Beautiful Storm (San Francisco End Game #1)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Amelia

I try to sit still while Luke’s gone, but it’s impossible with all the thoughts and feelings running through me. That could have gone better, but it also could have gone worse. I think. I’m a little confused. I was not expecting him to mention Preston, and I was not at all prepared when he did. Luke and I may not have been friends for years, but the hatred in his tone was something else entirely.

He was hurt.

He didn’t like the thought that I’d deceived him somehow, and God, if that isn’t hypocrisy.

Should I have told him to grow the fuck up and find me when he had calmed down? Probably . But I made a promise to put our child first and that’s what I’m doing. I’m staying so we can have an adult conversation. I learned my lesson after Preston.

And maybe Luke and I should have talked about all our issues way back when, but what’s done is done. Our baby is the only thing we need to discuss today, and I’m not leaving until he tells me to go.

Five minutes go past. Then ten and fifteen. And I’m just about to call out when Luke waltzes in, seemingly without a care in the world.

“Okay, I’m back,” he announces. “So what happens now?”

What? I stare at him, my brows dipped in confusion. That’s it? He disappears after screaming fuck multiple times and comes back all cool, calm, and collected.

“What happens now? What does that mean?”

Luke raises an eyebrow, suggesting I’m the one acting weird. “I thought that was obvious. You’re pregnant. It’s my baby. So, what’s next?”

Huh? I blink a few times. I was ready for a range of emotions and reactions, but this wasn’t on my bingo card. “I…ah…I have an appointment next week for an ultrasound. The first one. And that’s when we’ll know more specific details like size and due date.”

“Good, good,” Luke says calmly. “Text me the details and I’ll be there. Do you have a specific doctor you’ll be seeing? Do you know what hospital you’re going to? Some have private suites, right? We’ll definitely want one of those.”

“Luke—”

“I’ll chat with Dylan. I’ll bet he and Summer had a private suite—”

“Luke, stop. Please.” I stand and take a step toward him, but he moves around me and walks closer to the armchair in the corner of the room. Not that he sits. He just hovers. “My insurance doesn’t cover any of that,” I continue, wishing more than anything that wasn’t the case.

“That’s fine.” Luke waves me off. “Mine does.”

He starts to pace, but when I tell him it doesn’t work that way, he spins around in shock.

“Why the hell not? It’s my baby.”

“Yes, but until the baby is born, it’s based on my insurance.”

Luke shakes his head like that piece of information is meaningless. “Okay. So, you need better insurance.”

“We all need better insurance.” I huff out a laugh. Isn’t that a dream?

“I don’t,” he gloats. “My insurance is amazing.”

I put on a smile, hoping it will stop me from showing him how I really feel.“We’re not all star football players,” I grate.

“No, you’re not. But lucky for you , I am . ” He finally sits down before pulling his phone from his pocket. “How much does it cost to upgrade you? Or can I just pay for everything without insurance?”

“What?” Did he really just say that? “Are you out of your goddamn mind?”

“Too much? Fine. Call your insurance company and let me know the additional cost to upgrade. I’ll send you the money. Our baby deserves the best.”

I stare his way, and if I wasn’t working so hard to maintain my composure, I have no doubt my jaw would have dropped. “Who are you?”

“What does that mean?” He has the nerve to be offended.

“Barely thirty minutes ago you thought I was a gold-digging whore and now you’re throwing money at me?”

“I never said that.”

“You kind of did.”

“I never used the word whore.”

I raise an eyebrow and frown. “It was implied.”

“Okay. I was in shock. You caught me off guard. You had me worked up thinking I was a side piece and—”

“You what?” A side piece ? I burst out laughing. I bruised his ego. I knew it! But now is not the time to celebrate that win.

“Never mind,” Luke continues. “Point is, I said the wrong thing. It’s not the first time someone has tried to convince me I’m a dad, but I never expected it from you.”

“Ugh.” I cringe at the thought of that. Picturing all the little Lukes out in the world. Once again… of all the people I could have slept with. “I didn’t need to know that, but does our baby have any siblings?”

Luke chuckles, though my question is no joking matter. “Not that I’m aware of. They were all faking it.”

“Why don’t I trust that answer?”

“You’re going to have to.” Luke shrugs. “It’s the only answer I’ve got. So back to the insurance…”

I let out a sigh before running my hands down my face. “I appreciate the thought, but you can’t just pay to upgrade it.”

“Let me look into it.”

“Sure. But you won’t—”

“Let me try.”

I reluctantly agree despite it being a lost cause. I already considered it. I’ve scoured the Internet, checked out all the possibilities. I even looked into quick moneymaking opportunities. Bank loans. Switching insurance companies. Everything. But at the end of the day, none of it mattered because no one would upgrade my pregnancy coverage until after a twelve-month waiting period and that was a few months too late. Yes, I found some that were closer to ninety days, but the coverage wasn’t much better than what I had. For what Luke’s proposing, I’d have to wait.

We fall silent again, but while he’s not saying anything, I can sense his mind whirling. And I get it. It’s a lot for him to take in without processing time. He deserves time to think, but I have to give him some credit for how he’s taking it.

“I should go,” I say, giving him his time. “It’s been a long week. I’m tired and I’m sure you could use a moment.”

Luke stares at me, unmoving, and a panic sets in. Is this what a Luke Bennett breakdown looks like?

“Luke, are you okay?”

“Far from it,” he rasps before shaking his head. And the next time he looks at me, the confident Luke is back. “None of this is about me…or you. It’s about the baby. All you need to know is that I’ll be there for it. I want to help. Just let me know what you need.”

I nod as I rush out a thanks with no idea what else I can say to that. In fact, I have no idea what to say about any of this. I was prepared to fight and defend myself. Like I had to in the beginning. But Luke…he didn’t even ask me how it happened. This rational version of him is unnerving.

I grab my bag from the table and walk toward the front door. As I move into the hallway, a noise at the other end of the house draws my attention, making me freeze. Is someone here? All this time, I assumed we were alone, but I spin around to find a beautiful dog at the back door, paws up on the glass, staring in my direction, like it’s watching me. And when Luke steps into view, it bounces around playfully.

Something about the dog's happiness eases my mind. Maybe Luke isn’t as closed off to feelings as he leads people to believe.

“I’m coming, pup,” he calls out, laughing at the dog’s reaction. “Just give me a moment.” He turns back to face me and I see it. For the first time since we were kids, I see genuine love in his eyes. The love he used to project when talking about his little sister, no matter how annoying he thought she was. The love he used to project when promising me he’d always have my back.

At that thought, the warmth inside me subsides faster than it came, making way for a deep pit to form, and I hate that I’m questioning things but… “Can we really do this? Considering everything between us.”

Having a baby with Luke doesn’t change what he’s done… What I’ve done… How can we possibly do this without fucking it up?

“Plenty of people co-parent that don’t get along. It’s all about showing up for your kids.” His eyes flash to mine, and I see the moment he regrets what he said. “Fuck, Amelia. I didn’t mean—”

“Forget it.” I brush it off. “That was then. This is now. And you’re right. Plenty of people do it and so can we. I’ll see you at work, and I’ll let you know when you’re needed.”

Without another word, I walk away, refusing to peer back at him until I’m settled in my car, Luke’s words running on repeat in my mind.

“It’s all about showing up for your kids.”

Something my dad didn’t do.

I guess that’s one less thing for me to worry about, because at least Luke knows that.

Even if it’s the very thing that tore us apart in the first place.