More Than Rivals
Page 19
When they approached the hotel, the doorman nodded to Jack and remarked it was good to see him again. Lily turned to Jack. “So you’ve already been here?”
“Sure. Where do you think I changed?”
“I don’t know…” Realizing she’d missed a piece of the puzzle Jack was putting before her, Lily cocked her head. “I think I just assumed you did it at my place. You do have a key.”
“Good assumption, but not correct today.”
“But why are we here? I have an apartment so I don’t have to stay in a hotel.”
“You don’t like it?” Jack smiled.
“Of course, I like it.” Lily looked around. “It’s gorgeous, but why?”
“You’ll see.”
Not wanting to draw any attention, Lily was quiet in the lobby as Jack led her to the elevator. Other guests filed into the elevator with them, so she kept silent in there as well. When the door opened to their floor and Jack led her out, she said, “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Soon.” His lips turned up into the same smug smirk. He pulled out a key card from the pocket of his running shorts. Nodding to the door ahead of them, he said, “This is our room.”
Lily crossed her arms as if she was going to judge it. “Okay….”
When he opened the door, Lily viewed the elegant room of crème, gold, and brown. She stepped and saw that it wasn’t a room at all. Turning around to see Jack, she said, “It’s a suite.”
“It is.”
She spied her suitcase sitting on a rack in the closet. “What’s my suitcase doing here?”
“I packed a few things for you.”
“But I have to work.” She frowned.
“I know,” he said and pointed to the desk where her briefcase sat by his. “We both do. Our laptops are over there, as is your phone.”
“Why are you doing this?” She laughed, shaking her head.
“All in due time… Let’s get cleaned up, okay?” he said with a chuckle.
“Can I check my phone first?”
“No problem. I’ll do the same.”
As she listened to her messages, she noticed a room service cart off to her right. Champagne sat in a bucket of ice with a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries at its side. In the middle of the cart, a silver dome covered a plate. Lily pointed to the cart and turned to Jack. “What’s this?”
“For later.” He shrugged.
“What are we celebrating?”
“Being together. Is that enough?”
“Sure…” Her stomach flipped a bit as she sensed her suspicions were probably right. Dying to find out the truth, she said, “You want to shower first?”
“How about we go together?”
“Okay. Why not?” She giggled and began kicking off her shoes.
After a long, hot shower, made longer and hotter by a sexual interlude, the two dried off and put on the hotel robes. Lily looked out the bathroom door and across the room at the waiting champagne. She got an idea to speed things along. “I’m hungry. Mind if I eat something?”
Jack eyed the cart and waited a beat before answering. “Go for it.”
She walked over to the bowl of strawberries, and after taking a bite, she pointed to the little silver dome. “What’s under this? Cheese?”
“No…” he said, walking toward her.
“A crudite?” She took the final bite of strawberry.
“Go ahead and look.” He pursed his lips, but a small smile betrayed him. “You’ll find some carrots.”
She lifted the dome, but only half-way. When she saw the red velvet jewelry box, her hand stopped in mid-air. “Oh my God…”
From behind her, she heard his voice say, “Not the kind of carrots you eat.”
She turned to him and gasped, “Jack.”
Without a word, he took the dome from her hand and placed it aside. Then he took the unmistakable ring box and dropped down to one knee. While he gazed at her, she placed a hand to her heart. “Oh, Sweetheart.”
As he stared at her, he took her other hand, but his smile slowly disappeared. He blinked a few times and said, “Um.”
“Yeah?” she said softly.
“I … uh … practiced this, and … just a second.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply, while Lily’s smile grew. It was a rare day that Jack was at a loss for words.
Her smile must’ve calmed him, because though his expression remained intense, his voice was warm. “When I was growing up, I’d hear in church that a sacrament was an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. Lily, you have truly graced my life. I offer you this ring as a sign to you and the world of that.”
“Jack,” she whispered, as he flipped open the box, which indeed held many carats on a slim platinum ring.
As she stared at the contents of the box, Jack continued, “You once said you and Luke were a package deal. It would be the honor of my life if we could lead our lives all together.” He then smiled. “I love you more than anything. Will you marry me?”
The joy that radiated from her heart overwhelmed her so much that she took a step back. With her eyes set on the man she loved, she answered him with a smile. “Yes, yes, and yes.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
All the faults in this book are entirely my own. Any instances of correct grammar, consistent characters, accurate Spanish, true politics, nice formatting, pretty pictures, and/or thorough storyline can all be attributed to these lovely women: Alexis Morales, Anne Forlines, Annie Notthoff, Azucena Sandoval, Daisy Prescott, Elisha Rose, Funmbi Elemo, Irene Chartofilis, Jada D'Lee, Kellie Riehl, Laura Edmonston, Sara Barth, and S.L. Scott.
Thank you!
A million thanks aren’t enough for my dear husband and darling girls.
I love you to infinity and beyond.
Mary Whitney
Even before she graduated from law school, Mary knew she wasn’t cut out to be a real lawyer. Drawn to politics, she’s spent her career as an organizer, lobbyist, and nonprofit executive. Nothing piques her interest more than a good political scandal or romance, and when she stumbled upon writing, she put the two together. A born Midwesterner, naturalized Texan, and transient resident of Washington, D.C., Mary now lives in Northern California with her two daughters and real lawyer husband.
To learn more about this author and her writing,
please visit www.WordyMary.com