You’ve captured my mind, body, and soul, but, more importantly you possess my heart—take care of it for me until I return.
~ Your Lucas
I smiled widely as I recognized the words from the book I had been reading. My heart melted completely as I remembered how Heath Hamilton had left those exact words on a note to his love, and now Lucas had left them for me. What touched me more was the fact that Lucas had somehow snuck up to my room and left the note when I wasn’t paying attention to him. But I was always paying attention to him, so when did he do it? More importantly, how did he know, on that particular day, I would read those exact words in the book? My mind was puzzled. I was so moved that tears swelled up in my eyes. I took the note, held it up against my heart, and offered up a prayer of thankfulness and protection over the man who was making my dreams come true. I could never again think of love the same way, and I could no longer picture my life without him.
I knew they were stolen lines, but every time I read them I felt such strong emotions of love and longing that, by then, were becoming so familiar.
I missed him so much and he’d only been gone for twelve hours, yet it seemed like a lifetime to me.
It wasn’t a lifetime, only two days had past when he returned.
“I have something to tell you.” He took my hand and led me to the sofa and sat with me. “I’ll be on location in Canada, as you know, but I have to be on set by August third. That’s less than two weeks from now. I’ll be gone for approximately three months, depending on how smoothly things go.” He paused as he studied my face. I’m not sure what he saw—horror perhaps.
“Lily, I’ve thought this through and after this last trip I know I can’t be apart from you that long.”
“Lucas, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want you to come with me.”
I stood and immediately began pacing about the room. “I don’t know Lucas, that’s a big step. I mean, what about my mom and the house? I would be staying with you, and I’m just your girlfriend, but I hate the idea of being apart. I—I just don’t know.”
He stood and approached me. “Lily, I understand your concerns, but maybe Meagan can help. She can look after the house and check in on your mom. You can talk to her everyday if you like. We’ll stay in different rooms, of course, and you can come and go as you please. We just have to be able to see each other. Please, Lily, come with me, not as my girlfriend, but as my—fiancé.”
I gasped as he knelt down on one knee, putting his hand in his pocket and pulling out a ring. I began to shake. He took my left hand in his and slid the ring on my ring finger. With tears in his eyes he said, “Lilianna Marie Spencer, will you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
My mouth fell open, but I couldn’t seem to speak. I just starred at him like an idiot.
“Lily—please. Will you marry me?” he pleaded, looking slightly nervous.
I just nodded like a dummy, tears streaming down my face.
He stood quickly, grabbing me up into his arms, and hugging me fiercely.
“I can’t believe it,” I said when I could finally speak again. “It’s so beautiful. It’s exactly what I would’ve picked if I were choosing it. When did you get it anyway?”
“Yesterday. I had pretty much made up my mind on the plane. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to leave you, so after the photo shoot I went to this little antique jewelry store that I pass sometimes and picked the one that looked the most romantic. I thought it would take me forever to decide, but once I saw this one I knew it was the one for you.”
“How did you know my ring size? It fits perfectly.”
“When I went to your room to leave the note on your pillow I snuck a ring out of your jewelry box, just in case. Sorry.” He shrugged apologetically as he pulled the ring out of the opposite pocket and handed it to me.
“I think I’ll forgive you,” I teased. “Well, I’ve got some things to work out. For one, I have another wedding before we’re due back, but I’ll just do as much as I can over the phone and Internet, and I’ll pay Meagan to do my legwork until I absolutely have to come back. “I’ll have her come everyday to get my mail and check on the house. She can go see my mom every week. She’ll love that since she misses her anyway. I guess I better call her and make sure all of this is okay with her.” I jumped up with excitement and headed for my phone. “Oh, and I have to tell her I’m getting married!” Both Lucas and I smiled exuberantly at the sound of that.
“Oh, Lucas,” I paused, my mind reeling, “can we have an engagement party here? I mean, my friends know about you, but they’ve never met you, and you can invite Randall. That won’t be too weird, will it?”
“I think a party would be great. But I’m not sure about the Randall thing. We’ll have to see about that one.” Suddenly he looked nervous. “What—what if your friends don’t like me?”
“Don’t be silly. Of course they’ll like you, and to be sure just wear your Star Wars t-shirt. Anyone who would do that for me they’ll be sure to like,” I teased.
Chapter Ten
“Lucas, where are you? It’s almost seven. They’ll start arriving soon,” I said into the phone.
“I’m pulling into your driveway now.”
“Great.” I snapped the phone closed and stepped out onto the back deck to wait for him. When he got out of the car, I laughed out loud as I saw that he was wearing his Star Wars t-shirt. “I was only kidding about that.” I laughed.
“So was I,” he responded, holding up his other shirt in his hand. “I thought I would wear it underneath though, just in case.”
“Don’t be nervous, Luke. They’ll love you, like I do. Well, okay maybe not like I do.” I’m not sure exactly when I started calling him Luke, but he seemed to like it.
Lucas held my hand nervously as I introduced him to all of my friends. “Lucas, this is Russ Blume, my former boss and his wife, Debbie. And these guys I used to work with at Blume’s Shipping. This is Valerie and her boyfriend Jimmy, Kristen and her husband Ian, and this is Aaron and Josh Helms. I just did their wedding, you remember.”
“Yes, of course. It’s very nice to finally meet all of you. Lily has told me good things about each of you.” He smiled, but his nervousness was still quite visible.
Aaron was the first to speak, though after she began I wish she hadn’t.
“We are so happy for you two. We all love Lily so much. She deserves a good man to take care of her. I was so scared for her that day she fainted in the store, but then I learned that she was just heartbroken because you two had broken up.” She smiled flirtatiously.
“Wait, you fainted?” Russ questioned.
Oh no, here we go.
“You did what? Are you alright?” Valerie asked.
“It was nothing. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I didn’t sleep well the night before. Everything’s fine.”
“So you guys broke up? When did this happen? I want to hear all about it,” Kristen demanded, pulling me into the kitchen.
I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Lucas smile nervously at my friends as they studied him. Poor guy.
Lucas did eventually relax, though I lost count of how many times he messed with his hair. I have to admit I found the gesture to be quite adorable.
Randall showed up and it was good to see that everything appeared to be okay again. Even Meagan was talking to him, something I didn’t think I would see in this millennium.
I had made a huge spread of food, and after we ate we made our way into the den where everyone seemed to break into groups to converse.
It appeared that a few of my friends were star struck, Aaron and Kristen in particular. They sat close to Lucas and bombarded him with all kinds of questions about the movie and his co-stars.
“So, Lucas, are the rumors true about you and your co-star, Lisa Lewis? Did you guys really have a thing while filming?” Kristen asked.
“No, those were just rumors. She’s a good friend of mine. Actually, h
er boyfriend, Will, is a good friend as well. He was on the set with us during filming.”
“Oh, that’s good. Aren’t you guys scheduled to start shooting the next movie soon?” Aaron asked.
“Yes. We have to be there by August third.”
“So,” Russ inquired, “is Lily going with you then?”
“Um, yes, but we’ll be staying in separate rooms. No funny business until after the wedding,” he joked, laughing nervously.
“Yes we know,” Valerie responded, causing everyone to laugh.
I just rolled my eyes. I was use to the teasing, but Lucas didn’t seem to like it all that much. He glanced at me apologetically.
It was a lovely evening. Everyone appeared to be genuinely happy for us. They all thought my ring was the most beautiful ring they’ve ever seen. It was very unique, with a big heart shaped diamond in the center surrounded by two smaller heart shaped diamonds on both sides. I’ve never seen anything like it before.
“He’s gorgeous, he’s rich, and he’s British. How come you get all the luck?” Kristen teased as she was preparing to leave.
“Kristen honey, as a wise man named Obi-wan Kenobi once said, ‘In my experience there’s no such thing as luck’.”
“I would laugh if that were funny,” she responded sarcastically.
“I love you too,” I remarked as I kissed her on the cheek.
“Goodnight,” Lucas and I called out again as we watched the last of our guests pull out of the driveway.
“Well, I think that went well—don’t you?”
“Yes. Your friends are very interesting, especially Aaron. I can see now why you got a little stressed working with her.”
“Yes, but she means well. I think she and Kristen have a crush on you.”
“Well, maybe before they met me, but I’m sure that changed once they started talking to me.”
“Don’t do that,” I said, turning to stop him, “you’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met.” I reached up and gently touched his face.
“You are biased.” He covered my hand with his and held it there.
“Maybe, but I never lie.”
He laughed quietly. “Yes, I believe that.”
“I am so happy right now. The one thing that will make everything complete is on our wedding night, when we make love for the first time. Now that I know you’re the one, I’m glad I waited for you, and the only intimate memories I’ll have will be with you.”
“Yes, and it’s a gift I don’t take lightly. Thank you, Lily. It will be a special moment for both of us. I imagine one day we’ll be standing out here, waving goodbye to our friends, when all of a sudden, I’ll scoop you up into my arms, carry you upstairs to our bed and make love to you all night long.” There was teasing in his tone.
“Maybe we’d better change the subject. Thinking about it only makes it harder. Besides, I need your help cleaning up the kitchen. I’ll race you,” I said playfully, running into the house with Lucas right on my heels.
Sunday finally arrived, and I couldn’t wait tell my mom the good news. The blessings were with me because she was alert and aware, more than usual actually. When I told her Lucas and I were getting married, she was very happy. She even remembered him and asked after his whereabouts. I also had to tell her that I would be leaving for a few months. That was harder than I thought it would be. I worried that she might forget me while I was away. I told her Meagan would be coming to visit her in my absence. That seemed to please her. She sometimes asked about Meagan.
I don’t know why I cried all the way home. It wasn’t like I was never going to see her again, but with her health continuing to decline, I hated thinking about 3 months spent away from her.
When I arrived home, Lucas was there to greet me, pulling me into his arms at the first sight of my tears.
“Are you sure you can do this?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I have peace about the decision. I know it’s what I’m supposed to do. I love my mom very much—but you’re my future.” I embraced him tighter. “You know what the funny thing is? She was so clear-minded today. It was like a gift to me. I’m really going to miss her.” Then the tears began to flow again.
We arrived in Toronto in the early afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to get settled in before we had to be on set the next morning.
Lucas had spent the entire plane flight filling me in on what to expect. He told me about his friends, what their names were, and what characters they play. Lisa plays his love interest. Vicky, Rebecca, Jared and Jordan play his brothers and sisters. David plays his father. Edie plays his mother, and Landon Carter, is the director. He also said Sylvia Stone would be there, as well as Randall.
The first day on the set was exciting. I got to hang out in the hair and makeup trailer and watch Lucas get transformed into Heath Hamilton. They cut and colored his hair; the color was almost black and, once the contacts were in place, it matched his dark eyes. He talked strictly in his American accent, though I had gotten use to hearing it over the past two weeks, but his new look would take some getting use to. He was still strikingly handsome, maybe even more so.
They didn’t film much on those first few days. Lucas explained the need for promotional shots, which always came before principle photography.
Everyone made me feel very welcome, with the exception of a few women in the makeup department. Lucas shrugged it off saying it was their loss if they didn’t want to get to know me, but it didn’t bother me all that much. After all, it was unreasonable to expect everyone to like me, though secretly I had wished it.
For the most part, everyone seemed happy that Lucas and I were together. I had several people tell me they could see a difference in Lucas from the last time they’d seen him. That was a good feeling. I hope I was making a difference in his life; he was certainly making a difference in mine.
It didn’t take long before I began to feel like part of the family. I felt a special connection with Lisa, Vicky, Rebecca, Jared and Jordan. All seven of us spent most evenings together. We went out to eat at least three nights a week, while the rest of the time I cooked. After we ate, we would hang out at my place for hours talking, laughing, and playing Chess.
Sometimes Lucas and I longed for time alone, but considering that it was becoming harder to fight the temptation to be intimate, it was best that we not have too much alone time. It’s funny, but once we became engaged, it became harder to resist—the mind can make you justify things.
Lucas often left when the rest of them did, so if any of them we wondering if we were having sex, I guess they had their answer.
I have always longed for a big family and it sort of felt like I had one. Jordan, in particularly, was entertaining, though his joking was sometimes over the top.
One night after dinner, we were sitting around talking when, out of the blue, Jordan asked, “So, Lily, how does it feel being the only Christian among all us heathens?” Lucas shot him an incredulous look. “What? I was just curious.”
“Well, since I’m crazy about all of you, I enjoy being around you. Only every once in a while when one of you cusses, it feels strange to me, but other than that, I feel very comfortable here. I hope, more importantly, that you all feel comfortable around me.”
“Don’t be silly,” Vicky responded. “How could anyone not feel comfortable around you, Lily?”
I smiled in response and noticed Lucas looking at me with a proud expression. I guess he liked how I handled that, but the next question proved to be harder to handle.
“So—are you guys ever going to have sex, or what?” Jordan asked unapologetically. All of our mouths fell open in surprise.
“What? Don’t look at me like that. You know you guys want to know too,” he said, looking around at the others.
There was a brief moment of pause before I answered.
“Well, to be honest, it’s really none of your business,” I smirked. “But, since all of you are wondering, we’re waiting until after we’re married.”<
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“So when’s the big day, tomorrow?”
“Actually,” Lucas chimed in, “we haven’t discussed a date yet.”
“Well,” Jared said, “if I were you, I would go ahead and have that discussion, because if I know Lucas, and I do, he’s got to be going crazy.”
I turned to gaze at Lucas with concern, but he just shrugged.
Even though the teasing was light, I thought about what Jared had said. Was Lucas really suffering? I didn’t want my decision to cause him pain. Maybe we should make it a priority and settle on a date.
After everyone left, I wasn’t surprised when Lucas stayed behind.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’m sorry I told them about your faith. Please don’t be angry with me. It’s just that I wanted them to be mindful around you.”
“How can I be mad at you for wanting to protect me? That’s so sweet,” I said, touching his face. “I’m not ashamed of my faith, so it doesn’t bother me that they know. But I am concerned about you.”
“Me, why?”
“I don’t want you to be unhappy or miserable. Is waiting to have sex becoming a problem for you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lily. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I love you, and waiting to have sex might have started out as your vision, but it’s become mine as well. Now, I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy for me, but I believe, like you, that in the end we’ll both be happier for having waited. So don’t worry about me.” He pulled me gently into his arms.
Hearing him say that definitely put me at ease.
“But,” he smiled, pulling back to see my face, “maybe we should talk about that date.”
Chapter Eleven
We received word that Landon’s wife, Stephanie, was planning a special anniversary party to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. The girls and I decided that a shopping spree to find new dresses was in order.
After hours of shopping, we chose a café called Roxy’s to have lunch.
Loving Lily Lavender Page 9