Her body was sore from unexpected use and it made her smile.
Luke was home. It was a new beginning.
Back in the bedroom, Harper quietly opened drawers and grabbed comfy clothes before tiptoeing downstairs. The house was chilly, but rather than bumping the heat up, she turned on the gas fireplace in the living room. While the room warmed, she headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.
It was a little early for dinner, but since they had missed lunch, Harper reached for the Dawson’s menu and called in an order.
When Luke woke, they would eat and they would talk.
***
The doorbell woke him. Luke trudged downstairs in pajama pants and a t-shirt. He followed the scent of pizza into the kitchen.
Harper, in leggings covered by thigh-high wool socks, shot him her golden grin. Her soft sweater, the color of ripe blueberries, hung off of one shoulder. Her blonde hair was tied up in a knot on top of her head, leaving the graceful curve of her neck exposed.
“Hey there, handsome. Want some coffee?”
“Like I want my next breath.”
She reached for a mug, and he stepped in to nuzzle that delicate skin behind her ear.
“Are you hungry?” her voice was breathy.
He nibbled on her neck. “Yes.”
“Lucas Garrison, if you give me a hickey —”
He pulled back and smacked her on the ass. Her very firm ass.
“Jesus, baby. You got ripped while I was gone.”
Harper laughed and handed him the mug. “I joined a gym. Had to do something besides think about you all day.”
“Aldo says you’re a beast on the trails.”
She smiled. “I learned from the beastiest,” she said, pulling plates out of the cabinet.
“How’s he doing?”
She handed the plates over and pointed to the pizza box on the island. “He’s doing great. I was a little worried when he came home. He seemed like he was in a pretty dark place. But you know Aldo, the bigger the challenge, the harder he’s gonna knock it out of the park.”
Harper poured herself a cup of coffee and topped it with creamer.
Luke opened the pizza box and breathed in the smell of sausage and green pepper. “I had dreams about this pizza,” he sighed. He tossed two slices on each plate.
She grabbed the coffees and led the way into the living room.
“Is this new?” Luke asked, dropping the plates on the surface of the glossy low table angled in front of the fireplace he had never used.
Harper sat cross-legged on a floor pillow and reached for her plate. “Found it at a yard sale. Twenty bucks.”
“Nice.” Luke glanced around the living room. Again, the bones were the same, but now there were colorful throw pillows and books on shelves. A few pillar candles dotted flat surfaces around the room.
It was the first time in a long time that he came home to “different.” Usually the only difference in the house was the thick layer of dust over everything that took him the better part of a week to exorcise.
It was going to take a lot longer than a week for him to discover all the subtle differences this time.
He sipped his coffee and dragged a slice of pizza from his plate.
“So, Joni.” Harper left his mother-in-law’s name hanging in the air between them.
“I feel like I owe you an apology so big I’m not sure where to start,” he sighed. Guilt and that too-familiar pain made the pizza clog his throat like cardboard.
“Let’s start with how you felt seeing her this morning.”
“Panicked,” Luke shook his head. “She’s the last person I ever expected to see having breakfast with my family. I didn’t know what it meant. To me. To you. To her. I still don’t know.”
“I didn’t mean to spring her on you like that. I was so surprised to have you home, I forgot everything else.”
He shook his head. “It’s my fault for keeping all of this from you.”
“Why did you?”
Luke stared into the fire. How could he ever put it into words? Why he had to keep it all in. How just her name could still tear him apart.
“I was doing everything right. Married my high school sweetheart. Joined the military. Started my own business. I had a plan. I knew where I was going.
“We were talking about buying a house. Starting a family.” He swallowed hard on the word. The baby he never got to meet.
“When she died ... the way she died ...”
Harper laid a hand on his arm. Her eyes welled.
“I lost everything that day. My past, my future. My plan.” He cleared his throat hoping to dislodge the lump.
“I didn’t know how I’d get through a day without her, let alone years. So I just focused on getting through the day. Work hard. Keep it locked down. Get through another day.”