky wench!" Luke cried, jumping forward before I could fully turn around to run away. I managed to turn half way around before his arms encircled me, flipping us over in the air before we landed with a thump on Mr. Procter's front lawn. I landed on a warm, hard chest, and from the huff of air that escaped Luke, I knew the ground and I had just made a Luke sandwich.
"Luke! Are you okay?" I asked, propping my hands on the grass and pushing up to make sure he could breathe properly. "That sounded painful."
"I just survived a full on frontal attack from a rabid dog, Sang," Luke chuckled, tightening his hold around my waist and pulling me flush against him. "Trust me, anything else would feel like a pinch right now."
"I really am sorry," I said honestly, wincing at the memory of Toby's attack. "I didn't expect him to get that...excited."
"Eh, I can't blame Toby for trying to get a piece of this," Luke shrugged against the grass, surely getting grass stains on the back of his button down.
"So modest, Luke," I smiled affectionately down at him, secretly knowing that I wouldn't blame anybody for trying to get with Luke. The way the sun affected his blonde mane was mesmerizing right now, and it was like looking at strands of pure gold surrounding his model-like face.
Sometimes it was difficult to feel worthy of such beauty.
"Well, one of us has to be modest," he grinned back, leaning up to steal a quick kiss. I gladly returned it. "The other one is too busy thinking she's a master prankster now."
He stole another kiss before I could respond, and Luke managed to flip us over in one smooth move so my back was against the grass. His mouth moved to my ear, and I nuzzled into his neck before a more pressing matter stole my attention.
"Luke, you're so wet," I laughed against his neck, squirming to get my legs away from his slobber-covered jeans while my arms wrapped tighter around his shoulders. I could feel Toby's drool seeping into my own jeans.
"Geez, Sang. That's my line," Luke teased. His arms disappeared from holding me, and I heard the distinct sound of a belt unbuckling. Was he...?
"Luke, put your pants back on!" I cried in disbelief, a burst of shocked laughter escaping me as he shimmied out of the offending clothing. It caused his upper body and legs to rub against me, and I couldn't deny I enjoyed his close proximity.
"And that's my cue to go offline," Victor murmured through the earpiece. "Over and out, Princess."
"Sang Baby, if Luke talks you into taking your clothes off in the middle of Mr. Procter's front yard, tell him broccoli will be the least of his worries," North gruff voice warned before I heard two clicks and the line went silent.
"Luke, seriously," I laughed, taking a quick glance to the left and right to make sure nobody was nearby. I'm sure stripping out in the open was against our homeowner association's rules, and I didn't want a kid to be scarred for life. "Why are you taking your pants off?"
"Like you said, they're covered in dog drool," Luke grumbled with a grimace, kicking the last of his jeans off with his feet. I could only lie there and try not to choke on my own laughter as my legs automatically spread further to catch his body against mine. "Ah, much better."
Luke deliberately grasped one of my wrists, moving it up to rest above my head. He repeated the same action with my other wrist, planting them together with one of his hands to hold them captive. I was trapped against the grass as his brown eyes sparkled down at me.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Cupcake," Luke began solemnly, a finger from his free hand leisurely trailing down my arm. It was a good thing my jacket was in the way, or I'm sure goosebumps would be covering every inch of skin along his path. "Thinking you could get away with pulling a prank on me?"
"You had no idea it was me," I pointed out with twitching lips, trying not to laugh at the mock-serious expression he was looking at me with. "I had to tell you, remember?"
"The pain is making it hard for me to remember much of anything," Luke pouted, his finger trailing up my shoulder and along my jaw. "You don't understand how agonizing this is."
I scrunched my nose as he tapped a finger against it, and Luke leaned down until his lips were a breath from mine. I closed my eyes in anticipation, angling my head up to meet his.
Imagine my surprise when not only did I not get a kiss, but instead got a faceful of Luke's breath fanning over me.
"Wha-"
"Do you smell that, Cupcake?" Luke asked, huffing more breath onto my face. "My breath still smells like broccoli!"
I could only smell minty freshness from his intense toothbrushing session, but my eyes fluttered open to see Luke breathing all over my face in short puffs.
"Luke!"
"It's not even the broccoli part that kills me," Luke admitted when he was finished exhaling on me. "I'll get North back for that. It's the fact that you voluntarily participated in the torture of my gonads."
"Excuse me?" I asked on a laugh, looping one of my ankles around the back of his calf. "Toby was just being friendly. Maybe a little overly-friendly, but he meant no harm."
"Oh, there was definitely harm," Luke's head nodded vigorously, that beautiful mane of blonde hair framing his face and tickling my cheeks. "We better hope the little cupcake you're baking in that belly right now is mine, 'cause I think any future possibility of my swimmers winning that race has now been obliterated."
"Don't joke about that," I told him, nudging Luke's hip with my thigh. But his words made me frown. "And did he really hurt you that badly?"
"Oh yes," Luke's nods turned playful as he tossed me a sly smile, "very badly. And you know, usually when one of us gets hurt, you kiss it all better."
"You want me to kiss...?"
"They're in pain, Cupcake," Luke defended solemnly, lip slipping out in a pout that was almost too cute for me to handle.
"Luke, you are impossible," I grinned, another burst of laughter escaping me as his body pressed against mine. He swooped down to brush a kiss against my neck, and my wrists flexed against his hold. "And we're in public right now, which means you should probably put your pants back on and get off of me."
"I think I'd rather keep my pants off and stay right where I am," Luke murmured against my skin, trailing a featherlight path of kisses up my neck. I blamed the cooling Fall weather for the small shiver that travels down my spine. "Who ever had fun by putting clothes on?"
That wasn't an argument I wanted to challenge.
"Owen and Gabriel won't be happy about us getting grass stains," I pointed out, mostly to keep my mind off the possibility of us making out in Mr. Procter's front yard right now.
Sadly, grass stains were the only excuse I could come up with of why we shouldn't be making out right now.
Not very convincing, which is probably why Luke didn't deign to respond.
Instead, his lips kept up a steady path along my jaw, his free hand moving down my side to grasp my hip. I wiggled down as much as Luke's grip on my wrists would allow, dipping my mouth to meet his in a warm kiss.
"I haven't even decided on your punishment yet, and here you are trying to steal kisses," Luke murmured against my lips before I pressed firmly against him. Luke let his weight drop a little more, sitting deliciously against me as the kiss turned long and languid.
I swear my legs moved on their own accord, ankles hooking together behind Luke's back. I couldn't blame my tongue for licking Luke's minty-fresh lips or pushing past his welcoming lips. Even a nun would've jumped at the chance to feel the way Luke's tongue danced with mine in a slow, steady rhythm. Chocolate had nothing on the way my senses soared when Luke's lips moved against mine. It was heaven.
I could've stayed there for days, wrapped up in Luke's embrace, soaking in the warm afternoon sun. Grass stains were the last thing on my mind when Luke's hand slipped inside my shirt to play across my stomach, and his hips finally moved against mine in one delectable rock. Yes, this was definitely heaven.
Mr. Procter, on the other hand, seemed to disagree.
"What in the living hell are you hooligans doing in my yard?" Mr. Procter's deep voice boomed through my Luke haze while Luke and I jumped with a start. Luke scrambled off me, grabbing my hand as we both fumbled to our feet. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep off my grass?"
"We're sorry, Mr. Procter!" Luke apologized in a rush, grabbing his jeans off the ground as I scooped up his shoes. One of his socks had come off in our tumbling, but it was a necessary sacrifice as Luke tugged me towards the sidewalk. "It won't happen again!"
"Getting naked on my zoysia like a couple of animals? You're damned right it won't happen again!" He thundered behind us, storming down his yard towards us. "If I ever see you within spitting distance of my yard, I'm calling the cops!"
"Sorry, Mr. Procter!" I called over my shoulder, jogging down the sidewalk with Luke. We kept up a rushed pace until we turned the corner back to our street, slowing down enough to catch our breath and let out a few nervous giggles.
Luke was still in his boxers, and I had to look away to avoid collapsing into a giggling fit.
"Come here, Cupcake," Luke commanded, and I turned to see him facing away from me, crouching slightly. "Hop on, darlin'."
"You want to give me a piggyback ride?" I asked, trying to stifle a smile at how silly he looked in his underwear. Rolling my eyes, I dropped Luke's shoes on the sidewalked and grasped his shoulders before hopping up. He hooked both hands under my thighs before slipping his shoes back on and starting down the pavement.
"I always want to give you a ride," Luke quipped, giving my thigh a quick squeeze.
"Are you sure it's not just because I'm pregnant and you're treating me like an invalid again?" I asked, pointedly ignoring his innuendo. From previous experience, I knew he wasn't lying.
"I know you're capable of walking two blocks back to our home, Sang. But soon you're going to be too fat for me to carry you like this, so I need to enjoy it while I can," Luke observed with a smile as my eyebrows flew up.
"Fat?" I choked out, knowing there must be some rule against people calling a pregnant woman fat. Not that Luke bothered to follow the rules.
"You know what I mean," I could practically feel his eyes rolling as a hand patted the back of my thigh. "Maybe 'plump with child' is a better way of putting it."
My eyebrows flew impossibly higher. Plump with child?
"Luke-"
"It's a good thing!" He defended, grip tightening on my legs as he looked ahead. "I can't wait to see you with a baby bump, Sang. It's gonna be so sexy."
"Sexy?" I echoed in surprise, my jaw dropping as I tried to lean over Luke's shoulder. "What in the world is attractive about being pregnant?"
"You just said it," Luke snorted, turning his head slightly to shoot me a grin that was so beautiful I felt a slight ache in my heart. He licked his lips, voice dropping to a whisper like we were sharing a secret. "Sang, you're gonna have our kid. One of us did that to you, and you have no idea the sense of primal satisfaction that goes along with getting your girl pregnant."
No, I suppose I didn't.
"Does this mean we're going to have a lot of babies?" I asked curiously, knowing we hadn't planned or talked about this yet. While this mini-cupcake wasn't planned, I'm sure the next one was going to be planned down to the date of conception.
"We're going to have as many little rugrats as you want, Sang," Luke answered happily as I leaned my chin on his shoulder, both arms wrapping around to rest on his chest.
"Yes, but we're all a part of this family," I pointed out, tightening my grip on Luke as I thought about it. "Shouldn't everyone get a say?"
"Can you imagine all of us deciding on a number?" Luke snorted, kicking an acorn across the sidewalk when we were only a few houses down from our own home.
"That'd be an interesting family meeting," I grinned, nuzzling against Luke's neck. It was warm and inviting.
"Yeah, I can just see Kota doing some math to find the average," Luke snickered lightly. "He'd calculate 3.5 kids, and then we'd get into an argument about rounding."
"Oh gosh, I'm not sure about-"
Luke's phone ringing interrupted my imminent freakout, and he hooked my ankles together against his stomach before letting go with one hand to grab his phone. Pulling it out of his pocket, he stiffened a bit before picking up his pace.
"Shoot, we're late for dinner," Luke reported grimly, slipping the phone back in his pocket and gripping me tighter as he started jogging down the last leg of sidewalk.
He still hadn't put his pants back on.
A/N: As always, thank you so much for your support! I love sharing my writing with such wonderful readers; it's much more rewarding than I expected.