Scarlet Rose

17

"Mommy? Where's Daddy?" Morgan asked the next morning when I set out granola and fruits for them and started to feed him.

"Daddy had to go on a trip for work, baby." I told him, wiping off the fruit that dribbled down his chin.

Emily was eating on her own, pushing her food around with her spoon and taking little bites of the fruit.

"When will Daddy be home?" Emily asked me.

I looked at my daughter. "I don't know, sweetie. Hopefully it won't be long."

"Will he be home for our birthday?" Morgan asked.

"I hope so, kiddo."

The doorbell rang and I set down the spoon, wiping my hands on my jeans and heading to the front door, opening it and seeing Luke standing there with a basket of chocolate.

"Hey, Luke. What are you doing here?" I asked as I let him in.

"I come bearing gifts." He said, setting the basket down on the table. "How are you?"

"Getting through it. It's hard to lie to the kids though." I said in a softer voice so they didn't overhear.

"I know, Vanessa. But you will all get through this, and Reid will be home soon. In the meantime, I'm going to be staying over here to help you with your kids."

"Luke, you really don't—"

"Too bad, Vanessa. Get used to this, because you're going to be seeing a lot more of me these days."

I sighed softly, knowing that he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Would you be bringing Roxy?"

"Would you be okay with that?" he asked.

"I'm fine with it, but you'll have to take it up with Milo." I said, gesturing to the grey tomcat that was waking up from a nap on the couch, basking in the sunlight.

Luke chuckled and looked at Milo. "Why, hello there, Mr. Milo. Would you be okay if I brought a dog over here for a few days?"

"Meow!" Milo purred, rubbing his head over Luke's cheek and neck.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said, moving away with a smile, wiping cat fur from his scratchy beard. "I knew I should've shaved today."

———

I walked downstairs after putting the kids down for a nap and nearly fell down the stairs in shock when I saw Luke walked around the kitchen without his shirt on.

"Luke! What are you doing?" I asked in shock once I regained my balance, walking into the kitchen and sitting on a stood across from where he was standing.

"Uh.....making myself a Strawberry Limeade?" he answered slowly, slightly confused.

"Do you normally parade around your house without a shirt?" I asked.

"Most of the time, yeah. It's just me and Roxy, so....." he nodded, sipping his drink.

"Yeah, but you, my friend, are here with other people. So, maybe put on a shirt?"

He chuckled and set down his drink, finding his grey shirt on the couch and pulling it on. "Whatever you want, Vanessa. Sorry if I gave you a little heart attack just then."

"It's fine. I'll just wait until my heart starts beating normally again from the shock." I joked.

He smiled and looked at me. "You going to visit Reid today? I visited him yesterday and he was asking about you."

"How is he?" I asked, knowing prison life can't be easy for a guy like him. For me, prison was always one step away from where I was always at, so I learned to live with it.