“It’s different. There’s a little girl involved here.”

“I understand that, but he’s her father, and you at least owe it to Charley to listen to what he has to say.”

I rolled my eyes and turned away from her. She was throwing my own advice back in my face. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she asked me to please stay calm for her. I sighed, turned around, and kissed her forehead. I grabbed her hand, and I led her to the table where Maddie and Adam were sitting.

“Hi, Adam, I’m Lily Gilmore, Luke’s girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she extended her hand to him.

“Hi, Lily. It’s nice to meet you too.” Adam smiled as he took her hand and shook it.

Seeing him touch Lily made me sick, and I wanted to fucking punch him right then and there. But, I promised I would stay calm for Lily’s sake.

“Would you like to explain why you just showed up here without calling?” I asked as I folded my arms and leaned back in the chair.

“Before I answer that, I just want to congratulate you on the bar. I was very surprised when I walked up and saw the sign.”

I didn’t say a word to him. I just sat there and stared him down as he continued to speak.

“I’m a changed man—”

“The fuck you are!” I exclaimed.

Lily looked over at me and gave me a dirty look. “Watch your mouth,” she said with a serious tone.

“I’m clean, and I have been for over a year. I don’t drink, I don’t do drugs, and I’ve quit smoking cigarettes. If you don’t believe me, then I can do a drug test for you.”

“Why this sudden change of character?” I asked.

“Because I hit rock bottom and almost died. I guess you could say I had an epiphany, because when I woke up in that hospital bed, alone and scared, I knew I couldn’t live my life like that anymore. So, I checked myself into one of the best rehab programs in the country and they helped me.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you come see your daughter like you promised her you would? Do you have any idea how you broke that little girl’s heart?”

Adam sighed and looked at Maddie. “The reason I couldn’t visit was because I’m a sponsor, and the person I’m sponsoring, who had been clean for six months, decided to shoot himself up with heroine the night before I was supposed to leave. I had an obligation to be there for him and help him.”

I got out of my seat and slammed my fists on the table. “You have an obligation to your daughter!” I yelled.

Lily grabbed my arm. “Luke, that’s enough!”

As I took in a deep breath, I sat down. I was angry that he would put a drug addict before his daughter, and I wanted to kill him.

“I understand you being angry, Luke; trust me, I do. After waking up in that hospital and realizing that I had almost died, the only two people I could think about were Maddie and Charley, and how I was given a second chance.”

“Wow,” Lily said.

I looked at her and rolled my eyes as she smacked me on the arm. “Stop it!” she spat.

“You’re full of shit, Adam, and I don’t believe one word of what you’re saying. You’ve done way too much damage, and you left a trail of tears and scars with Maddie and Charley, and I will not let you walk back into their normal lives and fuck everything up!”

Suddenly, I heard a small voice from across the bar. “Daddy?” Charley said as she stood a few feet away from Adam.

“There’s my baby girl.” He smiled as he got out of his chair and held his arms out to her.

Charley ran to him and threw her arms around him as he picked her up and swung her around.

“Let me look at you,” he said as he put her down. “You’re beautiful, and you’re so grown up,” he said as he hugged her.

“Daddy, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I came to see you and Mommy.”

I looked over at Maddie as she took in the moment between her daughter and her daughter’s father. I shook my head because I knew by the look on her face that she believed him, and she was going to let him back into their lives.

“Can I talk to you for a minute, Maddie?” I asked as I took a hold of her arm and led her to the back room.

“I know what you’re going to say, Luke, but there’s a part of me that believes him.”

“Damn it, Maddie! I knew this was going to happen.”

Maddie pointed her finger in my face. “Listen to me. I owe it to Charley to give her father a chance.”

“You can’t relate, Luke, because you grew up with a mother and father who loved each other and were there for you and Maddie,” Lily said as she walked up behind me. “Let’s go out to dinner tonight and have some general conversation; maybe you’ll be able to see things differently.”

“That’s a great idea, Lily.” Maddie smiled.

“What do you say, Luke?” Lily asked me as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Whatever. I have to go. I have work to do,” I said as I stormed off and went to my office.

38

Lily

I could see the anger in his eyes as he stormed off into his office. Maddie looked over at me with tears in her eyes.

“He’s so angry, and he has so much hatred for Adam that I don’t think he’ll ever accept him.”

As I gave her a hug, I told her that I would talk to him. We walked back to the table where Adam was talking to Charley. Maddie excused herself as she pulled out her phone to make a phone call. When she came back to the table, she told Charley to get her things ready, because Mrs. Clements was coming to pick her up, take her to dance class, and then home with her so she could play with Allie for a while. Charley whined, and she said that she didn’t want to go.

“You have to go to dance class if you’re going to dance for me,” Adam said to her.

“But I want to stay with you,” she whined.

“I want you to stay too, but dance class is a little more important. So, I’ll tell you what, you go to dance class, and tomorrow, when you get home from school, I’ll take you and your mom out somewhere really fun.”

Charley’s eyes lit up as she looked over at Maddie. “Can we, Mom?”

Maddie smiled and patted her head. “Yeah, that sounds great,” she said as she looked at Adam.

Charley gave Adam a hug and a kiss goodbye as Maddie took her outside to wait for Mrs. Clements. I looked Adam over as he watched Maddie and Charley walk out of the bar. As much as I hated to admit it, he was hot. He stood over six feet tall with a nice build, and he wore his light brown hair short. I saw a lot of him in Charley, especially in their bluish-green eyes.

Adam turned and looked at me. “Regardless of what everyone tells you, I love that little girl more than anything in this world, and I came back here to make things right with her.”

“Listen, Adam, I don’t know you, and I’m not judging you. But, you have a track record and a history. I came from a father that was somewhat like you, and he fucked me up, and now I’m in therapy because of him. So, I just want to let you know that I love that little girl too, and I won’t stand by and let you ruin her if you decide to go back to your old life.”

Luke came walking up behind me just as I finished my sentence. “Are you ready to go?” he asked me.

“Yes, I am. Adam, we’ll see you later for dinner. Maddie will fill you in on the details.”

He looked down and nodded his head. “Thanks, Lily, Luke; I’ll see you both later.”

Luke just shot him a look and put his arm around me as we walked out of the bar. “I heard what you said to him,” he said.

“Ok, and?”

“Nothing, I just thought you were pretty bad ass.” He smiled as he brushed his lips against mine.

As I climbed into the Explorer, Luke got on his bike, and we headed home.

* * *

“You better be nice at dinner,” I said to Luke as he was in the shower, and I was touching up my makeup.

“I can’t make any promises when it comes to that douchebag.”

“Luke, I swear, I’ll be so mad at you if you don’t let him talk and explain everything.”

“What’s to explain, Lily? He’s a drunk, a drug addict, and a thief. He’ll always be those things to me.”

“Wow, I never took you for the grudge type.”

“Only with him, babe.”

I took the towel that Luke had waiting for him off the counter, and I hid the one that was on the towel rack. As he turned off the shower, I stepped out of the bathroom. “What the hell,” I heard him say as he opened the shower curtain.

“Lily, where’s the towel that I had sitting on the counter?”

As Luke stood there, dripping wet, I stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and held up the towel.

“Do you mean this one?”

He tilted his head and knitted his eyebrows. “Yes, that one,” he said as he held out his hand.

“Sorry, but you’re not getting this towel until you promise me that you’ll give Adam a chance.”

“Damn it, Lily, just give me the towel,” he said with irritation.

“No! Not until you promise me.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m cold.”

My eyes wandered down to his flaccid cock. “Yeah, I can tell.” I smiled.

“That’s it!” he exclaimed as he stepped out of the tub and started coming towards me.

“Oh shit!” I said as I ran down the hall and out the apartment door, knowing he wouldn’t open it.

Sam was coming out of his apartment, and he looked at me. “What’s going on, Lily?” he asked.

“Oh nothing; how are you?”

Sam gave me a strange look and he said he was good. Just as he was about to ask me why I was standing in the hallway with a towel in my hand, my apartment door opened, and Luke grabbed me from behind, pulling me into the apartment and shutting the door.

“Now you’re in trouble, babe,” he said as he took me to the bedroom and threw me on the bed.

He was in a pair of sweat shorts and no shirt. His hair was dripping wet, and he looked as sexy as hell. As he pinned me on the bed, he climbed on top and sat on my legs so I couldn’t move. He took both my hands and brought them over my head as he tightly held my wrists with his hand.

“Tell me how much you love me.” He smiled.

“No,” I said as I tried to wiggle myself free.

“What do you mean, no?” he asked as he leaned down and smashed his lips against mine.

His kiss was rough as I parted my lips and his tongue slipped into my mouth. He stopped and looked at me.

“Tell me how much you love me.”

“Let go of my wrists and I will.” I smiled.

As he let go of my wrists, I brought my hand to his face, and I stared into his beautiful brown eyes. “I love more than anything and anyone in this entire world.”

“I promise you, Lily, I’ll be nice tonight, and I won’t get out of line.” He smiled.

I pulled him down to me as I wrapped my arms around him and whispered in his ear, “Thank you, baby.”

* * *

We met Maddie and Adam at a restaurant called The Falcon’s Landing. As the hostess led us to the table where Adam and Maddie were already sitting, Luke tightened the grip on my hand when he saw Maddie laughing.

“You promised,” I whispered.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said as he looked over at me.

We arrived at the table and took our seats. I was amazed that Luke shook Adam’s hand. Maddie looked over at me and smiled.

“Adam is moving to Los Angeles, and he’s going to attend UCLA,” Maddie announced.

I looked over at Luke as he clenched his jaw. I squeezed his thigh under the table, and he loosened it.

“That’s great, Adam. What are you studying?”

“Drug abuse and alcohol counseling,” he answered.

“You want to counsel drug addicts?” Luke asked.

“Yes, I do. I already have a year of classes under my belt, and they’ve all transferred to UCLA. I’m starting over, man. I’m walking away from my past, and I’m stepping into a brand new life; a life that includes my daughter and Maddie.”

“Where are you going to be staying?” Luke asked him calmly.

“I’ve rented an apartment by UCLA. That way I can be close to Charley and the campus.”

“I’m sorry, man, but I have to ask this: how the hell are you affording all this?”

“I’ve been working the past year as a computer tech, and the owner was paying me under the table. He warned me that if he caught me using drugs, he would report me to the state. He did a drug test on me once a week. I saved every dime I made so I could go to school and make something of my life.”

“You always were a genius with computer.” Luke laughed.