Luci's Lullaby Read online

  TABLE of Contents

  Copyright

  Author Insight

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Acknowledgments

  COPYRIGHT© 2018 Luci’s Lullaby by Leaona Luxx

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted by U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, or organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Luci’s Lullaby is intended for 18+ older, and for mature audiences only.

  Editing and Formatting by Masque of the Red Pen

  Cover Model: Blake Sevani

  Photographer: Gigi Hoggard with Gigi Photography Studios: Boudoir and Models

  Cover Design by Moonstruck Cover Design & Photography

  Lyricist: Brandon Browning

  When I started this book, all that I kept hearing was how do you fall in love, keep it strong, and be a good parent all at the same time? We’ve all been there, ready to pull our hair out and give up as a parent and a woman.

  So what if it were a man? I watched as my husband grew as our boys did when we become parents. But then, so didn’t I? We all go through life doing our best, trying to live our best lives and hoping that in the end, we have decent humans and our love is intact. Because raising children is the toughest gig there is, and all we can do is our best.

  At the end of this book, there’s a lullaby written by our oldest son. Talent knows no bounds when it comes to this young man. I’m honored and blessed to say I’m his mom.

  “Come on, man! I’m gonna leave you,” Cid, my brother, yells from downstairs.

  “I’m coming! Does he always have to be such an asshole?” I grumble.

  A noise at the door draws my attention. “Yes—yes, I do,” he says, followed by a swift punch.

  “Arghhh!” I grimace, grabbing my side.

  “Now! I need to run by Shelley’s.”

  I narrow my eyes at his back when he walks out the door. “I’m coming.” I plod down behind him, throwing my backpack over my shoulder as I go.

  “By the way, we’re coming straight home after football practice. Mom and Dad will be home tonight, and we need to clean.”

  I roll my eyes, locking the door as I walk out. “Yes, sir.”

  “Denny, I hate it too, but Dad will skin us alive if we don’t,” Cid says.

  Yanking on the truck door, I glare at him. I hate when he calls me that stupid nickname. “Does that mean Shelley too?”

  “Watch it.” He cocks his brow. “If she hadn’t come over to cook for us, we would’ve eaten crap all week.”

  “True.” I slide into the seat beside him. “But tomorrow, I’m gonna practice out by the river.”

  “One day, little brother, you’ll be a big star, and I’ll be watching from the cheap seats.”

  I grin, big and toothy. “The hell you will, you’ll be my roadie.”

  “I’ll be your attorney.”

  “If you have any brain cells left after all those blows to your head.”

  “You’re just jealous because your head has never been blown.” He smirks.

  “Keep dreamin’, Alice, or should we ask Shelley about you being blown?” He flips me off before pulling out onto the road. I can’t help but laugh.

  Three streets down and two left turns, he hits the horn twice as we stop in front of the curb. Cid and Shelley have been together for two years now. I love her, I just want time with my brother once in a while. This time next year, they’ll be in college.

  “She needs to get a move on, we’re gonna be late,” he murmurs as he stares toward the house.

  “Why don’tcha hurry her up the way you did me?”

  He side-eyes me before nodding in my direction. “Jump out, she’s coming.”

  “Yeah, I hear that every night she stays over.” I smirk as I slide from the seat waiting for the long-legged, chestnut-haired girl walking toward us.

  Cid narrows his eyes at me. “Watch it, asshole.”

  “Good mornin’ to my two favorite guys.” Shelley smiles knowing we’re probably arguing. She really is one of the best people I know.

  “Mornin’, gorgeous.” I kiss her cheek before she jumps into the truck.

  Cid releases a low growl. “Keep your lips off her.”

  “She was all smiles, dude.” I shrug as I slip into the seat beside Shelley. “I think she liked it.”

  He rolls his eyes. “She was being polite and gagging the entire time.”

  “Glad to see y’all are in such a good mood this morning.” Shelley giggles.

  “He’s nothin’ but sour apples, while I’m always peaches and cream.”

  Cid shakes his head as he pulls out onto the road. “Keep runnin’ that mouth and you’ll be walkin’.”

  “You two need to stop fussin’, it’s unbecoming.” Shelley nudges us both.

  “He’s just grumpy because he woke up alone this morning.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t have a teddy bear to snuggle like you.” Cid chuckles.

  I lean over as he cuts his eyes at me. “At least Teddy doesn’t keep everyone awake at night.” Shelley’s face flames. Cid hits the brakes, and I faceplant the dashboard. “Argh! ASSHOLE!”

  “Shut that mouth.” Cid glares at me as he speeds up.

  Shelley slaps his leg. “Stop!”

  “I’m so ready to get my license. I’m over his bs.”

  “Anytime you want to start walking, I can pull over,” Cid snaps.

  Shelley squirms between us. “What is wrong with you two this morning?”

  We sit in silence the rest of the way to school. I honestly don’t know what our problem is this morning. Cidney’s my best friend, and we usually get along. It’s like a premonition for how the rest of the day is going to go.

  Cid pulls into the first spot at the front, reserved for the seniors but since he’s the starting quarterback, he gets everything he wants in life. Me, on the other hand, I’m third string defensive back and perfectly okay with it.

  I’d rather write music, but that’s another story.

  “Al, no runnin’ off to the riverbank when we get home. We have to clean the house before Mom and Dad get back tonight,” Cid warns me. Again.

  I step from the truck, holding the door open for Shelley and give him a nod. “I know, Cid.” He leans across the hood of the truck, staring until I give him my full attention. “What?”

  “I lo
ve you, have a good day.” Shelley pats my stomach as Cid holds his fist out for me.

  I shake my head, closing the door. “I love you, Cid.” I reach out, bumping his fist with mine. There are days I want to run over him, but I love him every day.

  Cid takes Shelley by the hand as we walk toward the school. I see my buddy, Gavin, standing by the entrance. His tall, lanky build is no match for Cid, whose built solid although no taller than me.

  “Dude, can you believe that game last night?” He covers his mouth, snickering.

  I shake my head knowing what’s coming. As Cid passes him, he gut checks Gavin. “The Steelers said hi,” Cid mumbles as he walks through the doors, leaving me to laugh my ass off at my buddy.

  “The fuck, Cid?” Gavin groans.

  “Will you ever learn to leave the Steelers alone?” Reese giggles as she joins us. My best friend from birth, the fiery redhead is curvy like a country road. One day, she’ll bring the right man to his knees.

  Gavin’s face is red as he straightens his back. “Nope! It’s worth it to me.”

  “Then you should’ve added ‘Go, Titans!’” I snort, making Reese laugh louder.

  “Screw you both.” Gavin flips us off, to which we cackle.

  I back into the door and straight into a person. I hear the books fall to the ground as I reach out, trying to balance myself. Little do I know, I’m not grabbing something I should.

  “Shit!” I wince as my hand grabs the backpack, pulling the girl wearing it down with me. I land on top of her with a thud. “I’m so sorry,” I plead as she scurries out from under me.

  “It’s okay,” she says, gathering her books. Her brunette hair hides her face so that I have to duck to get a good look at her. Her eyes cut to mine and then back to her things on the floor.

  I scramble to my knees, grabbing for her things. “Here ya go.” My hand brushes hers, sending a jolt through us.

  “Ouch.” She pulls back, biting her knuckle from the shock. My chest tightens as her blue eyes sparkle, stunning me.

  “Sorry about that too.”

  “It’s alright,” she murmurs over her fingers.

  I stand, holding my hand out for hers. She shifts, glancing up at it before taking it gingerly. “You good?”

  She nods as her hair clings to her face. “Yes, thank you.”

  “Hey, I knocked you down, don’t thank me.”

  “Of course. I-I wasn’t thinking.” She shakes her head.

  “Probably because you’re all loopy.” Gavin chuckles.

  She bites her lip with another bounce of her head. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  I glare at him as the bell rings, and she rushes away.

  “Gavin, you’re such a jerk,” Reese snaps.

  “Please, I meant because he ran her down.” He throws his hands in the air.

  I watch her until she turns the corner, never looking back. “Seriously, dude, you really need to mind your mouth.”

  “Y’all know I would never be cruel.” Gavin pauses by the door. “See y’all at lunch.”

  “He’s an ass, you know that, right?” Reese glares at me.

  I nod. “Yes, I do, but I have no control over him.”

  “So what’s up?”

  I side-eye her. “What do you mean?”

  “Something’s on your mind, spill.” She cocks her brow.

  “Have you ever wondered if there’s more to life?”

  “All the time, but we have to graduate first.” She elbows me. “Seriously, I think about leaving here all the time.”

  “Promise me,” I hesitate, thinking of leaving my family behind, “we’ll do it. That one day, after high school, we’ll go and never look back.”

  She turns, smiling sweetly. “I promise, Mars Bar.”

  “Thank ya, Reese Cup.” I kiss her cheek before we walk into class.

  Reese and I have every class together, which helps to pass the time, but days like today, nothing makes me feel better. A sharp pain takes my breath and dread washes over me.

  “Hey. You okay?” Reese whispers.

  I rub the back of my neck, trying to shake this feeling. “I’m not feeling well.”

  “Lunch is in ten, can you make it?”

  I nod. “Yeah, it’s not that kind of sick.”

  “Oh.” She frowns. “Are you still feeling bad for making that girl fall?”

  “That,” I swallow past the knot in my throat, “and I just have a bad feeling.”

  “About?” she pries.

  “Not sure.” I shrug. “Do you think she’s alright?”

  “She said she was.” She stares at me. “We’ll go find her at lunch and check on her again.”

  “Sounds good.” I bite my lip, thinking of her haunting blue eyes. “Do you know her?”

  “Nope, not a clue.” She taps her pencil off her desk. “I think she’s older than us, though.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She’s not in freshman classes.” She stares blankly.

  I roll my eyes. “Duh!”

  “Is that it? Or is there something else?” She leans in, reassuring me as she always does.

  “Chill, Oprah. I’m good, it’s just a bad day.”

  The bell rings before she can ask anything else, and I send a silent ‘thank you’ up. This girl is going to be an amazing attorney.

  “Let’s go find your mystery girl.” She throws her backpack over her shoulder.

  “And some grub.”

  “Do guys think of anything besides food?” She wrinkles her nose. Her mom is constantly admonishing her over her weight. Reese is by no means fat, but her mom thinks so, therefore she does.

  “There’s sex.” I incline my head. “Basically, food and sex.”

  “Gross! Spare me.” She makes a gagging sound.

  Gavin stands across the hall with his arms folded. “Red, why are you gagging?”

  “She asked if we think of anything besides food.”

  “Sex.” His eyes widen at her.

  She covers her mouth, pretending to be sick. “Please, stop. Y’all talking about food and sex in the same sentence is turning my stomach.”

  “Why?” Gavin and I ask in unison.

  “We’re having hotdogs for lunch.” She glares at us before we burst into laughter.

  We stroll over to the lunchroom to grab our food and quickly find a place to sit. I’m still crowd watching, hoping to find the girl I ran down earlier.

  “I don’t see her anywhere,” Reese whispers.

  “Yeah, me either.”

  Gavin twists in his seat, scanning the room. “Who are we looking for?”

  “The girl Alden tried to jump this morning.” Reese giggles.

  Gavin’s head spins. “Why are you looking for her?”

  “I want to make sure she’s okay. She ran off without me knowing, thanks to you.”

  “Do I even know you?” Gavin frowns. “What’s going on?”

  “Geez, y’all.” I run my hand over my face. “It’s not a big deal.” I grab my things and walk away. Maybe I need some time to myself so I can shake whatever it is bugging me.

  I dart around the corner doing my best to get away from my current situation. I lean against the wall and catch my breath. Squeezing my eyes shut, I can’t help but think about what just took place.

  Alden Beck’s hands were all over me.

  My stomach feels uneasy, like butterflies are dancing in it. I release a sigh, settling my nerves before I sneak a quick peek back at him. He’s still standing there with his friends, so I take my time drinking him in, a teenage girls dream come true.

  His dirty blond hair is never combed; it’s like he just rolled out of bed, but it’s sexy. He has the most beautiful blue eyes and a smile that would melt a glacier. I love his smirk, it makes his eyes sparkle.

  The girls here are in lust with Cidney, mostly because he’s the quarterback but Alden, he has something special. He holds the door open for anyone, and he speaks to everyone. It’s the small things I l
ove best.

  “Are you starin’ at Alden again?” Amy pokes my side.

  “Maybe.” I spin and start walking toward our class.

  She cranes her neck over her shoulder with a smile. “Oh! Here he comes.”

  “WHAT?” I stumble as I try to look behind us.

  “Ha! I knew it.” She smirks. “Have you ever talked to him?”

  “Yes.” I stop dead in my tracks. “Just now, we spoke.”

  “So… spill!” Amy waves her hand in front of her.

  I bite my lip, refusing to tell her the sordid story of us wallowing around on the floor because he tripped and took me out like a football tackle. “Naw, I’m gonna keep it between us for now.”

  “No way, you have to tell.” She crosses her arms.

  I chew on my nail, trying to decide which version of the truth I want to tell. “He-he a…” Before I can say another word, our friend Denise comes barreling toward us.

  “No freakin’ way, I heard you were jumped by Alden Beck! Are you okay? They said he wrestled you down and everything.” My face flames as Amy’s eyes grow as round as a softball.

  “He. Did. What?” Her fingers wrap my wrist as she begins to jerk on my arm. “Tell. Us. Everything!”

  I give a half shrug and begin to walk away. “It was an accident. He was sweet and apologized.”

  “Sweet? Apologized?” Amy’s lip quirks. “Sounds… nice.”

  “He was, he even helped me up.”

  “So he did wrestle you down?” Denise’s brows raise, as Amy’s mouth pops open.

  I close my eyes, replaying the entire thing in my mind. How he smelled, the way he felt on top of me. “He tripped and fell on top of me.”

  “You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me!” Amy grabs my arm, squeezing it.

  I peel her off me. “Umm, no. He helped me up and gathered my things.”

  “I would’ve died!” Denise squeals.

  “I thought I was going to. He may not be as tall as Cidney, but he’s big and weighs a ton.”

  “No way! What did you do?” Amy’s face is priceless, all wide-eyed and opened mouth.

  “I slid out and took his hand.”

  Denise blinks rapidly. “That’s it? You didn’t wrap your legs around him and hold on for dear life?”

  “No, I did not.” Although, the thought crossed my mind. “Y’all know he’s a freshman and we’re juniors, right?”