Fight

Chapter 18

"What do you think?" he nervously asked.

"It looks like you, masculine and surprisingly stylish."

"The girls took over, they decorated the entire house when I bought it." he said with a smile.

"Right, that's part of what I wanted to talk about." I said, sitting on a plush armchair in the bedroom.

"Let's go back downstairs and we can talk comfortably." he offered.

"Sure."

He insisted on carrying me back downstairs and as much as I wanted to protest on pure principle, my knee was starting to hurt and my dumbass forgot to bring my pain meds. But of course.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked me after he placed me on the plush sofa.

"You said it yourself, the girls in your family are . . ."

"Lisa and Sam are the most important people to me and they know about you." he interrupted.

"Luke, my face has been plastered on tv screens everywhere for the better part of a year. I'm a household name for all of the wrong reasons by now."

"That's not what I meant." he clarified.

"Okay, I'll bite, what did you mean?" I asked.

"I've told Lisa about you the same way that I've told Sam about you from the moment you accepted to work with us."

"Yeah, well, actions speak louder than words. For all the wonders you've probably spoken on my behalf, the tv's proven an entirely different story of who I am." I argued.

"Why are you so worried about what my family thinks of you?"

"The question answers itself. It's your family that has its roots deep in its culture. You have a young daughter and I'm not a very good example. I wouldn't like for your sister to think badly of me because of what I've done for my family. As much as it pains me, I'd do it all over again to protect my brother."

"Lisa, she's Sam's mom's sister, but she's just like my sister, she thinks you're resilient, she admires you for protecting your family."

"I honestly, highly doubt that." I told him, laughing.

"Why?"

"No sibling in her right mind wants her brother to be with a criminal and as much you deny it, I am a criminal. You're bringing a criminal around your daughter."

"I don't see it like that and neither does Lisa. You helped me solve this case, you brought me home. Why are you so worried about this?" he asked, grabbing my hand.

"I don't think . . ."

"My family respects my decisions, they trust that the person I love is a good person. Lisa can't wait to meet you."

"A year ago I didn't think I'd be so against meeting her." I said softly.

"Please don't, they don't have anything against you. My family wants to meet you, Lisa and Sam want to meet the woman that I love. The amazing, brave, strong, stubborn, resilient woman that I love."

He moved closer to me on the sofa, wrapping his arm tentatively around my shoulders. I melted into his side, as angry as I was - am, I missed him. I love him, with everything in me and I just want to be happy.

"Penny, I'm sorry that I went AWOL, okay. I got so caught up doing everything that I forgot about everything else. I'm sorry lo'u alofa." he said, pulling my face up to look at him.

"It's okay, we're free and everything is done."

"No, not done . . ."

"Not what I meant, not like that. I meant our life on the run, Luke, we're free." I told him, feeling the tears start to fall.