“Lukas.” Star breathed his name in that beautiful, heady voice of hers as she slid onto the folding chair directly across from him. She clutched her hands in her lap and stared at him wide eyed, like she couldn’t quite believe he was real.
“Star. I’m glad you decided to join me for breakfast. You could have told me to take a hike.” That earned him a small, shaky smile. His insides clenched hard. It was good to see Star again. She looked as beautiful as he remembered. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, soft and shiny and lush. She wore a simple pink tunic and black leggings. She was the most beautiful woman on earth, he was damn sure.
“What other option did I have? I think if I said no Cassie would have got out the broom and beat me over here anyway.”
Lukas chuckled and a small giggle escaped her throat. The sound was pure ambrosia. “Did you get the flowers I sent?”
“Oh the ones you kept sending every single week? I suppose we did. Cassie was thrilled. Even Jed like them I think. That’s the thing, Lukas. Every single person here loves you. You melted their ice cold hearts and wormed your way in and now you’ve gone and done this… this new practice of yours.”
“You know, you might be the last holdout. The one person I wasn’t able to win over.” Star’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She blinked and they trailed down her cheeks in two salty lines. Lukas started. He’d only meant to make a joke. “Hey,” he whispered. He reached across the table and gently wiped away the tears. They were warm and wet and Star’s skin was so very soft. He remembered all too well what she felt like. Hell, he remembered what she tasted like, what she sounded like… “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m sorry…”
“No… it’s not that, it’s just…”
She never finished so Lukas finally cleared his throat. He knew he had to tell her what was on his heart. He might never have another chance. He might make a fool of himself but better he was a fool than never having tried at all.
He brushed his thumb over her lips on impulse. She shuddered under his touch but didn’t move away. “You’ve changed everything that I am. All of this, you were my inspiration. I didn’t like who I was when I looked back on myself. I was a mess. I termed success in all the wrong ways. I admit fully that I’ve set a shitty example. You have nothing to trust me on but my word. I promise you though, I swear that I would never hurt you. I would never take your heart and shatter it. You own me, body and soul. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. I think we could be good, if you just give me a chance.”
He waited a minute for his words to sink in. Star blinked. She stared at him long and hard. “I… it’s so hard to trust you when I know what you did to other women.”
“I thought I told you that they knew full well what they were signing up for. I’m an idiot. I was running from myself, running from feeling anything. I dealt others a shitty hand and I know it. I can’t tell you how ashamed I am that I acted like that.”
“Do you remember a woman named Annie?”
“Annie Denley?”
“Yes.”
Lukas’ stomach sank. No wonder Star didn’t trust him if her friend was Annie. “Yes, I knew her. We dated for a couple of months. I thought she understood that it wasn’t permanent. When I tried to break it off she went ballistic. I’ve never seen a woman as conniving and grasping or desperate. When I made it clear that it was over, she did everything in her power to keep me. She even… went off the pill. She tried to get pregnant so that I would stay. She attacked me when I found out. Flew at me. She destroyed two of my cars. Keyed the sides completely. I had to file a restraining order against her…”
Star sat back, clearly stunned. All around them people began to shuffle in for breakfast. The gentle hum of conversation filled the room. Still Star said nothing. Lukas nodded and smiled at those he knew. Cassie and the few other volunteers began the normal routine of serving.
“I had no idea,” Star finally whispered. “Annie is one of my best friends. I don’t know why she would lie to me. After we… uh… well, I had to tell her, knowing that she’d dated you. I didn’t want to lose her friendship. She was the one who warned me to break it off before you hurt me. After what she said you did, cheated on her with two different women, left her with a broken heart after she was faithful to you, I believed her.”
“That’s not how the story ended, believe me. I’ve never cheated on anyone in my life. Casual dating might be one thing but cheating is another.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Star’s cheeks coloured. She looked totally uncertain and almost ashamed.
Lukas nodded. He wished her hand was on the table so he could grip it and gently reassure her. “This is not your fault. You should have been able to trust your friend.”
“I don’t even know what to do. I thought she was my friend…”
“I’m sure she still is. Forgive her. Let her admit the truth. It’s all you can do. If she doesn’t want to remain friends, I’m truly sorry.”
Star frowned. “No. Don’t be sorry. I… all of this… I don’t know what to say, Lukas. I’m afraid. I’m afraid to step out on a limb and tell you that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either. I’m afraid to give you my heart. I’m afraid of everything.”
“I know. I’m scared too, scared that you’ll never give me a chance because of who I was. I’m scared that even if you did, I wouldn’t be good enough for you.”
Star snorted. A small smile edged her lips again. “Oh my goodness. Really? You’re San Diego’s Golden Boy. You’re everyone’s hero here. I’m sure you would be good enough for me. I’m just worried that between the two of us we would never have time…”
“I’ve figured out that as well. I might be busy for the first while, setting up my practice but I’m going to hire others. People no one would want to give a real chance. Good lawyers who care about helping others. I want to back the shelter. Give it some attention so that you have more volunteers. Get you that website. I want to give this place every opportunity to succeed because it deserves it! You deserve it! Maybe with more volunteers you can take a break now and then. Scale back your hours so you don’t have to be here all the time. Take a few days off. Enjoy life.”
“You mean life with you.”
“No. I mean your life. If I’m in it, then it’s a huge bonus for me but I’m not going to force you. my support for Hope and Bread does not depend on you being with me.”
“And if I say yes?” Star’s frown deepened. “What if I say I’ll take a chance on you and on my heart? What if I say that my dad and I and everyone at this kitchen could be the family you never had? I know that’s all corny, but it’s all I can say to keep my sanity. You haunt me, Lukas. You haunt me all the time. I have to say yes or you’re going to keep haunting me aren’t you?”
He held out a hand in mock self-defence. “I can’t say that I intended to leave my ghost behind, but I know exactly what you mean. If I had the real you, not just the memories or the thoughts or the desires or regrets it would make me whole.”
“Whole…” Star mused. “I like that. It pretty much perfectly describes what I feel. Somehow, since I met you, I’ve felt like my heart is only a half of what it should be. Maybe if I just give in and say yes it can go back to being normal.”
“Normal is something you’ll never be,” Lukas whispered. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. His hopes soared.
“Well then… I hope you can live with it.”
“Live with it? I’ll do so much more than that.” He rose from the table, shoved back his chair with a noisy squeal and pulled Star up out of hers. She let out a surprised gasp that quickly turned into an adorable giggle.
Right in front of everyone, in a room full of the people that Star had tirelessly loved and believed in, he bent his head and kissed her.
A chorus of cheers rose up. Plastic cups were banged on the plastic tables.
“What are you doing?” Star gasped. Her face wasn’t as indignant as her voice.
“Kissing you,” Lukas said proudly. “And I’m going to do it again.”
“I won’t stop you,” Star whispered. She tipped her face and offered those perfect, lush lips to him.
He kissed her until they were both breathless before he pulled away. The cheers continued on. Lukas glanced around the room and saw a smile on nearly every single face. These were the people he had once wondered why on earth anyone would have hope for. He knew now. Everyone deserved a second chance. Everyone deserved hope and love. He himself wouldn’t be standing there right at the moment, with the woman he knew he could love in his arms, her hand over his wildly beating heart, if second chances weren’t real. He was sure that no one on earth had ever been more thankful for one.
The Ending to another Sweet Beginning