“Malcolm, I…”
“There’s no need to explain any further. Trying to win you over is what got you here in the first place. I can’t stop you from wanting what you want.” He took my unharmed hand in his and kissed my knuckles lightly. “It’s okay.”
“I appreciate you being so calm about this and not…” I paused, trying to think of the right word.
“And not what? A psychopath who tries to kill you? No, that’s not my style. Plus, you’d never catch me in a pickup truck. Ever.” He smiled wide revealing his pearly white teeth. Relief rushed through me.
“Yeah, something like that.” I giggled back.
Since Malcolm left that day, and hasn’t come back since, I haven’t had many visitors. Grandma gets here when she can, but her summers are filled with social event after social event. She’s not the one I really want to see anyway. Whom I’m longing for is across the pond back in his home probably getting along just fine without me.
I’m finally being released from the hospital though, so there’s a plus right there.
I have to walk on crutches, which is hard with a broken arm, but I get the hang of it soon. The full extent of my injuries are as follows:
A broken left arm
A broken right leg, broken in four different spots I might add
Three bruised ribs
An almost entirely black and blue body
And a fractured collarbone
It is painful to say the least.
When Kip helps me into the house I walk into a decorated living room complete with a pink and white banner that reads “Welcome Home Lucy”. My whole family complete with all my aunts and uncles and their kids, even my smiling mother and father, beam with happiness as I walk through the door. I know it’s fake, but I take it all in anyways. I’m passed around the room for hugs and the last hug I get is from a Malcolm. I’m stunned at first, not sure how I feel about seeing him so soon again after our talk, but then I’m happy. I think if I can keep a friendship with anyone it would be Malcolm. After all we were such good friends as kids.
“I’m glad you’re here.” I tell him and use him to steady myself as I give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Good, I was worried you’d be upset, and I wasn’t sure if Simon would be here.” He is still unaware of the letter I have received. He doesn’t know that I let him go, but I still am not with Simon like I wanted. I tried calling Simon once or twice but there was no answer and I’m not about pestering.
“Yeah, about that. Simon’s gone. He left before I even had a chance to tell him.” I brace myself for backlash.
“What are you waiting for? You need to go to him!” Malcolm beams. He seems more gung ho about this plan that I could ever be. Go to him?
“What am I supposed to do? Hobble onto a plane and jet set off to London to find a man that may or may not want me?”
“Yes!” I’m shocked by his enthusiasm. “Trust me Lucy, he’s going to want you. He won’t reject you. You didn’t see his face the night you were lying in that hospital bed unconscious. I did. It was a look of desperate never dying love. I tried to tell myself that you may still have feelings for me and only me, but I knew from that very look on his face that he was going to be the one for you. You’re very own pasty white British prince charming. Now you have to go.” His speech leaves me breathless once again. Breathless for Simon.
“Kathleen?” Malcolm hollers over everyone’s chatter.
“Yes?”
“Go pack Lucy a bag. Pack for London in summer, Kip go pull that car around again, we’re going to need it.” Malcolm’s new take charge attitude about me and my love life is making me hot, but I quickly shake those images and thoughts of him naked and on top of me out of my head and focus on his crazy task at hand.
“Malcolm? Are you crazy?” I frantically press.
“No Lucy, I’m determined. I’m not the one for you and that’s fine, I’ve accepted it, but I still want to see you happier than anyone I know and this is how. You can’t just shrug him off like he’s nothing.” He sighs. “You stubborn little girl. Just listen to me please. My jet is all gassed up and ready to jet set you off to London where you can hobble around and find your true love.” He finishes with a toothy grin. His happiness is genuine and it warms me. How could I say no?
Chapter 37
I do just as Malcolm says and board his classy lavish jet to go find Simon. To find my happiness in the one man that I can say I honestly love with all my heart and more. The butterflies that call my stomach their home are doing back flips as I try and relax in the oversized leather chair in the quiet jet. I’m all alone. Aside from the pilots in the cockpit and the one stewardess who checks on me every hour or so. The flight is nearly eight hours long and I will time to move faster but have no luck. It’s been three and a half hours and I feel like the walls of the roomy plane are closing in on me even though I have enough room to perform full on tumbling stunts and some intense yoga if necessary. But all I can think about is the fact that Simon may reject me… my stupid girl brain just will not shut off.
I’ve never even been as nervous as I am right now getting ready to ring Simon’s doorbell and confess my unconditional love for him hoping and praying he won’t slam the door in my face. Naturally he’s not home. Because why would my luck be any better? Maybe I don’t deserve what I think I do. Maybe I’m not supposed to be happy. The butterflies speed up.
I want to call his cell, but I also want me being here to be a surprise, so I sit down on the steps to his building and pull out one of my many read worn out Jane Austen books or I daydream as I think about our reunion and I can’t wait for him to get home, but he never does.
I came here in such a whirlwind and with no thoughts of any of this possibly happening so I didn’t make any arrangements for a hotel. I think about all the places that he could be right now, but I’m too insecure about whether or not he’ll be happy I’m here or not and if he happens to be with friends at the bar or God forbid on a date I wouldn’t be able to ever show my face to anyone again; even if they didn’t know the whole embarrassing story. So I pull up hotels on my smart phone and hope that I can find one at such short notice. Preferably one not located in a back alley. After calling three hotels I finally have luck and summon a cab to take me there. Telling myself I will try again with Simon tomorrow. Or maybe I’ll just give in and call him.
I hobble on my crutches up to my hotel room feeling defeated. I stare at my phone debating on whether or not to officially decide to call him or not, but I just can’t make my fingers dial. So it rings for me.
“Hello?!” I say eagerly. Thinking it might be Simon. Thinking he might be hearing the brain waves I’m sending through the city willing him to come to me.
“Hey! How’d it go?” Malcolm booms through the receiver. I’m disappointed it isn’t Simon, not that he would know to call me, but I’m also happy it’s Malcolm.
“He’s not home. I don’t know where he is. I got a hotel room and I’m going to sleep off this jet lag and go back in the morning. Thank you for everything Malcolm.”
“Did you call him?”
“Uhm. No.” But even I can’t think of a good enough reason not to have called him because really there isn’t one. I’m just being a chicken.
“That might be something you want to try…”
“Maybe. I’m pretty tired right now.” I lie.
“Okay. You got a good hotel right? I can call and get you a penthouse suite somewhere. Just say the word.” He offers.
“Not necessary, but thank you. I got a very nice and accommodating room at The Landmark. It’s beautiful.” I assure him warmly. “I’m going to rest now. I’ll text you tomorrow.” He wishes me luck again and we hang up.
I can’t be as unlucky as I was today tomorrow. I just can’t be. This place is big, but how many places could he actually be? And plus… he has to return home eventually. But what if I can’t find him?
I nod off and dream of Simon. They are the sweetes
t of dreams that leave me crying in my sleep.
Chapter 38
Hours of steamy dreaming later I wake to a gentle touch on my face. Thinking for a moment that I’m still dreaming I embrace the touch and let out a low throaty moan. Then I realize I’m awake and why is there someone in my room?!
My eyelids snap open and I sit up in an instant ready to kick and punch whatever body parts I need to.
“Woah there.” Simon says holding up his hands in surrender.
“Simon?!” I yelp and without hesitation throw my arms around him and I just can’t help but burst into tears. I bring my hot pink arm cast down a little too hard onto his back and he grunts. To have him here is overwhelming. Maybe he did hear my pleas for him to come find me. Maybe he can read my mind. Maybe he does love me like I love him.
“Oh! I’m sorry.” I pull away. He stares at me quizzically, and I return the look. But… how did he know I was here? As much as I’d like to believe that magically brain waves floated through the London night and brought him to me I know that’s not possible.
“Lucy, what are you doing here?” His brow furrows.
“I could ask you the same question, Mr.” I try and remain firm, but also light.
“I live here.”
“I mean my hotel room smart ass!” I giggle. Always making jokes, but I love it.
“I received a phone call from that tosser Malcolm. Who I guess is a pretty good guy.”
“Malcolm? What?” I scratch my head in confusion. Wishing I could scratch my leg under this stifling cast with the same intensity. Simons examines my broken parts and looks tormented, but he goes on.
“Yeah, he called me and said you were here looking for me. He told me how you let him down gently but didn’t tell him that I had left. He had no clue. Which surprised me.”
“I didn’t want to make him feel any worse. I already had to explain to him that I didn’t want to be with him because I was too much in love with you. How could I possibly tell him that I wasn’t going to be with you?” I try to explain though not even I understand why.
“Right. So he bribed the desk clerk to give me your room number and a key. Hence the reason I’m in your room and there is no place I’d rather be and I’m terribly sorry for leaving you yet again.” He begins to stroke my cheek again and this time I lean into it.
“So, you don’t want me to leave?” My insecurities rising higher than ever before now that he’s in front of me and all my cards are laid out on the table for him. I wonder if I’ve made a mistake.
“You don’t want to slap me around a bit for leaving you?” He asks.
“Mmmm, a little, at first” I smirk. “I mean, your letter hurt me more than the accident did, but I understood on some level. You didn’t know that before I thought I was going to die all I could think of was you.” And for once it isn’t me who is the one crying. Simon’s eyes fill quickly and there is no stopping it. He hangs his head low and shakes with each sob. I pull his chin up to look at me and shake my head back and forth. “No, Simon, please this is good. Please don’t cry, it’s okay! I promise. I’m here, you’re here, we’re here alive and together…” and before I can go any further his lips are on mine.
Those lips that I have been dreaming about and wanting for weeks now; the same lips that showed me what real love was a little over a year ago, but ripped my heart out and stomped all over it until there was nothing left at all.
I feel alive and electric. Nothing can stop me or hurt me now because I have what I need - the thing that everyone searches for are their lives and sometimes never find. I have my one true-unquestionably-stunning-and-ever-so-matchless love. I will forever be on cloud nine and I have only one man to thank for it. Simon Basford is the one heart that I can honestly and truly love for the rest of our lives and forever after.
It’s just one single kiss but it lasts for what feels like a lifetime. No – a thousand lifetimes and in each one we are together and we are happy.
“Does this mean you won’t kick me out of London this time?” I have to ask.
“This is a much happier place with you in it Lucy, and unfortunately you can never leave. Unless you bring a little bit of London with you… and of course I do mean myself.”
“Well of course!”
“I love you.” I kiss him again as I wipe away his remaining tears.
“I love you too Lucy. Always.”
Epilogue
“Suzette! SUZETTE!”
“Yeah Lucy… Jeez I’m not deaf!”
“Well, I have been calling your name for like ten minutes now. I need you to help with these stupid clasps.” I groan at my best friend who’s frantically running around but purposely trying to avoid me at the moment. I told her I would make her pay for her behavior one day.
“Lucy. Breathe. We have plenty of time.” She reassures.
“Okay. You’re right. I just want to get started already.”
“I know you do. I know.”
Twenty minutes later the two of us are dazzling and ready to make that long walk down the flowing white aisle. Every little girl dreams of this day. The day that she is going to marry the love of her life, and it is finally happening to me.
Suzette walks ahead of me and I hang back patiently awaiting my cue. Anxiously waiting to see my soon-to-be husband waiting for me at that lavish altar set up in the middle of the Tower Bridge. I’m also a nervous wreck because to avoid the noisy sound of cars on the road we are getting married in the elevated portion of the bridge and I’m trying not to look out the windows. But soon it’s my turn to walk.
I round the corner and see Simon beaming and waiting for me to join him. I can’t get down the aisle fast enough and I’m afraid I walk a much quicker pace than what was rehearsed. Good thing this wedding is for no one but us. There’s hardly any family around to judge. Just us two, Suzette and Adam, some of Simon’s friends, and Malcolm – who has actually become one of our closest friends in the past three years and will be the Godfather of our baby boy due in just a few months. Along with his wife Laura who is easily one of the kindest people I have ever met and is the definition of perfection for Malcolm.
“As per request from the bride this is to be a painless ceremony. One filled with love in place of stale vows and useless traditions.” Our justice of the peace states. Simon said I had free reign on how I wanted this ceremony to go, and this is it. Short, sweet and to the point. I waited enough and went through a ton of crap to get here so when the time finally came I needed to be able to call this man my husband as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
“So, Lucy Whitten, do you take Simon Basford to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.” I’ve been waiting too long to say that.
“And Simon Basfo--”
“I DO!”
Acknowledgements
I want to start by thanking one of my tiniest employees ever, Selena Cruz. Without her curiosity for a story with a “love-box” then I would’ve never started writing this book. I love you little one, mahalo!
Now for those that helped me through this insane process and put up with meas I stayed up all night writing and revising. Jaimie Balaban, one of my best friends, read my very first draft and gave me the confidence to actually do something more than just let the words rot on my laptop. I’m forever in her debt.
To my other beta readers: Rachel Emmert, Amy Bosica, and Rachel Smith, I love you ladies! Everyone had such great feedback that I believe I’ve written this book to the best of my ability.
An extra special thank you to Agathe Dupre! Who not only read my manuscript twice, but also took on the role as editor. I cannot thank her enough for catching the mistakes made due to writing while sleepy.
And last but not least to Chinah Pond (Iggy Marauder), who created the fantastic cover art for this book and let me watch the whole process via Skype. I may have gotten misty-eyed a few times that night.
Of course what kind of person would I be if I forgot the reader? If you are
reading this I thank you from the bottom of my heart. A book wouldn’t be anything without its reader.
About the Author
Kylie Kaemke is a 25 year old fangirl who hates hugs but love high fives. She’s been writing things here and there since childhood and is hoping to achieve her dream of becoming a published author. Heavy Hearts is her debut self-published novel, and there will be more to come in the future. She lives in Woodstock, IL with her husband and manages a movie theater. Besides books, movies are Kylie’s passion. If she’s not writing or reading she has her eyes glued to any good film.
Follow Kylie on Twitter: @Truly_Dauntless
Instagram: alwayseditingmylife and
Tumblr: kyliekaemke.tumblr.com
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