Before we left, I pulled John aside. “Mate, I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done. I could never have gotten through this without you.”
“You’re my best friend, Nash. More than that…you’re like a brother to me. Besides, I know what it’s like…to lose…well, someone who is everything,” he put his hand on my shoulder. “We never talked about it, really, but that night…,” I stopped him.
“We don’t have to do this, John,” I said.
“No, I need to say it. That night – it wasn’t your fault. It was a stupid mistake – she was drunk. You didn’t do anything wrong. I know you loved her like a sister, and that’s all. I should…we should’ve called a taxi. I never should’ve let her drive,” he blinked hard, then looked at me. “But that was a lifetime ago. I just wanted to tell you…no matter what, I know you’ve always got my back. I’m glad I could be there to help – for you and Georgia. You two really are good together.”
We hugged briefly. “Right then, get off!” I laughed off the emotion, but I was glad to have my friend back.
When we got back to the house, Georgia seemed happy and relaxed. She took another soak in the tub, which appeared to be helping her soreness and bruises, and we laid in bed together, talking about the evening. “You were stunning,” I laid on my side and ran my finger along her jaw and down her throat, crossing her clavicle. “They loved you - all of them.”
“I loved them too,” she turned to me, beaming. Her face was clean, free from any cosmetics, and her curls were loose and wild. As beautiful as she was when she was all made up for work, it was when she looked like this that I found her the most stunning. She wasn’t putting on for anyone - she was just herself – for me.
“Your parents are incredibly charming,” she rolled to her side and ran a finger down my chest. “I can see where you get it from. Not to mention your good looks. They’re both gorgeous. I wonder if you’ll look like your dad in 25 years.” She raised an eyebrow, biting her lip playfully.
“You’re not ditching me for the old man, surely?” I asked.
“Not just yet. I think I’ll keep you for a while.” She leaned up and kissed me.
“You certainly seem to be on the mend,” I said as she slid her leg across to lay on top of me.
“Oh, I think so too. In fact, I’ve got a checkup in a couple of days, and I’m going to see about some physical therapy to help with my range of motion. I’d like to do some yoga, but I don’t want to overdo it and set myself back.” She laid her head on my chest, and I wrapped myself around her.
She had been so worried about what would happen after we wrapped filming. What it would mean for us. I had a plan, though. All I had to do was set the last few pieces in motion. I didn’t want her to worry about anything. I’d go wherever she wanted to be. If she’d have me, I’d never let her go.
CHAPTER 25
Georgia
The morning after the family dinner, I woke to find Lucas already dressed. He was wearing a pair of pressed khaki slacks and a blue and white windowpane shirt. He was clean-shaven, and his hair was combed neatly to the side. As much as I loved his wild, spiky hair and stubble, he looked equally delicious in this preppy persona.
“Where are you going?” I sat up in the bed, rubbing my eyes. We’d been up pretty late making love, and I was still a little sleepy.
“I’ve got to go into the city and take care of a couple of things,” Lucas said, tucking in his shirt. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge beside me, leaning forward to kiss the top of my head. “I shouldn’t be long…probably back by this afternoon.”
“Can I come with you?” I asked, taking his arm and wrapping myself around it.
“I don’t think so, Belle. It’s a long drive, and you’re doing so well. I don’t want you getting over-tired. Like I said, I won’t be long. If you’re feeling energetic, I’ll leave you my Macbook. You can start working on ideas for the cookbook if you’d like. I thought we could work on it together.” He leaned forward and kissed me chastely on the lips.
“Ok-ay…I guess.” I couldn’t help but pout a little.
“Is there anything you want me to bring back for you?” He asked, tucking a curl back behind my ear.
“No, just…don’t be too long, okay?” I was trying to persuade him to let me come along, but it wasn’t working.
“I won’t - I promise. How could I be away from you for too long?” He winked and brought the laptop over and set it on the bed beside me. “Do remember that Edgar and Marjorie will be here. They can get anything that you need - just say the word.”
He disappeared into the bathroom. His phone was on the nightstand, and I saw it buzz with a text. As I was glancing over, I saw the message flash across the top. See you soon! The name above the text read Elizabeth. I had never heard him mention an Elizabeth and didn’t know anyone by that name at the network. My pulse began to race. I didn’t want to be suspicious…jealous. After all, I was here, in his bed where he had never brought another woman. We’d spent the night before at a family dinner. There was nothing to indicate that anything was amiss between us. Still, the sudden trip to London and meeting someone he hadn’t told me about made a sick knot in the pit of my stomach.
Lucas returned from the bathroom and picked up his phone, glancing at it before depositing it in his pocket. “Darling, have you seen my keys anywhere? I can’t seem to find them.”
“No, I haven’t seen them. Should I help you look?” I threw the covers back, stood up from the bed, and stretched.
“Damn, Georgia!” He walked over to me, sliding an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “You stretch like that again, and I’ll never make it out of the house.” He kissed me deeply. “I’ll grab the spare keys to the Rover. I’ve gotta run. I’ll see you soon, though, yeah? Text if you need anything.” He stroked my cheek, winked, and left.
I took a shower instead of a bath and got dressed. I took the laptop out onto the balcony and tried to distract myself with work. I opened a word document and pulled up my social media feed to see what food posts my followers had been the most responsive to. As I started making my notes for recipes for the book, an alert popped up on the Macbook. Lucas must not have signed out of messaging. It was from the same woman, Elizabeth, who had sent him the text message earlier. It read, Sounds great! C U at the flat soon!
It felt as if my heart stopped beating. I stared at the screen, wishing that I could see the responses Lucas had sent, but at the same time, hating how suspicious I felt. I thought that his rogue, playboy days were behind him. Was I naive to think he could change for me? I had to do something. I had no idea where he was going, but the woman had said she would meet him at the flat. That meant there was a chance they were going to his flat in London. I had to find out for sure. I had given him my heart and was about to take him home to meet my family. I was building my life around Lucas, and I had to be sure that I wasn’t making a mistake.
I quickly got dressed, planning to follow him to find out what was going on. I knew Edgar and Marjorie would call Lucas if they saw me slip out. I decided to walk down to the road and call for a car from there. As I was grabbing my bag, I saw the keys Lucas had been looking for. I dropped them in my bag and left as quietly as I could.
I walked down to the end of the drive and called an Uber. According to Google, there was a train from the station in town that would put me at the London Bridge tube station, just a few blocks from Lucas’ flat, in about half an hour. On the train to the city, I decided to check Luc’s social media feed and see if I could learn anything else about what he was doing. His Insta feed had a few throwback photos from our shooting locations. There was nothing during the time I was in the hospital. That morning, he had posted a photo of the city, the Thames in the background with the caption Looking forward to good things in the coming months. Can’t wait to show you all what my beautiful co-star and partner, @GeorgiaGraham and I are working on. #imtheluckyone #lucasandgeorgia #therealdeal #we’llbite
I closed the door gingerly behind me, walking tentatively into the living room. I heard a woman’s voice, giggling. “Oh, Lucas. What am I going to do with you?”
“Come now, Lizzie, you know how I am. Once I set my mind on something I want, there’s no deterring me,” I heard Lucas say. The words, coupled with the woman’s laugh, made my stomach churn. I took a deep breath and walked into the room, expecting to see the worst.
“Georgia?!” Lucas said as soon as he saw me. He was standing a couple of feet from the woman who was smiling up at him. As soon as he saw me, Lucas rushed to me, taking me in his arms. “Darling! What are you doing here? Did you…did you take the train? Did you walk up? Here, sit down!” He led me to the sofa which was surrounded by boxes. “Lizzie, get her some water, please!” He said urgently as he sat beside me.
It suddenly occurred to me that I had no good reason for being there. “I-I found your keys,” I said, holding them up. “I thought you might need them.”
“Georgia…did you think…what did you think I was doing?” He asked, looking concerned.
“I don’t know. I just-I just…I saw a message from a woman pop up on your laptop. I started to worry…I don’t know why I just…,” I dropped my face to my hands. “I’m so sorry I didn’t trust you!”
He scooped me up into his arms. “Darling, my darling…I should’ve told you what I was doing. I should never have made you worry.”
“Here you are,” the woman said, handing me a glass. “You do look a bit pale. Maybe you need some something else...what can I do for you?”
“Thank you,” I said hesitantly, taking it from her. "Just the water, thanks."
“I’m Elizabeth, by the way. I’m sorry we haven’t met sooner. I think you met my sister Sarah last night?” She smiled sweetly at me.
“Sarah? You-you’re Luc’s cousin?” I asked incredulously. I felt like an idiot.
“Yes. I live here in London. I had another commitment so I couldn’t make dinner to meet you properly, I’m afraid. I’m an estate agent. I’m helping Lucas with the flat,” she smiled at me sweetly, then looked to Lucas. “But, maybe I should let you two talk about that. I’ll step out to the balcony. I need to make that call we talked about anyway.” She nodded at Luc and stepped outside.
“I’m an idiot,” I said, taking a sip of the water. “I had no reason not to trust you.”
“Georgia, you know who I was before I met you. Of course, you would be concerned. I should’ve been more forthcoming, but I wanted to surprise you. See, Lizzie found a buyer for the flat, and she’s found a terraced home close-by that I think will be perfect for us. For our new start.” He stroked my cheek.
“You’re buying a new place?” I asked.
“Yes, for us. Like we talked about. A place for us to be when we’re here. I told you, Belle, unless you tell me to go, I don’t plan on leaving your side. I don’t want to be anywhere without you.” He leaned forward, tugging gently on my lips with his.
“You’re not cross with me for being jealous?” I asked tentatively.
“I’m cross that you didn’t just tell me this morning. You shouldn’t have made that trip in from Sevenoaks on your own. You’re still weak, Georgia. What if something had happened to you and I didn’t know where you were?” He shook his head. “The idea of something happening to you again…I-I can’t bear it.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Elizabeth walked back in, “but the house is open now if you’d like to go have one last look around.”
“So, do you want to see the place I picked out? If you don’t like it, we’ll keep looking, of course. I just want you to be happy,” Lucas rubbed my back lightly with his palm.
I shook my head, and we took the Range Rover on the short drive over to Belgravia. The home was stunning. It was a mid-terraced townhouse with a white facade and a private garden in the back. There were three bedrooms, an office, and a huge sitting room. Best of all, though, was the immense kitchen, big enough for us to cook in together. Elizabeth showed us around then we stepped outside to give us some privacy.
“So,” Lucas asked as we stepped out into the back garden, “What do you think?”
“It’s amazin’, Luc! I absolutely love it!” I looked up at him, and tears began to breach my lashes.
“Why are you crying, darling? What’s wrong? If you don’t like it, we can keep looking.” He stroked my cheek to brush the tear away.
“It’s perfect. I just can’t believe I could be so lucky. You make me so happy, Luc.”
He pulled me close and held me, kissing the top of my head. Elizabeth walked out into the garden to join us. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt…it’s the other agent. There’s an offer on the table. Do you want to counter with what we discussed, or should we keep looking?” She held up her phone as she looked at Lucas.
He nodded his head at her. “She wants it, Lizzie. Do whatever you need to make it happen.”
“Whatever you say, cousin.” She winked at him and turned back to the phone.
CHAPTER 26
Lucas
I upgraded our flight so Georgia could rest. It was over nine hours back to Nashville from London. She’d done really well since the accident, but she wasn’t quite one hundred percent back to her full energy, despite the bruises being mostly gone.
We picked up the rental car and headed south to her family home. The countryside was beautiful - more beautiful than I expected. The old farmhouse was charming. When we pulled up, a tall, young man with dark blonde hair and Georgia’s broad smile was standing outside waiting for us. Georgia barely waited for me to stop the car before she jumped out and ran to him. He scooped her up and spun her around as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.
“Ro!” I heard her squeal as I got out of the car.
“Good to see you, Geo! I’ve missed you, little sis!” He said as he spun her around.
“Ro, this is Lucas,” she said, gesturing to me as he put her down.
“Nice to meet you in person, Rome,” I said, stepping forward to shake his hand.
“No, sir. That ain’t how we do around here.” He put his hands on his hips and looked me up and down. “Bring it in, brother,” he held his arms out and hugged me. “I ain’t got words for how much we appreciate you takin’ care of our girl. I don’t know what we woulda done without ya.” He patted me on the back, and I returned the gesture.
“Baby girl!” I heard a booming voice say as Georgia’s dad emerged from the house. “Lord, am I happy to see you!” The bear of a man wrapped her up as she tiptoed up to throw her arms around him. Remembering all the chats we’d had while she was in the hospital - all the conversations I’d had with Adam and Rome, I couldn’t help but feel a little emotional seeing the huge, hard man’s face melt at the sight of his daughter.
“Daddy, this is Lucas,” she said as they broke their embrace.
“Sir, thank you so much for having me,” I said as I put my hand out to shake his.
He took two steps forward and buried me in an embrace. “Son, I can’t thank you enough for taking care of our Georgia,” he whispered into my ear as he patted my back just as Rome had done.
Rome helped me with our bags, and we went into the house to catch up. “Celia’s not here yet, I’m guessin’,” Georgia said as she plopped down on the sofa.
“Her flight lands around eight-thirty,” Rome said, sitting beside his sister. “You know how she is - always talkin’ about how busy she is at work.” He rolled his eyes. “I swear, I’m st
artin’ to take it personal.” He laughed.
“So, Lucas, you and Georgia are gonna start back to work next week?” Adam asked me.
“Yes, sir. When we get back to London, we’re heading up to Scotland, then it’s back to Barcelona, and on to Rome, Greece, Switzerland, and Denmark. We’ll finish up here - filming the other half of the finale in Nashville. The finale will showcase the cuisine of Georgia’s hometown and mine.” He nodded, which told me that Georgia had already reiterated to him that she had every intention of returning to work as soon as possible.
“So, after that, what happens?” He asked.
“Well, it depends on whether the network picks us up for a second season. We are starting work on a cookbook, and I’m sure there’ll be a press tour, and a tour for the book if it gets picked up as well. Georgia’s star is definitely on the rise,” I patted her knee and smiled at her. “With her strong following and the quality of the show, I expect we will continue to have work related to the series for the next couple of years at least.”
Sweet Promise (The Grahams Book 1) Page 19