It's the end of August when you're cleaning up after Lex's seventh birthday party, the small child is currently running out the remnants of her sugar high with Roxy in the backyard when Luke comes up to wrap his arms around you at the sink. He dips his head into the crook of your neck and pulls at the skin with his teeth. You groan and reach your hand up to run through his hair, giving it a gentle tug as he places a kiss against the spot he just bit.
"Luke..." you giggle, squirming in his grasp, turning yourself in his embrace you slide your soapy arms around his neck, letting the water drip from your fingertips onto his back. "I am trying to do the dishes." You lean forward to kiss him.
"I know but I've been wanting to get my hands on you all day," he says, pressing his lips to yours again, only pulling apart from you when Lex runs into the house and in between the both of you. She reaches up to tug at the bottom of your sundress after knocking Luke's hands off of your waist with a glare at her father.
"Penny, I start school next week, will you come with Daddy to take me?" she asks, wrapping her arms around your waist and placing her chin at the base of your stomach, she looks up at you with wide eyes. You reach out and run your hand over her head, smiling and nodding as your eyes flicker to Luke's checking to make sure that you're not intruding. His warm eyes telling you silently that he would be more than happy to have you accompany the both of them on the first day of school.
"Of course I will be there, Lex, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Now, are all of your presents in your bedroom?" You ask her and laugh as she takes off into the backyard again, Roxy hot on her heels.
"You don't have to go," Luke says, watching his daughter run around the backyard. "She'll understand if you can't get the time off of work," he reaches up to scratch at the back of his head again, and you smile at him and place a kiss on the tip of his nose.
"I will be there, serial killers be damned," you tell him before turning back to the sink. "Now let me finish washing these dishes." You say, swatting at his hands that were trailing up the sides of your thighs, pulling your dress further up your legs as he continued his ascent on your body.
"Fine," he says, pressing a kiss to the back of your neck and slapping playfully at your backside. "Penelope, are you not..." he whispers, groaning into your neck. You turn your head to grin at him and give him a wink. "You're killing me, woman." He finishes, before walking into the backyard to help Lex bring the rest of her toys inside. You look up to see Maria smiling at you both from the living room, where she was pulling streamers off of the wall, and you find yourself smiling back at her with a slight blush creeping up your cheeks.
"You're dependable," she says, stacking another few dishes near the side of the sink before moving over to wrap the leftovers. The older woman pauses in her movements and turns to face you as she places the tin foil on the marble countertop.
"Lex deserves at least that," you respond as you continue washing the dish that was gripped in your hands, the movement of the sponge coaxing you through the montage of thoughts parading through your brain, the feel of his hands still dancing over your skin. Yes, washing the dishes calms your rapidly beating heart.
"She deserves a lot more than that, but I'm thankful that she has you," Maria says as she continues to wrap the food laid out on the counter. You pull your hands out of the soapy water and dry them on the kitchen towel as you watch the water drain out of the sink. Resting your hands on the edge of the stainless steel sink you keep your eyes facing downward, watching contently as the suds from the bubble crest the drain, each popping in their own time until there's nothing but a small pool of suds.
"I will be here for as long as Luke and Lex will let me," you tell her as you turn to face her. "I love your granddaughter, and I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with your son."
"I know," she says, nodding at you with a knowing smile before walking out of the kitchen.
"Lex was so happy today," you say as you open up a beer and pass it to him as you take your seat next to him on the couch, draping your legs over his lap. You've spent the better part of the day barefoot as you ran around the party, helping Luke play host. He takes a sip of his beer before carefully setting the bottle on the end table and glancing towards the hallway and his daughter's closed bedroom door. Luke reaches out to wrap his arms around your waist, dragging you closer to him as he runs his hands up your thighs to grip the curve of your bare backside. He lets out a groan as he leans over you on the couch, covering your body with his and presses a series of kisses to the exposed top of your breasts. "Luke we can't do this here," you whisper to him, desire pooling between your legs as his hands continue their assault on your body. His hand softly trails down the middle of your breasts, curving over the soft plane of your stomach and settles between your legs, rubbing slow circles on your clit, causing you to shake under him. You press your hand into your mouth, stifling a moan in fear that you will wake Lex.
"You're right," he mutters, moving to replace his hand with his mouth when you both hear a door open down the hall causing you both to curse as you quickly right yourselves on the couch. His arm curls around your shoulder to pull you into him as you pull your dress down your legs. Lex walks into the living room, rubbing at her eyes with a trembling lower lip and you reach out to her, helping her to settle on the couch between the both of you.
"She didn't show up today either," she whispers as she curls herself into her father's side. You watch as he deflates, his eyes looking down at the top of her head with a sad sigh. You look between the two of them before pulling the blanket from the back of the couch and tossing it over her shaking form. Glancing up at Luke you hook your thumb over your shoulder, he nods at you and you lean down to give Lex a kiss on her forehead letting your fingers rub over the back of her head for a moment. Trying to convey to her with the motion that you will be there for her, should she ever want you to be.
"Don't go," she says as her tiny hand shoots out to grasp onto your fingers when you stand. You lock eyes with Luke again as you sink back onto the couch, opening your arms to the small girl who switches from her father to you. Luke watches the both of you as you close your arms around her, rubbing her back as she emits soft cries into the fabric of your dress. "Why doesn't she want me?" she asks, her small face turning up to look at you. You give her a sad smile, running your fingers through her hair before bringing your right thumb up to brush away a tear, you tilt her face upwards and lock your eyes with hers.
"I'm sure she wants you in her own way, Lex," you say keeping her face turned towards yours. "Some parents make mistakes, but you are always wanted. Your father wants you. Your Abuela wants you. I want you. We all love you," You tell her as you look at Luke, locking eyes with him as he runs his fingers through his hair before trailing them down his face while letting out a loud sigh. Eventually, her soft cries die down and are replaced with a deep breathing. It's a long while before Luke moves to bring her back to her bedroom, but you find that you don't mind as you clutch the slumbering child in your arms, assuring her that you are there in the only way that you possibly can.
"She promised to come back, didn't she?" you ask him when he reenters the living room. You're staring out at the dark sky taking in the many stars that can be seen in the night on the outskirts of town. He walks back over to the couch, sitting with his head in his hands and nods. You can see the defeated look in his posture through the glass of the window, the light from the living room a sharp contrast to the dark of the night stretched out before the both of you.
"In the note," he says, leaning back into the cushions and folding his hands behind his head. "She told her that she would come back for her birthdays, but she's missed every single one." You walk over and sit in front of him on the coffee table, reaching out to place palms flat on his thighs. "I can't believe she still continues to fuck everything up." You look over at the hallway, making sure that Lex's bedroom door is closed before you climb onto his lap and press your lips to his in distraction. His hands slide under your dress with a groan, his right forearm aligning with your spine as his left arm curls around your bare waist. He kisses you deeply for a while before he pulls back from you, pressing his face into the crook of your neck. "Stay the night?" he asks, his lips pressed against yours and you nod before you can talk yourself out of the decision.
"I expect breakfast," you say as he securely wraps your legs around his waist before he stands. He carries you down the hall, his lips never leaving your skin, goosebumps erupting with each press of his mouth. "I'm serious, Mr. Alvez, even if it is cake." He nods, pushing his bedroom door open and laying you down on the bed before walking over to secure the lock. Turning back to you he lifts his shirt over his head, his muscles rippling in the dim lighting being cast from the bedside lamps. You push yourself up to the top of the bed, watching his movements as he approaches you. His coffee-colored hands reach out to grip your ankles, tugging gently to pull you flat against his bed. Luke covers your body with his as he hikes your dress up around your waist, dragging the soft material against your skin and over your head, taking extra time to let the fabric glide across your nipples. His lips hover over yours for a moment as he looks into your eyes, seemingly searching for the answer to an unknown question. Neither of you blinks for a long while, both breathing in tandem with the other as you reach up to run your fingers softly through his thick hair.
"I love you," he whispers before he presses his lips to yours. Your reply lost in a moan as he spreads your legs and enters you, but you know, and have known for a while that you love him too.