Will’s hand runs down my side and rests on the back of my leg as he lifts it to meet his hip. My fingers rake through his hair and tears of elation sting my eyes. I’ve waited so long to feel this influx of emotions, uncertain if I ever would again. I’m doing my best to savor every second because I know Will is going to retreat any second now. When it seems like we’ve been kissing forever, he releases my lips and my leg and brushes the hair from my eyes, not leaving his place over me. I gave up arguing with him about his overly chivalrous behavior when it comes to our make-out sessions a long time ago. I came to actually cherish the moment. Will shows more restraint than the average guy. Each time he forces himself to break away, he proves that he is anything but average.
“You…are…” he begins.
“…completely in love with you,” I finish. “Was it devastating thinking you were gone forever? Yes. Did all of that go away the second I saw you in front of me? Absolutely. I love you Will and I would endure all of it again if it meant being here with you like this.”
“I love you. I’m the luckiest guy in the world that I get to call you mine.” He smiles and traces my face with his fingers. I close my eyes and delight in every surge of pleasure that it brings.
“We’re lucky,” I say, raking my fingers through his now-longer hair. “Like Luke and Claire. I would tell you not to forget to be here by six tomorrow night for their anniversary dinner, but you spend fourteen hours a day here!” I laugh and Will kisses me before taking my hand and sitting me up.
“That’s right! I’m just buying my time until I can spend the other ten hours with you. I still think about the morning I got to wake up with you in my arms. Seeing your face as soon as my eyes opened was a gift like no other. It’s what kept me going those months we were apart.” Will holds his gaze on me and I’m entranced by the sparkle of his blue eyes in the dimming light of dusk. I touch my ring and remember all the promises we made…promises that I know will come to fruition one day.
I sigh heavily thinking about the craziness I’m facing with Marcus, wishing he would just go away forever. Even though we know where he is, it doesn’t seem like we can really, truly relax. If Marcus starts to move, we’ll be on lockdown with even more strict protection from Furtick. I trust Luke and know that he’s doing everything to get it resolved so I don’t want to waste the time I have with Will worrying about any of that. It’s just so frustrating knowing that my life in Tallahassee was supposed to be free from anything that would threaten me. My life is my relationship with Will, but Marcus is ruining everything.
“C’mon. We have work to do for dinner tomorrow night,” I say clearing my head and pulling Will up to stand. Marcus’ whereabouts are known and he’s not anywhere near here, so I’m going to live my new life with Will just as he’s intended.
“We have work? I thought I was just supposed to show up and look good,” Will takes me by the waist and gives me a tickle.
“You do that anyway. I’m helping you diversify your giftings, now let’s go!” I give him a quick kiss before taking him by the hand and leading him back to the house.
*****
The anniversary party for Luke and Claire is going perfectly. Eliana and I make a great team in the kitchen. The biggest challenge is keeping Claire out of the way, which has become Luke and Will’s job. Despite the few times we have to force Claire out, we manage to make and surprise Luke and Claire with all of their favorite dishes and they love them.
As we sit down to eat Luke toasts Claire’s grace and beauty, which makes Claire cry. Then Claire toasts Luke’s strength and charm, which also makes Claire cry.
Will and I can’t help but feel closer in this moment. He holds me tight and whispers that’s how I love you, only more when Luke finishes his touching tribute to his bride. We want so much to have what Luke and Claire have. Their deep-rooted friendship lays the foundation for everything. But more than that, they have a passion for each other that grows every day. They’ve celebrated incredible achievements and mourned great sadness, too. I am inspired by their love.
Furtick opted not to join us even though we all invited him at one point or another. He spent the evening in his room with the dinner plate I made for him. I don’t know what else he would be doing, so I assume he spent the evening working. This is confirmed when he comes in reviewing a file as we’re all in the kitchen tidying up from the night’s festivities.
“Can I see it again, Aunt Claire?” Luke added to the necklace I gave her for Christmas. The charms aren’t specific to anything like the ones I gave her that represent the three of us, but they complement the set beautifully. “The whole thing is just so pretty!”
“Yes, Luke! You did an excellent job! It was quite thoughtful of you,” Eliana says. She doesn’t chime in too often. I wonder if she’s self-conscience about her over rehearsed speech. I suppose it would take some time to get back to a place where one even knew how to speak conversationally, relaxed. I’m glad she seems to be getting a little more comfortable.
“Hey Furtick!” I say excitedly. I’m still on such a high from the night that I can’t contain myself. The joy in the room is palpable…there’s no way I couldn’t be happy right now. “We missed you tonight. How was your dinner?”
“Dinner was excellent, Miss Weston. Thank you.” His demeanor is entirely opposite of mine.
“What happened?” I ask changing my tone to meet his.
“Nothing really. We’ve just identified the young woman Mr. Reynolds has been staying with. Turns out it’s just his sister, Holly.”
I take it back. There is a way I could be unhappy, and Holly Reynolds is it.
I look at Will. He’s almost expressionless. He doesn’t seem to be relieved, sad, angry…he’s blank. That’s ok because I’m be feeling everything for the both of us. A casket of emotions has just been exhumed and my mind is swimming.
“Will you excuse me, please?” I exit the kitchen and make my way to the porch and out to the patio. Whoa. I take a few deep breaths as I try to sort through everything that is rushing through my head.
Was she in Charlotte this whole time? Had Will known where she was would he have pursued a relationship with her with the same passion he did me? Would her parents have been fighting to keep her and Will safe the way Luke and Claire are? Now that he knows where she is, does that bring back any of those feelings he had for her before she was exiled by his father? What would that mean for me? I know exactly what that would mean: I wouldn’t have Will.
“Layla? Baby? Are you ok?” Will asks finding me on the patio.
“Yeah, I’m ok. I just…so he’s with Holly…in Charlotte,” I sputter out.
“Yeah…that’s good. It means we still know where he is, and Taylor and Cline can watch him more closely now that they know who he’s with.” Will tucks my hair behind my ear then lifts my chin up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lie. How can I tell him about the surge of insecurity that has just overtaken me?
“Layla, we just had this conversation. You can’t keep things from me. Please, tell me.”
It takes me a minute to push my insecurities aside long enough to be willing to accept whatever Will’s response is. “Knowing where she is…where she’s been this whole time…does it make you wish you could go back? I mean, if you knew she was in Charlotte, so close, would you have gone to be with her?” I’m not sure what response I’m looking for. Maybe it goes back to the conversation he just referenced. I want him to be honest about all of his feelings, even if they make me sad.
“Layla, honey, please…”
“Will, you just said we couldn’t keep things from each other.”
He sighs. “When I was looking for her, had I known she was in Charlotte I probably would have gone to find her somehow.”
“Of course you would have.” I look down contemplating where my life would be if he had chased her but quickly dismiss it because I literally cannot stomach the thought.
“But I didn’t know you then
.” He lifts my chin so my eyes have no choice but to lock with his. “Do you know when I started falling for you? When our eyes met after inspecting the icy mess of my Coke on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop. I looked into those ridiculously beautiful eyes and saw your honesty, purity, integrity, the love you are capable of…you had something that I wanted to be a part of. At that moment, it didn’t matter if Holly, or any other girl, ever existed. I couldn’t eat…I barely slept. I counted the moments until I could see you again. I was so grateful Luke had already hired me to work on the basement job with him. Otherwise I would have had to wait until school started and I don’t know that I could have waited that long.
“I’m indebted to Marcus for not giving up Holly’s information when I begged him for it. It made me move on. It meant that my heart was available and open when you came into my life. So I only care that Marcus is with Holly in Charlotte because it gives us an upper hand in keeping tabs on him, which means that we can live our lives.
“You walked into my life and made me see why it never worked out with anyone else. I love you, Layla, and one day I’m going to marry you and spend the rest of my life making sure you never doubt that for a second.”
I fall into Will’s arms filled with both relief and joy. “I love you so much. I don’t think you’ll ever know how you’ve changed my life. I thought I’d never have anything so wonderful as you. All you have to do is ask, and I promise to say yes. I’ll say yes to spending my life making sure you know how much I love you and how eternally happy you make me.”
Will holds me for a long time in the tightest embrace. This is my sweet spot, the place I know that I’m loved, accepted, taken care of. If I ever doubt that, all I have to do is find myself here and it will all become clear again.
Will and I spend the rest of the evening in the Great Room watching TV, catching up on episodes we’ve missed, going back to the first season of new shows we’ve recently started watching. Gosh, what did people do before DVR and Netflix?
It’s just the type of relaxed time that calms my heart and brings me back into the blissful place of normalcy that we have existed in since Marcus’ location was discovered and his every move monitored. But even though we live in this normalcy, I can’t ignore that it exists because of Luke’s protective team. I wonder how long it’ll be like this. Will Furtick ever enter a room without me thinking he’s there to deliver devastating news? How long will Furtick be a part of our family? In all honesty, I’ve come to love Furtick so much that I hope he never leaves.
I push this uneasiness aside because I’m fully aware that the alternatives are not an option. I couldn’t live in fear of not knowing where Marcus is, but worse than that, I couldn’t live without Will. So I will do whatever it is I need to do to make sure Will and I live a long and happy life together.
I wake up and realize I’m still on the couch, covered by a blanket, alone. I’m not cradled in Will’s arms, nestled in my favorite place as I was before I fell asleep. I stretch and squirm, and as I turn on my side I see a mass of blankets stretched out on the floor next to me. There he is, my love, always the gentleman. He asked Luke’s permission the only time we literally slept together on the couch on prom night. Since this was not a prearranged event, he did the honorable thing and tore himself away to sleep next to, but not with, me. I sigh at his perpetual sweetness a little too loudly and he stirs.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I say. As the words leave my mouth I’m keenly aware that I did not brush my teeth last night. I quickly pull the blanket up enough to cover my mouth and nose so as not to send him back into an unconscious state with my morning breath. “How’s your back from sleeping in the floor? That was very sweet of you.”
He takes his turn to stretch and squirm and smiles as he rubs his eyes. “Morning, babe. Don’t worry about me. I’m great. Being here with you first thing makes any discomfort more than worth it.” He reaches up and moves the blanket from my face so he can give my chin a tug. “I will, however, need to go home to shower and change. I’ve got a great day planned for us.”
“You do?” I say with a huge grin.
“Yes! It’s been far too long since I’ve treated you like the princess you are, so I’m going to remedy that today.” He smiles and raises an eyebrow and I know I needn’t try to ask questions because not a one will be answered.
“Just tell me what to wear and I’m there!” I say sitting up. My stomach growls loudly and we both laugh. “I guess I should eat something, huh? Oh, where’s your mom?”
“She went home last night. She’s enjoying her independence. She loves coming and going as she pleases. She’s good about telling me where she is though. She knows I worry,” he says with a smile.
“Yes, I can understand that. I’m glad she’s embracing her freedom.”
With that we make our way to the kitchen where Claire is whipping up some pancakes. After thoroughly stuffing ourselves Will goes home for a shower and I head upstairs for mine.
I’m excited about spending some real time with him today, even though I know Furtick will be close behind. We never have any private time unless we’re on the dock or have a mostly empty house to ourselves, which is close to never. It’s very similar to the way life was back home.
I let the water rush over me and my mind wanders, thinking only about all things Will. My heart skips a beat and my stomach flips the more I think about every kiss, every touch he has gifted me with. I would have already given myself completely to Will were he not so honorable. I’m amazed at his restraint, but I appreciate it, really. I’ve just recently come into this world where my feelings are considered, and I’m free to express them, so sometimes I’m not sure how to show my own restraint. Will knows that and would never take advantage of me. My virtue being one of his top priorities is one of the things I love so much about him.
Will said to dress for being outdoors, so I dress casually in jeans and a sweater set and comfortable, yet cute, shoes. I’ve just finished pulling part of my hair back when my phone buzzes letting me know I either have new emails or texts. I’m hoping there’s an email there from Caroline spilling the beans about her new boyfriend, or confirming their visit, but when I pull up the text I see that it is from Marcus.
M. Reynolds: I’m growing impatient, Layla.
M. Reynolds: I’ve made all the arrangements I need to here. I expect to have
your undivided attention when I return.
Heart attack. What do I do? Do I respond? Do I ignore him? No. I do the only thing there is to do. I rush downstairs to tell Luke and Furtick. With each step I’m praying that Will isn’t there yet. I don’t want him to know, not yet at least. I don’t want whatever he has planned today to be ruined. He’s so excited about it. I just couldn’t do that do him. It’s not like I’m keeping it from him. I am going to tell him…just not right away.
There’s no sign of Will yet so I start calling for Luke and Furtick. It doesn’t take long for them to appear at the ready.
“He texted me,” I say extending my phone out for them both to see. Furtick snatches it from my hand and he and Luke review the messages. Furtick pulls his phone out and as he’s walking away I can hear that he’s talking with Taylor.
“That’s it, you’re not leaving the house except to go to classes,” Luke says firmly.
“Will and I have plans today…” I begin.
“I’m sorry, Layla, but you and Will can spend the day here. I can’t risk something happening to you. I won’t lose you.” Luke embraces me showing both his vulnerability and steadfastness. Every time Luke says something like that or looks at me with desperate eyes I know that he’s thinking of Penny. Defending Claire and me is like breathing for Luke. I would never take that away from him, but I can’t live like this.
“Taylor and Cline still have eyes on Mr. Reynolds and his sister, so he hasn’t left Charlotte yet. There’s no way to know when he’ll make his move. He’ll most likely drive, but we’re monitoring all flights just in case.” Furt
ick is typing furiously away at my phone.
“What are you doing? You’re not replying to him, are you?” I’m totally freaked out right now.
“No, not at all. I’m syncing our phones. Any emails, messages or calls you receive, I’ll have access to them,” he replies as he hands my phone back to me.
“I get personal stuff on there!” I protest, immediately regretting my whiney tone.
“You could get a personal text from the President but it won’t matter. I only care about the communication you receive from Mr. Reynolds. You’ve got to take this seriously, Layla.” Furtick’s eyes are set on me. This is the first time he’s called me by my given name. This is turning personal for him. Perhaps he finally sees us as the family that I see him.
“Ok…sorry,” I say sheepishly. I forget sometimes just how hard everyone is working to keep me safe. I feel bad that I’ve disrespected that with my whining. Furtick gives me his signature wink and I know it’s ok.
“Uncle Luke, about today…Marcus isn’t anywhere near here…and I just really need this time with Will. I need to have time with Will where all this isn’t happening,” I say waving my phone in the air. “Wasn’t that the point of everything all of you did? So Will and I could have a life together? Being sequestered to the house is not living.” I pause, studying my uncle’s face, praying that he hears how desperate I am to have just one normal day with Will. “Please. I won’t refuse Furtick’s follow.” I look at Luke with desperate eyes, hoping he sees how important this is to me. I don’t want my day with Will to be tainted. I want it to be the perfect day he’s planned it to be.
Luke stares at me for a long time. I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes and know that there is so much more at stake for him here. He lost Penny so tragically. There was nothing he could do to stop her death, but now that I’m here he’ll be damned if he doesn’t do everything he can to make sure I don’t go anywhere. I love him for this. It’s the protection I had from my father until the second he died. It’s the protection I missed during my time with Gram and Gramps.
Troubled Waters (The Lake Trilogy, Book 2) Page 9