Say Yes (22 page)

“You’re
welcome. She’s such a precious little girl. I just wish I could have done more.
This must be so hard for you.”

“It
is, but there’s nothing I can do but get through it. Losing my husband, and now
my daughter…it’s devastating, but I can’t do anything to stop it. It is what it
is, I guess,” she said, sadly.

“Oh,
Kathryn,” I said, and pulled her into a hug. “What you must be going through, I
can’t imagine. You have to be one of the bravest people I have ever met, next
to your little girl.”

“I
don’t feel brave, but thanks for saying it.” We broke apart from our embrace, and
she sniffed. “Well, I won’t hold you up from your holiday any longer. I just
wanted to say thanks. To all of you,” Kathryn said.

“You’re
very welcome. Give Arabella a kiss from me, okay? And you stay strong,” I said.
With a weak wave, she bid us goodbye and the elevator opened.

After
we all climbed inside, Luke turned to me and said, “You are an amazing woman,
Lilly Harrington,” and he kissed me.

Two
hours later, we were at Mama and Daddy’s spending Christmas together. Between
Mama and I, we had cooked an amazing Christmas dinner, and I was so stuffed.
After we cleaned up and everything was put away in leftover containers,
everyone was sitting in the living room in front of the fire. We were all
chatting together, waiting to open gifts. After leaving the hospital, I had
been pretty quiet. I made conversation when someone asked me a question, but I
didn’t really initiate any of it.

Luke
and I were sitting on one of the couches, and I was snuggled into him. He
kissed the top of my head and said, “Are you okay, Lilly? You’ve been pretty
quiet all evening.”

I
sighed. “I’m all right. I just…”

“Just
what, baby?”

“I
just don’t know how you all do what you do every day and not bring that home
with you if something goes wrong with a patient.”

“Well,
that’s part of the job. When you go into medicine, you do it to save as many
lives as you can, but you can’t save them all. That’s the hard part of being a
doctor. Wondering what you could have done differently if you had more time or
thought of something that could have helped sooner.”

I
leaned into him more. “I could never do what you do. It would be devastating to
lose someone and feel helpless.”

“It’s
never easy to lose a patient, but you have to do your absolute best and take
comfort in knowing you did everything you could do, sometimes even more.”

“So,
you can just turn it off? Your emotions?”

“You
have to, in a manner of speaking. Part of it will always stay with you, but you
have to learn to compartmentalize. Save your emotion for later when you are
alone, because right then, the patient and their family is what’s important.”

“I
guess that’s why it’s a good thing I never went into medicine like most of my
family. I am way too emotional.”

He
lifted my chin with his hand so his icy blue eyes could stare into mine. “Just
one of the many things I love about you. What you did for that little girl…Lilly
that was beautiful.” He leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips.

“Thank
you. You weren’t so bad yourself you know,” I said, smiling. “Those kids are
going to have a great Christmas because of you. And, that Santa suit was kind
of hot.”

He
smiled wickedly. “Oh yeah?”

Before
I could reply, Daddy cleared his throat. “All right, everyone, we ready to open
some presents?” We all nodded, and Daddy said, “Okay then. Let’s get started,”
he said, and started passing around the wrapped gifts. Everyone had a great
time opening their gifts, but I have to say I loved the look on Mama and
Daddy’s faces when they opened my gift. Their anniversary was in January, so I
got them tickets for a romantic cruise to the Caribbean. Daddy tried to tell me
that it was too extravagant, but I just reminded them that they were planning a
vacation for their anniversary anyway, and this was my contribution to it.

I
bought Daisy a pair of canary diamond stud earrings, which she loved judging by
the attack bear hug she gave me. I bought Jack a nice leather messenger bag to
carry a laptop or a tablet or what-not. I didn’t know where Luke and I would be
in our relationship when I bought his gift, but I knew that he would like it. I
bought him a beautiful platinum Rolex watch. I was worried that he would think
my gift was too extravagant too, but he loved it. Smiling, he said, “This is
the most beautiful gift I could have gotten. Well, next to you of course,” he
said, making me smile. “Now I don’t feel so bad giving you my gift,” he said.
Grinning like a little boy, he handed me a small black velvet box. Noticing the
look of panic on my face, he said, “Don’t worry, it’s not an engagement ring.”

I
visibly relaxed, and slowly opened the box. Inside was the most gorgeous
diamond necklace I’d ever seen. The diamond was a dime sized circle cut pendant
hanging from a delicate silver chain. I looked at Luke and leaned into him,
kissing him hard on the lips. I heard Daddy chuckle. “Luke, it’s amazing. I
love it.”

“I’m
glad,” he said, pulling me into another quick kiss.

“Put
it on me?”

“Sure,”
he said, and took the necklace from the box and undid the clasp. I pulled my
hair to the side and he placed the necklace around my neck and fastened it. He
kissed the back of my neck. “It looks beautiful on you.”

“Thank
you,” I whispered, and I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“This
was nice, having all of you here. The only thing missing was Violet and Evan,
but I’m sure they are having a wonderful Christmas in Hawaii,” Mama said,
snuggling into Daddy.

“Well,
thanks for having us, Ros. This evening has definitely been the best Christmas
I’ve had in a very long time,” Luke said. I looked into his eyes, and there was
a trace of sadness.

I
placed my hand in his, and laced our fingers together. “You miss them, huh?”

“I’ll
always miss them, but holidays always make it harder.”

“Well,
you have us, son. Always,” Mama said, and Luke smiled at her. She beamed back
at him, her face full of love only a mother could give.

“Thank
you,” he whispered.

“Well,
I think that we are officially out of gifts,” Daddy said, and took a sip of egg
nog.

Daisy
cleared her throat. “Well, actually, Jack and I have one more gift left. For
you two,” she said. Jack handed her an envelope, and she passed it to Mama. She
looked at Daddy, and he nodded at her. Smiling, she opened it and pulled out a
Christmas card. When she opened the card, her eyes went wide. Tears immediately
filled her eyes, and she looked up at Daisy.

“Daisy?”
she said happily. “You’re having a baby?” She was holding a sonogram picture.

Daisy
nodded at her. “That’s why I had been so sick. Being a nurse, I should have
known, I help deliver babies every day,” she laughed. “Jack and I are gonna
have a baby. You’re gonna be a grandma.”

Mama
jumped up off the couch and raced over to give her a hug. “Oh, sweetheart, this
is the most wonderful gift I have ever gotten, apart from you and your sisters.
I’m gonna be a grandma!” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. Daddy had
stood up and had pulled Jack into a hug. I nuzzled into Luke, and watched
happily as the joy of life beginning anew was all around.

I
woke up to the sun light shining through the huge glass window in Luke’s
bedroom, naked, his arms around me. I looked at the clock on the wall. Nine thirty.
I wiggled so I could stretch and not wake him up, but a soft moan in my ear and
Luke’s arousal on my backside pretty much told me he was awake. I rolled over
and met his eyes, all ice blue and full of desire. “Good morning,” he whispered
seductively.

“Good
morning to you,” I answered. Before I could think, he leaned his head down and
kissed me and wasted no time thrusting his tongue in my mouth. Moaning, I
opened my mouth to invite him inside, and he rolled his hot naked body on top
of mine. Breathless, I broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. He just smiled
and began to kiss along my jaw. “Luke? Not that I’m complaining, but what
brought this on? You are pretty aroused this morning,” I whispered.

“This
is our last day together, Lilly. I just want to lose myself in you,” he
groaned, and before I could say anything his mouth was back on mine.  It was
the day after Christmas, and the day before I was supposed to leave. I had
decided to go back to California and try for a week to sort out my feelings. I
figured that getting some distance from Luke, however achingly painful it would
be, would help me see what I really wanted. I had already said my goodbyes to
most of the people in town, including Brooke and the Grady’s. Luke and I had
stopped there on our way back from Mama and Daddy’s, and Mr. Grady made me
promise not to wait too long to visit home again. We were all going to the
airport together tomorrow, so today was just for me and Luke. His teeth nipping
on my bottom lip brought me back to reality and away from my wandering
thoughts.

He
wasted no time in moving his hot mouth all over my skin, and was really working
me over with his tongue on my breasts. I arched my back, thrusting them up and
into his waiting mouth and hands. “Mmm, you taste so sweet,” he mumbled. I ran
my hands through his hair and grazed his scalp with my nails. He moved from my
breasts immediately down to my sex, and he circled his fingers around the
source of my arousal. “Ready for me so quick,” he whispered, and thrust his
fingers inside. I screamed out as he moved his mouth around my heat, making me
shake and shiver. He was so skilled at getting me going, and this part of sex
with Luke never took long. Before I knew it I shattered into a million pieces
around him. He moaned in pleasure at my collapse. “Yes, baby. Give into me,” he
said.

Now
it was my turn to return the favor. I shoved him off me and onto his back.
Before he could react, I took his erection in my mouth, causing him to inhale
sharply. “God, Lilly, fuck!” he screamed, and put his hands on the back of my
head. I moved him in and out of my mouth, savoring every inch of him. He was
hard like granite but smooth like velvet. I was enjoying myself too much to
notice me was pulling on me to stop me. “Lilly, slow down, I don’t want to come
yet,” he groaned. “I want to be inside you.” He flipped me back onto my back
and nestled himself between my legs. Without warning, he slammed into me. He
was hot, fast, and rough…and I loved it. God, he felt so good. He was so big it
was almost as if he filled every single inch of me. We moved in perfect sync
for several minutes, enjoying the feel of us together too much to let go. My
body, however, betrayed me and before I could think I was coming apart around
him again, clenching in ecstasy. I barely had time to enjoy the feeling,
because before I knew it Luke had rolled us and I was on top of him. He hadn’t
found his release yet, as he was still hard and ready inside me. I gasped at
the feel of him. I loved being on top of him, this position felt so much deeper.
I began to rock back and forth on top of him, and he shouted, “Yes, Lilly! Oh,
God, you feel so good.”

I
felt the fire burning inside me again, and by the way Luke was writing beneath
me, I knew he was feeling it too. Soon, I came gloriously against him, my body
clenching around his hardness. Then, with one more deep thrust, he emptied
himself into me, his body stilling. Oh wow…what a hell of a way to wake up. I
collapsed on his chest as we both struggled to catch our breath. He wrapped
both arms around me, and traced his fingers along my spine and the curves of my
bottom. After a few quiet moments, I lifted my head and rested my chin on his
chest, looking into his eyes. “That was amazing,” I said.

“It
always will be with you,” he whispered, and leaned up to kiss me. I opened my
mouth and our tongues touched gently. He rubbed his hands quickly along my
back, and sighed. “You hungry?”

“For
food?” I asked, smiling.

“Yes,
for food. As much as I’d love to lay here and taste you all day, we do need to
eat,” he grinned.

I
softly giggled. “Yeah, I could eat. I think we’ve both worked up an appetite.
What would you like me to make?”

“Why
don’t you let me make you breakfast this morning?” He chuckled at my wide eyed expression.

“You?
Cooking? Seriously?”

He
laughed. “Well, I’m no Lilly Harrington, but I know my way around an egg. Come
on, what do you say?”

“I
say that you are the sweetest man in the world, and I bet anything you make for
me will be perfect.”

“All
right then,” he said, and I rolled off of him. He walked over to his dresser
and pulled out a pair of boxers and put them on. “You stay here. Watch some TV,
check your messages, or whatever you want. Just relax, and I’ll be back.” He
leaned in and kissed me quickly, and for a brief moment, he looked at me like
he was memorizing every curve of my face.

“Take
your time,” I said, and he walked out of the room and down the stairs. I sat up
and climbed back under the blankets, pulling them up to cover my naked chest. I
grabbed the remote control from the night stand, and mindlessly flicked through
the channels. While I was searching the guide for something to watch, my cell
phone vibrated. I picked it up and the caller ID told me it was Alejandro.
Smiling, I picked it up. “Hey, handsome,” I answered.

“Hey,
girl! I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever. How have you been
enjoying your vacation?”

I
looked around Luke’s bedroom, and sighed. “Oh, Alejandro, it’s been amazing.”

It
went quiet on his end for a moment, and then he said, “You had sex, didn’t
you?”

Laughing,
I said, “What? Why do you say that?”

“I
hear it in your voice. You are all happy and dreamy. So, who is it? Tell me
everything.”

The
truth was bound to come out anyway when I got back, and if it was, I’d rather
talk about it with Alejandro first. “His name is Luke.”

“Ah,
I knew it! Girl, you gotta give me details. What does he look like? Is he
cute?  I bet he’s cute.”

“He’s
more than cute. He’s gorgeous.”

“What
does he do?”

“He’s
a doctor. Pediatrician, actually.”

“A
cute doctor that loves kids? Girl, you better lock that down now,” he said, and
I laughed. “So, how did you meet him?”

“Actually,
I’ve known him forever. We grew up together.”

“Aw,
was he your high school sweetheart?”

“Well,
not exactly. We weren’t together until the night before I left for college. I
never knew he was in love with me until that night.”

“So
you two hooked up before you came here?”

“Yes.”

“And
you two saw each other again and picked right back up eleven years later like
nothing happened?”

“Give
or take a week.” I laughed.

“He
obviously still loves you girl.”

Taking
a deep breath, I replied, “And I love him too. I think I always have. I was
just too wrapped up in me to think about it.”

“Well,
Lilly, if you love him, I already love him. I have known you for eleven years,
and in all that time I have never heard you say those words about anyone other
than me or Tara. I am so happy for you,” he said. At that moment, I felt a
little choked up.

“You
are? That means the world to me, Alejandro. Really. I wish I could say Tara
would feel the same. You know when she finds out she’s gonna flip her lid.”

“Okay,
pardon my language, but fuck Tara. You were always way too nice to her, nicer
than she ever deserved. If she is mad at you because you gave your heart to
someone and are finally happy, then honey, she was never your friend to begin
with.”

“Yeah,
I’m beginning to realize that.” I then told him about our conversation a few
days before the wedding.

“God,
what a bitch. Listen to me, Lilly, you do what’s right for you. Don’t let that
cow ruin your happiness, you hear me?”

“I
won’t,” I laughed. “I am just not looking forward to her freaking out on me
tomorrow when I get back. I won’t even have a day before she bombards me.”

“So,
you are still coming back then?”

“Yeah.
Just to sort things out, and see what I want to do. I’m going to give myself a
week to decide.”

“Well,
whatever you decide to do, I’m there for you girl. You do what makes you happy.
I’ll miss you if you leave, but that’s why God invented airplanes, right?”

“I
love you, Alejandro.” At that moment, Luke came into the room carrying a tray.

“Love
you too, girl.”

“Listen,
I have to go. Luke just walked in carrying a tray of food, and it smells
amazing. I am intrigued.” Luke smiled at me, flashing his perfect white teeth.

“Oh,
okay. Go get some. And then, you know, eat some food too.”

I
laughed out loud. “Bye, babe.”

“Bye,
girl. Have a safe flight, and call me when you get in, okay? I want details
about this guy.” I realized then why I loved him so much. He was like the male
version of Daisy.

“I
will, bye.” I hung up the phone and set it back down on Luke’s night stand.  “Mmm,
that smells good,” I said, sitting up even more with my back resting on the
headboard.

He
walked over to the bed, and set the tray on my lap with the legs. Then, he leaned
down his face to mine and lightly kissed my lips. “Hi,” he said quietly.

“Hi,”
I giggled.

He
sat next to me on the bed. “Okay, this is the first time I have made breakfast
for anyone, let alone a famous chef. So please be gentle,” he said. On the tray
was a glass of orange juice, a mug of coffee, and a plate filled with bacon,
two hash browns, buttered toast, and two fluffy omelets filled with cheese, mushrooms,
green peppers, and tomatoes. “I know the bacon’s obviously not the fresh kind,
I heated it in the microwave, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

“Babe,
this looks amazing.” I leaned in and kissed him again.

“I
made enough for two, and I brought both coffee and orange juice because I have
seen you drink both in the morning. So you choose.”

“Um,
orange juice sounds great.”

“Okay
then.” He picked up a fork and cut a piece of the omelet for me, the cheese so
gooey that it was oozing out of the sides. It looked mouth watering. “Here
goes,” he said, picking up the steamy piece on the fork and holding it up to
me. “Moment of truth.”

I
grinned brightly. “I can’t believe you are going to feed me.”

A
wicked grin crept over his lips. “I like to feed you in all aspects, baby,” and
my legs suddenly felt numb. Tingles shot through me right to my belly. “But
right now, let’s focus on food.”

Smiling,
I opened my mouth and he placed the fork in my mouth. He looked nervous as I
tasted the warm eggs and cheese on my tongue. Oh my…it was delectable. I closed
my eyes, savoring the flavor. God, he did know his way around an egg. This was
the most delicious omelet I had ever tasted. Moaning, I opened my eyes and
said, “Luke…oh my God. This is amazing!”

He
grinned. “Oh come on, Lilly, you’re just being nice. It can’t be that good.”

“Trust
me, being a chef, if it wasn’t good I’d tell you. If this doctor thing doesn’t
work out…” I trailed off, and picked up the other fork. I cut another piece off
my omelet and popped it in my mouth.

He
cut a piece off of his omelet and took a bite. “Mm, not bad,” he said. He
picked up the mug of coffee and took a drink. We sat and ate our breakfast
together, talking and laughing. After all the food was gone, he was telling me
a story about him and Evan in college when I suddenly got an urge to jump on
him. I took the tray off my lap and carelessly tossed it to the floor. His eyes
went wide. “What are you doing?” he asked, amused.

“Not
wasting any time,” I said, and I reached my hand up around the back of his neck
and pulled his lips to mine. I let the blankets fall from my chest, and his
hand reached up and took one of my breasts in his hand. I pulled him on top of
me and wrapped my leg around his waist, nudging his boxers down with my foot. I
thought I heard him left out a soft chuckle as we got lost in each other again.

We
had had a perfect day together. We had lunch in bed as well, but he insisted on
feeding me every bite. He let me make lunch this time, and after our heavy
breakfast, it was just chicken salad sandwiches and fresh fruit. It was late
afternoon when Luke insisted we get out of bed. He said he had a surprise for
me and I was to shower and get dressed nice. He told me that in the short time
we’d been together, he’d never officially taken me out on an honest to goodness
date. Most of our time we’d spent naked, which had been fine by me. But, I
thought the sentiment was cute, so I obliged. He was showering in the
downstairs bathroom because he said he had a few calls to make and he didn’t
want to disturb me getting ready. Really, it was about this surprise. I rolled
my eyes and decided to let him have his fun. This was our last night
together…we both deserved it.