Page 24 of Sweet Temptation (Love & Legacy #1)

LEXIE

I will restart my favorite song if you talk through it. Sometimes I wish we could do that for our favorite days too.

—Lexie’s Secret Thoughts

“ U mm, Lexie...” Mae calls to me from the front of the bakery. “You better come out here.”

I look around the counter at the gorgeous pink macaroons I’m painting tulips on and blow out a frustrated breath.

I swear every single time my father shows up in the shop, she drools.

It’s a little ick, if you ask me, and I’m really not in the mood to hear it.

I wipe my hands and toss the towel to the sink before I push through the swinging doors and stop.

Umm is right.

“Did the delivery guys get the address wrong?” I look around the bakery, utterly confused. Nearly every surface is covered in daisies. And nearly every arrangement is mixed with some kind of beautiful pink flower.

“Miss Sinclair?” A man in a dark suit asks as I step forward.

“Yes.” He hands me a card and nods before he walks out, and the last of the delivery men sets a vase wider than me on the floor next to the door.

It’s a heavy white envelope with my name written on it in Lucky’s messy handwriting.

My hands shake as I hold it, looking around at the ridiculousness I’m surrounded by.

“Who’s it all from, Lex?” Mae asks, a dreamy lilt to her voice as she smells a beautiful bouquet of daisies and peonies.

Daisies.

My God, how did he remember?

“Lex . . . ?”

I walk over to my favorite booth in a trance and drag my fingertips along the flowers there before running one under the back of the envelope and taking out the heavy card stock.

Find something worth dying for and live for it.

—Unknown

We’re worth it, dolcezza.

Live for me. Live for us. Live loudly. Live without regrets.

You said I was the person who let you live, so do it with me.

—Lucky

“Oh. My. God. What the hell happened in here? Was this all supposed to go to Love In Bloom?” Dillan asks as she walks into the shop. “Lex...” She stops next to me, but I have no words.

“I think Lexie has some Christian Grey level secret admirer thing going on. If he has a red room, I hope he has a brother too,” Mae says, like I’m living in a movie.

“He’s got a brother, all right. And that crazy fucker probably has something even more fun than a red room.” Dillan pulls a daisy out of the closest vase and hands it to me. “Looks like lover boy is trying to make a point.”

“I don’t know who lover boy is, but if his point is you don’t have allergies, point made.”

Dillan and I both turn to look at Mae and laugh as Dillan wraps an arm around her. “Oh, you sweet summer child. How old are you?”

“What am I supposed to do with all these flowers?” I ask no one in particular, completely overwhelmed by all this. “There has to be fifty bouquets.”

“I’ll take some back to my dorm,” Mae offers, and Dillan shakes her head.

“Nope. These are all going home with Lexie.” Dillan takes my shoulders in her hands and turns me toward her, shaking me from my shock. “Where I’m hoping the sender of the flowers is going to be thanked, many, many , many times. Right?”

“Thanked or shaken,” I murmur. “I’m not sure which. I’ll let you know tomorrow what I decide.”

Lexie

Any chance you guys want to help me get a few flowers back to the house?

Linc

Like you bought a rose bush?

Lexie

More like Lucky bought every single daisy in the state of Pennsylvania and had them sent to me today.

Linc

Dude, what did you do?

Lucky

That’s a weird thanks, Lex.

Lexie

I will deal with you tonight, Lucky.

Linc

Oh shit. That doesn’t sound good.

Lexie

Mind your business and wear your damn headphones tonight, Lincoln.

Linc

Wait. What the fuck?

Lucky

I’m confused. Are you pissed or happy?

Lexie

You’re mom’s going to be pissed if I don’t get these flowers out of the shop before she comes in tomorrow.

Lucky

I’ll get Ryker and Jamie to help.

Lexie

Good move.

I open a new chat without Linc.

Lexie

I’m not pissed, but you didn’t need to do that. I don’t need a grand gesture. I need you to hear what I’m saying.

Lucky

You were ten years old the first time you told me daisies were your favorite flower. Linc had just squished the white ones your mom used to plant in your backyard. He landed on them trying to catch a football, and you cried because he killed them.

Lexie

He laughed because he killed them.

Lucky

And you said everything should get a chance to live.

Lexie

How do you remember that?

Lucky

I remember everything, Lex.

Lexie

The flowers are beautiful, Lucky.

Lucky

Am I forgiven?

Lexie

Have you forgiven yourself yet?

Lucky

For getting you sick back then?

Lexie

I won’t forgive you now until you forgive yourself for back then. It wasn’t your fault.

Lucky

I’d rather not talk about this over a text.

Lexie

When we talk in person, we end up having sex.

Lucky

And the problem with that is?

Lexie

I don’t want to hurt you, Lucky.

I stare at the unanswered text until my eyes hurt almost as much as my heart does.

And when I finally look up, he’s here, watching me in silence.

“When did you become important to me?” I whisper, my voice betraying my heart. “You weren’t supposed to be this great big thing in my life, Lucky.”

He crosses the kitchen in two strides and holds my face in his big hands. “You were always going to be the biggest thing in mine.” He presses our foreheads together, and his warm breath fans my face. “Let me in, Lexie. Let me love you.”

I slide his black ball cap off his head and dig my fingers into his hair, still damp from the shower after practice, and breathe with him for a minute. Trying to calm my racing heart. “I’m going to destroy you, Lucky.”

“Then let’s make every minute count.” He lifts me straight up, leaving my feet dangling beneath me, and crushes his lips to mine. “Please, baby.”

I don’t know what breaks me more.

His words.

His arms around me.

His willingness to be with me, even though we’ll never truly get our happy ending.

It all hurts, but he’s still here, and he’s begging me to be here with him.

To let go and trust he’ll catch me.

I wrap my legs around his hips and cling to him with everything I have. Everything I am. And everything I never will be. “Don’t let go.”

“Never.”

“Luciano Beneventi,” Amelia snaps as she marches into the kitchen, and I wish the world would swallow me whole. “What in the world?—”

Her words cut off the second she sees us. I know it, even if I refuse to look up.

“Oh, well... I see.” She clears her throat as I untangle my legs and fix my shorts. “I hope this means you’ve forgiven him.”

My eyes fly to Lucky’s. “You told your mom I was mad at you?”

“Who do you think taught me to make an omelet?” His smile is brilliant, and I kinda want to lick those dimples.

“Oh dear, please do not tell anyone that was my doing. You killed those eggs. Just because they weren’t scrambled didn’t mean they were actually an omelet.” Amelia shakes her head and looks around the kitchen. “Why don’t you head home, Lexie. Mae can clean up. I’ll see you next week.”

“Thanks, Amelia.” I squeeze her hand as I walk by her. “See you Tuesday.”

“So did the omelets work?” she whispers to Lucky.

“A little. But let’s just say I owe Caitlin a lifetime of babysitting,” he tells her loud and proud, and I think maybe, I’ll be spending some nights babysitting in my future.

“ I ’ve got to get to the stadium, Lex.” Lucky leans over and kisses my forehead Sunday morning before he leaves for the game, and I whimper, not wanting to let him go.

His arms are the best sleep aid in the world.

Warm and strong and safe. They make me not want to get up.

“Have fun at the game. I’ll meet you in the box afterward. ”

“Are you sure you don’t mind doing dinner with my parents?

” After the flowers a few days ago, there was no denying something was happening between Lucky and me.

Not when my mother owns the shop next door and word of the flowers made it up and down Main Street.

“We could say you’re too sore after the game. ”

I push up and wrap my arms around his neck, not sure I’m ready to feed him to the wolves. Or in this case, a former SEAL. “We could just come back here instead. Let Linc deal with them.”

“It’s not a big deal, baby. You want to do dinner, we’ll do dinner.” He presses his lips to mine and groans low in his throat. “But I’ve got to go, Lex. I left something on the dresser for you.”

“Have a good game, thirty-three.” One last kiss, and I smack his ass as he walks away.

Nothing’s changed, and yet somehow, everything has.

I push out of bed and stretch and cough and then smile when I see the package sitting on the dresser, wrapped in black paper with gold Philadelphia Kings helmets dotting it and a big gold bow wrapped around it. Lucky Beneventi... what did you do?

It barely weighs anything in my hands as I shake it before I pull the bow loose and rip the paper off. Gold tissue paper is folded neatly inside with another expensive looking white envelope, hiding another note.

Wear me.

—Lucky.

A man of few words, but the ones he chooses matter.

I have a pretty good idea what this is before I slide my hands between the tissue paper and pull out the jersey.

His jersey. Lucky was never going to let me go to the first home game of the season in anything less.

He didn’t care that I was wearing a Sinclair jersey because it was my name.

It isn’t his. That’s what he sees. And maybe I’m crazy, but I kinda love that.

And when I walk out of the door that afternoon with Beneventi and the number thirty-three on my back, it doesn’t matter that the jersey nearly covers my shorts completely. Just that it’s his. Because somehow, someway, my villain got exactly what he wanted, and I am his.

I just hope he doesn’t regret that decision.

Not later today or twenty years from now, because I’m pretty sure he’s never letting me go. I think I’m okay with that too.

Dillan

I’m pulling up to your house now.

Lexie

Sounds good. I’m ready.

For a lot of families in the area, football is special.

Our team has had a lot of great years over the past few decades, and a lot of that revolves around my family.

For us, football isn’t just special. It’s a religion, and the stadium is our church.

I grew up here. Going to games each weekend.

Running between our suite and my girlfriends’ family’s suite.

Their family owns the team, but my family. .. My family is the team.

My grandfather used to coach the team, and now my Uncle Declan is the head coach.

Dillan’s dad, Uncle Brady, is the quarterback coach, and Callen, who we’ve all always refused to call Uncle Callen because he’s only nine years older than my brothers and me, is the All-Pro tight end.

With my cousin Jamie at linebacker and Linc at wide receiver this year too, we’ve got a lot to cheer for.

And now I’ve got a little bit more.

When Dillan and I walk into the box, all eyes turn my way, and I know I’m going to be questioned all night, but I’ll deal with it. At least I’ll try.

But when literally everyone in the suite stops talking and stares, Dillan cracks up. “It’s not like she has on a Dallas jersey, guys.”

The Dallas team is basically likened to a four-letter word in our family.

And so the rivalry goes.

Dad shakes his head and looks away, turning back to Jamie’s dad, and my heart drops.

What the hell?

“Hey, girls.” Mom hugs us quickly. “Come on. Let’s get you some food.

” She guides us over to the table and brushes my hair over my shoulder.

“Ignore your father, Lexie. No man was ever going to be good enough for his baby girl, and you just showed up with another man’s name on your back.

Dad might need some therapy after today. ”

I take her hand in mine and tug her away from Dillan, not ready to discuss this with the world, but kind of wanting to discuss it with my mom. “Funny you should say that.”

Mom tilts her head, a little confused, and I take in as deep a breath as I can.

“I wanted to know if I could have your therapist’s information? I think I need to talk to someone about some stuff,” I admit, not sure if I’m ready to tell her more yet and not wanting to hurt her with my words.

“Of course, Lex. Should I be worried?”

“No.” I squeeze her hand, hoping to reassure her.

“Not at all. I just think I need to work through some of the things you pointed out last week.” She’ll never know how hard that is to admit.

Because I’ll never share how much I worry about what’s going to happen when I’m no longer here.

“You were right to point some of that out, Mom. Between you and Lucky, I realized I need to work through some things. It’s a good thing. ”

“Did he tell you that?”

“No. Not at all. I realized it when I figured out that my need to not hurt him was actually hurting him.” Emotion clogs my throat, and I force myself to push it down. “Please don’t make me talk about this now.”

“No. I promise.” She pulls me in for a tight hug. “I’ll send you her contact. She’s great. She’s helped me work through a ton of things over the years.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Her hand cups my cheek, and my breath catches in my throat. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”

My lungs are never going to get better. The doctor told us just last week they’re still getting progressively worse. Not that, that was surprising... but it still wasn’t easy to hear.

I want to live.

I want to love.

I want to let people into my life without worrying about the what happens when of it all...

And if I want to do all those things, I’m going to need some help getting there.