A Love Rekindled (The Game of Love #1) (5 page)

“
Someone's
in a good mood,” Renee joked.

“
I
am going to read, have a hot bath, and relax today, while my baby
gets treated like a king. Of course I'm in a good mood,”
Jessica said, as she twirled around.

“
Why
don't you go and get dressed?” Renee asked her.

“
I
am staying in this all day. It's my day to relax,” Jessica
said, with a smile.

Renee
rolled her eyes and grinned.

“
Okay,
whatever you say,” Renee responded.

They
sat down and had breakfast. As soon as they were finished, Renee
looked at the clock, jumped up, and told her nephew to hurry and get
his shoes and coat on.

“
What's
the big hurry?” Jessica asked.

“
I
am in a hurry to spoil my favorite nephew,” Renee said, as she
helped him get ready.

“
I'm
the only nephew you have silly,” he said.

Renee
laughed.

“
That
makes you my favorite. Come on, get moving,” she said.

Renee
hurried him out the door and Jessica closed it behind them. She
grabbed her book, plopped down on the couch, covered with a blanket,
and sighed. It was going to be such a relaxing time. As she read her
book, her mind wandered to Luke. Stop it, she told herself. You are
done thinking about him. He was out on a date two days ago, move on.
Today is a day for you. Leave him out of it. She drank her coffee,
snuggled in her blanket, and got lost in her book.

Luke

Luke
opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was noon. Oh shit, he
thought. He was running late. Renee did say he had until six o'clock.
He wanted to get it over with. Rip it off like a band aid. He wanted
his life back. Luke hurried into the shower. It was going to be a
good day. Maybe he would be hurt at first, but after she told him who
she was with so soon after he left, he was sure he would move right
on. He would be so mad and feel so betrayed that he wouldn't give
Jessica a second thought. Luke dreaded hearing what she had to say,
but knew it would all be over in a few hours. The years of wanting
her would be over. He threw on a pair of nice jeans and a tight,
black t-shirt.

His
mom stopped him on his way out the door to ask him if he wanted to
spend the day together. He told her he had something he had to go and
do, but that he would be home later and they could do something then.
She told him how happy she was to have him home and how much she
appreciated everything he did for her. Without him, she had no idea
where she would be. Luke told her how much he enjoyed helping her. It
made him feel good to know she had everything she needed. He kissed
her on the cheek and left the house.

He
was nervous as he drove to Jessica's house. It was going to be a day
of answers. By the end of the day, his life would be moving forward.
He wanted to know what that guy had that he didn't. What was so
special about him? How long after she dumped him did she wait? He
pulled up in front of her house, afraid to get out of his car.
Quickly he finished the list of questions in his mind. It was really
going to be over. He had always hoped they would have a second
chance, but deep down, he knew that was just a crazy dream. He was
going to get answers, and he was going to get his life in order. She
had moved on and so was he.

Luke
parked his car, got out, and put on a confident face, as he walked up
to her door. His hands were shaking and he could feel the sweat on
his arms as he reached out to knock.

Jessica

Jessica
was relaxed and comfy. She was having a great day. Her book was
awesome, and she was completely sucked into it. There was a knock at
her door. Who could that be, she wondered? There was no way her
sister would be home yet. She would have called if she were coming
back. Nobody else she wanted to talk to would have come over. They
needed to go away. Whoever it was knocked again. Go away, she
thought. It was Sunday and there should not have been anyone at her
door. She was not getting up from her nice spot to have to tell
someone no thank you. People should not be out doing that stuff on a
Sunday anyway, she thought. She ignored them and kept reading. Nobody
was spoiling her relaxation time. There was a third knock, but much
harder that time.

Jessica
threw off her blanket, put her book down, marched to the door
mumbling, and swung it open.

“
What,”
she yelled, as she looked up at Luke's eyes.

Jessica
was shocked. She just stood still with her mouth open. He looked into
her eyes, but did not say a word. After a few moments, she opened her
mouth to talk. He cut her off. She could see his eyes darken and his
body tense up.

“
Can
I come in?” he asked.

“
No,”
she snapped. “What are you doing here?”

“
I
need to talk to you,” he snapped back.

“
No,
you need to leave,” she said.

Shit,
she thought. She needed to get him out of there before someone saw
him or he saw something she didn't want him to. What was she going to
do?

“
I'm
not leaving,” he said. “I need to talk to you. You answer
my questions and then I will leave you alone forever. You made it
very clear seven years ago that I was not a part of your life, but I
need answers. Then, you will never have to see me again.”

Jessica
felt her body shake and could feel sweat form on her face. What
questions did he have? What could he possibly want to know? It
couldn't be that bad, right? She could let him in for a couple of
minutes, especially if that meant he would leave her alone. She
needed to hurry up.

“
Fine
come in,” she motioned into the house. “Excuse the mess.
I wasn't expecting anyone to come over.”

He
walked into the house, and she could see him looking around. Her
hands were shaking, so she held them together in front of her.

“
Have
a seat,” she said, as she picked her blanket and book up from
the couch. “Would you like something to drink, even though you
won't be here long?”

“
Coffee
if you have any,” he said. “That would be great.”

“
Cream
and sugar?” she asked. “More sugar than coffee, right?”

She
saw him smirk and shake his head.

“
Yes,”
he said, “same as always.”

“
I
have some breakfast left if you're interested,” she said.

“
The
coffee's fine, thanks,” he answered.

She
motioned for him to sit down, and she walked into the kitchen. Damn,
she thought. Why did he have to be so good looking? He was so much
hotter than he was before, and he was smoking hot before. His sexy
dark hair, that she loved so much, was still damp from his shower.
Her body shivered just thinking about it. She could not help noticing
his muscles bulging out from under the sleeves of his t-shirt. There
was a tattoo peeking out from under the sleeve. When did he get a
tattoo? What was it, she wondered? Stop looking at his body, she
thought. Get through his questions and get him out of here fast. She
grabbed his coffee and walked back into the living room. He took it
from her and she sat down on the couch. She thought for a second as
she looked down at her shorts. Oh crap, I didn't change, she thought.
She was in her pajamas, with her hair a mess, pulled into a ponytail.
Why did he have to come over on a day she looked like she had just
gotten out of bed?

“
Please
excuse the way I look,” she said, as she grabbed the blanket to
cover back up. “I didn't plan on having anyone over today. I
just planned on relaxing.”

“
You
look great,” he said.

She
could feel her face blush. Snap out of it, she shouted in her mind.
Get back on track. This is not the old Luke, and you are not in high
school.

“
How
are you feeling?” she asked him.

“
Fine,”
he answered. “I hurt here and there, but it's getting better.”

“
You'll
really never play again?” she asked, with her voice trembling.

She
knew it was his dream to play ball. That was all he had ever wanted.
He worked so hard for it.

“
No,”
he said, and they both went silent for a moment. “I want to
stay active and coach. I still want to be a part of the game. That is
all I have ever known.”

“
I
know,” she said. “Are you okay with that?”

“
I
need to be,” he answered, as he looked down at his coffee mug.
“I can't let it bring me down. I really do want to do something
to help kids. You know my dad took off and had nothing to do with me.
My mom had to struggle. I want to be there for kids like me. I want
to give them something to look forward to. Every child should have
their father and mother in their life. That is all that matters. I
want to show kids that people care about them. Maybe one day I will
have a child of my own. I need to get a house and settle in first,
before I start on that. You know my mom. She doesn't want me to
leave.”

Jessica
laughed as she thought about how overprotective his mom was. She was
a great person and loved her son so much. Jessica felt bad that she
had not seen her all those years, but she knew that she couldn't. It
hurt so bad to hear him talk about his dad not being around and how
much kids need their parents. Jessica felt like she could hardly
breathe. He was such an amazing man. She could feel herself sadden
and hurried to get her emotions in order.

“
What
did you come over for?” she asked. “I'm not really sure
what you want to know. You have been gone for seven years. I have
never heard from you. I guess I'm not really sure what you would want
me to tell you.”

“
Why
did you break up with me?” he asked, in a low voice.

“
Does
Heather know you're here?” she asked.

“
She
knew Linda. I didn't want to go with her that night. Linda asked me
to take her,” he said.

“
Really,”
Jessica snapped. “You two sure looked pretty comfy to me.”

Luke
looked up at her with his eyes stern and his face rigid. Oh shit, she
thought. Why did I just say that? He has no right to know that I care
about him. She held her hands in fists as she thought about what she
had just said.

“
You
are really going to give me shit for taking someone to that party,”
he said, as he ran his fingers through his hair. “If I recall,
when I walked in, some guy was spinning you around and dipping you.”

“
It
was someone from work,” she said. “That was all.”

“
Did
you notice the way he was looking at you?” he asked. “The
way he had to make sure you were okay and had what you needed. The
way he got up to run after you when you left. I had to push him back
down onto the couch, so I could come after you.”

“
You
came after me?” she asked.

“
I
tried, but you are already gone by the time I could get to the door,”
he snapped. “Are you really going to say something to me about
having a date at a party? Do you have any idea what you did to me?”

Luke
smacked his hands on his knees and wiggled in his seat.

“
What?”
she asked. “I didn't do anything to you. I left because I
couldn't sit there and watch one of my friends grind on your lap and
kiss on your neck. There is nothing wrong with that. If you want to
be with whoever, that is up to you. I just didn't want to watch you.
Is that okay?”

Jessica
could tell her voice was hard and aggressive, but she didn't care.