Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) (35 page)

"Hey," she smiled as she circled her arms around his neck for a kiss. She adored how he kissed her with love and happiness. He dropped his duffle bag on the floor so he could kiss her longer with both arms holding her up. Even after the kiss ended, his arms stayed tightly around her and he held her close, tucking her head against his chest.
 

"I have good news," Jenna said against his muscles.

"What's that?" he asked as he picked his duffle bag up again and walked to their bedroom.

"I talked to the landlords downstairs and they said you could clear a spot in the old garage on the other side of their driveway. They don't use it anymore, so you can keep your Harley in there."

"Seriously?" he asked as she shuffled his things into the closet and the dresser drawers Jenna had sitting open and empty for him.
 

Jenna smiled and nodded her head. "They're really nice people."

"Today keeps getting better," he smiled.

"Really? What else was good?" Jenna asked, happy to see him smiling.

Luke sat down beside her on the bed and absolutely beamed. "First, I got Marcus in a submission hold in a sparring round
while
he was trying. First time ever. Second, Bill got me in my first official fight. It's next month."

"That's amazing!! Oh, my God!" She threw her arms around him again. "We should celebrate."

"I totally agree," he said as he clamped her hair in his fist with a hot smile. "And I say we start by christening the shower."

Jenna squealed as he released her hair and threw her over his shoulder to carry her giggling to the bathroom.

"Put me down!" she laughed. He swatted her ass in response and kept her over his shoulder all the way until he had the water temperature just right. With a non-apologetic smile, Luke dropped her in the stream of water fully clothed. "LUKE!"

He laughed and stepped in after her. Seeing his wet t-shirt cling to his defined chest made getting her own clothes soaked totally worth it. Plus, seeing him so happy and playful had her heart soaring. They were both laughing and kissing as they labored to strip each other out of their wet t-shirts and denim. The steam from the shower swirled cool around them in comparison to the heat between their bodies.
 

"Be ready, baby…" he said with a hot smile as he picked her up by her ass-cheeks. She tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth for fun. He half-chuckled/half-groaned as she wrapped herself around him willingly and let him take her where he stood.

After a week of living with Jenna in her apartment…and what a hot week that was…Luke was happier than ever. He came home every night to his beautiful angel, and they christened every spot in the apartment they could. Some places twice.
 

Nearly everything in his life spiraled upward. Jenna was healed enough to return to work part-time in the mornings, and she was smiling more than ever. George upped his responsibilities at the shop, including doing some of the basic bookkeeping and inventory. A few times Luke called Scott or Erin with some accounting questions, but for the most part, he was holding his own.
 

"Ok, Luke," George started one afternoon as Luke was cleaning up after his shift. As always, George was brief and to the point. "I see everything. You're doing what you need and I'm proud. You're also proving to be what Marc told me you'd be. Starting Monday, you're on salary. Don't call this your job anymore. Call it your career. Understood?"

Luke simply nodded with a grin.

"Good. I've upped your benefits package…now you've already used one week of vacation. Start thinking about when you want your next. I got the paperwork together for family benefits, too."

"Thanks," Luke said simply.
 

"You're a good man," George smiled with a clap on his shoulder. "And I'm going to take a vacation soon. I know you've got this while I'm gone."

Not only was his work-life as solid as his relationship with Jenna, MMA training and fighting was in forward motion, too. His first official match was coming up and Luke trained with renewed dedication. He threw himself into every second of his time at the gym. Marcus was more demanding and encouraging than ever, helping him use his new focus to his advantage while still tapping into his lingering anger.
 

Even therapy with the psychologist wasn't as torturous as he would have thought. At the very least he was comfortable talking to the guy at this point, even if he didn't feel as though any of their sessions were specifically helping. Luke still had nightmares, but only two in the past whole week. And since he no longer hid them from Jenna, each one hurt a little less. He could get back to sleep peacefully in his angel's arms under her beautiful smile. She loved him and loved taking care of him. Every time he started brooding, she would run her fingers over the quote on his shoulder and say, "I forgive you. Forgive yourself."
 

Life was good with one exception. He had yet been able to deal with Miranda. Scott had gotten him in touch with a good family lawyer he knew through his old professional contacts, but getting an appointment didn't happen in one day like Luke would have preferred. He hadn't seen Sophie in a week and he missed her. Miranda wouldn't even return a text.

Thankfully, Luke's first meeting with him would be Thursday afternoon. He shuffled his work schedule around the appointment and Jenna still had her afternoons off. He hadn't really thought about her coming with him, but she supported him as always. He remembered the conversation about the appointment with Jenna verbatim.

"I have a meeting with the lawyer on Thursday," Luke told Jenna while she worked on her nails. She chose a color she called
I Think In Pink
and smiled while she spoke to him.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do, remember? That lawyer, uh, Jorge Cruz."

Jenna smiled and shook her head as she capped the little bottle of polish. "
You
don't have a meeting.
We
do."

Luke's face showed mild shock along with loving appreciation. "You're going with me?"

"Of course. This is a big deal for both of us. I already told you, we're going to get through all of this together."

"And that's why you're my angel," he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her gently.

Luke and Jenna sat and discussed their short-term future and everything they were willing to put into making it happen. The two would do everything they could to bring Luke and Sophie together.
 

So by Thursday afternoon, Jenna and Luke were prepared to follow the advice of the lawyer and prepare what they needed. Still, they were nervous for the appointment.

"Welcome," Jorge Cruz greeted them as he ushered the two into his mildly posh office. "Scott told me a bit about you already, so I'm so happy to be working with you. He speaks highly of both of you."

"Thank you," Luke replied. "We're ready to get this going. I'm worried about my little girl."

"I can understand," he said with a sympathetic smile. "So how about we start with the basics…"

The three spent the next hour going through the situation and how far Luke and Jenna were willing pursue
 
action on Sophie's behalf. A simple visitation agreement would be fairly quick to arrange, but a custody agreement through mediation or a court battle would require much more effort, time, and probably drama.
 

"I have to tell you," the lawyer said with some tension in his voice. "It's not often a judge will take a child away from her mother, especially if it's the only home she's ever known. We'll do whatever we can, but I want you to be realistic about the probabilities."

"We understand. But we're dedicated to this. Whatever it takes," Luke asserted as Jenna nodded in agreement. "How soon can we arrange visitation?"

Cruz promised he would file paperwork immediately for visitation and then contact Miranda to start the custody arrangement. "Visitation could happen as early as a week or two, depending on her lawyer."

"Thank you," Luke said with a handshake has he left. "Let us know what else we can do."

On the way home, Jenna looked at Luke and smiled. "We're going to get you some time with Sophie soon."

He took her hand and squeezed. "Thanks for going with me."

As young as Jenna was, her whole life she knew she wanted to be a wife and mom more than anything. Though she was neither at this point, this felt as close as she could get. Having Sophie to love and take care of would be a beautiful blessing, and having Luke come home to her every night already felt like domestic bliss, even with his nightmares and occasional brooding.
 

She looked forward to the Thursday appointment to get things started. The sooner they had some real time with Sophie, the better Luke would get. Not only that, but based on what Luke told her, Sophie needed time away from Miranda and her nasty attitude. With all the love Jenna had to give, Sophie would be surrounded with the adoration she deserved. Jenna couldn't imagine a better pair to love than Luke and little Sophie.
 

 
Being a family would be a simple thing, in all reality. She wanted it desperately. In fact, if Luke won custody of Sophie, she'd have to talk finances with him, because even though Jenna liked her job at the clinic, being a full-time mom sounded pretty darn wonderful. Luke already knew Jenna's mother had been home with her when she was growing up. Their bond was strong because of it.
 

Now, maybe she could form such a bond with Sophie. Staying home would also keep daycare costs out of the budget…definitely something to consider. Luke wanted to make beautiful babies with her, too. She could be at home for all of them. She wondered what Luke would think.

Two weeks after Luke moved in, he had his first official MMA fight, and Saturday evening found Jenna, Erin, Cassie, and Scott gearing up for Fight Night. Luke and Marcus were already at the arena getting themselves prepped. Everyone was excited for the whole night. Luke's fight was second on the ticket, Marcus's was the featured fight again, and even his other trainee, Trip, had his debut exhibition to start the show.

Jenna was beside herself with excitement. Not only was their first official visitation with Sophie happening the following afternoon, but she would get to see Luke's strength radiate from him again. She could never get enough of his presence in any way.
 

When the lights flashed and the music bumped, Jenna screamed wildly with the rest of the crowd. Scott whistled loudly through his fingers and Cassie jumped like a fan-girl. Even Erin was past all of her timidness and got swept up in the enthusiasm with the rest of them.
 

First up was the exhibition, and Trip got big cheers from the crowd. Even in the ring his big personality came through. He was so wiry and quick the whole crowd picked him as a favorite right way. He easily dominated the match. After his first-round win, he didn't posture arrogantly, but he didn't hide his excitement either. Erin nudged Jenna and pointed across a few aisles.
 

"Aww!" Jenna said, smiling at a girl she recognized from the self defense class they'd all taken together. Trip had been the "attacker" for practice, and now Paige, a receptionist from Erin's office, was gazing adoringly at him. Trip gave her an obnoxious wink right back.

"Now that I think about it, I can totally see them together," Erin beamed. "Looks like Marcus is quite the match maker."

"Who'd have guessed?" Jenna laughed.
 

The next fight was interesting, of course, but all Jenna could do was wait to see Luke walking into the ring. She got so caught up in her thoughts of Luke she didn't even notice the first match ending. Hearing Luke's name called out from the announcer broke into her consciousness. Her eyes involuntarily shot to the locker room door, and there he was: her badass teddy bear, dark and ready to pummel his opponent.
 

The moment he walked into the ring, Jenna stopped breathing. His natural commanding presence was magnified to epic proportions as he stared down his opponent. Every bit of his strength, intensity, and raw power was released into the energy of the arena. She saw the same deep, passionate dedication to the match as she experienced from him every time they were together.
 
Luke Baylor was a one-man showcase of intensity, and he stood as the picture of hard, masculine perfection. Jenna swooned as she screamed her cheers.

The moment the match started, Luke exploded into a display of aggressive rage. Hints of focus and strategy were laced through his movements, but for the most part, Luke was an animal. His opponent was obviously unprepared for the swift punches, kicks, and takedowns. Jenna couldn't believe the skill he displayed and the improvement in Luke since his exhibition match. Marcus obviously trained him well.
 

Luke won by submission even before the end of the first round. Jenna's shouts couldn't be contained. Her friends were screaming just as loud, as was the rest of the crowd. Jenna managed to tear her eyes away from Luke to see the other fight-goers reacting to Luke's win. Without a doubt, he was a new crowd favorite.

When her eyes flicked to Luke, he was looking directly at her with such an intense, indescribable look in his dark eyes. Only one blossoming bruise stained his cheek. Staring at her intently, he raised his hand up just enough for Jenna to know he was gesturing to her, but the crowd would never have known. Not a single person in attendance had a clue his eyes shone with love, not some brooding display of power. But Jenna knew. She smiled at him with pride and total adoration. He nodded his
I love you
to her, still the picture of power and intimidation. The contrast almost made her laugh.
 

The rest of the night was a blur for Jenna. She managed to focus long enough to see Marcus dominate his fight, too, but all she could think about was Luke. Jenna couldn't wait to see what their evening would be like after a fight like that. She had no doubt that strong or sweet, he would come home with his own passionate version of love.