Luke had said we had a “lot of shit to do today,” so I figured a good breakfast was in order. I grabbed my robe, leaving the bathroom and started to the kitchen, pulling the bedroom door closed behind me. Opening my refrigerator door, I was reminded, once again, how good the club had been to me. It was fully stocked with groceries. From orange juice to thick sliced bacon, just how I liked it. I had everything I needed to make a delicious southern breakfast.
My homemade biscuits were in the oven, bacon was frying on the stove and I was stirring grits, listening to Neal McCoy sing “No Doubt About It”, when strong, warm arms wrapped around me and the delicious scent of Luke filled my nostrils. He kissed me on the cheek and reached around to turn the grits off, then grabbed my hand and turned me to him.
“Like a hammer and a nail, socks and shoes-we go hand in hand like the rhythm blues. What good is a man who hasn’t got a dream? ‘Bout as good as a car with no gasoline you’re the one I’m dreaming of, got to have your love, can’t live without it. We were meant to be together, no doubt about it.”
I stood in Luke’s arms, allowing him to lead me around the kitchen, staring at him with my mouth hanging open as he sang to me. I had no idea Luke knew how to sing. Was there an ending to his perfectness?
“I didn’t know you could sing,” I managed to choke out while he continued to hum the song, looking at me with those big blue eyes that seemed to sparkle this morning.
“Does it surprise you that much?” he asked teasingly. I would be lying if I said it did. For some reason, I knew Luke was capable of doing anything, and doing it well.
“Nothing you do surprises me anymore,” I said, smiling up at him. He leaned down and kissed me softly, his lips barely brushing over mine.
“I love you, babe. I need you today. There is a lot of shit going on and I am going to need you to be there for me. I know this is hard, but I need you to trust me and stay in my sights at all times. A lot of people are coming into town and I need to know that you are behind me on this. Can I trust you to do as I ask and not give me any grief about it?”
I looked at Luke’s face, full of hope and wonder. He needed me. When I needed him, he was there. He was letting me know that this was something important to him, and he wasn’t giving me the option of backing down. This made my heart swell and my love for him to deepen. If ever I was sure of his intentions of keeping me safe, it was now.
“Of course.” There was no hesitation in my voice and my eyes were determined, staring into his, daring him to not believe me. I would do what he asked and then some, I owed it to him-he was my more. He kissed me on my head and grabbed my face in his hands.
“Thank you,” he said, letting the air rush out of his lungs as if he had been holding it.
“Does that surprise you?” I asked, teasing him with the same question he had asked me only minutes before. He shook his head, smiling and breaking eye contact.
“You are about as unpredictable as the weather, Dallas Knox. Let’s eat.”
My southern breakfast was a hit with Luke. He constantly told me how delicious everything was and wanted to know where I learned to cook. I informed him that the few short years that I had lived with my grandmother, she had showed me many things like how to cook, how to can and make biscuits from scratch-each one having your initial in it.
“See, there is an L right there,” I said, pointing at the crack in the bottom of Luke’s biscuit.
“You put that in there?” I couldn’t help but smile at his comment and the innocent look on his face. Of course, I didn’t. You could just about make out any letter of the alphabet if you looked hard enough, but he didn’t have to know that.
“Absolutely. What kind of person would I be if I made you a biscuit without your initial?”
Luke shook his head, and continued eating. Apparently he believed the old tale my grandmother had told me many times, yet I was a lot younger than Luke when I figured it out.
“Who all will be there today?” I asked, standing to clear the dishes from the bar.
“Everyone. The whole club, and some brothers from a chapter out of Louisiana,” he said, watching me as I moved around the kitchen cleaning up.
“Who all does that entail?”
“Anyone who is affiliated with the club and might be in danger of Frankie,” he said, almost cautiously. I immediately wondered if that meant women that were not ol’ ladies. Luke seemed to always know what I was thinking and confirmed my suspicions.
“That includes Maddie, and some of the girls you have met before. Any hang-arounds or women the club keeps around for private entertainment. The guys will be there and we need the bitches to show them a good time. Is that gonna be a problem for you?”