Nicole raced back down the stairs muttering something under her breath. Lindsay heard the coatrack clatter to the floor and more cursing. “Oh, my God.” She put trembling fingers to her lips. She was on the verge of releasing a full-blown cry of anguish when Nicole came thundering into the kitchen and went down on her knees, nearly sliding across the room. Falling short of her intended destination, she had to crawl two feet to where Lindsay still sat.
“Lindsay,” Nicole said breathlessly as she took her hand and held it tightly between both of hers. “Will you…” Nicole grimaced as she reluctantly released Lindsay’s hand and dug into her pocket and pulled out a small black box. “Obviously, we can’t do it here, but there are some states where…” She opened the box and held up the engagement ring. “I know that right now you won’t be able to always wear this, but it needs to be on your finger when…if…” Nicole reclaimed Lindsay’s hand. “I love you with all that I am. Will you marry me?”
Lindsay had no clue what the ring actually looked like. She could not look away from the expectation, the hope in Nicole’s eyes. Tears of what she thought were a terrible rejection turned to tears of joy and slipped down her face.
“I don’t have much,” Nicole said with a slight smile. “All my savings are in that house and my business. I’ll never be rich because I don’t have it in me to demand what I don’t feel is truly mine.” Nicole tilted her head slightly, never breaking eye contact. “But I will love you and Alexis forever.”
“Yes.” The response came out in a whisper because Lindsay found it hard to breathe. She cleared her throat. “Yes, I will marry you.”
Nicole released her and pulled the ring from the velvet box. “If it doesn’t fit, I’m going to scream.” She took Lindsay’s left hand and gently pushed the ring onto her finger. It was snug, but it fit.
Lindsay still couldn’t look at it, even as Nicole lifted her hand to her lips and kissed it softly. The smile she wore when she looked back at Lindsay was so brilliant that Lindsay found it impossible to look away. She slid out of the chair and wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck. Her body shook against Lindsay’s, and Lindsay realized that Nicole was just as nervous and as excited as she was. “Lindsay Allen,” Lindsay said with a laugh. “I like the sound of that.”
Nicole’s kiss was like fire, but feverish passion coalesced into something satiny and sweet. Lindsay felt herself being lowered to the floor. Touch had never been so important. She sifted her fingers through Nicole’s silky hair, pressed her nose to soft skin, and inhaled deeply. In all her fantasies, this intense pleasure could not be imagined, nor did she realize it would affect her so. Nicole’s lips were soft and sweet, her kisses tender.
A deep slow burning fever began to develop in the pit of Lindsay’s stomach as she pulled Nicole’s shirt off and allowed Nicole to do the same with hers. The weight of Nicole’s body, the softness of her breasts pressed against her filled Lindsay with a deep craving for release, not her own, but Nicole’s. She had been demanding, forceful, taking everything she wanted from Nicole. But here, now, she wanted permission. She wanted Nicole’s surrender.
Nicole’s mouth was on her neck, her teeth grazing the sensitive skin. A little lower, Lindsay thought, but that request never made it to her lips. “I…I want…”
Nicole rose up and looked at her. “Anything,” she said with a soft smile. “Anything you want, I’ll give.”
Lindsay nearly lost her nerve. How silly to be nervous now, she thought, and she looked back into Nicole’s eyes. “I want you to lie down and let me…” Lindsay swallowed. “I want you to give yourself to me, total submission, and when I’m done, you can have me anyway you want.”
Nicole replied without making a sound. With their gazes locked, she moved and settled on her back. Lindsay discarded her own pants before removing Nicole’s. There were no barriers between them as she stretched out on top of Nicole. Her request was being honored. Lindsay felt it in the way Nicole’s body became pliant beneath hers. There was no struggle to touch or claim. Nicole was surrendering freely, allowing Lindsay to do whatever she desired.
What Lindsay wanted was to take Nicole’s desire, to taste and swallow it, make it her own. She moved quickly down Nicole’s body and settled between her legs, but as she stroked Nicole with her tongue, she realized that in doing this, she was also submitting to Nicole. And for the first time in her life, Lindsay knew that she’d been truly paired with her equal. Her soul mate, her other half would give her what she so desperately wanted and needed.
Chapter Twenty-five
Rose and Alexis returned home shortly after two in the afternoon. When Lindsay told Rose that they would be having Nicole’s parents over for dinner, they went into hyperdrive planning the menu for the evening.
“Nothing extravagant,” Nicole said as Rose and Lindsay began making a grocery list. “My folks eat, drink, and go to the bathroom like everyone else.” She looked down as Rose scrawled “steaks” on the list. “I’ll do the grocery shopping on this one.”
Lindsay took the pen from her mother and wrote down a few items. Rose gasped, then tried to feign nonchalance when she saw the ring.
“Alexis and I are going into the living room now.” Nicole looked at Lindsay. “We’ll leave you two to discuss…things.”
Rose grabbed Lindsay’s hand and looked at the diamond solitaire closely the second they were alone. “What does this mean?” She looked bewildered.
“It means that Nicole and I are getting married.” Lindsay shook her head. “I have no idea what that means legally at the moment, but what it means for us is a lifetime commitment.”
“I want to be happy, I really do.” Rose clamped her hands to her face. “I knew it was serious and that there were a lot of deep feelings forming between you…” Rose put a hand to her chest. “But you said it was too soon. Are you happy, honey?”
Lindsay couldn’t contain her smile. “Do you really have to ask?”
Rose took her hand again and stared down at the ring. “It’s lovely. When did this come about?”
“This morning. She admitted that she sneaked all the way to Houma to a jeweler to have the ring made two weeks ago and was trying to wait until after we talked to Alexis to give it to me.”
Rose looked up at Lindsay and raised a brow.
“Nicole and I have talked about it, and we’re going to tell Alexis about our relationship after Christmas. That way, we won’t put any tension on the holidays if Alexis…feels uncomfortable.”
“She’s an observant child, honey. You may want to take off the ring until then.”
“I know.” Lindsay tried to spin it on her finger. “It fits snug, and I’m just so happy about it that I was waiting until the last minute.”
Rose followed Lindsay to the sink. After they had closed the drain, they worked together with dish soap to remove the ring. Lindsay held it in her palm and watched it sparkle. “This diamond came from a brooch Nicole’s grandmother gave her. She had it set in this band for me.” Lindsay clamped her fist shut. The symbol she grasped seemed to warm her from her head to her toes. “She did this for me.”
Rose smiled and hugged her. “I assume her parents know.”
Lindsay pulled away and shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Did you like them?”
“I liked her dad right off the bat. He’s sweet, and Nicole looks so much like him.” Lindsay sighed. “Her mother…I feel her sizing me up. She seems very protective of Nicole. I think it’s going to be a while before we warm to each other.”
“Hmm.” Rose folded her arms.
“I know that look. I can see the defenses going up all around you.” Lindsay grabbed her arm. “Try to look at it this way—how are we going to feel when some boy comes into Alexis’s life and wants to marry her? We’re going to scrutinize him, too.”
“Or girl.” Rose lifted her head high. “I’ll try to keep that in mind, but I expect this woman to afford my daughter the same respect I’ve shown hers.”
“Fair enough. Now we need to get into high gear. They’re going to be here at five, and I still need to clean the house and get the groceries.”
“Finish the list. I’ll sneak out the back door and do the shopping. From the way Nicole sounded earlier, she’d serve them hot dogs and fries.”
Lindsay raced upstairs and put the ring in her jewelry box, admiring how it sparkled against the red velvet. Jewelry or diamonds never meant that much to her, but the ring made her heart pound as she closed the small drawer. One day soon, she’d wear it freely and be reminded of the heart that beat only for her.
*******
Nicole was none too pleased to learn that Rose had slipped out unnoticed and was headed to the grocery store with a list a foot long. “I can catch up with her and at least pay for what you’re planning.”
“I need your help here.” Lindsay looked around the living room. “Have you ever blown up a vacuum cleaner?”
“Oh, Alexis.” Nicole clapped her hands together. “Mommy has made a funny at my expense. What does that call for—ice water down the back of her pants or tickles?”
Alexis jumped up and down. “Tickles!”
“You little traitor.” Lindsay pointed a finger at Alexis as she backed away from Nicole. “We don’t have time for this. The house has to be cleaned, and we both still need to shower.”
Alexis began to jump around in a circle. “There’s always time for tickles as long as I’m not getting them.”
“You see? There’s time.” Nicole rubbed her hands together again as she moved toward Lindsay.
“I’m not ticklish.”
“Yes, she is,” Alexis screamed loudly. “She goes crazy if you stick your finger between her toes.”
Nicole eyed Lindsay’s socked feet with a grin.
“Now, Nicole, there’s no time for…agghh,” Lindsay yelled as Nicole grabbed her and pushed her down on the couch.
“Get her socks off while I hold her.” Nicole sat on Lindsay facing her feet. “Don’t kick your daughter,” she warned with a laugh as Alexis went after the squirming feet. Nicole latched on to one of them, and Alexis pulled off the sock. “Aw, look, Lexi, she’s making a fist with her toes. Bet we can get between them.” Lindsay began to scream and thrash as Nicole and Alexis wedged their fingers between her toes. “Oh! She’s a bronco.”
Alexis’s squeals were almost as loud as Lindsay’s. The three of them didn’t notice the knock on the front door.
“So what do you think, Lexi, has she suffered enough?”
“She has, she has,” Lindsay cried as she tried to pull her foot from Nicole’s grasp.
A rap on the porch window caught Nicole and Alexis’s attention. “Who’s that?” Alexis asked.
“My dad,” Nicole said with a sigh. “They’re early.”
Nicole opened the door to her parents with Alexis on her hip while Lindsay ran around the living room picking up couch pillows and trying to straighten her hair.
“We got bored,” Elise said with a smile. “We thought we’d come over early and help with dinner.”
“Mom, Dad, this is Alexis,” Nicole said proudly.
“Hi,” Alexis said shyly and clutched tighter to Nicole.
“Come in.” Nicole stepped back and let her parents step through the door.
“Welcome, Darrin, Elise.” Lindsay straightened the pillows on the couch once more. “My house is usually cleaner than this, but it’s comfortable and home for my family, and I suppose that’s all that matters.”
Nicole grinned at her with a slight nod as if to say, “well done.”
“My attempt at cleaning was interrupted by your daughter and her accomplice.”
Nicole looked at her parents. “She asked me if I’d ever blown up a vacuum cleaner. You’re both really to blame for the tickle torture she just endured.”
“We thought you might’ve been cooking,” Elise said, “when we heard the screaming.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Oh, har har.”
“Come in, sit down, make yourselves comfortable,” Lindsay said. “Mom’s at the store doing some shopping for dinner. Would you like me to put on a pot of coffee to brew, or would you like iced tea?”
Elise shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to Nicole. “I’d love a cup of coffee, but my daughter can manage that without burning down the house. Do that for us, darling, while Darrin and I visit with Lindsay and Alexis.”
Nicole handed Alexis to Lindsay and went off to make coffee without complaint.
Darrin and Elise sat on the couch while Lindsay and Alexis took the recliner. “So what did you two see today?”
“Cows, swamps, and more cows and swamps.” Darrin grinned when Alexis giggled.
Elise swatted him playfully. “We toured an antebellum home and visited Houma, where we did a bit of shopping. We tried to stay away,” Elise said apologetically, “but to be honest, I started missing my baby.”
“The ‘baby’ has put coffee on to brew without causing an explosion,” Nicole said as she reentered the room. “See, Lexi, we grow up and our moms still call us babies.” Nicole took a seat on the floor, and Alexis climbed out of her mother’s arms and took a seat on her lap.
“So, Lexi, or do you prefer Alexis?” Elise asked.
“I like them both,” she said as she squirmed.
“Tell me what you like to do.”
“I like to ride my bike and play with Peepers, my cat.” Alexis was on a roll to the delight of Nicole’s parents. “I like to go to work with Mith Nicole. I like to ride in her car, it’s really cool. And I like to play with my friends.”
“Wow,” Darrin said. “You must really stay busy. Who’s that on your shirt?”
“That’s Justin Bieber.” Alexis pointed to the picture, then at Nicole. “She named her cat Bieber.”
“Yes, we’ve gotten to know Bieber and Bounce quite well.” Elise pointed to a scratch on her hand.
“Did you spray him with the water bottle?” Nicole asked.
“Filled it up twice.” Darrin leaned back and draped an arm over the back of the couch. “He sends his apologies for what he did to the plant in the living room.” Darrin pinched his nose and fanned the air.
Nicole rolled her eyes. “He pooed in my ficus again, didn’t he?” This brought on another fit of giggles from Alexis.
“Lindsay,” Elise began, “I hope you and your mother aren’t going to a lot of trouble for dinner. If you’d rather, we can always go back to the fish camp.”
“We cook every night. It’s no trouble at all.” Lindsay stood. “I’ll just go check on the coffee.”
Elise looked at Nicole when Lindsay left the room. “I mean it, sprout, don’t let Lindsay and her mother worry over us.”
“She called you sprout,” Alexis said with a laugh. “Sprout.”
Nicole was a bit taken aback by her mother’s behavior. The predatory glare was gone from her eyes, and she seemed genuinely concerned that Lindsay was being burdened with dinner. Nicole made a mental note to ask her father if Elise was on some new medication.
Lindsay came in with a tray. She set it on the coffee table and said, “Mom just pulled up. Please, enjoy your coffee, and we’ll get things started.”
“Oh, no, I can’t allow a lady to carry in groceries for me unless, of course, she’s my wife.” Darrin jumped up and headed out the front door before anyone could stop him.
Nicole moved Alexis off her lap. “I’ll go make introductions.”
No one stayed behind for the coffee. Elise followed Nicole, who followed Lindsay out the back door, and Alexis was close on their heels. Darrin and Rose were shaking hands as they walked to the car. Nicole felt the first tendrils of anxiety as she introduced her mother to Rose. Side by side, they were in complete contrast—Elise with her manicured nails and salon ’do, wearing a smart-looking blazer over jeans, then Rose in dark slacks with a floral print sweater. The two looked as though they shared nothing in common, Nicole prayed that her mother would continue to be on her
best behavior.
Elise didn’t have close friends. She had acquaintances she shared drinks with and an occasional game of tennis at the country club. Rose, on the other hand, was the town confidant and mother figure to many. Nicole worried that Rose wouldn’t enjoy the stiff-armed approach that Elise often employed with newcomers. But then, they were hugging like old friends who had not seen each other in ages. Arm in arm, they walked slowly toward the house, chatting, while Nicole’s father took nearly all the bags of groceries at one time and Alexis pranced along beside him.
Nicole pulled the last bag from the trunk of Rose’s car and slammed the lid. She walked around to where Lindsay stood watching the spectacle in silent awe. “I was worried they wouldn’t hit it off.”
Lindsay turned to Nicole. “They’re so different.”
Nicole watched them disappear inside the house. “I think my mother’s on drugs.”
*******
Nicole was relegated to coffee service. Her job was simple—keep the coffee flowing and stay out of the way. Her father had stolen her playmate and was on the living room floor with Alexis, who was giving him the latest rundown on her medical treatment plan for Peepers. Her mother, Rose, and Lindsay were a blur as they prepared the evening meal. Elise and Rose chatted away while Lindsay and Nicole exchanged bewildered but hopeful glances.
Dinner conversation was dominated by stories of raising children. Elise told Rose about her flower gardens in Montana, and agreements were made to share pictures in the spring. Rose even offered to supply her with clippings of some of her favorite plants that she thought would adapt to a cooler climate. Even Alexis got in on the conversation and retold the story of seeing puppies come out of a dog’s butt. Lindsay and Nicole sat quietly together, silently communicating with looks and smiles.
It ended all too soon even with the early start. Since Alexis was back home, Nicole had no excuse to stay. She and Lindsay had sneaked off into another room to say their goodbyes before anyone noticed they were gone. “I love you,” Nicole said against Lindsay’s lips. “I’m going to miss you terribly tonight when I’m sleeping on the couch alone.”
Robin Alexander - The Secret of St. Claire Page 19