“It really is, Luke. She’s made up her mind to remove herself from her family, and I think we need to do whatever we can to protect her. I don’t want her to get hurt again. I love her too much to see her go through that pain. She’s a good person and doesn’t deserve it.”
“I love her too, and I will protect her in every possible way. I don’t want you to worry.” I smiled.
Gretchen grabbed her things and left the apartment. I was really bothered by the fact Lucky said something to Lily’s mother, but he didn’t know what was going on, so I couldn’t really blame him. I decided not to tell Lily about what Gretchen told me because I didn’t want her worrying about it, especially tonight, at my family’s dinner. As I was excited to bring Lily home to meet my parents, I decided to send flowers to my two favorite women. I grabbed my phone and called the local florist. I had a nice arrangement sent to my mother for the dinner table, and I sent Lily a dozen red roses with a card that read:
“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.
I’m missing you already.
Love always, Luke.”
As it was a beautiful day, I decided to go outside and work on some songs. I took my laundry to the laundry room, threw it in the washer, grabbed a notepad, pen, and my guitar, and headed over to the pool. As I sat in the chair and set my phone down on the table beside me, I looked up at the sky as the sun went behind a cloud; one of the very few clouds that filtered the sky. I thought about the conversation Gretchen and I had about Lily’s family as I grabbed my pen and started writing down the words that came to my mind:
Even the clouds will say
There’s nowhere we can get away from everything
There’s nowhere we can practice positivity
I strummed the C and F chords to find the perfect tune, and then my mind went back to the first time Lily and I met. She didn’t put up with my bullshit when I was an ass to her, because I could only focus on myself and my problems.
When all I see is me
So let’s drop, let’s stop this teenage rivalry
I strummed the C, F, and G chords to produce a tune that fit the words to this song I was writing. Lily’s heart had been broken, not only by her father and her mother, but also by her ex-fiancé and her sister, and it kills me to see her cry.
And every heart will break
There’s just no way to keep it safe from anything
If the only thing that makes it break is somebody
Please don’t give it to me
‘Cause seeing you cry makes me want to leave
But losing you scares the shit out of me
My phone rang, and Lily’s beautiful picture lit up my screen. I smiled as I answered, “Hey, beautiful.”
“I just received some beautiful red roses from a really sexy guy named Luke. You don’t know him by any chance, do you?”
“Can’t say I do, but when I find him, I’m going to kick his ass for sending my girl flowers.”
“They’re beautiful, Luke; thank you. My students are very excited, and they keep making kissy noises at me. Charley came up to my desk and said they better be from you.” She laughed.
I chuckled. “I’m glad you like them, babe.”
“As you can hear, my class is out of control. I miss you, and I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Lily.”
“Bye, Luke.”
I smiled as I set my phone down. Were things moving too fast? I wasn’t sure, but the only thing I knew for certain was that she’s the first woman to catch my attention and make me feel something since the accident. I played the chords again and added a couple of more lines before Mrs. Kramer called me to come fix her leaky toilet.
I’d sail the ocean blue
Or I’d fly a rocket to the moon
But I’m good for nothing without you
I got up from my seat, headed back to the apartment, grabbed my tool box, and fixed Mrs. Kramer’s toilet.
26
Lily
I set the vase of roses that Luke sent me on the counter as I thought about what I was going to wear to his family’s house. I was starting to get nervous because I haven’t met anyone’s family in a very long time. I always worry they won’t like me or find something wrong with me. I wondered where Luke was; usually he’s waiting for me when I get home. Looking out my window, I noticed his motorcycle wasn’t there, so I grabbed my phone and sent him a text message.
“Where’s my knight in shining armor?”
A few moments later, a message came through.
“I’m at the store, babe. I had something that I needed to pick up. I’ll be over shortly.”
“See you soon,” I replied back.
I walked into my bedroom and opened the closet door. I wanted to look perfect for his family, and I didn’t want them to be able to see the destruction that had been left inside me thanks to my family. I took off my work clothes and stood in front of the open closet in my bra and panties. Suddenly, a voice came from behind me, startling me from my thoughts.
“Well, isn’t this a sight for sore eyes,” Luke said as he leaned up against the doorway with his hands behind his back.
“Shit, Luke, you scared me,” I said as I turned around and looked at him.
“Sorry, babe, but what do you expect when you’re standing there in nothing but your bra and that delicious lace thong.”
I smiled as I walked over to him. “What are you hiding behind your back?” I asked as I ran my finger down the front of his shirt. His top lip curled as he looked at me and brought his hands forward, revealing a helmet.
“Surprise!” he said.
I put my hands over my mouth in shock. “Luke!”
“I know, you probably hate me right now for this, but you should have your own helmet if you’re going to be riding on my bike.”
“I don’t hate you at all; I love it!” I exclaimed as I took it from his hands.
The helmet was black with white lilies all over it, and it had my name engraved on the side. I reached up and kissed Luke’s smiling lips. “Thank you, baby; I love it.”
He took the helmet from my hands, put it on my head, and then placed his hands on my hips. “God, you’re so sexy,” he said.
I walked over to my full-length mirror that sat in the corner of my bedroom. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing as I stood there and examined myself in nothing but my bra, panties, and a motorcycle helmet.
“Why are you laughing?” Luke asked as he walked over to me.
“I look ridiculous like this.”
As he cupped my ass, he grinned. “I seriously want to f**k you with that helmet on.”
I instantly removed the helmet, turned around, and smacked Luke on chest. “You’re crazy! I’m not hav**g s*x with that on!” I exclaimed.
Luke sighed. “Fine, leave it off then,” he said as he pushed me down on the bed and smiled.
***
I looked out the window of Luke’s Jeep as we drove down the street to his parent’s house. The streets were lined with trees and huge houses with well-manicured lawns. Luke reached over and took my hand.
“Please tell me you’re not nervous.”
“Why would I be nervous? I’m only meeting my boyfriend’s parents for the first time,” I said as I looked over at him.
“You’re a smart-ass.” Luke laughed as he brought my hand to his lips and gently kissed it.
As he pulled into the driveway, I admired the vast amount of palm trees that stood in front of the beige color, two-story home. I took in a deep breath before Luke got out of his Jeep and walked around to open the door for me.
“Close your eyes and breathe, Lily,” he said as he helped me from the Jeep. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. My family is as easygoing as they come, and they’re going to love you.”
I nodded my head and smiled as we walked up the driveway to the front door. As Luke put his hand on the handle and pushed the door open, Charley came running over to us.
“Uncle Luke, Lily!” she exclaimed as Luke scooped her up in his arms.
“Long time no see, peanut,” he said as he tapped her on the nose.
“Grandma, Grandpa, and Mommy are in the kitchen,” she said.
“Well, let’s go see them and introduce Lily.” Luke smiled.
We walked down the hallway, and I could hear the rapid beating of my heart. As we approached the kitchen, Luke put Charley down and walked over to his mom.
“Luke, you’re here!” she exclaimed as she hugged him tight. “Thank you for the beautiful flower arrangement.”
Maddie walked over to me and gave me a hug. “Don’t be nervous,” she whispered.
Luke broke his hug from his mom and turned to his dad who patted him on the back as the two of them hugged each other. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Lily Gilmore.” Luke smiled as he held out his hand for mine.
“Oh, Lily, It’s wonderful to meet you! You can call me Annie,” she said as she hugged me tight.
“It’s nice to meet you as well; I’ve heard so much about you.”
“It better be all good, or Luke will be in trouble,” Annie said as she shot Luke a look.
“Of course it’s all good.” I smiled.
Luke’s father held his arms out. “It’s nice to meet you, Lily. You can call me Tom.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tom.” I smiled.
Luke walked over, smiled, and put his arm around me. “They love you already,” he whispered.
I stood in front of the island and admired the granite counter tops that sat amongst the cherry cabinets, which matched the cherry wood floors. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the kitchen in my childhood home. The resemblance was incredible.
“Come on everyone, let’s start cooking dinner!” Annie exclaimed.
“What are we having, Mom?” Luke asked.
“We’re making Chicken Marsala tonight, and I have everyone’s job assigned,” she said as she pulled a white piece of paper from her pocket. “Tom, you’re in charge of pounding out the chicken br**sts. Luke, you’re in charge of making the coating for the chicken, and Lily, you’re in charge of slicing the mushrooms. Maddie, you’re in charge of making the salad, and I will make the potatoes.”
“Grandma, what about me?” Charley frowned.
“You, my dear grandbaby, are in charge of helping me with the potatoes. Once I slice them, I need you to place them in the dish.”
Luke and I took our place at the counter where all the ingredients were laid out. I took the mushrooms and started slicing them while Luke prepared the coating for the chicken. Being a part of this gave me an incredible feeling. Annie was a breath of fresh air. She stood about 5’2” with a petite stature. Her chestnut colored, mid-length hair, softly framed her face. Her eyes were a deep brown, and her smile reminded me of Luke’s. From what I could already tell, her personality was bubbly and full of life. She was a real family person, and I took comfort in the fact that, for this night, I could be a part of it.
“I really like how your mom does this with dinner,” I said to Luke.
“It’s ok now, but it was kind of annoying growing up. Imagine your friends calling you to hang out and you telling them you can’t because you have to cook dinner with your mom. I was teased a lot.”