A Lucky Christmas Read online

  “I don’t know.” Luna shrugged. “It’s not easy to find something like that twice.”

  She glanced at her watch. “I need to go. My break is over.”

  He watched as she went inside. He couldn’t claim to know anything about losing a family member. He never had a family to begin with. He stood from the bench and spotted Misty watching him. He could only imagine what went through her mind. Instead of finding out, he decided to cross the street to visit Rowdy.

  After barging in Rowdy’s office, Julian sat down and huffed a breath. “Explain the ménage relationship thing to me.”

  Rowdy arched an eyebrow. “Well, there are usually three or more people. They have sex together.”

  “The men don’t, though.”

  “No.” Rowdy sat back in his seat. “Who have you got the hots for?”

  “No one.”

  “Liar.” Rowdy studied him. “You wouldn’t be asking me anything if there wasn’t a prospect. You always scope your women out. How many times did you ask me about the girls in the group homes we lived in?”

  “Fine.” Julian pursed his lips. “Luna.”

  “No.” Rowdy shook his head. “Having fun is one thing. She’s an emotional mess right now.”

  Julian scrubbed his hand over his face. “Mess or not, she’s gorgeous.”

  “She is.” Rowdy reached for a pen. “She’s not someone to play with though. She’s got a kid. Danny is very protective of her. I say stay away from her.”

  “I rarely stay away from women who are messes, don’t you know that?” Julian stood. “I mean, you wanted me to support your building project. What better way than to give me a reason to stay?”

  “You don’t know her.”

  “Maybe not, but I want to get to know her. She’s coming to Christmas at your house right?”

  “Probably not.”

  “We’ll see.” Julian walked to the door. “It doesn’t hurt to try. I may like this whole ménage thing.”

  * * * *

  Luna agreed to have dinner at Misty’s house earlier that day, but she regretted it the moment she got home. Zane wouldn’t stop talking about his daddy. Danny did his best to tell him that Tom was gone and that that other man was someone else, but nothing worked. He was confused.

  “If he’s there, it’s just going to make things worse,” Luna commented. “Zane doesn’t understand.”

  “I’ll stay at home with him then.” Danny glanced up from helping Zane put on his shoes.

  “No. I’ll cancel.” Luna reached for her phone and dialed Misty’s number.

  “Don’t you dare cancel on me.”

  “I have to.” Luna glanced over at Zane who still talked about his daddy. “We had a mix up with Julian at the diner last night, and Zane thinks he’s Tom. I think it would be a bad idea. He just doesn’t understand.”

  “Oh, honey. I didn’t know that. Rowdy didn’t tell me.”

  “Yeah.” Luna glanced to the side.

  “I’ll bring you guys some food. We have enough, and it was for you anyway. No awkward meetings.” Before Luna could say anything, Misty continued, “Don’t say no. I’ll barge in.”

  “Okay.”

  “See you in a minute.”

  Luna hung up the phone and sat it on the counter. “Maybe seeing a photo will help. Julian doesn’t look like Tom. I don’t know why he’s confusing the two.”

  “Maybe.” Danny sat on the floor and pulled his phone out. “Zane, look.”

  Luna watched as Danny tried to explain the difference between Tom and Julian. It only made him more upset. He lay on the floor kicking and screaming when Danny told him that his daddy was gone. He tried to smooth it over by pulling him onto his lap and holding him close, reminding him that he was still there. He loved him. He would play with him and read him stories just like a daddy should. It took a while for him to calm down. Finally, Zane started calling Danny daddy and clinging to him.

  The entire thing was like watching her son grieve Tom’s loss all over again.

  She escaped outside and squatted on the front porch. The emotional turmoil was too much. It made her angry. Sad. Depressed. She took a few deep breaths. If she didn’t get her shit together, the entire town would start to think she was insane.

  “Luna?” Misty’s voice caused her to lift her head. “Are you okay?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do this.”

  “Do what?” Misty asked. She sat the containers of food to the side and squatted next to her friend.

  “I don’t know what to do. He misses Tom. I can’t give him Tom, so he cries. He screams. He throws a fit. Danny reminded him tonight that he still had him. I know it kills Danny to see it, too. He had two daddies, not one, but right now Zane is hyper focused on the one he doesn’t have. I don’t know what to do.”

  Misty rubbed Luna’s arm. “Maybe you need a babysitter.”

  Luna swallowed hard and dropped her head back against the house. “I don’t know. My relationship with Danny is rocky at best. Everything just fell apart when Tom died, and I can’t keep it together.”

  Misty hugged her. “Take a deep breath. It’s all going to be okay.” Misty pulled back and looked at her friend. “I know it’s not what you want, but maybe Zane needs Julian in a way that we don’t understand. He doesn’t really mind. I asked him about it. He grew up with Rowdy in a group home. He said he had a lot of experience with kids in that way. They formed bonds with him when they couldn’t form bonds with anyone else. Rowdy vouched for it, too. I can take him for the night. You can get some rest. Spend some time with Danny. Eat. You’re not in this alone. I’m here for you. London and Katy I’m sure feel the same.”

  “I don’t know.” Luna glanced over at the food dishes.

  “I’ll guard him with my life.”

  She smiled. “I don’t think he’ll stay. He doesn’t sleep very well. Wakes up screaming.”

  “There are five adults at my house. We can all take turns caring for him.” Misty smoothed her hands along Luna’s arms. “There is nothing wrong with you taking a break. We all need them from time to time.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” Misty reached for the food. “Come on. I’ll help you with this, and then we’ll leave you two alone.”

  Luna followed Misty into the house. Danny had Zane in his arms as he reached for a juice box from the fridge.

  “Hey, little man.” Misty scratched her nails along Zane’s back. “Do you want to come with me for a little while? We can go to my house and play with blocks and read books.”

  Zane looked at her for a second before reaching out to her. Misty smiled and took him from Danny.

  “I don’t have a bag packed for him.” Luna left the room to find his favorite toys. She shoved them in a small bag along with extra clothes and PJs before going back to the kitchen. She’d never let Zane stay with anyone overnight. The uneasy feeling in her stomach didn’t help anything either.

  “Quit worrying.” Misty took the bag. “You and Danny have the night to yourselves. Enjoy it.”

  Danny went out with her to get his car seat, and Luna watched them from the doorway. She felt like a horrible parent for sending her kid away. Tears filled her eyes as she went outside. She was about to put a stop to it when she saw Zane’s face. Gone were the tears and the cranky attitude. He looked like he wanted to go with Misty and waved at Danny when he strapped him in the backseat of Misty’s car. Luna walked over to him and leaned in to kiss him.

  “Be good, okay?”

  Zane smiled at her. Maybe her kid simply needed to be away from her.

  * * * *

  Danny searched through the food dishes. “I’m surprised you let him go with Misty for the night.”

  “She talked me into it.” Luna sat at the bar while Danny dished out the food for them. “She told me I needed a break. I was too weak to protest.”

  “You do need a break from time to time.” Danny glanced up at her. “There’s nothing wrong with it.�
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  “You mean there’s nothing wrong with my kid wanting to get away from me?”

  “Luna.” Danny shook his head. “Zane loves you. He talks about you all the time when we’re driving back from school.”

  “Maybe he blames me for Tom being gone.”

  “Stop.” Danny handed her a plate and kissed the side of her head. “No more talking about Tom or Zane. We’re both getting a break for a little while.”

  Luna lifted her fork and took a bite of the lasagna Misty had brought. “How was your last day of school?”

  “Awesome.” Danny grabbed drinks for them both before he joined her. “The kids weren’t that bad.” He took a bite. “How was your day? What did you do?”

  “Nothing exciting. I talked with Julian today. He sat with me on the bench outside the store.”

  “Yeah?” Danny ate a bite. “What did you talk about?”

  “Lucky.” She lifted her drink. “He asked me about the whole ménage and bondage thing.”

  “Do you like him?”

  “What?” Luna frowned. “That’s not where I was going with this conversation.”

  Danny stared at her. She had to have a point to bring it up. She rarely ever talked about interactions she had at the store.

  “I’m not jealous, Luna. It was just a question.”

  “I don’t know much about him.”

  “Do you think he’s attractive?”

  Luna didn’t respond.

  “You can tell me.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought about asking him to have a ménage with us.” He said it like it was the most casual thing that could come out of his mouth.

  “You want me to fuck some stranger?”

  He glanced up, noticing her obvious annoyance. “I thought you wanted…”

  “I can’t do this.” Luna pushed away from the bar. She went to the door and grabbed her keys.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To pick up my son.”

  Danny sat there, wondering how the hell they would ever put their fragmented relationship back together. From the moment Tom died, she pushed Danny away. She went through the motions of taking care of Zane, but she basically had become his roommate. They went from a loving relationship where they couldn’t get enough of each other to strangers overnight. He didn’t know what to do about it any more than she did.

  Danny finished his dinner and cleaned up their mess. He missed their closeness. They could snuggle in bed together while Tom took care of Zane. Or when their little boy was fast asleep, they could spend the night pleasuring each other in every way possible. He missed the sex. He wasn’t going to fool himself and say it didn’t matter. It did. She rarely had sex with just one of them at a time. After Tom’s death, sex didn’t even register on her radar.

  Danny plopped down on the sofa and turned the TV on. He wanted her to talk to him, but she was so damn defensive. He barely even had a ten-minute conversation with her before she bolted out the door. If they couldn’t communicate and they couldn’t solve the problems between them, their relationship was in serious trouble. It killed him to think about it, but it felt like they were already on the path to breaking up.

  Chapter Three

  “He definitely likes you,” Brandon commented as Zane slept against Julian’s chest.

  “I’m a likable person.”

  Rowdy snorted. “The kid doesn’t know you yet.”

  “Leave us alone.” Julian smoothed his hand along Zane’s back. “Plus, I don’t mind. Misty told me what happened with his dad. I can relate all too much about wanting someone and not being able to have them.”

  He couldn’t even count how many foster parents he thought would adopt him. None did, however. He couldn’t blame the kid for being confused. He never condoned that he was his father, but tried to get him to call him by his name. It sort of worked. Zane tried anyway.

  “That’s very respectable,” Easton commented. “I would probably tell Luna to keep her kid away from me.”

  Julian dropped his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes. “I’d never tell her that. She’s obviously going through a lot. He’s going through a lot. I’m sure Danny is, too. There’s no sense in adding more pain to that.”

  “He also likes Luna,” Rowdy commented.

  “Everybody likes Luna,” Misty commented. “She’s a sweet person.”

  “I didn’t think you were into ménage,” Brandon remarked.

  “I’m trying to figure out how it works.”

  “Read Misty’s articles.”

  “I may.” Julian glanced over at her. “Are you the expert?”

  Misty smiled. “They don’t complain.”

  They all laughed. Julian liked them. He was happy for Rowdy in making a happy life for himself. Before conversation continued, someone knocked at the front door. Easton stood to answer it. Luna came in, and Misty pulled away from Brandon to calm her friend.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Luna shook her head. “I just need my son.”

  Julian sat up with Zane in his arms. “He’s fine. Ate a big dinner and we read a few books. He passed out against me when we sat down to watch a movie.”

  Luna watched him. “He can’t stand to be near me. Danny can’t stand to be near me.”

  “What?” Misty stood in an effort to comfort her friend. “Luna, when is the last time you slept?”

  “I don’t know.” She stared at him. “A long time.”

  “Come on.” Misty ushered her toward the master bedroom. “The boys can watch TV. I’ve got a big bathtub with your name on it. You can relax and then crawl in the bed for some peaceful rest.”

  Easton glanced over at Brandon. “If Luna is sleeping in the master bed, I’m not sleeping with you.”

  Julian chuckled as he resituated himself with Zane. Both of them looked over at him.

  “You get the couch.”

  Julian shook his head. “I can go to a hotel.”

  “Nobody is going anywhere.” Rowdy rolled his eyes. “We bought those damn pullout beds for when Misty’s family comes to visit. Someone gets one of those.”

  “Not it,” Easton and Brandon said at the same time.

  “What are you in? Elementary school?”

  “Pretty much,” Rowdy commented.

  Julian tapped Brandon’s shoulder. “Can you hand me that blanket?”

  He grabbed the nearby blanket for him and thankfully helped wrap Zane in it. He was tired himself since he started the day early. He wasn’t sure how taking care of someone else’s kid worked for the night, but he was ready to lay him down and go to sleep.

  “When we have a kid, Uncle Julian is nominated to babysit.”

  Julian closed his eyes. “You guys planning on having one anytime soon?”

  “No.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  Julian chuckled. They watched a movie together, and Julian found himself drifting off. The guys teased him, but he didn’t care. Sometime later, Rowdy woke him up.

  “Luna is in the master bed with Misty. You can put him on a fold-out bed in there with them.”

  Julian groaned and stood with the kid in his arms. He followed Rowdy to the master bedroom and laid the kid on the twin-sized fold-out bed. Afterward, he covered him with a blanket and stepped away.

  “Thank you,” Luna replied.

  Julian shoved a hand in his pocket. “He’s a good kid. Get some sleep.”

  Rowdy walked out with him. Julian didn’t know the circumstances of her relationship with Danny, but it seemed odd that she stayed here and he didn’t question it.

  “You said that Danny was protective of her. Has he even called to check up on her?”

  “I don’t know.” Rowdy rubbed a hand over his face. “They’re having problems.”

  “Did she leave him?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that either.”

  Julian glanced back toward the room. He didn’t like the idea of her being out of her h
ouse with a kid. He didn’t know the guy, but something clearly was wrong with him if he kicked her out.

  “Don’t get involved, Jules,” Rowdy commented. “Luna is a wonderful person, but she’s not someone to mess around with. She and Danny are good together.”

  “I’m already involved. Her kid thinks I’m his dad.” Julian went to their spare bedroom with Rowdy following him. “I kind of like the little guy, too. It only seems natural that I get to know his mom.”

  Rowdy shook his head. “Just don’t hurt her. I know you’d never mean to, but this town is really protective of her right now. You’ll have a bunch of women plotting your demise if you try anything.”

  “I’m not going to hurt her.” Julian met Rowdy’s gaze. “I’m actually considering the strip mall project so I’ll be in Lucky for a little while.”

  Rowdy gave him a look.

  “Your wife and her friend convinced me that my headquarters needed to be next door to the newspaper.” Julian shrugged. “I’m considering the idea.”

  “I’m staying out of that.” Rowdy turned to leave. “Just be careful.”

  A word of warning from a friend that knew him best.

  * * * *

  Luna entered her home early the next morning with Zane sleeping in her arms. Danny stood in the kitchen, waiting for his coffee to brew while she sat her purse and keys down. She took her son to his room and laid him in his bed before returning to where Danny stood. She prepared herself for a fight, but he didn’t seem all that interested.

  “Are we over?” Danny asked.

  “No.” Luna stood next to him.

  “It feels like we are.” Danny turned away from her. “I’m trying my best, Luna. You don’t even acknowledge I’m here half the time. Zane would rather have some stranger as his father. Our relationship is nonexistent. There was one point in time when we depended on each other for everything. We were so fucking close, and now we barely even know each other.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “I mean, if it were me instead of Tom, would you even notice?” Danny turned toward her. “Or care?”

  “Of course I’d notice.” Luna went to him and wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t hug her back. “I love you, Danny. There’s no right answers for how we’re supposed to deal with this. I need you in my life. Zane needs you. We’re a family.”