A Lucky Christmas Read online

  Christmas. Luna tried to smile, but her face seemed to forget how to. After her lover, Tom, died nearly eight months ago, she really didn’t look forward to the holiday quite like she had in the past. Zane didn’t make anything easier either. The two-year-old missed his daddy, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  As if Misty knew what was going through Luna’s mind, she hugged her again. “Just think about it. All of us would love for you to spend Christmas with us. London and I are actually going shopping in San Antonio with Katy the day after tomorrow. You can come with us and enjoy some fun time with the girls if nothing else.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Luna promised.

  “Okay. I need to get out of here. London is probably ready to fire me. I nearly burned down the barn, and Brandon had to come to my rescue. I’ll never hear the end of it from either one of them.”

  “Be careful.” Luna waved as Misty left.

  After three hours of working, she finally got to clock out and go home. Danny agreed to pick up Zane since he worked in a neighboring town as a high school biology teacher, but Luna didn’t like going home to an empty house.

  Before Tom died, their house was so lively and full. Now, she struggled to keep things as normal for Zane as it had been. Luna walked across the street to the diner and let herself in. Everything she used to enjoy didn’t seem all that enticing anymore.

  She sat on one of the bar stools at the counter. A waitress named Leda came up to her and asked for her order. “The usual. To go.”

  She tried not to think about her life without Tom. Danny was a great man, and he was still here and alive. But it wasn’t the same. They co-parented Zane and lived as roommates. He’d lost his best friend, and she’d lost one of the loves of her life. They kept everything together the best they could, but she knew Danny wasn’t happy. She wasn’t happy.

  “Smile, Luna.” Leda grabbed a napkin from the counter and filled a glass with lemonade for her. “There’s too much in life to be happy about.”

  Luna nodded. “It’s just been a long day.”

  “How are you and Danny doing?”

  “We’re okay.” Luna nodded and sipped her drink. “Christmas break starts tomorrow for him. Zane wanted to go see Santa at the mall. I think he’s going to take him after school.”

  Leda gave her a look of concern laced with sympathy. “You don’t want to go with them?”

  Luna pursed her lips. “I have to work.”

  “I’m sure Doug would let you off.”

  “I need the money.” Luna pushed her drink aside and reached in her purse for her wallet. Leda grabbed the bag prepared for her and handed it to her. “How much?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Luna stared at her. “Leda, I appreciate the gesture, but I can pay for my own food.”

  The door opened, and more people filed in the small diner. Luna glanced down at her toes. It wasn’t in her nature to cause a scene. She gripped the edge of the counter.

  “Please let me pay for my food.”

  “Take it and spend time with your family.” Leda wiped the countertop.

  Luna glanced over her shoulder and spotted Rowdy, the sheriff. She took the bag and walked over to him. He sat at a booth with a man she didn’t know. The man wore a business suit so he obviously wasn’t from Lucky. His short dark hair was styled impeccably, while his dark eyes remained warm as he glanced up at her when she approached.

  “Please give this to Leda.” She slapped a few bills on the table.

  Rowdy glanced at the money then over his shoulder at the woman behind the counter. “Do I want to know?”

  “No.” Luna glanced over at the man with him then back to Rowdy. Tears filled her eyes before she could stop them. “And while I’m at it, tell Misty I won’t be joining you for Christmas or going shopping with her, London, and Katy. I’m tired of people feeling sorry for me.”

  The door opened, and Danny stepped in with Zane. She composed herself and turned toward them. “Hey.”

  Danny sat Zane down, and he ran straight to the man sitting with Rowdy in the booth. “Daddy!”

  Luna watched as Zane climbed up into the man’s lap and hugged him. Luna handed the food to Danny and reached for Zane.

  “Honey, that’s not Daddy.”

  He ignored her, smiling at the man. Luna tried pulling him away from the stranger, but Zane protested.

  “It’s okay.” The man sat there with Zane in his lap. “What’s your name?”

  Instead of responding, he hugged him. “Daddy.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Luna glanced over at Danny who looked just as lost as she felt. “He’s confusing you with Tom. Um, he died eight months ago.”

  The man didn’t seem to mind. He sat Zane next to him. “Are you hungry?”

  Zane nodded with a big smile.

  “Zane, Daddy has your food. We need to go home to eat.” Luna contemplated how she’d get her two-year-old out of the booth without making a bigger scene than he’d already made.

  “No!”

  “Have a seat, Luna.” Rowdy motioned for her and Danny to pull up a chair. “How are you, Danny?”

  “Good.” He took the chair from Luna and sat, watching Zane with the stranger. “Who is your friend?”

  “Julian.” He held out his hand for Danny to shake. “I’m just visiting for a little while.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Luna apologized again. “He’s never done this before. I don’t know why he assumes you’re his father.”

  “It’s fine.” Julian smiled. “He probably misses him.”

  They shared an awkward dinner together with Zane talking Julian’s ears off. Luna knew losing Tom was hard on him. She didn’t realize how badly though. Her heart ached at the thought of not being able to soothe that gaping hole in her little boy’s life. She hadn’t seen him smile so big in a long time. He used to cry in the night, begging for Tom, and she and Danny had a few moments where they cried with him. It was hard on all of them.

  “Zane, we really need to go home.” Luna stood and put the chairs back. Half the town noticed the way Zane reacted to Julian, and she was sure that more opinions would start flying her way. The worst part about living in a small town was how everyone knew everything about her. No privacy.

  He clung to Julian as she tried to pry him away. The screaming started the moment she got one arm away from him. He protested the entire time, kicking and screaming as Luna and Danny pulled Zane away from him. How did they tell their two-year-old that a complete stranger wasn’t his father? Each tear shed from his little eyes killed her inside. Danny took him outside, and Luna tried to clean up the mess they’d made.

  “Luna, it’s okay,” Rowdy commented.

  She shook her head. “Nothing is okay.”

  She tossed the trash in the bin. “It was nice meeting you, Julian. Again, I’m sorry.”

  She left the diner with everyone staring. If they didn’t feel sorry for her before, they sure did now.

  * * * *

  Danny sat on the bed watching as Luna did her nighttime routine. Not only was she the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen, but she didn’t have a clue how beautiful she really was. He’d pulled his contacts out and put on his glasses. Five years they spent together, and he loved her more now than he did when he met her. He knew she still grieved for Tom. He still grieved for his best friend. It’d been eight months since he touched Luna, and while he wanted to comfort her and hold her, he didn’t push the fact. She’d withdrawn from everything, and with Christmas approaching, he knew it would only get worse.

  After he put Zane to bed he knew the little boy would eventually make his way to their room during the night. He was tired yet restless. After the ordeal at the diner, he figured it would only get worse.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened at the diner?” Danny asked her.

  “Not really.” She shut the bathroom light off and came to the bed. Her pajamas for the night were gray and pink. She’d washed all the
makeup off her face and pulled her hair high on her head.

  “You sure?” Danny watched as she climbed in beside him. “You were really upset earlier.”

  “Drop it, Danny.” She lay on her side with her back facing him.

  “Can you at least tell me how your day went?” Danny smoothed his hand along her back. “We hardly ever talk anymore.”

  “The same crap happens day in and day out. There’s nothing to talk about.”

  He moved in behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “Don’t push me away. I love you, Luna. I want to hold you and love you. We both need it.” He kissed the soft spot behind her ear. “I need to feel close with you again.”

  She pulled away from him. “You want sex?”

  He studied her. “I want to feel like I matter to you. Tom died, but I’m very much alive. I tried to let you grieve the way you needed to, but we’re in a relationship. We have a kid together. You can’t shut me out, Luna. I can’t take it anymore.”

  “I’m sorry you feel like you don’t matter.” She sat up. “I’m barely keeping it together, and you’re pouting because I haven’t fucked you in eight months.”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “Sure it’s not.” She grabbed her pillow. “I’m sleeping in the spare bedroom. Do not follow me.”

  Danny lay there long after she’d left, wondering how he was supposed to fix everything. His kid thought another man was his father, which was bone crushing to both him and Luna. Hell, they hated the fact that they couldn’t fix that void in Zane’s life. He knew Tom. Tom was a great dad to him, and he missed it. Zane asked Danny on the way to school when Tom was coming back. He didn’t understand, and there was no way for them to help that matter.

  Annoyed with himself, he stood and sought out Luna. She’d locked the door to the spare bedroom, but Danny grabbed the key from the top of the doorframe and unlocked it. She lay in the middle of the bed, crying, and it crushed him. She’d rather be alone than trust him with her vulnerabilities. How the hell did they get to that place in their relationship? They used to be really close. There was nothing they didn’t share with one another.

  “I love you.” Danny moved in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “We all miss him.” He kissed her and closed his eyes as he pressed his lips against her neck. “I know you’re not looking forward to Christmas, but I thought maybe we could spend it in the city. The three of us. A change of scenery may help for a little bit at least.”

  She pulled away from him and turned. Danny expected her to protest or fight with him, but instead, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him while she cried. Everything about the situation hurt, but he wasn’t going to let her go through it alone.

  They lay like that for a while. Luna finally stopped crying and she pulled away from him. “What are we going to do? We can’t keep living like this.”

  Danny smoothed his fingers along her thigh. “You and I are a team.”

  “But that doesn’t work for us. You know that.” Luna glanced away from him. “I miss sex, too, just so you know.”

  “So you want to find another person?”

  “I don’t know what I want.” She shook her head. “I want to stop feeling angry. Hurt. I want to stop seeing my kid cry over something I cannot give him. I know you miss Tom, too. He cannot be replaced. I don’t know what to do.”

  Danny pulled her closer to him and kissed her cheek. “I’ve got you, baby.”

  Zane started crying, and Luna moved away from Danny. They both stood to get their son, and Luna carried him back to their room with them. She held him close while he lay against her chest.

  “I want Daddy.”

  “Come here.” Danny held out his arms and took him from Luna. He tried his best to soothe him, but they both know exactly who he wanted.

  If Luna wanted to add another person to their relationship and Zane wanted some stranger to be Tom’s replacement, then Danny knew exactly what he needed to do. Above all else, he wanted to keep his family happy. He’d do anything to achieve that.

  Chapter Two

  “So you don’t like my shop?” London stood next to Misty as she arched an eyebrow at Julian. He grinned.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You did.” London folded her arms over her chest. “Misty wants to open a town newspaper. So that only leaves one space to rent out.”

  “Maybe, but there’s no money in it.”

  “I thought you liked Lucky?” London asked. “Everybody likes Lucky. You could have your headquarters here. There you go. Third space rented.”

  The two women drove a hard bargain. “My headquarters is wherever I am.”

  “Exactly. You’re standing in Lucky.” London pointed to the empty space. “Headquarters.”

  “But then I’d have to work with you two every day.”

  Misty laughed. “I can see why you and Rowdy are friends. You’re too much alike.”

  London rolled her eyes. “I’m the best person in this town to work with. Actually, make that the whole state.”

  Julian chuckled. “For some reason, I’m not convinced.”

  “What are you two doing?” One of the mechanics came across the street to join in their conversation. He glanced over at Julian before extending his hand. “Gunner Patton.”

  “Julian Hawthorne.”

  “Julian is going to invest in our strip mall and bring his company headquarters to Lucky,” London told Gunner.

  “Uh.” Julian stared at her. “I didn’t agree to that.”

  “But you will when we’re done with you,” Misty commented.

  “Damn, man.” Gunner laughed. “If you got both of them after you, you might as well give in.”

  Julian felt the dull headache he’d been suppressing all morning rise. How did he get himself into these situations? How did Micah always avoid them?

  Gunner pulled London to him for a kiss. “I want you to ride with me to San Antonio, so get your things.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She frowned. “Just me and you?”

  “Yes, just me and you.” Gunner arched an eyebrow at her. “Is something wrong with that?”

  “Yes.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “I need to stop by the post office. Maybe I can get Killian to help Misty.”

  “Killian can go to the post office. Misty doesn’t need help. You can come with me.” He wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her to him. “Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder.”

  Julian watched as London’s reservations lessened. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “No. You’ll weasel your way out of it if I let you out of my sight.”

  “Gunner.”

  “London.” He pulled her farther away from them as he moved backward to the auto garage.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Misty,” London remarked. “Keep working on Julian.”

  Julian shook his head. He stood on the sidewalk a moment before noticing the pretty blonde that had the kid step out of the grocery store down the street. She sat on the bench out front and dropped her head to her hands.

  “Hey, do you know her?” Julian asked.

  “Who?” Misty glanced toward the way he’d motioned. “Luna?”

  “She’s got a kid.”

  “Yeah.” Misty tilted her head to the side. “Why?”

  “What’s her story?”

  Misty blew out a breath. “Several months ago, her lover, Tom, died. Freak accident. He worked in construction with Kai and Dash. He was on a jobsite and the whole house collapsed. Buried him in rubble. She’s had a hard time with it. Danny, her other lover, was his best friend. Their kid is Zane. He’s a sweet little boy. He took it the hardest I think.”

  “Yeah.” Julian rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  He left Misty on the sidewalk while he went toward the grocery store. Luna appeared to be on break, and he assumed that it was timed. He found himself drawn to her. Her deep green eyes stood out against her pl
atinum hair. She was a gorgeous woman that he knew he didn’t have any right to. It didn’t stop him from wanting to talk to her though.

  “You okay?” Julian asked as he approached her.

  Luna lifted her head. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “Mind if I join you?” He motioned to the bench.

  “Sure.” She scooted over. “My break is almost over anyway.”

  “I don’t think we really had a chance to talk last night. I’m Julian.”

  Luna gripped the edge of the bench. “Luna.”

  “How is your son?”

  She shook her head. “As messed up as the rest of us.”

  He folded his hands in his lap. “He’s a sweet kid. You and your husband did a good job raising him.”

  She glanced over at him. “We’re not married, but thanks. Danny is our rock through everything.”

  Julian propped his elbow up on the back of the bench. “I’m a real estate developer. What do you think of this town?”

  “It’s different.”

  “Yeah? In what ways?”

  “Lucky is a ménage and bondage town. Everyone that lives here participates in some form or fashion with that lifestyle. It’s not for everyone. When I had my son in San Antonio, the nurse looked at me and my two lovers like we were freaks. Or maybe like I was some kind of slut that slept around and didn’t know who the father of my kid was.”

  “How does a relationship like that work?”

  Luna met his gaze. “Well, there’s no magic spell. Three people commit to sharing a life together. It’s a pretty great thing. I miss it.”

  “Were the men involved? Is that how the dynamics work?”

  Luna smiled and stood. “No. Danny and Tom liked sharing women together. There was a bond between them. When I came into the picture, it just worked. I liked the way they treated me. The way they made me feel. I was protected. Cherished. If I ever needed anything, they’d be there. No questions asked.”

  “Do you want that again?” Julian asked. “Two men, I mean.”