His Sister's Wedding

by Carol Rose

  Luke had stepped out of his childhood prepared to trust his heart, willing to risk the pain his mother and father's divorce inflicted on him. And then, the worst had happened again.

  Another woman left him in the name of love.

  "Luke," she said abruptly, as she stepped back to give him more room. "Melanie mentioned that you were engaged once."

  "Hand me that sponge." He stroked the damp surface of the wallpaper, smoothing out the bubbles.

  "Were you? Engaged?"

  "What?" he said, looking up with a frown in his eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. Here, hold that edge. No, over there."

  "How old were you?" she asked, ducking under his outstretched arm to tug the paper into place.

  "There. That's better." He reached up to trim the excess paper at the top, his strong body brushing hers again. "You know, these close quarters have distinct advantages."

  His smile widened suggestively.

  "You must have been young," Lillie persevered, despite his lack of encouragement about the subject and the distracting fact that she stood between the strength of his hard body and the wall.

  "Old enough," he said before reaching for the measuring tape again. "No, don't move. I like you right there. This one's the same length as the last."

  "How old is that?" she whispered as he leaned into her, the length of his powerful body disrupting thought.

  "Seventy-two and a half inches," Luke teased, his gaze dropping to her mouth. "Or nineteen years, which ever number you prefer."

  Lillie put her hand on his chest. "You must have been very hurt when she broke it off."

  "I don't remember," he said, his voice husky as he bent, pressing his open mouth against her neck.

  "Ahhhh." Lillie couldn't think, her back pressed against the damp wallpaper, his damp mouth pressed against her. "Wait, Luke...we need to talk...."

  "Go ahead, I'm listening," he said as his hand slid her overall strap off her shoulder.

  She swallowed hard as heat coursed through her. "What was her name?"

  "Mmmm?" Luke's questing hands found her breasts under the brief t-shirt.

  "Did you love her?" The words seemed torn from Lillie's throat as he dropped her overalls in a puddle at her feet.

  "Who?" he said as his mouth covered hers.

  Lillie opened beneath the stroke of his tongue, sinking into the red hot haze of his hands on her body. He kissed her long and hard, stroking her panties down to cup her bare bottom and bring her hard against him.

  Struggling to find coherent thought, Lillie knew she needed to hear his answer, needed to know if he still held that other woman in his heart.

  In a sudden movement, he lifted Lillie up on to the sink, the cool tile a shock against her hot flesh.

  "The woman you were engaged to," Lillie said with a hiss as he stepped between her legs. "Did you love her?"

  "What woman?" he muttered. "Are there other women?"

  * * *

  Luke gathered up the scraps of wallpaper littering the bathroom floor, a deep sense of contentment pervading him. He couldn't imagine a better day. A messy job well-done and some really great sex thrown into the middle of it.

  Damn, Lillie was beautiful. Sweet and sexy as hell. What other woman would welcome hard, fast sex in the middle of a sweaty, involved job like wallpapering?

  She was the best. Charming and earnest. Warmth and kindness all the way through.

  The questions about Angie had come out of left field until he thought about it. What was more natural than wondering about the lovers who'd come before? Hell, he'd wondered about that himself. What other man had kissed Lillie's red lips? Did she have comparisons in her mind when they tussled between the sheets? Had she had lovers who were thoughtless and unkind?

  Of course, her complete responsiveness left little doubt that he pleased her. That kind of assurance made a man feel ten feet tall. It only seemed fair to reassure her in turn.

  She obviously had a lot of questions about the women in his past, too.

  He shoved the last of the wallpaper scraps into the trash bag.

  For all her intelligence and apparent confidence, Lillie sometimes seemed to have an almost charming self-doubt. The clouded hesitancy in her eyes made him want to catch her up and kiss her over and over again until she had no question about how special she was.

  She wondered about how he felt about Angie. Naturally.

  Yet, never had a woman face less threat. Angie's memory had long since faded for him. The years since they broke up had left only the impression of misguided youthful foolishness when he looked back. Sure, he'd learned not to trust fickle women. Learned to be less vulnerable. But that was it. No leftovers.

  Luke dumped the water out of the wallpaper pan.

  Lillie had nothing to worry about. He'd convince her of that. In time, she'd realize how fabulous he thought her, how completely terrific. In all his adult life, he'd never known a woman so completely open and responsive to life, so filled with warmth and light.

  Truthfully, she was everything he wanted in a woman. Now that they'd gotten beyond the hearts and flowers nonsense, she had to see how perfectly they meshed.

  They'd practically lived together these past two weeks and he never tired of her presence, never felt crowded.

  Everything was really, really good.

  Whatever she'd thought she needed from a lover, he apparently was managing to supply. He'd gotten no hint of dissatisfaction from her.

  Of course, he'd done his damndest. He wanted her satisfied, satiated. Happy with him.

  They even worked together well. An incredible bonus. Hell, they'd wallpapered this hole of a bathroom without snapping at each other once. He'd never had a relationship that survived home improvements before.

  Yeah, everything was great.

  * * *

  "Melanie?" Lillie cradled the phone against her shoulder.

  "Hey," the younger woman answered affectionately. "How are things going?"

  "Very well," Lillie replied, ignoring the nervous flutters in her stomach. "Did your bridesmaids have much to say about the dress we settled on?"

  Melanie chuckled. "You bet. Sara, my maid of honor told me she was very relieved when she saw it. She's been in three weddings in the last year and each one had ghastly bridesmaid dresses. You and Luke did good."

  "I'm glad she liked it," Lillie said, fingering the phone cord as she tried to think of a way to steer the conversation in the direction she wanted. "Did the other girls seem as pleased?"

  "Absolutely," Mel assured her. "All four of them were really happy, which is amazing. We usually can't agree on where to have lunch, much less what clothes to buy."

  "Yes. I'm glad it's working out." Lillie got up to pace around her desk, tugging the phone with her. "Well, we still have to arrange the final fittings. I was lucky to be able to find a place there to do that for us."

  "You're a wizard," Melanie said. "I have to admit to some qualms about letting Luke help pick the dresses, but he did good."

  "Yeah, he's a real fashion fan," Lillie said, hearing the dry note in her own voice. She hadn't confided in her soon-to-be sister-in-law about just how "helpful" Luke had been in choosing the dress.

  But then she hadn't let Scott or Melanie know anything about what was happening between she and Luke. It was all too unsettled, too fierce and fresh to share. And besides, what the heck would she say? They were sleeping together, having an affair, planning a future? She didn't even know herself.

  So here she was trying to pump an unsuspecting Melanie about her brother. She felt like a heel, but she wasn't letting a few scruples stop her. This was too important.

  The last few weeks had been blissful, filled with laughter and passion. But still he said nothing, no mention of his feelings for her, no real suggestion of a future together.

  The faint thread of uncertainty in her grew larger and larger every day, threatening to coil around her heart and strangle the life out of her. Did Luke love her?

  She'd
called Melanie today to get information. It was as simple as that. One way or the other, she had to know about Angie and how the woman had broken Luke's heart.

  "So, you got the caterer all set up?" Melanie asked.

  Lillie leaned back against the desk. "Yes. It's taken care of. And I'm working out a cake-tasting appointment with the baker."

  "Yum. That should be fun."

  "Uhh, yeah. Listen," Lillie plunged in, "I've been thinking about this thing with Luke and your mother and his whole opposition to your getting married."

  "You know, I talked with him on the phone the other day and he only mentioned once about my not getting married," Melanie marveled. "You must be having a good effect on him. Sweet talking him, I'll bet."

  "I don't know about that," Lillie hedged, pushing aside the sudden memory of just how sweetly she'd talked to him that very morning while he tormented her with sensual delight. "Uh, Luke still seems to think you guys are too young."

  "Yes, but he's not threatening to kidnap me anymore," Mel laughed. "I sense progress is being made. I knew you could do it."

  "Oh, please," Lillie said, "don't credit me with anything. Your brother has a mind of his own."

  "Don't I know it," Luke's sister replied in laughing disgust. "He's one pig-headed man."

  "Yes," Lillie sighed. "But I've been thinking about why he's so anti-romance. Didn't you tell me he was engaged once?"

  "Engaged? Oh, yes. Her name was Angie, but it was a long time ago."

  "Um, yes." Lillie stumbled on. "He mentioned that name once, but I never did understand what happened between them."

  "Geez," Melanie said. "Didn't I tell you about that?"

  "No," Lillie responded, keeping the irony out of her voice. "You just said something about Angie falling out of love with him and breaking it off."

  "Yes. They were both pretty young at the time. She was seventeen and Luke was nineteen, I guess. I kind of wonder if that isn't why he's been so set against my getting married young."

  "He was only nineteen?" The sudden vision of a youthful, heart-broken Luke tore at Lillie's heart. Now that she thought about it, when they were working in the bathroom he'd said something about being nineteen when Angie broke their engagement. Lillie just hadn't remembered it because of the things he'd been doing with his hands at the time.

  "He must have been very hurt," she said.

  "I think so," Melanie agreed. "I was pretty young myself back then, but Angie had been Luke's girlfriend for three or four years. They got engaged when she graduated high school."

  Lillie closed her eyes and cradled the phone closer. His first, longtime love. A stab of jealousy went through her. What she'd have given for a heart-whole Luke to have loved her in high school. If only they'd found each other then.

  "It was really weird," Melanie said, her voice softer. "That summer, Angie kind of went wild. Started hanging out late at night. Standing Luke up on dates. I still remember how baffled and upset he seemed."

  Choking back a growing anger, Lillie tried to remember what seventeen felt like. And Luke could be...overbearing, at times. Maybe the girl just needed some freedom. Maybe she wasn't a heartless, wanton floozy.

  "Did she cheat on him?" Lillie struggled to get the words past the lump in her throat.

  Melanie hesitated. "I don't know about that. I've always sort of thought that was what happened, but Luke never said anything to me about it."

  "Did she know...about your mother?" Lillie asked, trying to sort through the emotions swirling in her. "Did she know?"

  Melanie paused. "I think...she had to know some of it. Angie and Luke went to school together a long time. He knew her back when Mom left. But I don't know how much he talked to Angie. He was young, you know. A young guy doesn't always talk about things like that. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with Scott. He was so open about losing your Mom and Dad and how much he missed them."

  "Yes," Lillie said sadly. "Losing a parent is always hard, but Scott and I always knew we were loved. For whatever reason, your mother voluntarily walked away from you and Luke. And then, Angie did, too."

  "Yes," Melanie said. "I'm hoping he can forgive Mom, after all this time. For his own sake."

  "Me, too." Lillie felt tears prickle behind her eyes.

  Somehow, he had to find a way to forgive the women who'd foolishly hurt him or he'd hang on to his cynicism and keep shielding his heart from the very thing he needed most. Love.

  Somehow, she had to find a way to convince him she wasn't like the others. She loved him with every part of her. If only he could see it.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The house smelled of pumpkin pies and roasting turkey.

  Lillie wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and smiled. Thanksgiving always seemed like the purest holiday to her. Family and loved ones. Gratitude and appreciation for all they had.

  This year that meant Scott and Melanie...and Luke. The people she loved most in the world.

  From the living room, the raucous noise of televised football provided a backdrop. It was quieter in the kitchen. The warmth from the oven left her face flushed, but she didn't mind. This was the best Thanksgiving since her parents' death.

  Their loss still brought a rush of sadness, but now there was also a sense of new beginnings. She'd had the blessing of two loving parents and today that seemed even more poignant, now that she loved Luke. Would the two of them ever be as happy as her parents had been?

  Opening the oven door an inch, Lillie peered inside, something she'd seen her mother do a dozen Thanksgivings. She let the door ease shut and suddenly found herself wondering if she'd have a daughter with which to share these simple moments.

  Right now, with Scott's and Melanie's voices mingling in laughter from the other room, Lillie could imagine a houseful of cousins. God, she wanted Luke to love her, to realize how good it could be between them.

  "Lillie?" Mel stuck her head through the doorway. "Are you sure nothing else needs to be done?

  "Yes. Everything's under control. I really appreciated your help with the vegetables, though." She took off her apron and followed Melanie into the living room.

  Luke looked up from the game, his gaze brushing over her face intimately.

  She looked away, conscious of the urge to go and sit next to him, to snuggle in his arms. Of course, she couldn't. Not with Melanie and Scott looking on.

  Luke had never said anything about not wanting their siblings to know about their relationship. Neither had Lillie, but still, for some reason, it was a secret. An unspoken agreement between them.

  Lillie sank into a chair across the room as Scott and Luke spontaneously yelped in protest of a play on the television screen.

  "What's the matter with them?" Scott demanded. "Didn't they see that coming? Who's calling those plays?"

  "I don't know," Luke responded, "but they've only got thirty seconds. This game is lost."

  Ten minutes later, when she went into the kitchen to check on the pies, Lillie knew instantly when Luke followed her. She flashed him a smile over her shoulder as she cracked the upper oven door to get a closer look at the pie.

  "Smells great," Luke said, bending to nuzzle her neck.

  "Thanks--"

  The phone rang just as she bent to peek at the turkey.

  "I'll get it," he said, reaching for the receiver. "Hello?"

  Almost immediately, his expression changed. Lillie felt as if she were watching a shade lowered across his features.

  "Yes, it's me," he said. "Happy Thanksgiving to you, too."

  The meaning of the phrase was warm, but his delivery of it seemed strangely distant and formal. Who could be calling?

  The kitchen door opened as Melanie sailed through.

  "You're not letting that pie burn, are you?" she asked gaily, coming to a halt midway across the kitchen as her gaze fell on Luke.

  "Yes,...Janet," Luke said, still in that distant voice. "We're both here with Melanie's fiance's family."

  "Mother
?" Melanie hissed. "You're talking to Mother?"

  Luke hushed her with a frown. "Ummm, the wedding preparations are fine. Moving along."

  Her hand still on the oven door, Lillie felt frozen in place, immobilized by the tension crackling through the room. She watched as Melanie went to stand next to Luke, a parade of emotions across the younger girl's face.

  "Luke?" she said to her brother, mouthing the word. "Invite her over for dinner."

  He glanced down, frowning as he gripped the receiver to his ear. "Mmm, yes. It's a lot of work."

  "Luke!" Melanie hissed again.

  Lillie felt her heart hammering in her ears, a breathless hope clogging her throat. Janet Howard had been a less than perfect mother. She'd made a lot of mistakes and maybe she didn't deserve to be forgiven.

  But Luke needed to forgive her. Otherwise, he'd never be able to move on, to give himself permission to love.

  Moving away from the oven, Lillie picked up a dish cloth to wipe off the counter. But she couldn't make herself turn away from the pair next to the phone.

  "Invite her over," Melanie said, her words crisp now.

  "It's Lillie's house," he reminded her, his hand over the mouth piece.

  "Lillie doesn't mind," Mel retorted, her expression both insistent and beseeching. "Ask her."

  Luke looked at his sister for a long moment before glancing to where Lillie stood waiting. Their gazes tangled briefly before he turned back to his sister.

  "Ah, listen," he said into the phone a moment later. "I know it's short notice, but maybe you'd like to...join us for dinner."

  He looked at Lillie again, his face wiped of any expression. "Yes, we'd like you to come over."

  Lillie felt the tension trickle out of her. There was no mistaking the reluctance with which he'd made the gesture, but, at least, he'd made it. Progress sometimes came slowly, but it was still progress.

  She could understand his struggle. This woman had abandoned him to go live with her lover. Inviting her back into his world at this point must feel like saying the past didn't matter. And, clearly, Luke lived everyday with the results of the past.