Loving Lily Lavender

by Deanna Kinney

  “We’ll stay at Meagan’s for now, and tomorrow, or I guess later today, we’ll come back here and meet with the Fire Investigator and go through the house to see how bad it is.”

  When we got up later that morning, Meagan fixed us breakfast and then I borrowed some of her clothes. Randall brought some over for Lucas and then we headed to the house.

  The damage wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought. Most of the damage was to the upstairs. The Investigator said the fire was set upstairs in the far left guest room. He also said she had taken out all of the batteries in the smoke detectors, all six of them.

  There was only a little smoke damage to the downstairs, which was good. I felt relieved at that. I was also relieved to find my purse in the kitchen, unharmed, which meant Lucas and I could go buy some new clothes. His wallet was in our bedroom, thus was destroyed.

  I was glad I was wearing the heart necklace Lucas had given me for Christmas, and all of our wedding photos were in the den, which meant they also survived. Lucas’s guitars were fine. Everything else could be replaced. Although I have to admit I would greatly miss my Yoda t-shirt.

  When we left, I felt a lot better about the house. Lucas had already started making calls to line up a team, including a decorator, to restore the house.

  We decided to stay at a hotel instead of Meagan’s, because of space, for one, and because Cody still insisted, until Samantha was caught, to stay with us. His head was healing. He had to have some stitches, but he thought it added to his intimidating look, and I had to agree.

  It took the police three days, but they finally caught Samantha trying to get on a flight to L.A. And get this, they found the batteries to our smoke detectors in her car, six in all. I guess she wanted a souvenir; not smart.

  She was denied bail and with that chapter closed, we could breathe a sigh of relief again.

  We made the decision to go to London and stay with Lucas’s parents while our house was being remodeled. Lucas had hired the best people, locally, to do the job and paid them to work fast.

  We hoped once we were in London that we wouldn’t see our faces plastered all over every news station, like in America. It seemed that everyone in America was fascinated with our story, and seeing Lucas and I embracing as we watched our home go up in flames had only intensified that fascination.

  Also it seemed that Samantha was a new celebrity, whether she wanted to be or not. They were digging up her past, interviewing her family members, and asking what went wrong?

  I also did something I never thought I would do. I wrote a letter to Samantha, forgiving her, and telling her I hoped she found peace. Lucas couldn’t believe I did it. He said he didn’t think he could, but I knew, in time, he would learn to forgive her as well.

  We landed in London, and besides the long flight, and the five-hour time difference, I was excited to be there. Before I met Lucas I had never dreamed I would ever be able to visit London, and it was more beautiful than I had imagined.

  It was great to see his family again. It was hard to believe it had only been a month since I’d seen them last.

  Meagan had promised to check on my mom for me. Even though I saw her before I left, I knew I’d still miss her like crazy. Somehow, being with Lucas’s mom, Barbara, made me miss her more, though I wasn’t sure why. Lucas said it’s because I’m reminded of what it could be like if she were well. And I thought I was the one who knew psychology.

  Lucas and I spent a lot of time together, even though he could’ve spent time catching up with friends. Nicholas came over a lot, and so did Abigail, her husband Anthony, and her toddler, Allie.

  Allie was the prettiest little girl I had ever seen. It made me wonder when Lucas and I would start a family. It’s not something we had talked about, but it’s something his family couldn’t stop talking about. I asked him about it one night after we had spent the evening with his family.

  “So Lucas, when are we planning to start a family? I mean we never talk about it. Maybe we should, so we know where we stand.”

  “Okay, well, with all that’s been going on in our lives, including all the near death experiences, I’d like to spend more time with just the two of us, but if you were to get pregnant, I would be happy.” He looked at me and smiled. “Does that answer your question?”

  I smiled back at him. “Yes, it does. Actually, I feel the same way, but you know I haven’t been taking anything to prevent it.”

  “Yes, I know, and I don’t think you should. It’ll happen when the time is right, and we’ll both be happy, right?”

  “Right. Do you know how wonderful you are?”

  “Well, I know how blessed I am. Does that count?”

  “Yes, that counts.”

  Lucas had insisted I see some of the glorious sites London had to offer and so for the next few weeks that is exactly what we did. I was glad I remembered quite a bit of my history.

  One day he took me to the Buckingham Palace, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t go inside. It seemed tours were only open during the summer months.

  I also toured the Tower of London.

  “Did you know that Edward V was murdered here when he was thirteen?” I asked, trying to impress him with some of my trivia, but I was disappointed with his response.

  “Of course.” He said it as if everyone knew that. So much for that.

  “Well, maybe I shouldn’t be here, with my tendencies to attract murderers and all.”

  “Honey, if you were going to be murdered, it would’ve happened already,” he teased.

  “True.”

  He also took me to see St. Paul’s Cathedral and The British Museum. It was an amazing experience for me. Everything was very beautiful and unique. I couldn’t compare it to anything I’d ever seen before in my life.

  I also learned to enjoy the art of English tea, and we drank it out of a real elegant and dainty tea set. I felt like a little girl again, having a tea party, except now my husband played with me. I made a mental note to ask Lucas for one for our next anniversary, or sooner, since he was always looking for reasons to give me gifts.

  As much as I loved being with my new family, and as much as I loved seeing Lucas in his most comfortable environment, I felt like I was a stranger in a galaxy far far away. The truth is, I was homesick.

  One night after supper, Lucas excused us and led me up to our room.

  “Luke, is this appropriate? After all, it’s not bedtime yet, they’re gonna know.”

  He just laughed and continued pulling me along. He closed the door behind us, led me to the bed, and sat me down.

  “Lily, I know you’re homesick, it’s okay to tell me.”

  “Luke, I love being here with your family.” He gave me a look of expectancy. “Okay—I’m homesick,” I confessed.

  “I thought so, well I have something to tell you, but first I want you to open this.” He reached under the bed and pulled out a wrapped package.

  “You didn’t have to buy me anything. I’ll be fine.”

  “Yes, I know, but when you have this I’ll feel better. Just open it, and then you’ll understand.”

  I opened the package and gasped. Tears filled my eyes as I pulled the shirt out and studied it. It was a green Yoda t-shirt just like the one that was destroyed in the fire, but of course it was new. “Oh, Lucas, it’s perfect. Thank you so much.” I jumped up into his arms.

  He laughed. “I knew you’d love it. I hope it reminds you of home. That will get you through until tomorrow.”

  I looked at him in confusion. “What’s tomorrow?”

  “Well, I got a call a little while ago and,” he paused.

  “And?”

  “And—the house is ready!”

  “No way! Does this mean we can go home now?”

  “First thing in the morning.”

  Meagan, Cody, and Randall were all waiting for us as we arrived back at home. I got out of the car, not even waiting for Lucas to open my door, and ran to give Meagan a big hug. “Meg, I
missed you so much.”

  “I missed you too. I thought I was gonna go crazy waiting for you to get back. Lily, the house looks amazing, much better than it looked before, and there’s a surprise in your bedroom.”

  “Meagan!” Lucas called in a reprimanding voice.

  “I’m not gonna tell her. Boy, someone’s turned grouchier since I’ve seen him last.” She turned to me. “But you’ll love it. Hey, where’d you get the shirt?”

  I was so excited I thought I would burst. Lucas took my hand and led me into the house. The first thing I noticed was that everything looked and smelled so fresh and clean.

  When we got to the top of the stairs, he led me past our room, covering my eyes, to the last room at the end of the hall. The rooms were amazing. Each one was decorated differently and uniquely. The first room was contemporary with a lot of black and had a beautiful office space for me, organized with built-in shelving. The second room was very traditional with reds and antiques. It reminded me of a fancy hotel.

  The hall bathroom was redone completely with a Jacuzzi tub and shower, decorated in a beautiful color green.

  Lucas covered my eyes as we stepped into our bedroom. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, yes!” He took his hands away, and I gasped. “Oh-my-God!” My mouth fell open in surprise. “Oww!” I squealed as Meagan pinched me.

  “I thought you were over that,” she said, laughing.

  “Yeah, me too.” I pouted while rubbing my arm. “Lucas, this is amazing.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it.” The room was decorated in my romantic style, in white and a light gold. There was a white canopy hanging all around the bed, draping over the ceiling and down the sides. However, what caught my attention the most was a brand new fireplace on the far right wall, and it was lit with gas logs.

  “Luke, it’s perfect. I’ve always wanted a fireplace in my bedroom.”

  “I know—Meg told me.”

  “Oh, Meg, thank you.” I hugged her with great enthusiasm.

  “Hey, what about me?” Lucas asked, teasing.

  “You’ll get yours later,” I threatened.

  “Well, time to go,” Meagan said, turning to leave.

  “No, stay, and I’ll cook us something.”

  “Lily, it’s not time for supper.”

  “I don’t care—I want to celebrate. Do we have any food here?”

  “I went to the store this morning,” she declared cheerfully.

  I was so happy to be home and cooking in my kitchen again. I turned on my disco music and began to dance as I diced the veggies, just like always. After Cody and Randall’s initial shock wore off, they all joined in as we sang and danced around the kitchen and dining room to the song, Car Wash. It was another one of those evenings I wouldn’t forget for all the money in the world.

  We stood on the deck and waved goodbye to our friends. Once their car was out of sight, Lucas turned to me and said, “So, what was that you threatened earlier?”

  “Oh yeah, come here,” I said playfully, reaching for him. He ducked to avoid my grasp and took off running into the house. I chased him all the way to our bedroom. He beat me there, and as I was coming through the door, I screamed as he jumped out and grabbed me. We collapsed onto the bed laughing, and then our playfulness turned into passion in only a matter of seconds.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It didn’t take long before we settled into a comfortable and rewarding routine. Lucas went everyday during the week to Randall’s studio to work on his music, while I was busy at work on my next wedding.

  Every night after dinner we’d snuggle by the fire and watch a movie or spend hours talking about our dreams for the future. Sometimes Lucas would play me a song he was working on. Afterwards we’d make love.

  On the weekends, we’d have Meagan and Cody over for dinner. Their relationship seemed to intensify in our absence. Occasionally we’d go out, but the attention was becoming bothersome. Lucas was so gracious with his fans, but the truth is, he preferred to be left alone.

  What was becoming more bothersome, however, was the fact that more and more people were beginning to ask for my autograph. I assumed as a result of being put in the spotlight over the Samantha incident.

  Some of Lucas’s fans, however, blamed me for his decision to give up acting. He had to have his publicist issue a statement explaining that it was just his dream to pursue music instead. That seemed to satisfy them, for the most part.

  Lucas was still receiving movie scripts and some of them were really good, offering him big paychecks, but he turned them all down. For Lucas it wasn’t about the money. We were alike in that way.

  The wedding I was currently working on was proving to be a challenge. The couple had an extremely tight budget, forcing me to become very creative to make it work and still be beautiful, but I never turned my back on a challenge.

  I decided to help them out by allowing them to pay me in payments instead of all of it upfront, which was normally against my policy. They seemed to be a trusting couple and we share a mutual friend so I figured, why not.

  I couldn’t believe how peaceful the last two months had been. It seemed too good to be true. Ever since Lucas and I first met, there had been one thing after another that had tried to interfere in our happiness. I wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet, but I couldn’t help but feel that something was waiting around the corner for us—blessing or curse. It seemed curse.

  The wedding was finally over and my stretching the budget went as planned and the wedding was beautiful.

  I was in my car on my way to the bank to deposit the last paycheck the couple had finally gotten around to paying me. I picked up my cell phone and hit Lucas on speed dial. “Lucas?”

  “Hey, honey, what’s up?”

  “I’m on my way to the bank to deposit this last check. I just wanted to let you know I might be a few minutes late. I’m trying to make it there before they close.”

  “Okay, I’m glad you told me. I’m still at the studio with Randall. I was getting ready to leave to meet you at home, but I’ll stay a little longer to finish up.”

  “Sounds good. I love you, and I’ll see you soon. Take care of my heart.”

  “I love you too, and I will.”

  The line was extremely long at the bank. One teller was new and seemed to be having some trouble. Also, I guess I wasn’t the only person trying to make it in before they closed.

  “Lucas, I’m sorry to interrupt again, but there’s an incredibly long line here, so it looks like I might be here a while. I just wanted to call and let you know, so don’t rush okay?”

  “Oh, okay well—”

  “Lucas,” I interrupted as I spotted a suspicious man pulling a bandana over his face and making his way behind the teller counter. “Wait—there’s something happening—wait—Lucas!” I gasped as someone grabbed my cell phone from behind me. I turned around quickly to see a man with a hoody on, wearing sunglasses and a bandana over his face. He snapped my phone closed with his left hand while holding a gun to my side with his right.

  I watched in disbelief as four men, all dressed identically, pointed their guns at the tellers and ordered them away from their desks and down on the floor.

  “Everyone, this is a robbery!” the tallest man shouted. “Drop your cell phones on the floor and lay flat down on your faces. Remain there quietly and no one will be harmed!”

  One man came around and collected all the phones and put them in a black duffle bag. I couldn’t believe what was happening. They came in so quickly and unexpectedly that no one knew what was happening. The tellers didn’t even have time to react. I guess that was their plan.

  The tallest one, the leader I assumed, because he was giving the orders, was behind the teller counter. He motioned for a much shorter man to join him. They had the tellers empty their drawers into a big red bag. I heard the leader ask for the Supervisor, who had the keys to the vault. A tall, thin woman, with jet-black, cropped hair, stood
.

  The leader came over to her and placed the tip of his weapon in her side. “You have thirty seconds to get me in that vault,” he said to her. She was scared, but bravely led him to the door and soon the three of them disappeared.

  No sooner had I lost sight of them, than I heard someone banging frantically on the front doors of the bank. It sounded like they were banging the glass with their keys. Instantly a bad feeling came over me.“Go check it out,” the man nearest me said to the other man.

  The next thing I saw was a tall man with his hands raised in the air and a gun at his back. It took me a moment to register the familiarity of the brown, disheveled hair, and then it felt like someone punched me in the stomach as he turned and I stared, in horror, into Lucas’s beautiful, hazel eyes. And, as our eyes met, relief crossed his face, while anger crossed mine.

  “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” I growled at him. He just shrugged apologetically.

  “What’s going on here?” the man nearest me demanded as he approached.

  “Sir, that man is my husband. Please let him leave.”

  “No!” Lucas protested.

  “Please, Sir, he doesn’t have to be here.”

  “I’m not leaving you!”

  “No one’s leaving but us,” the leader said as he and the other man exited the vault. Relief overwhelmed me as I realized they had what they came for and were leaving. One man shoved Lucas to the floor.

  “Everyone stay down and don’t move for two minutes after we leave. It’s been a pleasure.” They moved quickly to the front doors and disappeared from sight.

  Lucas started to crawl toward me.

  “Stay still,” I snapped.

  He ignored me and continued to crawl until he was by my side, lifting me into his arms. “Are you okay?”

  “Besides being mad as a bumblebee—yeah I’m fine. What were you thinking coming here?”

  “I wasn’t—and I think you mean mad as a hornet,” he mused.

  “You pick your insect, and I’ll pick mine. Besides, have you ever seen a mad bumblebee? Now shut up, teasing. This isn’t the slightest bit amusing. I want you to answer me. What are you doing here?”