Page 8 of Falling for Lucifer

S weat poured off Lucifer as he walked through his home. Every morning at five, he woke up to get a workout in. When he had this home built, he made sure he had everything he needed within the walls, which included a home gym, a theater, several guest rooms, and an acre of land right on a lake.

When it was all said and done, and he moved in almost nine years ago, he realized he’d built a damn family home, not a bachelor pad.

It got lonely. He knew that was why when he heard Ellodie say she was lonely last night it hit him right in the heart.

Lucifer knew all too well what it was like to be lonely.

He had his family, which grew every day it felt like, but he didn’t have a person to himself, nor did he have a family of his own.

Somewhere in the past few years, that had been something he wanted.

As he entered the master bedroom, he noticed the unmade bed with black sheets.

Making the bed was never something he did, mostly because his father used to force him and his siblings to do it every morning before school, and if they didn’t, either Hades or his mother would get beaten.

Little shit like that shaped Lucifer’s life.

Everything his father used to force on him, he did the complete opposite now.

It was his mission to be nothing like the man who used to dominate his life and now dominated the city.

No resident of Ellwood would guess that the mayor of the city used to beat his oldest son and was the reason his late wife committed suicide.

Lucifer took his time undressing and placing his gym clothes in the dirty clothes hamper before he grabbed his phone from his messy bed and checked it. A smile formed on his face when he saw a text from Ellodie.

Baby Mama: What time are you stopping by?

Last night, before Harley finished with Etta’s exam, Lucifer and Ellodie decided that he would stop by again today to go over the rules for their fake arrangement.

Disappointment filled him every time he thought about this situation being fake.

He had been feeling Ellodie from the moment she demanded he get her some ice chips when she was in labor, but he wasn’t lying the night before.

He found it hard to say no to her the first time, so he couldn’t this time.

Her parents seemed to be overbearing and controlling, especially her mother.

Her pops didn’t seem so bad, but he got the sense that she didn’t want to disappoint him.

Now, because of that, he was stuck playing pretend instead of actually courting the first woman who had caught his eye in years.

Quickly, he tapped out a response.

Lucifer: I’m getting ready to come through now. Be there within the hour.

He put his phone on the charger before walking into his large master bathroom.

Bypassing the jacuzzi tub, he used the panel on the wall to start the waterfall shower and get in.

He washed up slowly as he thought about his home and his life.

He really spared no expense when it came to his domain.

Everything was purposefully chosen for maximum comfort.

He thanked God every morning for allowing him to make money in the streets to purchase this home and for allowing him breath in his body to enjoy the fruits of his labors.

By the time he finished in the shower, the large mirror above the sink had steamed up.

He quickly dried off and brushed his teeth before going into the large walk-in closet and choosing some joggers and a T-shirt to wear.

After he dressed, he grabbed his phone and put in an order for his favorite breakfast spot, The Buttered Biscuit.

His phone rang before he could put it down. His favorite person was calling. His sister, Eris.

“Yo?” He greeted her before he grabbed his clothes to get dressed.

“What you doing?” she asked, and immediately, he could tell she was bored. Dante must have just gone to school, and Cade was probably at work.

“Getting ready to head out.”

“Where you going?”

Lucifer should have known being short with her would never work.

He and Eris were closer than close. While Hades was busy growing up before his time, they were lucky enough to enjoy being children.

That was, until Lucifer hit the streets with his brother, but still, they had formed more of a sibling relationship while Hades took on the parental role.

Lucifer and Eris were true built-in best friends.

“I’m going to check Ellodie out.” He decided to be honest, because if he was really about to do this, he knew he would need some advice.

The line fell silent for a moment. “Why have I not heard this name until last night? Who is this chick?”

Lucifer went into his bathroom and grabbed his favorite cologne before he sprayed it on. His next stop was back into his closet to grab some shoes.

“She’s Harley’s client. You know Hades been acting crazy since Harley got pregnant. He made me go with her when Ellodie was in labor.”

“Okay,” she dragged out like she still didn’t understand. “That doesn’t really tell me anything, Lu.”

He sighed as he sat down on the loveseat inside his closet so he could put his shoes on. “Her mama came in there talking crazy to her?—”

“While she was in labor?” Eris asked for clarification.

“Yeah, man, and you know I don’t do well with parents bullying their children. I don’t care how old they are. Then her mama was talking down on her for not knowing her baby daddy is?—”

“Wait, she don’t know who her baby daddy is?” Eris asked, and Lucifer paused.

“I’on really know, but I stepped in and told her mama I was her baby daddy, and then I stayed with her while she was in labor, and now I got roped into playing like her man for her family.

” The line was silent as he walked out of his room and through his house.

Once downstairs, he grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter where he left it, and Eris still didn’t reply. “Hello?”

“I’m still here.”

“You ain’t gon’ say nothing?”

“What the hell am I supposed to say to that, Lucifer?”

“Cut it out with the government.”

“Nah, I think you need to be knocked upside the head with some sense. I thought your government might do the trick.”

After grabbing his keys, he walked toward his garage. He was anxious to see Ellodie, and he hadn’t even gotten to see Etta last night because she went right back to sleep after Harley finished with her. He walked into his garage and decided to take his bike.

“Look, I’ll hit you up later. I do want to talk to you about this, but not if you gon’ judge me.”

“Why can’t we talk now? I promise to tone down the judgement,” Eris whined. If nothing else was true, it was that Eris loved some good tea, and Lucifer was sitting on a piping hot pot.

“I’m about to get on my bike. I’ll hit you up later.”

She sighed. “Fine.”

“Love you, big ass head.”

Eris sucked her teeth. “Bye.”

Lucifer chuckled as he started up one of his bikes. It was his favorite bike, especially for riding around town. The red and black accents with The Obsidian Rider logo on the side were customizations he and Hades did together. He put on the matching leathers that hung over the handles of the bike.

As he pulled out of his garage, he thought about Eris’s response to what he was doing for Ellodie. For the next fifteen minutes to The Buttered Biscuit, he contemplated if this was the right thing to do.

After he picked up the food and put it in the built-in, a compartment on the bike for safekeeping, his thoughts drifted to her baby daddy.

He wondered if that was something he should worry about and why her family didn’t know who he was.

Questions swarmed through his mind as he rode his bike.

The spring air whipped past him and chilled his bones.

When he pulled up to Ellodie’s condo, he parked in the guest spot, grabbed the food, and made his way inside.

The elevator was directly ahead of him and across the pristine lobby.

It came quickly after he pressed the call button, and he got on.

It didn’t take long for it to stop on Ellodie’s floor, and his long legs made quick strides toward her door.

He knocked and didn’t have to wait long for her to answer.

The first thing he noticed was that she looked exhausted.

The second thing he noticed was she looked like she was still in her pajamas.

She wore fuzzy silk shorts and the matching tank top.

There were dark spots over her nipples, and he realized it was milk.

Etta cried in her arms as she rocked her urgently, shushing her and then looking up at him with her brown eyes framed by long, dark lashes.

“Hey, Lu. Come on in. I haven’t had time to make myself presentable. Etta had a rough night.” She moved further into her home.

Lucifer closed the door behind him. He watched as Ellodie sat on the couch while he placed the food on the kitchen counter and then washed his hands thoroughly before walking over to her. “Give her here. You can go get yourself together. I got her.”

Ellodie looked up at him, her brows pulling together. “It’s okay. She just needs to burp. I just fed her?—”

“Aight, let me burp her. You go ahead and take a minute to yourself.”

She eyed him. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

He chuckled. “When my nephew was a baby, I was the only one he liked for real. I’m like the baby whisperer.”

He sat down next to her and held his arms out. Hesitantly, she passed Etta over, and as soon as the baby was in his arms, her cries ceased.

Ellodie’s brows rose. “Seriously? I’ve been trying to calm her down for hours.”

“You must not got the magic touch.” He grinned at her.

She sighed and stood up. “I guess not. She didn’t eat a whole lot, so I’m going to pump and then shower. It should only take me half an hour.”

“Take your time,” Lucifer said as he positioned Etta so he could burp her.