She's Mine to Protect(Lucas Baker Fanfic)(A Baker's Flower Series #1)

The Talk

   The couple had settled into their sleeping arrangements for the night; Chrys on the dusty yet surprisingly comfy couch while Lucas laid down on a sleeping pad on the hard floor. Chrys had insisted for him to take to couch but there was no way he'd give in to her pleas. The two of them were cocooned in piles of blankets brought up by his mother who knew they'd be needing all spare ones in the house to fight the nightly cold of the attic.
    It wasn't long after saying good night to each other that Chrys was completely out cold. Lucas, on the other hand, remained wide awake long past midnight playing over in his mind the fight that ended supper. He typically found it hard to sleep after a day where he and his father fought but this time was different. I need to get out of here, he thought to himself; he glanced over at the girl he loved so much and wondered if they could make it on their own. Sure, it'd mean she'd probably have to quit school and they'd both need to find jobs and-
    "No." He whispered aloud to himself. That was ridiculous, he'd never expect Chrys to put a stop on her whole life just so he could avoid his own. No, he'd just let it go and suffer.

    He was about to finally drift off when he heard noises coming from the room below, as if someone was trying to break their way in. Lucas' heartbeat began racing in fear of it being his father entering the room. While he tried to process his thoughts, the sound of heavy footsteps on the ladder made him freeze. There was no mistaking that this was Jack making his way up into the attic. Quickly, Lucas rolled over to face the couch and away from where Jack's face would appear, grimacing from the pain he felt in his abdomen. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as he heard his father reach the top of the ladder and poke his head up from the hole in the floor. The heavy breathing from the old man made him feel uneasy.

    "I know you're awake Lucas. You never sleep on your side." Jack announced in a calm whisper.

    It was true; his sleeping positions were limited to be on his back or stomach, but it never occurred to him that it was a detail that his normally unobservant father noticed about him.

    "C'mon, I know you're awake." He repeated.

    "Go away." Lucas told him in a growl trying to sound threatening.

    "No, Lucas, I can't go away. We need to talk."

    "Can't you see I'm tryin' t'sleep?"

    "You're thinking about leaving again."

    "How'd-" Lucas started but didn't finish. Jack sighed and sat down on the floor.

    "Cause I'm your father, that's how. Look, son, I know you won't accept any apology-"

    "You got that right."

    "-but you can at least listen to me for a few minutes."

    Lucas let out an exasperated sigh and slowly turned over to face his father. He felt a pang of guilt and sadness at seeing his father's appearance. Not only were his wet clothes covered in dirt a shock to see but what hit Lucas the hardest were the evident dried tears on his cheeks. There was even still a watery look to his eyes that made Lucas feel uneasy.

    "Fine, I'm listenin'." He said in no more than a whisper, bringing a smile to Jack's face.

    "Lucas, I, uh, I know I can be hard on you sometimes, God knows more than I should, but you have to know that I love you an' I'm so proud of you. You're a hell of a lot smarter than I could ever be and I don't think I give you the credit you deserve for everything. I'll understand if you go, you're an adult now after all, but I don't wan' you going off and doing something you'll regret. You're my boy, Lucas, my first child; the first thing I've ever loved that I wanted to give my everything for. So just- ah shit." He croaked while wiping away the tears in his eyes, unable to continue on without ending up in a mess.