Tea Parties and Feather Boas (Luke Kuechly)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Get Over Yourself

•I'm over you and everything that we used to do together
My Saturday nights are brighter I've never felt better
I didn't used to be when I heard you were seeing somebody else•

Pulling into the driveway, Luke felt himself relax as he noticed Melissa's car was absent. Things had been uncomfortable, to say the least. At least, they had been for Luke. Melissa preferred to act like they were headed somewhere in their relationship. More than anything, the man wanted her out of his home, but she was Isla's mother, even if she wasn't in that role and her nanny.

"Daddy?" Isla asked, quickly unbuckling and hopping out of her booster seat.

"Yes, Isla bear?" He replied, getting out of his truck and opening Isla's door.

"Can I have a photo of my baby brother to put in my room?" The little girl hopped out of the pickup, using all her might to close the heavy door.

Luke smiled. "Of course you can."

"When will he be here?"

"15 weeks."

"How long is that?"

"A little under four months."

Isla stopped in her tracks as Luke watched the wheels turn in her head. Her mouth moved simultaneously as she counted with her fingers. "October?" She looked up at her father.

Luke grinned, "Very close. September. It's a little tricky to count."

Isla nodded. "I can't wait to tell Miss Melissa about my baby brother," She bounded up the front porch steps, waiting for Luke to unlock the front door.

Luke opened the front door, making the selective decision not to respond to Isla's words. He didn't know how Melissa would react. So far, she had been taking the path of pretending as if there was no baby and no Lydia.

"I'm going to play in the back yard, Daddy," Isla rushed through the house, heading for the back door.

"Ok, I'll be there in a couple of minutes. Do you want some water?"

All Luke got in response was the sound of the sliding glass doors closing. He chuckled to himself, grabbing Isla's Tangled cup out of the cabinet, filling it with ice and water. The slam of a car door met his ears. Instantly, he was filled with an irresistible urge to run away and hide. He never should have slept with her. It made being around her unbearable, and he hadn't had the courage to tell her to back off. However, instead of running away to his room, he opened the fridge and grabbed a beer.

Luke was also cautious about drinking around Isla, but to keep nice with Melissa, who was sure to downplay and even degrade the very happy event that happened today and was coming in a few short months, he was going to need it. He hated that she was able to alter his mood so easily. It shouldn't be possible, but it was.

Diligently, he slipped into the back yard before Melissa had time to spot him. Taking a seat on the back porch, he watched Isla play happily on her playset. As he did, he couldn't wait to watch her, his daughter, and her little brother, his son, play together in the years to come. Isla had always been content to play on her own, whether it be outside on the trampoline or swings or inside with tea parties and stuffed animals, but sometimes he got the feeling she was lonely. On the other hand, however, he worried she wouldn't adjust well to sharing her attention with another person, especially when Meema, Papa, and her uncles would come into town. Isla was the only grandchild and was used to 100% of their attention as well.

Then it hit the man, he hadn't told his parents yet. His family had only briefly met Lydia in February at the Super Bowl. What were they going to think? Luke let out a long sigh. There was no time like the present. Pulling out his phone, Luke found his mom's contact, pressed send, and put his phone to his ear. As it rang, Luke took a long sip from his beer, preparing himself.