Lily Fields (Garden of Love 1)

by Melanie Wilber

  “I need it too, Lily. And I have a solution. After lunch we’ll go someplace and talk, all right?”

  “All right,” she said, laying her head against his broad chest and remaining there until Mark and Josie joined them.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  Josie smiled slightly. “She wanted to apologize to me. It wasn’t the warmest moment I’ve ever experienced, but it’s a start.”

  Lily smiled and gave her friend a long hug, silently letting her know she supported her. Josie appeared close to tears after she released her. They both turned to see Mark and Peter exchanging a hug as well.

  The four of them went to lunch and took their time. Josie seemed a bit more settled at Mark’s side than she had earlier, and Lily wondered if his mother’s apology had anything to do with that. She couldn’t imagine being in love with Peter and having his mother hate her.

  Lily wondered if Josie’s uncertainty about herself and Mark had been partially based on the way his mother had treated her. She wanted to see Josie feeling free to love Mark the way she did with Peter. Josie had been waiting even longer for a man than she had, and she had an additional desire: A father for her son. Lily hoped that would become a reality for her friend very soon.

  Mark and Josie agreed to go back to the hospital and take Marie some lunch while she and Peter went to have the talk he had promised her. They drove to a lake nearby and went for a walk in the hot summer sun. She couldn’t believe how hot it was for June. In Oregon the temperature didn’t rise this high until August. She hadn’t even thought to bring shorts when she had visited Peter two weeks ago. This time she had packed some but hadn’t put them on this morning. She had worn a short-sleeved top, but even her thin cotton pants made her feel too hot, and she could feel the sun scorching her pale, sensitive skin.

  Despite Peter’s attire of a white polo shirt and khaki shorts that left his long arms and legs exposed to the slight breeze, he also appeared to be sweating in the heat, and they took refuge at a picnic table under a grove of oak trees. The shade and a light breeze coming off the water cooled her some. Sitting down on the bench facing the lake, Peter stretched out his long legs and leaned his back against the table. She sat sideways on the bench to face him and tucked her knees into her chest.

  “I won’t miss this heat,” he said. “I had almost forgotten how hot it gets here this time of year. It’s been giving me migraines.”

  She stared at him curiously. “What do you mean you won’t miss it?”

  He glanced at her and appeared to be holding back a smile. “It’s not this hot in Oregon, is it?”

  “No,” she replied. “Peter, what are you saying?”

  He stroked her bare arm with his fingertips and let his smile emerge. “I’m saying, Lily Sullivan, that I’m moving to Oregon real soon.”

  “You’re moving?” she said, feeling secretly thrilled but wondering if that was what he really wanted. “I thought the whole reason you got out of the Air Force was to be closer to your family? And what about your job? You think I want you to leave yours any more than you want me to leave mine?”

  “Have I ever told you how much I love the color of your hair?”

  Remembering the first time he had told her that, she smiled, but she was determined to talk this out with him. She wanted him to be happy with whatever they decided too.

  “This is not the red hair talking,” she said, placing her feet on the ground and sitting up straight. “This is the Lily that lives in this place called reality. If I move here, you feel like I’m giving up too much, and if you move to Oregon, I feel the same way.”

  He turned to the side and propped his elbow on the table. Reaching out his other hand, he stroked her cheek and ran his fingers over her hair. She had it pulled back into a low clip today.

  “I want you to wear your hair like this for the wedding, all right?”

  She was speechless. He leaned forward and kissed her mouth before she realized it had been gaping. A giggle escaped her throat.

  “Peter! I’m trying to have a rational conversation here.” Her words were muffled by another kiss.

  “That was your first mistake,” he said, wrapping his large hand around her waist and pulling her close to him. “I’m in no mood to be rational about this.”

  With Peter’s green eyes staring straight into her soul, she felt her heart pounding and forced out some shaky words.

  “What are you saying, Peter?”

  “Are you ready to hear my plan?”

  “Yes.”

  “There aren’t any job openings in the Portland area for firefighters right now, but I’m on several waiting lists. I honestly don’t know how long it will take me to get hired, but here’s what I was thinking we could do in the mean time.”

  “Okay,” she said, feeling amazed he had already taken some steps toward moving to Portland.

  “You have one more week of school, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And your sister’s wedding is next weekend?”

  She nodded.

  “How about if I come up next Friday like we planned, and then you come back with me and stay down here for the rest of the summer or until I get hired up there?”

  She liked the sound of that but wondered where this wedding he had mentioned fit into all of this. “Where would I live while I’m here?”

  “You remember me telling you about Terry?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s single but lives alone in a two bedroom duplex. He said I could stay with him while you’re here so you can live at my apartment.”

  “Okay,” she said, feeling amazed once again he had thought that far ahead. “What happens if you don’t get hired in Portland by the end of the summer? I go back to Portland and you stay down here?”

  “No. If I’m still waiting, I’ll find another job up there and do that until they call me.”

  “You won’t mind that?”

  “No. With the amount of experience I have, I know I’ll get hired eventually. Leaving my job here is not that big of a deal to me. Not like leaving Max would be to you.”

  “And you don’t mind leaving your family?”

  “No. I love my family, but I need you.”

  “Well,” she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “It sounds like you have everything figured out.”

  He kissed her lightly. “Almost everything,” he said. “There is one detail I need to work out.”

  She smiled. “Oh? What’s that?”

  “I don’t mind sleeping on Mark’s couch for a couple of days once I move up, but my back can’t handle any more than that.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, feeling another smile form on her face. She kissed him on the cheek and waited for him to continue. He sounded nervous about what she knew he was going to say.

  He took her hands from his shoulders and kissed the ends of her fingers. “And if I’m unemployed for a few weeks when I move up to Portland with you, I might not be able to afford my own place for a month or two.”

  “Oh, that is a problem,” she said in a teasing tone. “You could stay at my parents’. Rose will be married by then, so they’ll have plenty of room.”

  He laughed and kissed her teasing smile. “I was thinking of a different solution.”

  She decided to take this moment more seriously and softened her voice. “What’s that?”

  Interlacing his fingers with hers, he looked straight into her eyes and spoke in a soft, serious voice. “How about if we get married toward the end of August, go to Hawaii for a week, and then I can stay at your place when we get back.”

  She took a deep breath, feeling a rush of joy and warmness flow throughout her entire being. She smiled and felt tears stinging her eyes. “Hawaii, huh? Maui or Kauai?”

  He pulled her close and kissed her lips softly. “I don’t care. Anywhere you want.”

  “I think I like that plan,” she said, receiving another warm kiss.

  Taking her fully into his arms,
he held her for several moments. Lily felt no apprehension in agreeing to marry Peter. August wasn’t very far away, but she didn’t feel like they were rushing things, not like how she had felt when she only had a month to decide if she wanted to marry Marty. She couldn’t explain the difference, but she knew what her heart was telling her, and she felt God’s blessing surrounding them. She had no doubt He’d had this planned for them all along.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring,” he said, releasing her slightly and looking into her eyes. “I was going to get one before this weekend, but things kind of got crazy.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t need a ring. I need you.”

  “Do you, Lily?”

  “I do, Peter. I was doing fine before I met you, but now that you’re here, I can’t imagine my life without you.”

  “And I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you, Lily. Will you be mine forever?”

  She smiled. “Forever.”

  Lily didn’t know if Peter would want to share their plans with his family yet and decided she would wait for him to say something, even though she felt like running upstairs when they returned to the hospital and telling Josie. They found Mark and Josie in his father’s room. Lawrence was asleep. They all gathered in the hall to keep from waking him.

  “Where’s Mom?” Peter asked.

  “Tony and Kristina got here about an hour ago. They went for a walk with her to get some air,” Mark said.

  Mark looked from Peter to her and back again, seeming to have another train of thought on his mind. “Did you ask her?”

  “I did,” Peter said.

  Mark’s eyes shifted back to hers. “What did you say?”

  “How did you know?” she asked, unable to hold back a smile.

  “Hey, I’m his brother. We tell each other everything.”

  “I thought only sisters did that.”

  “We don’t have sisters,” Mark said. “What did you say? Don’t keep us in suspense.”

  Lily looked at Josie. “You too?”

  Josie smiled. “What did you say, Lil?”

  She smiled and glanced up at Peter. “I said yes.”

  Mark let out a whoop, kissed her on the cheek, and slapped his brother on the back. Lily stepped away from Peter to accept a hug from Josie. Her friend held her long and tight.

  “I’m so happy for you,” she whispered.

  “Thanks,” she said, stepping back and wiping a joyful tear from her cheek. “I’m happy for me too.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Lily wanted to call everyone in her family and share the happy news with them, but she decided to wait until next weekend when they would all be together. She wanted Peter by her side when they made the announcement.

  But it wasn’t easy. With Rose’s wedding coming up, she saw her mom and her sisters several times throughout the busy week. Peter wouldn’t be arriving until Friday afternoon. Several times she felt like blurting it out, especially when Cami made some more comments about being cautious and taking things slow with Peter. One time she almost laughed out loud.

  She was thankful she had the final week of school to keep her busy. Her Bible study group and the teen study she led had both ended last week, taking a break for the summer months, but helping Rose kept her evenings busy. Peter called on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday Rose was there working on some decorations for the reception hall.

  Her little sister had asked for her help, and they were finishing up with some centerpieces for the reception tables. Rose had always been one to dream bigger than time and resources allowed, but Lily enjoyed doing her best to make this a special day for her sister. But Peter’s call provided a nice break.

  “Have you found a ring yet?” he asked.

  She had gone upstairs to her bedroom to give herself some privacy. “I haven’t had time to even look,” she said. “We might have to wait until Sunday or sometime next week.”

  “Next week? I have to have a ring on your finger when we tell your family. I don’t even want to think about the look on your father’s face if I don’t.”

  She laughed. She told him Rose hadn’t had one right away either, and that her dad hadn’t said anything about it, but Peter didn’t sound convinced.

  “I’ll try and go look tomorrow,” she said. “But I don’t want to make a snap decision. I may have to look at more than one place to decide.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t pick something out for you,” he said, sounding like he wouldn’t want to disappoint her for the world.

  “I would love whatever you bought for me,” she said, meaning it sincerely. “But if I’m going to be the one to choose, then I’m not going to walk in, plunk some money down, and say, ‘Whatever you have on sale will do.’”

  ‘Hey, I’ll be the one plunking the money down, and I don’t want you picking something because of the price. Don’t even look. Find what you like and let me look at the tag.”

  “Don’t forget who said that,” she laughed. “You may regret it later.”

  “No, I won’t,” he said tenderly. “I’d buy the whole jewelry store for you.”

  “Well, I don’t think that will be necessary, but that’s sweet of you.”

  “I think you bring that out of me,” he replied. “I’ve never been the type of guy to even bring a girl flowers.”

  “I’ve noticed that,” she said.

  “Uh-oh, I’ve never brought you any, have I?”

  “No, you’ve done things like flying 600 miles to see me after only one date, and proposing to me after three weeks,” she whispered so her voice wouldn’t carry downstairs.

  “Three weeks of you being my girlfriend. Six months of being in love with you.”

  “Six months?”

  “Six months. I fell in love with you that night at the concert.”

  She supposed the same was true for herself, even if she hadn’t realized it at the time. “I’m glad I’m going back with you on Sunday. I miss you already.”

  “I miss you too, Lily.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay if I stay at your apartment? I have enough money tucked away to get a place of my own for two months.”

  “No. It’s fine, babe. I think I’ll enjoy living with Terry, and he’ll keep me honest. My one concern with you coming down here is having too much time alone with you. It will be good to have someone expecting me to come home at night instead of having to make that choice all on my own.”

  “You’ve been great about it so far,” she said. “And I appreciate your restraint, Peter. I’m not worried.”

  “You have too much faith in me.”

  “I have faith in the One who brought us together. We won’t be alone down there. He’s already provided Terry. He’ll take care of us.”

  “You amaze me, Lily.”

  “Why?”

  “Your faith. It’s so strong.”

  “Not always,” she said. “But when you’ve known God as long as I have and seen Him do the impossible over and over, you start to catch on. There are some verses that say, ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far greater than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’

  “That’s what I try and do with every area of my life, and that’s what I’ve done with our relationship. I tried to work things out on my own and made a mess of it. And then He made it all right again, even surpassing my expectations by having you propose to me. He will sustain us, Peter. Believe that with me, okay?”

  “Okay,” he replied. “I love you, Lily.”

  “I love you.”

  “I’ll see you Friday, all right?”

  “Friday,” she echoed, longing for that day.

  They told each other good-bye, and Lily lowered the phone from her ear. Every time she said good-bye to Peter either in person or over the phone, a desperate ach
e filled the void his absence left. At times she found herself worrying she would never see him again. That his plane would crash or that he would be killed in the line of duty. In reality his life could be at risk every day.

  But she knew she couldn’t worry about that. Not now. Not after they were married. She had to believe he was in God’s hands at every moment: on a plane, in a burning building, driving to and from work every day. She didn’t have any guarantees he would never be taken from her, and he didn’t have any guarantees she wouldn’t be taken from him either.

  But she knew God. And God never did anything that wasn’t for her good. If he took Peter to Heaven sooner than she preferred, He would have a mighty good reason. She prayed that would never happen, that He would always keep Peter safe and bring him home to her, but she wasn’t going to worry about it. No matter what, because of God’s love for them, she and Peter would always have forever.

  She heard Rose’s footsteps on the stairs and saw her sister peek her head in the doorway moments later. “Everything okay?” she asked.

  Lily smiled. “Everything’s fine.”

  Rose stared at her curiously. “Lily, is there something you’re not telling me? You are absolutely glowing. Ever since you came home on Sunday there’s been something different about you.”

  Knowing she couldn’t hold the news in any longer and feeling that her sister could be trusted, she decided to let Rose in on her secret.

  “Peter asked me to marry him.”

  Her sister’s blue eyes grew large. “Just now?”

  “No,” she laughed. “On Saturday. We’re waiting until he’s here this weekend to tell everyone.”

  “Oh, Lily,” Rose said, coming to give her a hug. “How wonderful. Have you decided when yet?”

  “Late August. I’m going to be spending the summer with him in California and then we’ll get married and move back up here before school starts so I can keep my job at the school.”

  “Wow! How did he ask?”

  She shared a brief version of their talk by the lake. “I don’t think I could have said no even if I wanted to.”