TThe next few minutes are a blur. I can hear my father muttering to himself as he paces the living room and hallway before lunging for Dillon. The old adage, 'like father, like son,' rings true for the Spencer family as my father's hands wrap around the tanned column of Dillon's neck. Lucky tries to intervene before managing to get my dad to move away from Dillon. They stand nose-to-nose yelling at each other until Elizabeth gently convinces my father to get some air outside.
Visibly shaken, I allow Nikolas to guide me to the overstuffed suede armchair the moves had unloaded in the corner. I can hear Lucky and my father arguing outside, their voices filling the afternoon air.
"Dad, you cannot yell at her. She's pregnant, and I don't want the stress doing anything to that baby," Lucky shouts. "Right now is a very sensitive time for Lulu, and you are not going to come in here and jeopardize her health."
"Your sister is pregnant by her stepbrother, do you realize that?" my father yells back.
"Oh, stop acting self-righteous, Dad. You know damn well that you only married Tracey for the money. Lulu didn't grow up with Dillon. They're not family."
"How could you let this happen?"
"Let this happen? You're her father."
"I asked you to look after her."
Dillon swings the door open and steps onto the porch. "Look, Luke, I respect you, but I'm not going to let you come in our house and upset Lulu. She can't handle the stress right now."
"Excuse me, Young Spielberg, but this is a family discussion concerning my daughter," Dad retorts.
"Well, Lulu is my family. She and this child are my whole life."
"What about your wife?"
"My soon-to-be ex-wife has moved on, and so have I."
"Well, then maybe you can explain to me exactly how Lulu ended up pregnant?"
"These things happen, Dad," Lucky chimes in.
"Luke, you can come in. You are her father, and you're always welcome. But if you are going to yell and scream, I'd rather you just stay away."
"I need a drink."
"When don't you need a drink, Dad?" I ask, leaning against to doorjamb.
"Don't be like that, Lesley Lu. If anyone gets to act disappointed, it should be."
"You lost that privilege a long time ago," I reply. "You don't get to have a say in my life any more. Lucky has done everything for me; he's been the most constant thing in my life. Nikolas and Elizabeth have both been incredibly supportive, and Carly gave me advice when I needed it most. Grandma Lesley, Aunt Bobbie and Lucas have all done so much for me."
"And Dillon," I continue, "he's been more there for me than almost anyone in my life other than Lucky. He loves me, and I love him. We are going to have this child, and we are going to have a family and a life together."
"Well, don't expect me to be a grandfather. I don't do grandpa."
"You didn't do Dad either," I mutter. "Look, I went and told Mom. The entire time I was sitting in that room, I kept thinking how happy she would be to know that she has two beautiful, amazing grandsons with another grandchild on the way. Why can't you be happy for Lucky and me?"
"Believe it or not, I am happy for you both. I'm incredibly proud of who you've become."
"Then, why can't that be enough for you, Dad?" I cry. "Why don't you want to stay around? My entire life, I've tried to do things to make you interested in me. Ice fishing, pulling scams, whatever I could do to grab an ounce of your attention. I've just wanted you to love me. Why don't you love me?"
"Oh, great, she's crying," he mumbles under his breath. The tears only come harder until I am bawling and sobbing.
"Enough, Luke, out," Dillon states matter-of-factly, pointing toward the door.
My father just looks at me sadly and shakes his head. I'm not sure that I've ever felt worse than I do in that moment. I've finally said everything I've ever wanted to say to my dad, and he is just looking at me in disgust. Lucky leads my father out the door. I cannot make out the words they exchange on the porch, only the undertones of their tenor voices can be heard. Elizabeth peeks out the window, watching intently but unemotionally.
"Baby, are you okay?" Dillon asks as he kneels in front of me. Wrapping his strong arms around my waist, he pulls me to the floor and into his lap. Snuggling my head into the soft fabric of his shirt, I saturate the supple cotton material with my tears.
"We're going to go," Nikolas softly. I feel Dillon's chin brush against my hair as he nods. The three of them offer their farewells, exiting as quickly as possible before leaving us alone.
Ten minutes later, I've finally stopped crying and crawl out of Dillon's arms. He pulls a large pillow and tosses it on the carpet. Laying my head against the fluffy cushion, he covers my body with a crocheted blanket. I pull him down next to me, snuggling my head into the crook of his arm. His long legs wrap around mine on the outside of the blanket.
"I can't believe he said those things to me, Dillon. I'll never forget the way he looked at me."
"What can I do?"
"Just hold me," I murmur, sounding like some damsel in distress from a soap opera. I allow him to take care of me for the rest of the afternoon, doting on me affectionately until I finally fall into a somewhat peaceful sleep.
An hour later, I awaken, my dreams leaving me feeling restless. Dillon is still beside me, one arm thrown across my body with his head propped up on the other. "Hey, sleepy."
"How long was I out?"
"Not too long, maybe an hour," he replies as he draws me closer to him yet. "Do you feel better?" I nod silently. "What do you want to do now?"
"I want to finish unpacking our new dishes, take a long bath in our new bathroom, have a nice dinner at our beautiful new table and make love in our amazing new bed. Not necessarily in that order."
"Mmm," he murmurs, lifting me effortlessly into his arms and heading for the landing.
"Put me down," I insist. He drops me to the carpet, my feet sinking into the plush carpet. Yanking on the hem of his shirt, I tug it easily over his head and take the first few steps. He follows, unbuttoning my shirt from behind me. Our shoes are discarded midway up the staircase before our pants hit the floor at the top. All undergarments are disposed of by the time we reach the bedroom and fall onto the sheets.
"I love you," he whispers as he leans over me, our bare flesh pressed warmly against each other. Laying kisses along my hairline and down my jaw, I moan against his mouth as his lips finally find mine.
"I love you," I echo as he caresses me tenderly. I writhe in his touch as I roll us over so that I'm on top. Moving as one, our bodies are hungry for each other. This constant craving consumes me as I press closer to him.
Rolling us over again, he looks into my eyes and repeats, "I love you." I swear, those three words could pretty much get me to do whatever he wants. Wrapping my leg around his bare back, we're as close as two people can physically get.
By the time our love has been consummated once again, we are both breathless and spent. Trading light, feathery kisses, it hits me that Dillon and I are finally in our house. "We're home."
