“I liked having Cara here tonight.”
He straightened up and looked at his daughter and waited a beat. “Me too.” He agreed and then placed his lips to her forehead one last time. “Now get some sleep.”
“Okay.” She said softly and closed her eyes. Luke watched her for a moment before slipping out of her room, walking down the hallway to his bedroom. He headed straight to the bathroom that's right off his bedroom and started the shower. When he went back into his room, he kicked off his boots and pulled his grease stained shirt over his head. He walked barefoot and bare-chested towards his dresser as he took off his watch. He placed it on the dresser along with the contents of his pockets when he looked up and noticed Jake’s letter still tucked into the frame of his mirror, unopened, unread.
He wondered if he’d ever have the courage to read it. Part of him wanted to desperately know what his brother had to say, while the other part was afraid of his words. Would the answers to all his questions be in that letter? Or would it just be another plea to take care of what he left behind. Cara. Luke sighed and turned away from the mirror. He wanted to take care of Cara, just not the way he promised. When he vowed to look after her, it was to ensure she went on with her life. That she healed from the loss of his brother. Now all he wanted to do was take care of her in the sense that she wasn’t Jake’s, but that she was his to take care of. He hated himself for thinking that way, for feeling that way, yet he wondered if there was a way to honor what she had with Jake and still make her, his. He was completely out of his mind, he gathered as he headed to take a shower.
*
Cara sat nervously on the couch, waiting for Luke. She heard the water shut off a few minutes ago and knew she was just moments away from Luke setting some new boundaries. She sighed heavily. Her friendship with Jake hadn’t had many boundaries at all, maybe that was her problem. Maybe she was comparing her friendship with Luke to her friendship with Jake and if that was the case, she was in over her head. Luke was the complete opposite of Jake. Not that that was a bad thing, just something she wasn’t used to. She lifted her head when she heard him coming down the steps and sat up straighter.
His hair was still wet, making it look almost black as it curled around his neck. He hadn’t shaved and so he had a little stubble outlining his jaw. He was wearing a white fitted T-shirt that stretched across his chest, making Cara realize how broad Luke really was. She knew he was tall. Her neck cramped when she had to tilt it upward to meet his eyes, but for the first time she noticed how muscular he was. His shoulders were wide and his arms were ripped. His forearms were bare and she could see the tattoos, unable to make out what they were from the distance that separated them. His shirt was loose around his stomach and led her to believe there was a flat abdomen hidden beneath that shirt. If she had to bet, she’d put all her money on the fact that there was a six pack to be discovered under that shirt too.
The sweats, he wore were gray and he was pulling the drawstring tight and tying it as he stepped off the last step. His feet were bare and as she noted that she let her eyes roam back up his body to his face. Luke Lanza was hot. Like really hot. Cara frowned at her discovery, wondering why he was single.
“What’s with the frown?” He asked, his voice back to normal as he grabbed the remote control from the coffee table and sat beside her.
“You’re hot.” She blurted freely and then closed her eyes mentally kicking herself.
Luke froze as he pointed the remote towards the TV and turned to face her.
She sighed and opened her eyes to meet his. “Well, you are.” She shrugged her shoulders and squinted noticing for the first time he wasn’t blushing when she made a comment about him. “I was just wondering how a guy like you is single, then I remembered you weren’t single and that I botched that all up, being needy Cara addicted to drugs.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you miss her?”
Luke knew she was referring to Leah. He turned his head back towards the TV and flickered through to the movie channels. “No.”
“Not even a little?”
“She wasn’t for me.” He said as he stretched his arm along the back of the couch. “You have a movie preference?”
“We’re going to watch a movie?” She asked surprised.
“You have something else in mind you want to do?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow but kept his eyes glued to the TV.
“A movie is good.” She said softly as she took in his profile. He had a solid jaw and she suddenly had the urge to run her fingers over it, outlining the lines of his face. She blew out a breath softly and swallowed. Where were these thoughts coming from? She shook her head. Maybe she was living and breathing after all.
“Cara.”