by Sydney Logan
I wondered if the university knew about his fight with Patrick, but I decided not to ask. Matt was a smart kid, and I was sure it was something he’d already considered. We discussed possible majors, and he surprised me by admitting he was considering teaching.
“I’ve had some good teachers,” Matt said, “but you’re the first one who made me realize there could be more to life than just what Sycamore Falls has to offer. You left this place—”
“But I also came back,” I reminded him.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re happy here, right?”
While driving home, I was still pondering the answer to Matt’s question.
Am I happy here?
In so many ways, I was happier than I’d ever been, but did my happiness have anything to do with Sycamore Falls?
Pulling into my driveway, I turned off the ignition and took a long look at my grandma’s beautiful house. After Josh’s death, I’d needed the quiet refuge of home. I’d needed the security and familiarity that came from the faded wallpaper in her kitchen and the chime of the grandfather clock. I’d needed this time to refocus. Regroup. Recharge.
I’d never planned on falling in love.
Never even dreamed it was a possibility.
Suddenly, the screen door flew open, and out he walked, carrying a string of lights. Lucas had been hanging Christmas lights for days. He hadn’t spotted me, so I watched closely while he carefully wound the lights around the wooden beams.
Lucas loved this house, which had been obvious this summer when he’d spent every spare moment renovating it. I could never sell it—the house was far too important to me—but if we moved, we’d have to find someone to take care of it.
I shook my head and took a long, cleansing breath. I couldn’t worry about these things. Not right now. I wanted to enjoy our first Christmas together.
For the first time in my life, I was willing to let the future take care of itself, and I knew that was because of the handsome man who was painstakingly stringing lights around my porch.
Chapter 24
It was Christmas Eve, and Lucas and I were spending the evening with Aubrey and her family. Her little boy was curled up in my lap, watching Rudolph on the plasma screen, while the grown boys were sprawled across the living room floor, carefully assembling the train set we’d bought Daniel for Christmas.
“It was the perfect gift for Tommy,” Aubrey said with a grin.
I smirked. “For Lucas, too.”
The two men had been arguing over the directions for nearly an hour now, but the tracks were finally beginning to take shape as they wound around the Christmas tree.
The night had been full of presents, food, and classic Christmas cartoons. It was as if the adults had secretly decided to ignore our unresolved tension and focus on the little boy’s happiness. We hadn’t even had to force smiles while we baked cookies and played with the presents Daniel had been allowed to open early. There were still plenty of gifts, and I had a feeling Santa would bring more before morning arrived. We’d made a big production of putting milk and cookies under the tree and hanging stockings along the fireplace, happily putting aside our differences to make sure one little boy had a wonderful Christmas Eve.
As I stared at the twinkling lights of the tree, I thought about another boy and how his life would be happier if our differences could be set aside for him, too.
It was late when Daniel finally fell asleep in my lap. Aubrey offered to take him to his bedroom, leaving me on the couch, watching the guys assemble the final pieces. Lucas’s eyes brightened with excitement when a gleeful Tommy reached for the remote.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I warned him. “Your wife might just murder you in your sleep if you wake the baby.”
Their faces fell with disappointment, but Tommy nodded and flipped off the switch on the remote.
“That’s okay,” he said, rising from his place on the floor. “I wanted to talk to you guys, anyway.”
Lucas sat down with me on the couch, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. Tommy sat down in his recliner just as Aubrey returned. She settled herself against the arm of his chair, and I smiled at the irony. There had been time when the three of us would have stood beside each other no matter what.
Those days were gone.
It wasn’t uncomfortable, necessarily, and it wasn’t sad. It was just as it should be. A husband and wife are supposed to support each other and present a united front. I wouldn’t expect anything less from either of them.
Lucas reached for my hand, and I offered him a smile. We might not be wearing wedding rings, but I knew our bond was just as strong.
“Sarah, I owe you an apology.”
Tommy’s voice was soft, and I couldn’t hide my surprise. “An apology?”
“When we were in the principal’s office, I should have defended you . . . not that you needed it. You’re so strong, Sarah. You always were, but I still should’ve stuck up for you.”
“You think I’m upset because you didn’t defend me?”
He shrugged. “We’ve been friends a long time.”
“I didn’t need a friend, Tommy. Your quarterback could have used one, though.”
Lucas squeezed my hand—a silent, subtle reminder to keep my temper in check. I took a deep breath.
“Tommy, I appreciate your apology, but I was never upset with you because you didn’t defend me. Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything I say. I don’t expect that. I just wish you could have been a little more sympathetic to a young man who had played his heart out for you.”
“We both love Matt,” Aubrey whispered. “But, Sarah, surely you don’t agree with the way Matt’s living his life. The Bible says . . .”
“I don’t need a Bible lesson, Aubrey. I know what it says.”
“And she never said she agreed with the way he was living his life,” Lucas offered quietly. “Neither of us can stand to watch Matt be bullied and completely alienated from the town he loves so much.”
“We don’t want that either,” Aubrey said.
Her husband nodded in agreement. “And you’re right. I should have done more to protect him.”
“I’m not asking either of you to ignore your beliefs. I’d just like to think that it’s okay to disagree with him, but still treat him like a human being.”
“His mom told me his depression is getting worse,” Lucas said. “He doesn’t leave the house—except to go to alternative school. Howie is his only friend. He doesn’t even know if he’ll be welcome in church for the Christmas service.”
“No one can keep him out of church,” Tommy reminded us.
“No, but you heard Mullins. They can make him feel so unwelcome he’ll never want to go back.”
“Well, we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Tommy sounded determined, and it warmed my heart. “I’ll call in the morning and invite him and his family to church tomorrow.”
“They could even sit with us,” Aubrey offered.
Lucas and I smiled.
Daniel whimpered from his bedroom, causing Aubrey to bolt off the chair and dash down the hall.
“We should go,” Lucas said.
Tommy walked us to the door, and I’d just stepped out onto the porch when he pulled me in for a hug.
“I really am sorry,” Tommy whispered against my ear.
I hugged him tightly.
“Me too.”
Soft, feathery kisses lingered along my spine, waking me and causing me to tremble. The room was chilly, but that was to be expected when you were naked and the sun had yet to rise.
“Merry Christmas,” Lucas whispered against my skin.
I hummed contently and rolled onto my side. Smiling down at me, he gently stroked my cheek.
“Merry Christmas, Lucas.”
Leaning down, he kissed me softly.
I giggled. “How is it possible you already taste like toothpaste?”
“I’ve be
en awake for a while,” he said with an excited grin. Suddenly, he was out of bed, and I immediately reached for the blanket, missing the warmth of his body. He quickly tossed me a robe. “Get up. It’s Christmas morning, and there are presents to be opened.”
He thought he was being so stealthy. What he didn’t know was I’d seen him through the school office window, signing for a package from our delivery guy, just three days ago. I’d wondered why he hadn’t had the package shipped to the house, but then I understood when I spotted a tiny red and silver box with a pretty bow resting under our Christmas tree later that night.
The curiosity had driven me insane.
“You’re worse than a kid,” I mumbled as he took me by the hand and led me downstairs. We passed the grandfather clock, and I groaned. “Five o’clock? Really? I bet even Daniel is still sleeping.”
Grinning, he swiftly pulled me toward the living room. The Christmas tree lights were already aglow, casting a peaceful light around the otherwise darkened room.
“I couldn’t wait,” he whispered, gently tugging me toward the tree.
I sighed when I noticed the extra presents under the tree that hadn’t been there the night before.
“I thought we’d agreed just one present.”
He dragged me down to the floor. “These are from Santa.”
I rolled my eyes, but his happiness was infectious, so I bit my tongue and took the first present he offered me.
“Lucas, I only bought you one . . .”
Granted, it was an expensive one, but still.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “These are just little things, I promise.”
Sighing, I carefully pulled the bow and lifted the top of the box. Buried inside was a beautiful leather photo album.
“For all of those pictures you took back in the fall.”
“I love it,” I replied, smiling as I flipped through the blank pages. The album was huge. “I didn’t take that many pictures, though.”
“You will someday.”
The rest of the gifts were just as thoughtful. An ornament for our tree with our names engraved, a new cookbook, and a collection of short stories written by Poe.
“Your gift is really for both of us,” I said, offering him the envelope with the plane tickets inside. “I thought we could do what you suggested and visit your parents for New Year’s.”
He smiled down at the tickets in his hand.
“That’s . . . perfect, actually. They’ll be so excited. Thank you.”
I leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, too.”
“You’re welcome,” Lucas said quietly as he reached for the last tiny box. I heard him take a deep breath when he placed it in my palm.
“This has been driving me crazy,” I admitted with a grin, quickly tugging on the silver bow.
“Wait.” He placed his hand over mine, and I noticed his trembling fingers. Curiously, I watched his face as he swallowed nervously and took another deep breath. He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, they looked determined.
That’s when I realized this was important—far more important than I’d ever imagined.
And now, my anxiety was a perfect match to his.
“I love you,” Lucas whispered, his fingers skimming along mine. “I want you to know I meant what I said. I truly want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
My heart hammered in my chest as he lifted the tiny lid. Nestled inside the tissue was a black, velvet box.
“What’s in this box, is . . . very special. It belonged to my grandmother. My dad’s mom. She died before I was born, but she’d passed this down to him.”
He didn’t even have to lift the lid; I knew what was inside. He’d been so secretive the past few months—always online and whispering on the phone. I’d dismissed it all, never once considering the very real possibility he was considering this. He’d dropped so many hints, and I’d ignored them, assuming he was talking about some time in the distant future.
I had no idea my future would arrive on Christmas morning.
With unsteady fingers, he finally lifted the lid.
Growing up, I’d never really imagined what my engagement ring would look like, but as I gazed down at the silver band and its shimmering diamonds, I knew this was it.
It was simple and undeniably pretty, with a square diamond in the center of a platinum band.
“Do you like it?” His voice was laced with hope.
Tears filled my eyes. “I love it.”
His relief was evident.
“My mom wanted her own ring,” Lucas said, laughing nervously as he lifted it from its case, “so they saved this one for me.” He took my left hand and slipped it on my finger. “I’ve been saving it for you.”
My tears were uncontrollable now, and he gently pulled me into his lap.
“Please marry me,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
All I could do was nod, but for him, that was enough.
“Joy to the World” was floating in the air in the little country church. It was the perfect song, because I’d never felt more joyous. Lucas was by my side, holding my left hand and running his finger along the band of his grandmother’s ring.
His smile was endless.
My smile was endless, and it only brightened when I saw Tommy had kept his word. Matt and his mother were sitting with us, and it didn’t matter that some of the longtime members of the church were pointedly ignoring their presence. There were many, many more who stopped by our pew just to say hello and to welcome him back, and the effect it had on Matt was obvious.
Matt’s smile was endless, too.
My hand was wrapped in Lucas’s palm, but the shimmering band on my finger was impossible to hide. During the prayer, I heard Aubrey’s quiet gasp, and I lifted my eyes to find hers gazing at our joined hands. She smiled brightly and elbowed Tommy, and Lucas and I tried to contain our laughter.
The entire service was filled with Christmas hymns, and I sang louder than ever. Perhaps my happiness could be blamed on the Christmas spirit. It might even be blamed on the Holy Spirit.
Today, maybe it was a little of both.
Chapter 25
Life always has a way of reminding that you can make all the plans you like, but Mother Nature is always in control.
“It’s a blizzard!” I groaned loudly as scenes from the Northeast flashed across the television screen. Manhattan had received nearly a foot of snow.
“Sixty mile per hour winds, according to my dad.” Lucas handed me a bottle of water before sitting down next to me on the couch. “I’ve already contacted the airline and changed our reservations. Our flight would have been cancelled, anyway.”
I couldn’t hide my disappointment. We’d been so excited to see his parents. On Christmas day, we’d called and told them about our engagement, and his mother had sobbed like a baby.
“You’ll love New York in the springtime.”
“We could have used some time away from this place,” I muttered.
Spring Break was just too far away, although you wouldn’t know it by the weather outside our window. While his parents were braving a blizzard, our temperatures were now hovering in the fifties.
“Mountain weather is so strange,” Lucas said as we watched our local forecast. The rest of the week was much of the same—scattered rain showers and above normal temperatures.
“We had a white Christmas,” I reminded him.
He was actually pouting, and I giggled at the wounded expression on his face. I grabbed the remote and turned off the depressing weather forecast before climbing into his lap. His pout turned into a sexy smirk when I wiggled against him.
“Marry me,” he said softly, nuzzling my cheek.
“I already said yes.”
“Actually, you didn’t,” Lucas muttered, trying so hard to sound serious. “You just nodded.”
He was right. A nod was all I’d been capable of in the moment. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck a
nd pulled myself closer to his chest.
“Yes,” I whispered against his lips.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
A soft, contented smile crept across his face. “Today?”
“Now, you’re pushing it. Your mother would kill us both.”
“That’s true,” he admitted with a sigh. “Do you have a date in mind?”
“Eager, Mr. Miller?”
“Slightly.”
“Hmm.” I really hadn’t thought much about setting a date. Of course, we’d only been engaged a few days. I couldn’t be sure, but I didn’t think Lucas would want a long engagement. “Maybe June?”
He smiled. “I like June. Do you want a church wedding?”
I shook my head. “Not unless you do. I think I want it outdoors.”
“We could get married here,” Lucas suggested, his arms tightening around me. “Right in the front yard.”
Suddenly, I had an idea. “What about at the falls?”
His face brightened, and we spent the next hour discussing wedding plans. We just wanted a small ceremony, overlooking the falls, surrounded by our closest family and friends.
I had a brief pang of sadness when I thought of my parents and grandma, but Lucas reminded me his family was now mine, and I’d never be alone again.
The New Year came and went, and before I could blink, school was back in session. The news of our engagement was thankfully overshadowed by talk of college acceptance letters, and the entire month of January was filled with excited seniors announcing which schools they’d been admitted, and which colleges were offering the best scholarships. The local community college in Winslow always offered scholarships to the top ten percent of our graduating class, but seniors with big dreams and unrealistic expectations rarely gave the little college a second glance.
I could relate, because once upon a time, I’d been one of those students.
“Community college is for people who can’t get accepted to a real school,” Carrie said as she breezed into the room. “Or for people who can’t afford to go anywhere else.”