Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) (37 page)

"How'd it go at the lawyer's?" Jenna asked with a cautious voice. His face showed frustration and defeat, even after a workout. "Sorry I couldn't go with you. Is everything ok?"

Luke nodded and crashed on the couch. Jenna crawled onto his lap to comfort him through whatever nasty mess was in his head. She stroked his short hair and the stubble of his jaw like always and waited for him to find words. She understood him well and had no trouble offering him the patience he needed.
 

Finally, Luke let out a heavy breath. "The lawyer was fine. We got our official custody proposal together. No, that's got nothing to do with anything."

"So what happened?" she asked as she kissed his temple.

"I went to Miranda's house and told her about our engagement. It didn't go well," he said flatly.

"Oh," she paused quietly. "I'm so sorry, babe."

Luke looked her in the eye with something that seemed like quiet panic. "Jenna, she was drunk. Early evening on a weekday, and CB was
drunk
. I'm so worried about Sophie."

Jenna held him tightly. "Me too. But soon, babe. We'll keep her safe with us soon."

"Not soon enough," he breathed. After another pensive moment, Luke spoke with determination. "And I was thinking. I say we screw this whole mediation process and go straight to court. Miranda's never going to give up custody without someone forcing her to."

"You're probably right. But whatever you decide, you know I'm with you no matter what," Jenna promised while she lovingly ran her hand up and down his strong tattooed arm.
 

"I know," he said.

She kissed him sweetly and tried to ease the tension and change the subject to something happier. "I was thinking about taking a long bath. Sit with me?"

"Ok," he smiled softly.
 

Jenna filled the tub while Luke fixed himself a late evening snack. By the time he got to the big bathroom, Jenna was already surrounded by bubbles and steam, her long hair twisted up in a loose bun. She smiled widely at him when he came in.

Her eyes turned from loving to shocked as Luke started stripping out of his clothes.
 

"What are you doing," she almost laughed.

"I'm getting in the tub with you," he smiled.

"What?!" she giggled.

Jenna couldn't believe that the badass teddy bear was going to take a bath with her. She'd asked him several times early on, but had given up on the prospect a long time ago. She couldn't wait to get his arms around her while she soaked in the steamy heat of the bathwater.
 

Making room for him, she scooted herself up so he could settle in behind her. The water rose dangerously close to the edge of the tub, but she didn't care one bit. She couldn't stop smiling.
 

"See?" she said with a smile as she rested into his strong chest. "This is the best, don't you think?"

"Not as bad as I thought," he admitted as one hand fondled her breast slowly and the other rested curled up on her belly. Jenna smiled as Luke kissed her ear.
 

"You're going to smell like a girl," she teased.

"I can put up with that once. Can I tell you something?" he asked sweetly.

"Of course," she smiled.
 

"I bought you a ring," he said softly.
 

Luke pulled his fist out of the water from its place resting on her belly. He opened his hand in front of her, and a beautiful diamond sparkled in his palm.
 

"Oh, my God," she breathed as she picked up the delicate gold circle. "Luke…"

He let her examine the ring for a moment before he reached for it again. With his left hand he picked hers up and held it in front of him. With both arms around her, he placed the ring on her finger. "Forever," he whispered as he kissed her ear again.

Jenna couldn't help but let happy tears leak from her eyes. "I love you," she murmured as she toyed with the ring. "It's beautiful. I've never seen a triangular diamond like that."

"Me neither. But when I saw it, I knew it was perfect for us," he grinned.

"I get it," she smiled like she always did when she understood something without any words from Luke. "You, me, and Sophie."

"And I promise to add a little diamond for every little baby we add to our family. That way it's
all
of us together forever."
 

They rested silently together for a long while, each twisting their fingers together and toying with her ring every now and then.

The next day Luke called Jorge Cruz with his new plan. He'd sue for custody and forget the possibility of mediation completely. He knew, especially after the previous day's encounter, that Miranda had gone completely off the rails. There was absolutely no chance of a rational resolution to this. Jorge agreed with the decision and got the process started. The sooner the better.

Luke worked very hard to keep himself from getting sucked into the frustration. Backsliding was something he couldn't afford to do. Luckily, he and Jenna had a night out together to distract him. This was the first time out as a group, and he smiled when he realized he was actually looking forward to the evening. They were going to Cassie's house, and from what Jenna told him, the place would be interesting.

The minute they walked in, Luke smiled at the surroundings. The decor was like nothing he'd ever seen before. The entire place emanated the same energy she and Scott shared.
 

"Hey," Cassie greeted as they walked in. She gave each of them a hug and then pulled Jenna's hand to look at the ring again. "Every time I see this triangle I love it a little more."

"Me too," Jenna smiled. "Hey, Erin…Marcus."

Luke settled into Scott's big recliner and pulled Jenna down with him. Cassie got each of them something to drink and encouraged everyone to help themselves to the snacks set out on her unique tables. This was a night to celebrate for everyone.
 

Scott and Cassie were toasting to Cassie's new nursing license and subsequent promotion at the clinic where she and Jenna worked. Marcus and Erin had plenty of reason for celebration, too. Erin registered for her first 10k run, something she always wanted to do but never had the nerve before. Thanks to Marcus, her fear was gone.
 

Marcus was officially announced as the featured fight at the MGM Grand in Vegas near the end of June. He had been hoping to be on the ticket, but the news that he was top of the list had him grinning like an idiot.
 

"Yep, June 20th I'll be getting my ass kicked by the best of the best," he laughed.
 

"I think you got that backwards," Cassie grinned.
 

Jenna smiled along with everyone, but her biggest smile was for Luke. Even though she didn't want to admit it to herself, she was nervous about going there with him. She had no idea what to expect from him on a night like this. They'd never been outside of their private, passionate bubble where he needed to be touching her, breathing her in, and dedicating himself completely to her. Anticipating his behavior in a group setting was impossible.
 

In the first two minutes, though, she realized how simple all of this was: none of his need for her changed. She appreciated that he wasn't as dramatic about demonstrating their connection, but he never stopped touching her. He sat her on his lap and kept his hand moving casually on her back and twisting his fingers in the bottom edges of the long strands of her hair as they sat and talked.
 

About a half-hour into the evening there was a small lull in the conversation. Cassie took the opportunity to smile widely and say, "I have an announcement."

Scott beamed just as widely and Luke guessed immediately. From the looks on everyone's faces, each of them knew before Cassie could say it. He grinned at their happiness.

"Scott and I are having a baby," she beamed.

Jenna and Erin both squealed and ran to hug their friend. Marcus smiled a congratulations to Scott, and then went to hug his sister when Erin and Jenna finally let her go. Luke saw the happiness around him and actually pictured Jenna making a similar announcement some day. He almost laughed again at how much his dreams had changed over the last year.
 

"Already?" Erin asked with a happy grin.
 

"Absolutely!" Cassie beamed. "You know me. If it's something awesome, I go for it."

Scott shrugged with a happy grin and reached over to pat her belly.

"I think he's going to be worse about this than I am," Cassie grinned.

"Holy cow," Jenna said, unable to stop smiling. "Congratulations. I can't wait to hold your baby! Think of how much fun your little one will have with Sophie."

Cassie nodded and patted her belly over Scott's hand. Once the excitement died down, Scott spoke now, directly to Luke and Jenna. His face still carried a smile, but his eyes turned somewhat serious.
 

"Ok, here's the thing. Cassie and I talked for a long time about this, so please understand how serious we are."

"Ok…" Jenna hesitated.

"We wanted a bigger place, so we've been looking at houses. We found the perfect one, and Cassie negotiated like a pro. I had enough saved for a substantial down payment, so financially we're set," he explained. "We closed on it last week."

Luke wasn't sure where Scott was going with all of this, so he sat and waited for him to continue. He saw Cassie looking at her husband with love.
 

Jenna's hand suddenly squeezed his with a great deal of shaky emotion. Apparently the "I get it" moment was happening in Jenna's mind even though he had no clue what was going on.
 

"We want the two of you to have this house. We'll transfer the title over and you can take over payments. From what Cassie told me, it's not much more than you're paying in rent right now. That will give you two the start you need, especially for Sophie."

He felt Jenna tremble with happy emotion, but he couldn't believe what he just heard. He and Jenna had a house?
Holy fuck!
That was one more step in the direction he wanted to go. They would have a home they could afford, and a place to be a real family.
 

"I don't know what to say," Luke almost stammered.

Cassie grinned again. "You don't have to say anything. We love you both, and you need this. I want my friends happy. Plus, I can totally see Sophie playing in the backyard. It always comes down to joy. This covers it for all of us, I think."

Erin sat across the room in tears and Marcus beamed at his unpredictable and loving sister. Jenna actually sobbed as she got up to hug her friend tightly. Luke looked in shock at Scott and Cassie, unable again to believe his new life.
 

"Nobody does something like that," he said quietly, looking at Scott. "We can't let you…"

"We already got the paperwork started. Done deal," Scott stated simply. Then he smiled a little. "Besides, you should know better by now than to argue with Cassie."

Luke sat in shock and watched Jenna stay locked in Cassie's arms. Finally, Jenna spoke.
 

"Cassie, I can't even thank you enough. My God," she said in her shaky, emotional voice. "You have no idea what this means."

Cassie smiled even wider. "I know exactly what this means. You'll have the flat tummy in
this
house and I'll have a big ol' baby bump in our new one."

Jenna laughed and everyone congratulated each other again. The happy night continued with house details, nursery decorating plans, and more about Erin and Marcus's big wedding in Indiana. A few marbles got dropped in a jar by the door.

Luke sat in quiet, happy shock the entire evening. He knew exactly what this would mean for Sophie. His dreams were coming true, in spite of his lingering belief he didn't deserve any of them.
 

 
Jorge Cruz fast-tracked a court date for three weeks from the time Luke and Jenna found out they'd have a house. Apparently Cruz had an in with a clerk who got them a hearing with a solid, rational judge. The hearing was scheduled for June 23.
 

Those three long weeks were a whirlwind of activity and worry. Sadly, Miranda was spiraling downward, proven by more than one drunken phone call spewing hatred and accusations of betrayal at Luke. Both Luke and Jenna were panicked by the situation, but at the same time they couldn't help but realize the worse Miranda got, the better their chances were for full custody. Both were thankful that at least the grandparents were at the house to watch out for Sophie in the mean time.

By the advice of the lawyer, Luke saved the ranting messages. Miranda's drunken voice cursing Luke was definitive proof of what Sophie was exposed to. Luke and Jenna focused on their own stability and Sophie's needs. The two were content with where their lives were headed and were prepared for the bumpy road to get there.

In preparation for court and the likelihood Sophie would be living with them soon, Jenna researched local preschools and came up with a plan for Sophie's bedroom in the new house. They added those plans and the documentation on their new house to their file on the efforts they'd been making on Sophie's behalf. Their wedding date was on the list.

The first project at the new house was Sophie's bedroom. Cassie and Scott cleared that room out first so Jenna and Luke could get started right away. Jenna had been collecting thrift-store finds for a while, so when the time came to fix up Sophie's room, she was set. Cassie was there to help her out.

"Ok, let's see what you got," Cassie said as she sorted through the many treasures. "Jennalyn Roche-almost-Baylor, I have taught you well!"

Jenna giggled. "Yes, you have. I can't believe how many Minnie Mouse things I found. Ok, so all the stuffed animals have been washed, but I haven't cleaned off the toys yet."

"Ok, then hand me those wipes," Cassie smiled. She sat and wiped down the surfaces of books and blocks while Jenna set to work loading the little book case and hanging a few whimsical wall decorations. She loaded the new dresser drawers with a few clothing basics she picked up along the way, and by the end of the evening, Sophie had a real bedroom to stay in.