"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering." — Nicole Krauss, The History of Love
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Chapter 59
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Maggie

The first feeling that hit me when I woke up was that of a cloud. Soft and comfortable, but firm and sturdy with possessiveness and security.

"Good morning, baby," a husky voice whispered into my ear.

Slowly, my head lifted from his chest. It took a moment for my vision to adjust, but once it did, my insides fluttered with every single positive thing it could. Deify, relief, security, admiration. Everything.

I leaned into him, again, my voice soft, "Good morning."

Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around me, again with a murmured, "How did you sleep, beautiful?"

"Better than I have in a while, honestly." I swept a hand across my blurry eyes. "How long was I out for?"

"Around a day and a half, now."

I blinked at that. No wonder my body was so groggy.

Leaning up, I scanned him over. His hair was in its usual tousled position, so I didn't have much to go off of, "Did you get any sleep?"

"Don't worry about me, angel." Luke stroked my back, lowering a kiss to my shoulder. "All I care about is you."

My heart seemed to melt. His warm hands on my skin only deepened that effect. I didn't want it to ever stop.

"Do you wanna come and get a shower with me?" I murmured against his neck.

A soft smile lifted his face. "You didn't even have to ask, baby." His gaze fell behind the bed. "Wait right here, though. There's glass on the floor."

With a nod from me, he kissed my head, again and released me to the mattress. I curled my knees into myself as I glanced over the floor, where glass shards remained of all sizes.

Guilt rid along the skirts of my shoulders. My breakdown had been a day and a half ago, but I knew that the group hadn't forgotten.

I couldn't recall the events too clearly, but I knew that this was Kade's property, and I had disrespected him by taking a swing at him on it. I wasn't sure if I ended up doing the same to Kimberly or Raven, but I knew for sure that I did hit Levi. It was all a very messy situation that I hoped they'd allow me out of.

Luke moved quickly, taking the bigger shards, sweeping the smaller ones into the corner, then checking over the spot again to make sure that I didn't cut myself. As soon as he was done, he was back in front of me.

His eyes softened as soon they clashed with mine. Coming closer, he grazed the underside of my chin, softly. "Are you okay with me touching you, baby?"

At my nod, he crouched to my level, lifted me, then wrapped my thighs around his waist. I held on to his neck, but thankfully, I didn't have to do much with his strength.

I heard the bathroom gently click shut after us. He sat me down on the toilet, kneeling down to meet me at eye level. The care in his gaze only intensified the longer he stared at me, and it was the warmest feeling to return it.

Either hand latched onto my arms, lifting them with a kiss to my wrists. They fell to my pajama pants, undoing the knot to make it easier to get off. While I undid the clasp on my bra, he turned to get the bath ready, then started to undress himself. My heart fluttered in my chest as I watched him.

My eyes retraced the muscles in his back. In his arms. How gentle they were around me. How gentle he was with me, for me, and about me. He made my heart go wild in all of the right ways, without even trying.

When he turned to me, all I caught sight of was the beauty of his smile before my vision blurred. Beyond that, my cheeks shaded red at the fact that he caught me staring.

I tried to turn my eyes away, but Luke caught it. I heard his footsteps before they came to a stop in front of me.

The pad of his thumbs stroked over my cheeks, a gentle smile on. "You ready?"

At my nod, he lifted me into his embrace, again. With the force of the water, I didn't think it was possible, but he made it seem effortless. He lowered us both into the bathtub, placing me right in between his legs. It cocooned my figure into his comfortably.

"Lean back on me, baby," he murmured, planting a kiss to my shoulder. "I've got you." My body fell into his until I felt the hot skin of his chest molding into my back. "Thank you."

One hand remained on my stomach, running in comforting circles while the other started to shampoo my hair up. Just as my eyes drifted shut at the sensation of his fingers, I felt his gaze digging into the side of my face.

"Happy birthday, Norris," he mumbled, kissing my cheek.

I managed a smile behind my shock at it. Genuinely, I hadn't even thought of my birthday. My mind had been elsewhere these last couple of months for obvious reasons.

If Luke remembered it for me, though, then so did everyone else outside of this room. I wasn't sure sure if they had anything planned, or if they canceled it all the moment I attacked them.

I couldn't dwell on it, right now, though. I needed to try to clear the weight from everything without drowning in it first.

With a soft, relieved sigh, I shut my eyes, relishing in the warmth Luke provided for me. His fingers stroked at my scalp so comfortably, it nearly lured me back into slumber. Though, the fiery, hot pour of electricity from him, and everything he brought on was the only reason I remained conscious.

Just as the universe went to challenge that thought, his fingers softly swept past my lips.

"This is yours, Maggie," he whispered into my ear.

When I opened my eyes to peer back at him, he was already watching me. His gaze hung with the perfect amount of emotion to be in competition with my own.

His hands raised, entrapping my own in them. He dropped a kiss to each one. "Yours." Another kiss to my temple. "Yours." One hand slipped under the water, wrapping and squeezing at my thigh, my knee, and up to my fluttering stomach. "Yours, baby." His lips pressed a kiss to my neck, my ear, then either shoulder. "Still yours."

By the time he finished, my ears were ringing. I had to remember, recall, and recount how to breathe the longer his words stroked at my straining mind. None of it gave me enough motivation to find a steady rhythm of my heart, though.

His fingers crept up my stomach again, and finally ended right above my thundering heart. The skin trembled from under his touch as he stroked it with the tips of his fingers. "Yours, baby. And, no one will ever, ever take that or anything else away from you without you giving it. They won't even get close. I promise you that."

The tears broke past the dam I had put in place so many times over. It was gone, and it wasn't coming back. I didn't have to let it come back for the first time in my life, not with Luke.

Slowly, I turned to face him. The water sloshed and jumped at my skin, but I paid no mind. Luke was already staring at me, eyes hooded low with all factors of admiration. 

My hand swept under the warm water, grabbing his large one in mine. I didn't even realize it was shaking until I had it.

His eyes squeezed shut when I leaned forward until our foreheads were flush together. My cheeks were already flushed red at the heavy weight of tears on them.

Gently, I placed his hand on the same heart that he just said I wouldn't ever have to give without my permission. The same one that I was giving him permission, and full ownership to, whether he knew it or not. It was his.

My emotions were running at an all time high. Every single thing around me seemed significantly different, simply because he was around, too. The electricity in my blood seemed to make it thicker, and harder to remain cool under.

"Yours, Luke," I whispered past a sniffle. "All yours."

It was nothing but the truth. I was his. In every way, shape, and form. I didn't want to be anyone else's, because it didn't make sense. Nothing in the world seemed to make sense if he wasn't in mine.

There was only him, and there was only me. Then, there was us. Us. A term with so much significance and value to it, I had never loved it more until I found a person to share it with. No one or anything else could alter that, or him, or us for me.

Between the buzz of sentiment, I watched a single, trembling breath fall from him. Our hands that I had clasped together swept from the water, again.

Slowly, he lifted it to his chest, right where I could feel his screaming clap of a heart that matched mine to the last detail. He squeezed down once. Twice. On the third, I understood.

Our hands remained on his heart. "Yours," he murmured back, his free hand raising to cup my head to him. "All yours, Maggie."

My chest sucked in so deep, a simple sigh seemed tiresome. It was more than physical. It was more than just something. It was everything.

He was declaring that his heart was mine. That he was mine. That we were each others, in every single possible way.

Under the swell of sensibility, I felt an unfamiliar wet drop slip down my skin. When I finally grew the strength to open my eyes, I expected the tears to be my own. Except, it wasn't.

It was Lukes.

They were slow, barely even evident from the lack of use over the years. I think that that was what tore into me more than anything, despite everything else. The only time that he had used them was for this, for me.

My heart ached, but mended all in one moment. I never thought anything could be so heavy until now.

With a hand to the side of his neck, I stretched my own just enough to reach him. His sleek eyes dipped to mine, mirroring my own sanative.

I didn't bother to wipe my own; it was no use, both physically and mentally. I didn't want, or need to hide from him any longer.

Sniffling, I lifted myself enough to press my lips to Luke's. His own reacted slowly, so slowly that it only seemed to ignite me until I was ablaze. Neither one of us let go or backed off of the feeling as we had been doing for so long. Instead, we allowed the kiss to deepen to a slow pace.

His lips were of the softest, most sweetest and addicting material. It was a take and give, and I gave everything of his and my own.

It reminded me of the kiss we had that night of the party. Full of so much of so much that we couldn't get enough of it.

I was the first to find the strength to pull away. Despite the tremor of my vision, I managed to hold his beautiful face in it.

My hands swept past Luke's damp cheeks, wiping his tears as he did my own so many times. His skin was trembling so much, I didn't think there was any coming down from it.

My fingers swept through his strands, then the hardness of his jaw. A smile that only he could bring did just that on my face as I whispered against the cushion of his lips, "Mine."

Cupping my cheeks, he leaned forward until our foreheads were against one anothers, again. His tears had increased, and with our physical and emotional connection, they slipped right into my own without ever causing a break or barrier.

Neither of us bothered to wipe them as he whispered back, "Mine, baby."

***

Luke stroked a hand down my back. "You know that you don't have to go out there just yet, right?"

"I know," I responded, nibbling into my ridden lip. "But, I need to apologize."

"You don't have to, though," he reassured, squeezing my waist. "They'll understand. Trust me on that."

Now that some time had passed, the memories of my breakdown were coming back full circle. Luke, as reluctant as he was to tell me, let me in on the rest from what the group told him.

As I remembered, I punched Levi in the jaw, then attempted to swing on Kade. I had thrown the glasses at them in order to keep them back. Kimberly and Raven had attempted to console me, since they were the only ones I didn't get physical with, but I was just as despondent to their attempts.

Luke had said that while I slept, they came by to check on me, and that they weren't at all angry or upset about what happened. I did trust his word, but I didn't know if he were just saying it to keep my guilt to a minimum.

Levi was the sweetest, and was only trying to help me when I hit him. Kade tried to stop me from swinging on Kimberly, and even though he managed to avoid a hit, I still might as well have taken it for attempting to.

I wanted to, needed to apologize. I knew that I wasn't in my right mind, but regardless, it happened, it was wrong of me, and I needed to show them that, as well as an apology.

I shook my head, running my fingers through Luke's strands. They were dry, but as I always loved, still messy and all scattered.

It had been a couple of hours since I woke up. I hadn't left the room all day, but since I'd been asleep for so long, Luke brought food, then laid down and talked with me a bit more. I had sent my brother a happy birthday message too, as deep as I could make it to remind him of his presence in my life. The gifts I'd ordered for him weeks ago would be at his house by the time he got home from work, and I hoped that'd hold him over until I was able to get there. It was nearing the afternoon, now.

"I'm gonna have to confront it sooner or later, so I might as well do it, now." I offered a fraction of a smile to Luke with a bigger meaning behind it. "Then we can leave. Together."

I didn't have a doubt about it. I wanted to go home with him. Anywhere with Luke was home to me, and that was exactly where I wanted to be.

A smile grew on his lips at my response. The gleam in his eyes shone back at me in both understanding and relief. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then nodded.

With a sigh, I held onto him as he lifted us up from our spot on the bed. "Do you seriously think they won't be mad at me?"

Luke shook his head, immediately.  "Fuck them if they are." At the leftover remains of worry in my expression, he sighed, trapping my hands in his. "They won't, baby. We've all beaten each others asses, seen each other during an episode and breakdowns, everything that you can think of." He tipped his head in a thought. "Honestly, I don't even think Kade, Levi, and I have ever even gone longer than a month without fighting each other before they left town."

Despite the situation, I managed a chuckle. "What would I do without your help, Luke?"

His face scrunched with humor. "You'd lose it, Norris," he teased, squeezing my hands, again. The sincerity grew, again, "I promise you, though. They won't be mad. Kimberly and Raven won't be, either. You're their best friend. They won't let this or anything else change that shit, okay?"

I nodded, letting my head fall in thought. Before I could get too far, Luke had lifted it back up, gently cradling my cheeks in his hands.

"Okay?" he repeated for confirmation, dark eyes remaining on me.

A smile followed on my face. "Okay."

"I'm gonna be right beside you," he swore, standing us up from the bed. His eyes remained on mine, mirroring back the truth of his promise. "Right beside you, baby."

I nodded, tucking in a breath for confidence. I'd need it and more. I wasn't even sure of what I could say to them, but something was better than nothing at all.

I'd be back for the girls and I's activities, but for right now, I just needed a minute to calm my nerves down before I saw everyone, again. I didn't want to put anything on them or bring the mood down.

Even though my confession had been so relieving, it didn't come with that alone. Holding in so much for so long seemed to drain my body out, mentally and physically, and I knew I needed the time to recover.

Luke slung my backpack over his shoulder while his arm went over my shoulders. His hand began to stroke at my shoulder as he led us out of the room.

The bedroom door clicked shut after us as the voices sounded out from downstairs. If I could guess, I would say they came from the kitchen.

The lake-house was more than spacious for everyone, and everything. There were enough rooms for all of us, as well as a fire pit, a spacious yard, and a beautiful body of water right behind it, of course.

As beautiful as it was, I didn't regard it or anything else as a home. My version of that was a 6'4" resting bitch-faced, blonde boy that I called mine.

When Luke and I stepped off of the last step, I thought my legs would give out from the nerves. The rest of me wasn't doing any better.

Luke squeezed my shoulders. "I'm with you, Norris." With a sigh of relief, I leaned into him until I couldn't any longer.

Honestly, I didn't care if the group figured out that we were together, any longer. It wasn't a concern. If anything, I wanted to scream it from the rooftops.

I was sure they figured it out, though. From the comment Luke made when he found me, as well as the fact that he was the only one who managed to center me from my breakdown, it was pretty damn obvious that we were way more than roommates, or enemies, or friends. So much more.

When I into the kitchen, Luke tightened his grip on me to remind me of his presence. As soon as my eyes raked over the group, I knew I needed it now more than ever.

Levi was propped against the porcelain counter, and Raven was standing in between his legs. With his spatula, he was too busy trying some batter that she was attempting to take from him.

Kimberly was sitting on top of the counter, with Kade's backside to her front, while he cupped her hands from behind. She was showing him something on her phone that was making the both of them laugh.

I took the last step into the kitchen. All of their eyes jerked over to me so in sync, I had to stop myself from bolting.

I cleared my throat past the pebbles lodged deep in my windpipe in order to say, "Hey, guys."

The girls took that as their cue. Kimberly jumped off of the counter, and Raven broke free from Levi to head to me.

I didn't even mean to let it show, but with how rattled I was from everything, I found myself sinking back into Luke. His arm tightened around me, instinctively.

Both girls caught it, immediately stepping back. Instead of disappointment or anger, they both nodded in understanding. The concern remained just as much, though.

Kimberly's eyes softened behind her glasses as she scanned me over. "Are you okay?" Raven hurriedly, added, "Can we get you anything? We can make a run into town to get it, if you do."

I shook my head. "There's no need, but thank you."

I could feel Luke's eyes lingering on the top of my head. Tipping it up to him, I managed a small smile, one that he returned, immediately.

I moved my attention back to the girls. "I'm fine. I just had a couple of things I needed to deal with, you know?"

Kimberly nodded, her shoulders falling with relief. "Of course. I'm glad you were able to." Her lips lifted into a sweet smile. "If you need anything at all, don't ever hesitate to come to us, okay?" Raven nodded in agreement, matching her smile.

My heart constructed in my chest. "Thank you so much."

Understanding gleamed in their eyes before it settled into something more cheery.

Kimberly glanced around the space before returning to me. "I know we're a couple of hours late, but happy birthday, Mags."

Raven grinned back at me. "Happy birthday, beautiful."

"I honestly forgot all about it until now." My head fell with a small chuckle.

My eyes carried past Raven's shoulder, where Levi was discreetly, and not so discreetly, digging into his cake batter. He was more focused on that than anything else.

His jaw was bruised, but not horrendously. Either way, I found myself stepping closer to where he and Kade were.

At my movement, nature dipped green eyes jerked up with panic. Immediately, he went to place the bowl down. "I was only testing it for mistakes—" When he realized that I wasn't Raven, his face fell with relief before he picked the bowl back up.

I waited for the anger, the curses, hell maybe even a smack to the head for revenge. After a lingering second, though, none came.

"Hey," he flashed usual boyish smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I just..." My eyes dipped with a sigh.

Slowly, I turned to Kade first, an apologetic expression following. "I'm sorry for swinging on you. I really didn't mean to, but I did, anyway, and I'm sorry. I hope that you can forgive me."

Kade stared back at me, a benevolent thought passing over his face before he locked it down, again. One hand curled around Kimberly's waist, pulling her back into him until he draped his arms over her shoulders.

Finally, he shrugged at me, keeping his gaze on Kimberly's head. "There's nothing to forgive. It's cool. We all have our shit." His eyes flickered up to mine for only a quick second. "I hope you feel better."

Despite my consternation at the end, I managed a nod, and a thin-lipped smile.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I moved back to Levi, who was still arm deep in the batter.

I tried to mirror my apology through my words as much as possible. "I'm so sorry for hitting you, Levi. I really didn't—"

"Hey, no." His kind eyes met mine. "I was never upset with you. I was only worried. I promise you, I'm more relieved that you're okay than anything else. I'm not mad, though. Never was." Lifting his caked spatula, he pointed to Kade and Luke with a chuckle. "We've all hit each other so much, anything else has honestly become nothing at all."

"True," Kade confirmed with a shrug.

Luke chuckled from behind me. "That's what I said, too."

Levi balanced a silly grin my way. "I gotta give it to you, though...that right hook of yours is something dangerous."

"Agreed," Luke and Kade remarked  at the same time.

I took the chance to roll in my relief. Thank God. They didn't hold any malice about it.

Levi's eyes returned to me, full of generosity. "If you need anything at all though, just say the word, okay?"

At my nod of thanks, he lifted his foot to gently knick me in my knee, an encouraging smile on.

"Now." Hopping from the counter, his smile flourished into a grin. "Enough sad shit. It's cake time." A soft chuckle left him as he shrugged. "I may have gotten a couple bites already, but that's not important."

"A couple?" Kade snorted his retort.

Raven came to his side, her brow lifting mockingly at her boyfriend. "You've literally eaten three slices, already."

"Exactly, a couple," Levi remarked, shrugging the accusations off. "Now, let's go and eat. We can talk about the party and—"

"No can do," Luke cut in, stepping to my side. "We're going home."

Levi's face fell with disappointment, but I saw the percipience roll it back. Raven wrapped an arm over his waist, a smile following up to me. "We can box up some of the cake for you to take along with you."

"If you want, we can go ahead and give you yours and Jax's presents to just open at home," I heard Kimberly add from behind me. "Or, you can open them here. Whichever you think is best for you."

I cast a glance up to Luke, who was already watching me. As tired and aweary as I felt, I didn't want everyone to think that I was unappreciative of their efforts, especially with how much they dealt with from me.

Luke read right through me, nodding doing at me. "You know you don't have to stay if you don't want to."

I tore myself away from his hesitant expression, mirroring a smile to the group, who was patiently waiting. "We can stay a bit longer to open presents and for the cake."

"Oh, fuck yeah," Levi expressed with a grin, moving from the counter. "You're gonna love the cake."

"You should know," Luke commented, glaring back at his friend, who ignored him.

Kimberly smiled, stretching out a hand for me, which I finally felt comfortable enough to take. She squeezed down. "The bakery ran out of your favorite cake, so we had to go with another one of your choices."

"I promise you it's more than fine."

We followed them to the kitchen table, which stretched so wide, it seemed impossible that the edges didn't touch the walls. Instead, it was perfectly crafted from expensive material. In the center was a cake that nearly towered over my head. In the free spots sat an abundance of wrapped gifts, as well as even more gift bags and presents that claimed half of the kitchen floor. Jax had told the group he wouldn't be able to make any celebration this week due to work, but I knew he'd still love the presents and the thought of this effort being given for the both of us.

My heart warmed with appreciation at the sight. "Thank you guys so much. Jax would love it as much as I do."

Kimberly settled herself in Kade's lap, her face bright with a beam of a grin. "Only the best for you two, hun."

Levi pulled himself on the counter, again, tugging Raven into him. "We have some more coming, too, but the delivery is taking longer than what we thought."

They had separated all of the gifts by name, I noticed. Kade reached to his side, handing the smallest gifts to me first. From his section, I saw just as many as the others, of all different sizes. He scooted them over to me with a curt nod.

I offered a grateful smile to him. "Thank you."

He shrugged, stretching his long legs out. "Kimberly made me get them—" Kimberly smacked his leg with the back of her hand, to which he winced at, grumpily meeting her look. With an eye roll and a sigh, he added, "I mean, I took extra consideration, and extra care in finding them, and all of that other sweet shit you hear in the movies that I don't feel like remembering." He waved it off, motioning toward the present. "I hope you like all of them, though."

Amused, I nodded. "That was really considerate. Thank you." I stepped forward to get Kimberly in a hug, to which she reacted, quickly. "I really appreciate all of this, beautiful."

Her arm squeezed my shoulders, her smile saying so many things. Raven came to my side next. "Are you sure you're up to opening all of your presents here? We can understand if you don't want to."

I shook my head. Despite my lack of energy, this was proving to be a little bit of a reliever. Their care and generosity was definitely a help in mending that bridge of burnout.

Everything was mixing in for a smoother foundation. Hopefully, it would sustain me through the next hour or two.

***

"I can't believe you made this," I awed around a satisfied sigh. "It's amazing."

Luke chuckled at my invigoration, cutting into his piece of cake. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better, Norris. It's not that good."

I kicked his foot with my own, scowling. "Don't say that. It's freaking amazing, but it's the thought that counts before anything." I passed a warm smile to him that matched the contents of my heart. "And, you put a lot in. Thank you."

As difficult as it was, I managed to convince Jax to wait a couple of more days to throw his party for me. Luckily, the girls hadn't told him about what happened. Jax knew exactly what could put me in the headspace, and it wouldn't take much for him to piece the rest together from there.

I was able to keep up my appearances around everyone else, but with my brother, it wasn't possible. I needed a minute to build that bridge back up before I tried to cross it. It was more than difficult to convince him of a later date, but he eventually listened. 

When Luke and I got home from the lake house, we slept for a while just to give me an extra boost. Luke didn't claim his exhaustion, but I knew he still had it, so that was more of the reason why I suggested sleep. The nap definitely impacted my energy, but that wasn't the only thing.

I came home to another myriad of presents, as well as another cake from Luke. It was my favorite: a chocolate espresso layer cake. As Kimberly said, there was no sight of the cake anywhere around town, so Luke had baked it himself, since it was specifically my favorite.

It was perfect. Jax had put it in our recipe book, and I could tell Luke had practiced it a million times over until the perfect cake was achieved.

Or, maybe I just liked it so much because it was from him.

Either way, I appreciated it. To see his blush when I saw it was adorable. If the time frame added up, he had made it for me despite us being in our fight at the time. Even when we weren't speaking, he was still thinking about me in so many considerable ways.

Currently, we were sitting on his bedroom floor, and I was wrapped in the warmth of one of his shirts. We had been ever since we woke up from our nap, eating cake and opening presents.

My fork clinked against the glass as I placed it down. My plate went next. "How many times did it take you to get it so good, anyway?"

His chuckle followed, eyes dipping to his empty plate as he placed it down. "A fuck-ton, honestly. I wanted it to be perfect."

"You definitely got what you wanted, then."

His smile softened into one that brought out my own as he observed me over. "I sure as hell did, Norris."

My cheeks went flush. Them lifting so far didn't help the pinch, both there and in my heart.

His gaze softened at me before he leaned forward to kiss my cheek. "Ready for your next present?"

"Next?" I motioned to all of the wrapping paper we still hadn't picked up. "You've done more than enough, already."

Luke lifted himself up, immediately leaning down to pull me with him, as well. "Nah." A grin that made me dizzy from its beauty came at me. "Let's go."

I rolled my eyes, despite my grin. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"It's a surprise," he mocked, grabbing something from the ends of the bed. When he came back, I realized he had grabbed a blindfold. "You're gonna have to wait for it, Norris."

I glanced to the blindfold, then to him with a cocked brow. "What are you up to, Luke?"

"You okay with me blindfolding you?"

I nodded cautiously, stepping closer. "If this is your plan to murder me, then I'm real disappointed at the simplicity, Luke. After so many threats, I expected better."

He was gentle with it, allowing glimpses of light through the cracks of the blindfold. I heard him chuckle. "Not yet, Norris."

His hands fell to my waist, fingers squeezing at it as he led me forward. They remained there, his grip tight in all of the best ways.

From the sounds of the television, I figured out that we were soon near the kitchen. I could hear Fang lapping away at his water bowl, too.

"Watch your step for me, baby," he mumbled into my ear, draping a kiss there.

I did, moving carefully despite him being my eyes, and doing it for me, too. When I heard the door of the living room click open, my suspicions only grew.

What in the hell was he up to?

Luke's arms tightened around me to lift me down the rest of the stairs, and just to irk me, he made sure to tug at my sides until I was a laughing mess under his grip, "There's my baby's laugh." I heard the rasp of his own chuckle in my ear before he finally released me to the ground, again.

The wind swept past my skin and combed through my hair, despite the blindfold. We were outside, but for what, I wasn't too sure.

I moved my head to where I believed Luke to be. He was as silent as a mouse.

"Luke..." I warned. "If you take this blindfold off of me, and there's a coked up kangaroo in front of me, I swear—"

He removed the blindfold in one swift motion, cutting my threat off half-way.

I jerked my eyes over to him. A silly grin was coming full circle back at me.

With a shrug, he buried his hands in his pockets, then said, "Look up for me, Norris."

I narrowed my eyes at him in disbelief. There was no way in hell he dragged me out in the cold for this. We hadn't played this game in a while, but regardless, it still tickled my chest despite its intention.

Rolling my eyes, I did it, anyway. Of course, I found nothing out of the ordinary, just the sheet of stars above head.

"Shit. That pretty face of yours has me all distracted, Norris. I fucked it up," he teased, grazing my face with a kiss.  "I meant down."

I did, my agitation mixing in with the humor. With a huff, I tugged my arms over my chest, glaring down at the concrete below us.

An arm tugged me back into him as he laid his head on my shoulder. His smile grew against the side of my head as he left a kiss there, as well.

I heard him tapping at his phone, and a second later, a creak that I recognized from the garage door sounded out.

"Now," he mumbled in my ear, peppering a soft line of kisses there, too. "Put those pretty eyes right in front of you, angel."

My caution made me tip my head up to him first, but in the venture, I caught it. Right behind the garage doors. With its beauty, it was hard to miss.

A car. Not any car, though. It was his. The Mercedes that I was supposed to be working on.

My attention jerked back to Luke, who was grinning back at me.

My confusion remained. "I know that I haven't finished working on it, but if this was your idea of being funny—"

Luke's mouth twitched. "You were basically finished already, so I took it to a shop and had them finish it off."

I blinked, then did so, again, moving my eyes back to the beautiful car. From here, I could see the shine of new tires, as well as the outside, too. "For what, exactly?"

Luke dangled a set of keys right in my face. "So that my girl could have it."

My eyes widened to the size of saucers as the realization smashed into me like a million cinder blocks. How I missed it, I wasn't sure. Perhaps it was the shock that he was letting me have a two million dollar car.

"Oh my god..." left me in a whisper as I jerked away. I turned around with a swiftness, my mouth nearly to my knees. "Oh my god! You...you..." I had to shut my trembling lips for a second to gather myself. "How did you do this?"

His grin only stretched at me. "I was waiting to give it to you as an apology, but I knew your birthday was coming up too, so I was going to wait to do both. I had Levi bring it here from the mechanics while we were sleeping. Fucker made me tip him a hundred, but it was worth it." His expression gentled as he grabbed my hands. "You were worth it."

"I was worth a two million dollar car?"

He snorted. "Your pinky finger alone is worth triple that, Norris." Just as my explosion melted, he tipped his chin to me, adding, "Now. Are you gonna keep staring at me, or are you gonna take the keys to your car?" He shook the keys, again, beaming back at me.

I nearly broke his hand from snatching them so quickly. The excitement and anticipation were making my skin buzz with it all. It was, he was mind-blowing.

Just as I went to sprint toward the car, I paused in my doings.

I jerked back around to the grinning man behind me. Without warning, I threw myself at him so hard, I nearly tackled him to the ground. "Thank you, Luke. I-I can't even—"

"I don't wanna hear it, Norris. You worked hard as shit on it, and you more than deserved it," Hugging me back, his big hand gave way to the gentlest caresses. "You get whatever the hell you want from me, no matter what."

My smile only grew before I shut my eyes, relishing in the moment. Like all of the others with Luke, it was one that I never wanted to end.

The butterflies in my stomach roared so wildly, I wondered if he could feel them in his as well. From his tight grip, I knew for a fact that he was mixed in with the wave of electricity crashing over either of us, in this moment.

Luke leaned back first, sweeping his hand through my hair. The happiness gleamed in his dark eyes. "I've already filled the tank up, got you new tires, and all of that shit. I left some money in the cup holders for you to go and get whatever else you might want, too." Chuckling at my dazed expression, he kissed me, again. "Now go check it out, baby."

Swiveling, my steps nearly ended in disaster as I headed straight for the car in more of a sprint than anything else.

I nearly broke a nail as I yanked the door open. The inside smelled of my usual car refresher, which meant that he had to go and get it himself, as well as my favorite interior design.

Fuck. I wasn't sure of how much more my heart could handle of this man before it burst in my chest.

I examined the interior over with a wide grin. I had seen it a couple of times, but not in my own possession. It was actually mine. What the fuck.

As Luke mentioned, there were some wadded bills in the cup holders. I knew from here that it was much more than what I needed, which I would return to him, despite his arguments. My appreciation remained all the same, though.

The car had barely been touched or driven, so it was practically brand new. Even if it weren't, it wouldn't matter to me. The thought of it was...surreal.

I had joked with Luke many, many times about stealing the car and taking it for myself once it was repaired. It was simply a joke at the time, despite my want for the car being very real. I just never expected him to actually respond to it like this.

Gently shutting the driver door, I turned, pulling Luke in for another hug. I couldn't get enough of them, or of him. Both came in warm bundles.

Just as I felt him kiss my head, I was being lifted. In a matter of seconds, my feet were off the ground and simply dangling from under me. "You like it, Norris?"

I nodded, hurriedly. How could I not? "I loved all of my gifts, but this one..." I drawled out an excited sigh as I glanced back to it. I would never come to terms with it being in my ownership, now. "This one definitely tops all."

His lips pulled into a half-smirk. "I'm gonna love telling Levi that shit." I giggled as a response, draping my arms around his shoulders.

His eyes dazzled at me. "You ready for your last present?"

My eyes widened at him in shock. Jesus. "Luke—"
I flicked my head at the car, my car. I couldn't wait to give it a test drive tomorrow. "This is perfect enough."

Luke chuckled, sweeping strands of hair out of my eyes to have a clear view of me and my shock. "Let me show you."

I tried to think it over, but before I could, he was crouching his body. As soon as had mine, he balanced it over his shoulder, and adjusted me around until I was comfortable.

"Luke," I called out past my laughter. "I could have just walked, you idiot."

"And, miss carrying your stubborn ass around?" I heard him muse as he walked us to the entrance. "No way in hell, Norris."

I giggled, attempting to grasp my surroundings, but with how fast he was moving, it was nearly impossible.

I didn't even realize we had stopped moving until his large hand pressed against the middle of my back. A second later, he was lowering me back to the ground.

Immediately, I turned to face him, again, but was taken aback.

His humor had died into a look of solemness. My own began to match it as I saw his grow.

"The dark..." Concern blossomed along his face. "Are you sure that you wanna start today, Maggie?"

Slowly, I detached from his stare, turning. I didn't even realize that we were still in the hallway, since I had never really gone this deep in the house before. These were some of the odd numbers, the rooms I classified as guest or not of use, but I guess one was now.

The door was already open, and the lights were off. The only source of light was a bright candle, my favorite scene that Jax and I always had on. Other than that, it was just...darkness.

I drew in a single breath that seemed to only worsen my nerves rather than subdue it. My stomach turned the longer I stared into the dark abyss.

"Maggie," Luke whispered from behind me, placing either hand on my waist and turning me around to face him. His gaze cruised over my shaky figure, then followed back up to me. "Baby. You don't have to do this, right now. There's no rush—"

I shook my head, despite the bile in my throat. "No." I turned so that my back was to him; if I didn't, he would see right through my playact. "If I don't start today, then I'll never start."

I could feel Luke's hesitation brewing from behind me, but instead of voicing it, he kissed the top of my head. My eyes shut as I embraced the sweet feeling behind it, and hun. In the corner of my sight, I saw the light turn on in the room.

Luke tipped my chin up to him from behind. The reassurance and encouragement in his eyes slowly, but surely edged into mine, leaving an impression to push me forward.

"Okay," he breathed out, stroking his fingers over my jaw. "I left your favorite candle burning for a while to help you recognize something familiar in order to help your nerves." I nodded in both appreciation, and to let him know that I was listening. "We're not going to jump into it, okay? We're gonna lead you in, limb by limb, second by second, until you want to stop. I'm going to have my app—" He paused to wave his phone at me. "On so that I can turn the lights on and off from right here. Before we fully go in, I'm gonna leave them on to help you. Then my flashlight, until you're ready to turn it all off."

I hadn't thought about any of this, but thank fuck he had. I wasn't sure what exactly I had planned to do, but it surely would have been disastrous compared to this.

My eyes brimmed with tears. It was so nice, so comforting, and relieving to have someone to help, to experience, and share these things with.

Luke noticed, his features softening over until he unraveled me with a kiss. I took it, giving my all back in return. The buildup of feelings behind it was enough to sustain me forever.

Slowly, we broke from the kiss. Luke left another one to my cheek, before pulling back.

"How did you do all of this?" I whispered, blinking past the tears to catch sight of him. We had been sleeping ever since we came home.

"I woke up a little early to get it all started," he answered. "I've already moved the furniture out of the way, too, so that won't be a problem."

My eyes searched over the room. I could see the furniture pushed far out of the way, providing a clear, straight route for me. "Thank you." Breathing in, I let it form around a, "You can turn the lights off, now."

The reassurance only grew in his gaze. "I'm gonna be right here, angel," he promised, smiling softly. One tap on his phone had the lights dimming, again. His gentle eyes stroked over mine. "Right here, okay? I'm not going to let you go, and I'm not going to let anyone or anything ever get to you. What did I tell you?"

"I'm untouchable," I repeated in a small whisper, lowering my hands to his wrists. I tried to relent on the skin, but even with my nails digging into them in a death grip, he didn't complain.

Luke laid his chin on top of my head. "Hell yeah you are." His arms fell to my waist, tightening around me. "If you need it, all it takes is one word, and we'll stop and start up again when you're ready, okay?" At my delayed answer, he forced my eyes to his, his own roaming my face over. "Okay?"

I nodded, then turned my head forward. Fuck.

There it was. There he was. There they were.

Everything, and nothing at all was here. Everything being all of the torture, the pain, everything. The nothing being what was left behind, the tears, the screams, the bits of my soul that were never claimable, again, nothing.

And, I was about to face it all.

The very realization nearly had me running.

Except, when I realized that the very person who had helped me confront this side of myself was right here. The one who made me see the beauty in the parts that were left. He was right here, and he wasn't going anywhere.

Luke stepped us forward, and I shrunk back into his chest for security, something he accepted, immediately. He layered a series of kisses to the top of my head, his reassurances in the form of a whisper.

His flashlight was on the brightest level. It was the only source of light through the dark space.

"Remember, baby. Everything is already moved out of the way, so don't worry about bumping into anything or any shit like that," he whispered against my temple. "Today, though, I just to want to get you to the wall first."

I didn't respond. We weren't even in the room yet, and I was already envisioning it all. Them all.

"Slow, Norris," Luke whispered, grabbing my wrist, and slowly taking a step forward until the limb was blanketed by the darkness. "We're gonna go slow."

I nodded, fixating my gaze on the visible half of my arm. Luke squeezed down, waving it in all sorts of directions before grasping my hand with his own.

"What do you feel, baby?"

I shook my head, tightening my hand around his. "You. Me."

"Mhm, that's right," he hummed, taking another step. "Let's get your other one up, too, yeah?"

He did the same to that one, leading us forward until either arm was covered in darkness. "Still nothing, right?"

I nodded, offering a shaky smile. "Still nothing."

If I felt nothing, then that had to mean something. So many things.

God, let it mean what I want it to mean.

"You can turn the flashlight off," I managed to squeak out.

Luke craned his neck so that he had a view of me. I met his eyes in return, sending a nod for confirmation. His hesitation remained, but he did as was asked, turning the flashlight off from his phone.

"We're about to go into it, okay?" he whispered, his own voice shaky with concern for me. "Only a step. All it takes is one back to leave it, okay?"

I nodded, again. Willing. Begging. Pleading with myself, and the universe to let me have this one. It owed me more than a couple of breaks by now.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and nearly choked on, "I'm ready."

Luke nodded, leaning me back into him. It was the perfect mix of everything to result in a comfort of no other. We were here. I was untouchable.

So, so, slowly, he edged us into the darkness. While he did, he continued to whisper reassurances in my ear, pressing his lips to either side of my face.

Even without my eyes open, I felt it creep upon me. A slow, relentless, aching dread that no other could compare to. It was the one I hadn't been able to confront for a decade.

The monster.

"Luke," I managed to squeak out. "I-I can't open my eyes." If I did, right now, then it would all be off in a matter of seconds.

"Shh," he whispered, stroking the back of my head. "And, you don't have to. Keep them closed all you want, okay? Matter fact..." he paused, and a second later, my face was against the familiar cushion of his chest. "I've got you, Norris. I've got you."

I nodded with such frantic pace, my head spun. Despite it, I hung on as tight as I could to his shirt. It was crumbled, probably nearly about to tear, but Luke said nothing of it, nor did anything to lessen my grip.

"Tell me if you're okay, baby," he mumbled out, fingers combing through the back of my hair.

I thought about faking it, but then realized: this was Luke. I didn't have to.

"Can...can you turn the lights back on for a second?"

The light flickered on, quickly, to the highest setting until we had a clear view of one another.

Perturbation was painted along his expression before all else. He cupped my face, stroking the hairs out of my hair. "Are you okay, angel?"

I blew out a breath, glancing around the space. I searched for one thing, and one thing only first. And, when I didn't find it, a relief of no other climbed over my fear.

No one was in here. No one would get me. He wouldn't get me.

I glanced back to Luke, who was watching me over with vacillation. I knew how badly he wanted to refrain from aiding in a source of aghast for me, but he knew that he couldn't stop me, either.

I filled my burning lungs with enough oxygen to survive off of. I could only handle a little more of this, but it was better than nothing at all.

Shutting my eyes, I gripped the back of Luke's neck, bringing him down to me to kiss him. "Turn them off. Please."

Luke nodded, pecking my lips, again. I could feel his argument through the kiss, but he refrained from voicing it.

"You're untouchable, Norris," he reassured in a soft voice. "You're untouchable."

The lights dimmed until they were gone, altogether. Despite my reassurance chant, my iron grip only tightened on Luke.

It was the only thing centering me back to reality: where I believed, where I hoped and begged that he was right. That I was untouchable, now.

"You've got this." Luke dropped his chin to the top of my head, again. "You're Maggie fucking Norris."

My eyes squeezed shut as I attempted to make way past the threat. Even hundreds of miles away, thousands of days in the past, it still loomed, attempting to find its way into the center of my fears, as it had been settled for so long.

Luke edged us forward, but paused to lift me until my feet were sitting on his own. In my head, I thanked him for it, since I wasn't too sure if my legs would hold up too long.

"I'm Maggie fucking Norris," I repeated in a trembling voice, but it was still being said, nonetheless. "And, I got this."

Another step forward. "Fuck yeah you do." One of his hands fell to grab mine. "And, you know what else?"

My swollen throat couldn't provide an answer, at least not a sensible one. Instead, I squeezed his hand to let him know that I heard him.

Luke lifted placed that same hand against a hard surface. It was cool and familiar, but I couldn't place it too well, right now. "You made it to the wall, baby."

My eyes popped open, the action nearly painful.

I was in front of a wall. Not emotionally, for the first time, but physically.

Oh. My...

I made it to the wall in the dark.

I did something in the dark.

The lights were on, now. I jerked around to face Luke, the words, the feelings, the everything caught up in my throat.

The monsters hadn't gotten to me. My father didn't win. Those men didn't win, not this time, and not ever again. This accomplishment shed light to that.

I knew it wasn't much. I knew it was a small step. I knew that most could do better, and I knew how ridiculous it appeared to a stranger's eye.

But, to me, this was much more than I'd ever accomplished. It was much more than I ever thought I'd accomplish.

Even if it were less than ten steps, it was better than nothing. It could lead to ten more, then another, and so on. The beginning could always lead to so much more.

"That's my fucking girl," Luke encouraged with nothing, but pride to his voice. "I knew you could do it—"

Before he had a chance to finish, I jumped him. His arms went around me, hauling me up off of my feet with his grip.

I went for his lips, first. As always, they were as ready for me as I were them.

I could feel his smile through the kiss. I had to fight back my own just to continue along with the beautiful connection. It was soft, yet so loud and influential at the same time.

I was the first to tear back. My eyes were already stinging with tears. Luke was watching me, his handsome face lit into a prideful grin.

River blues gleamed back at me. "I'm so fucking proud of you, Maggie."

I went to wipe my tears, but Luke beat me to it. Even when they were gone, his soothing hands remained on my cheeks, caressing the skin.

I managed to offer a shaky smile at him, something he took with nothing, but admiration.

"Thank you," I breathed out, placing an arm over his shoulders. My fingers stroked at the nape of his neck. "I couldn't have gotten this far, I couldn't have done it...any of it without you."

His head tilted at me, a charming smile claiming his face. My eyes shut once he leaned in, the warm of his forehead against mine. His grip tightened around me to remind me: he wasn't going, anywhere.

"You could have..." he whispered out, pecking a kiss to my cheek. "But, I'm glad, and I'm grateful every single day that you chose not to."