Tea Parties and Feather Boas (Luke Kuechly)

Chapter Twenty-Four: All on Me

•You got my number you can call on me. If you're in trouble put the fall on me. When you're mad you can take it out on me. When it don't add up you can count on me•

Luke sat in his office that evening going over the afternoon's events for the millionth time. He wasn't sure if he should be excited, terrified, or something else. Throwing a dart from his seat, the familiar thud greeted his ears. He looked up to see it lodged in the wall beside the dart board. Well that was only the hundredth time that had happened. He sipped on his whiskey and then once again mulled over the current situation of his life. Before Lydia had showed up today, he had been considered giving things another go with Melissa. They had been relatively civil towards each other since she moved in and took over as Isla's nanny. While his daughter was unaware of Melissa's relation to her, he felt she deserved to at least have the chance at a family with both her parents. He could do that for her, couldn't he? Or was it better for his daughter if it didn't happen?

Now, there was Lydia and their baby. Didn't that baby deserve a family with both its parents too? He and Lydia had chemistry. There was obvious attraction on both sides. The chances of the two of them working out seemed more likely than him and Melissa, but then Isla was left without her two parent family. Would Melissa even stick around though? She had so far, but with Lydia involved would she? It made the man feel like he had to choose between his children. Of course, he didn't know if Lydia even wanted to be with him. Melissa seemed to, but he had been keeping his emotional distance from her for obvious reasons.

He thew another dart, frustration coursing through him. Again, it torpedoed into the wall. That wall was going to be a pain in the butt to repair by the time this whole thing was over. A low whistle let out through the room, causing Luke to turn in his office chair to face Greg Olson standing in the doorway. "What did the wall ever do to you?" The older man chuckled.

Luke shook his head. "If you only knew," He mumbled. "Come in, close the door, and sit down. You want a drink?"

Greg furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm not sure. Why are we drinking?"

"My life is a mess, and I'm the one who's made it a mess," Luke poured the amber liquid into an extra cup for his friend.

"You're life? A mess? You're the most put together twenty-three year old I've ever met. Shit man, you're the most put together guy on the team."

"Twenty-four."

"Huh?"

"I turned twenty-four almost two months ago, Greg. You were there."

"Oh, right, anyhow," The tight end continued. "What did you do that has made your life such a mess?"

Luke sighed, running a hand through his curly mop of hair. He needed to cut it desperately. Rarely did he let it get to this length and it was a far cry from the normal short style he typically wore his hair in. "Lydia is pregnant... and it's mine."

Greg's jaw dropped. "You're telling me you two, you know," The man wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, pausing to do so. "And you never told me? When did this happen?"

"The night after the Christmas Gala," Luke responded. "And the night she got home after Christmas... and the next three nights after that."

"Damn Kuechly, I didn't know you had it in you."

"What does that mean?" Luke scowled.

"It means, you're notoriously celibate."

"I have a five year old, even if I had the time to pick up women, it's not like I would bring them back to my house."