Page 12 of Moonlight & Matrimony (Oak Ridge #2)

He hesitates for one agonizing minute, but he must see something in my pleading eyes that softens him.

“I’ll stay until you’re both asleep.” He climbs on top of the covers, placing both hands behind his head, crosses his feet at the ankles, and closes his eyes.

A sliver of skin peeks out as his t-shirt creeps up his body, giving me a mouthwatering view of his happy trail and the indentations along his hips.

I won’t lie and say that I didn’t look my fill.

He’s thick in all the right places with muscles that weren’t created in a gym but honed by years of hard labor, and those gray sweatpants should be illegal.

Realizing I’m staring, I turn onto my side, wrapping an arm around my daughter.

It’s not long before I’m drifting off to sleep.

“Shhh. Mommy’s still sleeping.”

It takes me a minute to register what I’m hearing as I approach the kitchen at the end of the hallway.

When the view before me comes into focus, my heart melts into a puddle at my feet.

Rylin is perched at the kitchen island with a pancake in the shape of a cat, and Luca is placing more conventionally shaped pancakes onto a stack about a mile high.

The room smells like a deadly combination of fresh coffee, fluffy pancakes, and Luca.

“What’s all this?” I ask, approaching the pair as I wipe the sleep from my eyes.

“Luca made pancakes! They’re soooooo yummy.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” I say, taking in the sexy as sin man standing at my stove like he belongs here.

He glances over his shoulder and I have to resist the urge to hug him from behind.

The scene is so domestic it nearly steals my breath.

There’s just something about a man standing barefoot in my kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweats and a t-shirt that really does it for me.

“It was no trouble. Rylin woke up hungry, and you needed the rest.” If I wasn’t a complete mess already, those words would do it. I was with Austin for six years and I don’t think he’s ever spared me even a fraction of the consideration that Luca has freely given me.

“Thank you,” I sigh.

“Sit,” he commands.

“Yes, sir.” I give him a mock salute, and I don’t miss the heated look he gives me. Oh shit.

“Brat,” he mutters under his breath, so low I might’ve missed it if I’d been just slightly further away.

He piles several pancakes onto a plate, placing it on the island in front of me.

I’m just about to get up for a drink when he slides a coffee mug beside my plate, pouring a generous amount of my caramel macchiato creamer on top.

“How do you know how I take my coffee?”

“I was behind you when you placed your order at Rosie’s yesterday. And I assumed this creamer wasn’t for Ry.”

I chuckle. “That’s fair. Thank you, Luca.”

“Stop thanking me,” he says, leaning back onto the counter, crossing his feet at the ankles.

I watch as he brings his own cup of coffee to his lips, black by the looks of it, and takes a generous swallow.

Why is everything he does so effortlessly sexy?

Luca clears his throat, snapping me out of my daydreams.

“Mommy, I’m done.”

“Here, let me take that.” Luca rinses the sticky plate and cup and places them in the dishwasher. Fuck, even that was sexy as hell.

“Ry, can you go get dressed? You have a visit with daddy today.” Rylin’s body sags at my words and she nods before heading off to her room.

She’ll no doubt come back in something completely mismatched as usual, but I’ve learned to let her have her little quirks.

Last week she went to preschool in rain boots and a tutu, not a cloud in the sky or a single drop of rain in sight.

Luca glances down the hallway to make sure Rylin’s out of earshot before leaning his elbows on the island and speaking in a hushed tone. “I want to ask something, but I don’t want to be a dick.”

I sigh, knowing what’s coming next. “Just ask.”

“How is Austin still getting visitation? After everything I’ve witnessed…” His sentence trails off, but I get the gist.

“He took me to court and won. Since there was no official documented history of abuse, it was my word against his and, while I had a stack of screenshots and text messages, the judge didn’t think they were enough to deny him visitation.

I had a few photos of some bruises, but without proof of when and where they came from, my lawyer didn’t think they could be used against him.

He gets to see her twice a week, unsupervised. ”

“That’s bullshit. Can I testify?”

“I don’t think so. Especially not since you’ve claimed me as your fiancée. He’d say you’re lying because of your connection to me.”

“What about the bruises I saw last week?”

“I took photos to bring with me to court next time, but I'm going to be honest — it probably won’t do any good. Austin is well-connected in this town. His sister is close with the judge and, barring a full-on attempted murder, I don’t think I’ll ever win against him.

” Luca’s features harden and I shudder. Any time Austin got that look, I paid for it.

He gently places his hand on mine and softens his features. “I’m sorry. It’s not you, Ivy. I’m angry on your behalf. I know we have a lot to talk about, but I meant it when I said I would marry you. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you and Ry.”

“That means a lot to me, but I don’t want to be a burden. You have so much going on with your move and the new job. The last thing you need is to be tethered to a mess like me.”

“Listen, I can’t even begin to grasp everything you’ve been through, but I want to help you. I need to help you.”

“But why? Why are you being so nice to me?”

He shrugs. “You’re important to Paige, so that makes you important to me. And that little girl in there deserves better.” Right, because I’m just his neighbor and his sister’s best friend. I pull my hand free and look away.

“How would we even do this? We’d need to establish a relationship history for the courts to believe it. Austin could have you investigated and find out you just moved here. It would seem suspicious that we’re all of a sudden engaged.”

“That’s true, but we can say we met when I moved Paige down last year and sparked up a long distance relationship.

Crazier things have happened.” He’s not wrong.

Paige and Cade got engaged before ever meeting in person.

“Let’s take it one day at a time,” he adds.

“For all we know, they might not even question it. ”

I sip my now lukewarm coffee, weighing the pros and cons of marrying my best friend’s brother.

Pro: It could help with my court case.

Con: He’s Paige’s brother and that might be awkward.

Pro: He’s kind and so sweet to Rylin.

Con: It could make things worse with Austin.

Pro: That fine ass.

Con: Having to be around that fine ass and keep my hands to myself.

When I come up short, unable to think of any more excuses not to go through with things, I slump back in my seat, ready to give in. “Ok. I guess we’re doing this.”

Luca

I didn’t miss the way she pulled away when I told her she’s important to me because of her relationship with my sister.

And I’d be a goddamn liar if I said that was the only reason.

It might’ve started that way, but it’s so much more than that now.

And all that mess she’s worried about? I want to take it all and claim it for myself.

I'm drawn to her mess the same way I’m drawn to her strength.

“Maybe we can get lunch at Rosie’s in an hour and talk things through? Evelyn probably wouldn’t mind taking Rylin for a couple of hours,” she suggests, her words laced with uncertainty.

“Sure. Let me head home and shower. I’ll meet you there.

” I drain the last of my coffee and set the empty mug in the dishwasher.

She watches my movements and I wonder if her ex ever bothered to help out around the house, or maybe she’s just hypervigilant.

Whatever the case, it makes me itch to show her what it’s like to have a real partner.

“Okay. Thanks, Luca.”

"What did I say about thanking me?" My voice comes out gruff, and her eyes pierce me with a burning intensity. Snap out of it, man — she’s off limits .

Nevermind the fact that she’s my sister’s best friend, she’s also dealing with a hell of a haunted past. I can’t afford to get any more involved than I already am. This marriage is just for show, no feelings involved. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, dipshit.

An hour later, I’m pulling up in front of Rosie’s diner.

The summer heat bears down on me as I take in the bustling post-church crowd.

I learned very quickly that Sundays in Oak Ridge are utter chaos.

Blooming flower boxes line the sidewalk, adding to the small-town charm I fell in love with the first time I visited Paige, and I have to sidestep a few vaguely familiar people to get to my destination.

The bell chimes over the door when I enter, several heads swiveling in my direction. It’s not my first time here, but I’m still new in town and my presence doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m not a small guy at 6’3”, and the years of hard labor under my belt have honed my broad shoulders and hulking stature.

Rosie’s diner has a cozy rustic charm to it, with its weathered wood walls, and old vinyl booths.

It clearly holds a rich history within its walls, and the owners are an adorable older couple named Rosie and Archie.

They’ve been nothing but welcoming since the moment I arrived in Oak Ridge, and this place has become somewhat of a haven for me these past few weeks.

It’s not long before I spot a familiar bespectacled girl flagging me down from the end of the long weathered countertop. I take the empty stool at Ivy’s side, pulling out the menu that’s tucked between the napkins and the condiments. Ivy lets out a long breath. “Ok, so when do we do this?”