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Lukas was sleeping on the couch when they returned to the Towers. He lay partially on his side with Francis's tiny body wedged between him and the back of the couch to ensure the little boy didn’t fall and hurt himself. The television was blasting the sounds of cartoon dogs singing happily until Kennedy quietly turned it off. She moved over to the couch and gently shook Lukas's arm.
"Get up, Roberts. Your wife is home," she said as she carefully took her child from him.
Francis whined until she soothed him back to sleep. Pulling out her phone, she told her husband she was on her way home. Placing a hand on Johanna's arm, she gave her a small smile. "Well, the other two are gone, so I'm going to take my bugger back to the house to get some sleep. I skipped out on work today, so I'm hoping Markus didn’t mess up the repair we were working on."
“You won’t get into trouble for it?” Johanna asked, her voice tinged with humor and surprise.
Kennedy laughed, “I can’t exactly fire myself. I know it's not my business, but if you're worried about s*x, call me. Don’t call the others. They get way too gushy over stuff like that. By the way, if you were wondering about my connection to Luke and the others, I’m Phoenix’s mob partner, best friend, and aunt. He’s married to Andromeda, and Sky has been our friend since I was ten and she was eleven. Honestly speaking, Skylar is the girliest girlie-girl I’ve ever had the displeasure of joining on a shopping trip. She goes overboard with her cutesy crap, which is why Luke asked me to step in as required. I’m just glad he watched my Bug today."
“Your son is adorable and so well-spoken,” Johanna said with a giggle.
"Let's go have a chat in the room, Anna." Kennedy glanced over her shoulder at Lukas. He snored lightly but hadn’t moved an inch. She knew him well enough to recognize that he was only pretending to sleep, likely to see for himself how Johanna opened up to the girls in the crew. “We can talk while you put away your new clothes, deal?”
“Deal,” Johanna replied, ecstatic that Kennedy was so willing to help her acclimate to her new life. She carried her bags into the bedroom while Kennedy sat on the bed.
Suddenly silent, Johanna calmly and quickly put away her purchases with methodical precision. She blinked slowly, licking her lips as she tried to find the words for the thoughts on her mind—thoughts only another woman who had been in her position could understand. Finally, as if she settled on the most prominent one, Johanna let out an uncertain breath. "I'm scared, Kennedy. I don’t know what to expect."
There was a strength that radiated from Kennedy, who acted as if nothing bothered her. Her bright blue eyes held a tempered, steel-hard resolve as she watched each tiny movement with a mix of caution, care, and contemplation. "What are you concerned about, Johanna?"
Eyeing the sleeping child in her new friend's arms, Johanna sighed. She pulled out another empty hanger and placed it back with the pale purple summer dress Andromeda had picked out for her. Another dress went up, this one a deep, royal blue with white trim and a lighter blue sash under the bust. "My sister told me things about s*x, but now that I think about it, she could have been lying to me. Does it really hurt enough to bleed?"
Kennedy winced. "Some women do, some don't. As for the pain, if the man is gentle, then it only stings for a moment. If not, then yes, it can hurt a lot."
"Well, what if he wants to, and I don't?"
"Lukas knows better than to force himself on you," Kennedy replied. "If you're not up to it, tell him to go train instead. He's the kind of guy that only needs to be told things once. If he gets flustered, he heads to the training grounds to work it off."
Johanna took a breath, her mind processing the information she was rapidly learning. Retaining it for future use, she asked another question. "What does it feel like, Kenni? I mean, what does it feel like to have a guy, um, inside you?"
Kennedy smiled, remembering the first time she and Memphis had s*x. "Weird; it feels weird at first. Kind of like being stuffed. As long as you're willing, it's mind-shatteringly good, too. Especially if the guy in question knows what he's doing."
Kennedy watched as Johanna put away the last of the clothes, filling her half of the dresser and closet. The vacant spaces, previously evident when the dresser and closet were first opened, indicated that Lukas had thoughtfully prepared the room for her. Glancing down at her sleeping son, Kennedy pulled out her phone to answer the incoming call. "Hey, baby. No, still at Lukas's place. I'm having a talk with Johanna. Yeah, if you want to come over to walk us home, you can. I ain't gonna twist your arm over it."
Johanna, half-listening to Kennedy’s conversation with her husband, smiled to herself. She noticed a movement in the hall and turned to see Lukas standing in the doorway. He appeared tired, but the genuine smile on his face made her feel safe and reassured. His eyes met hers, and his smile widened into a grin as he lazily looked her over. "Kenni, you can head home. I'll take it from here."
Kennedy scowled at him, "Excuse you? Kindly f**k off and leave me alone."
"Ken, please? I want to spend some time alone with my wife."
She rolled her eyes, "God, you're such a sook, Lukas. You treat that girl right, or I'm going to blacken your eyes and fatten your lip."
"Yes, Ma," Lukas joked, chuckling under his breath.
Kennedy gave him a playful shove before turning back to Johanna. "Anna, don't hesitate to call if you need anything."
Johanna felt a mix of emotions surge within herself. Although she had attended the mandatory s*x-Ed classes in school, they didn't come close to the nitty-gritty details Kennedy helped her navigate. The gratitude she felt for Kennedy, Skylar, and even Andromeda created a new escape for her, one where she was included rather than brought along to be used as a pack mule. She looked up, her breath catching as the warmth from Lukas's smile sent her heart racing, thrumming to the sound of its own drum.
Despite the touch of nervousness about the new beginning in her life, she felt a calm that allowed her to think clearly and make more resolute decisions. She took a deep breath, reassured by the genuine care and concern of those around her. Meeting Lukas’s eyes, she smiled a soft, anxiety-riddled smile. “Did you sleep well?”
Lukas looked Johanna over, licking his lips. The white T-shirt she wore had an adorable kitten playing with a ball, with shimmering words that read “Purr-fectly Happy.” The blue jeans she wore hugged her curvaceous hips. His mouth watering, he said, "I don't know who picked out that outfit, but, damn, you look good."
Johanna bit her lip, keeping still as she watched Kennedy leave before Lukas took a step toward her. "I picked out all my own clothes the way you told me to – based on my own desires and likes. I thought it was cute."
"Don’t get me wrong, it suits you,” he quickly added. “So, you like cats, huh?"
Nodding, she said, "I do. When things got really bad at home, I’d think about what it would be like to have their spiteful nature when pushed. I wanted to have their courage."
The bedroom they stood in was simplistically decorated, reflecting a sense of calm and minimalism. The queen-sized bed, with its soft, neutral-colored bedding, was the room's centerpiece. A low, six-drawer dresser sat against one wall, its surface adorned with a few framed family photos and certificates with a small potted cactus perfectly centered on the polished wooden surface. The walls were painted a soothing shade of light gray, and a single, large window allowed natural light to flood the space, highlighting the simplicity and serenity of the room. A room that was a perfect reflection of Lukas himself.
Resting his hands on her hips, Lukas drew her closer. She stumbled, falling against him with a small, barely audible gasp. Hooking his finger under her chin, he gently guided her face up until her teal eyes met his storm-cloud grey. "You look beautiful, Johanna. It’s nice to see you in a style all your own. I see you got that cut you called me about. I like it."
Her voice brimming with shock, she asked, "You do?"
"Absolutely,” he answered, his fingers still gently combing through her soft, chestnut waves. “It looks good on you, and your hair seems healthier now. It's a little shorter than I anticipated, but it'll grow back. Did you eat while you were gone?"
"Kenni made sure I ate,” she told him, smiling as he pouted. “What’s that look for?”
“I wanted to make you dinner,” he said, his comically out-of-place pout making her giggle. Lukas dropped his eyes to the phone on the bed, his mind going back to the call she'd made from the salon. "Johanna, you don't need to call me for my say-so to do things with the girls, either. You know that, right?"
Nodding, she said, "I do understand why you’re bringing it up again, but it's what I'm accustomed to doing. Can I just keep doing it until I get used to the way things are here? It can be my, um… safety net. Um, I’d also feel better calling you for an opinion before making a decision."
- Writer
