I paused, but he didn't say anything right away, so I continued.
"I saw some comments on that video you posted, talking about you and how good-looking you were, and I felt like I wanted to ring those girls' necks. I'm jealous over you, Luke. Dreadfully jealous. I remembered that time we spent together last time you were here, and I realized I fell in love with you even back then. And then, you come here, and I see you talking to Doozy and to my dad and Owen about motorcycles. I see how you fit in with this family and how they respect you and want you to be a part of what they're doing—not just because I want them to, but because they truly admire you. I see all that, and I feel like I'm the one who's dreaming, Luke. I wonder how I ended up here, on my porch, sitting on your lap. I'm afraid to go to sleep, too. I'm afraid I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream."
"Maybe neither of us are dreaming, then," he said.
I sighed. "Maybe not."
I was still resting on his shoulder, but I could see the side of his face. I stared at his mouth—the way his top lip protruded out past the bottom one. The looks of it caused sensations in my gut—warm, desirous sensations. I wanted him to kiss me so badly that I ached with it. I sat up, turning and positioning myself in front of him.
He grinned at me, and reached out to touch the side of my face. His fingers laced through my hair, and his thumb grazed my temple. I wanted my mouth on him so badly, that I turned my face toward his palm, letting my lips fall onto the base of his hand. My mouth was opened slightly and I gently pulled the skin of his hand into my mouth, kissing it, tasting it. I heard Luke let out a labored breath, which pleased me greatly.
"Ivy," he said.
I left my mouth on his hand, but I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He wrapped his hand around the back of my head, using it to pull my face closer to his. I knew what he was going to do, and I wanted it more than I have never wanted anything in my life.
I absolutely yearned to kiss him.
Finally, he did it. He pressed his lips to mine, and the relief we both felt was palpable.
What followed was no airport kiss.
It began gently with a few delicate kisses where I let my mouth wrap around his glorious upper lip. It felt and tasted just like I thought it would. Luke gently sucked my lower lip into his mouth, and the wet warmth of it caused me to crumple in his arms. I was all his—desperately melting into his arms, full of warm desire.
I opened my mouth to him, and he held me tightly and kissed me deeply. He didn't stop, either. We kissed for a long time. We kissed like it was our very first time to kiss anyone—like we were just figuring out what kissing was about and how fun it could be. Several times, we readjusted in the chair, moving this way and that and getting comfortable before going right on kissing some more.
We kissed so gently at times that our mouths barely brushed. We kissed so passionately at times that we squeezed each other tightly and our teeth bumped.
I got to know Luke in a different way during that kiss—I got to know and appreciate his divine, full mouth in a way that I couldn't do with my eyes. This kiss showed me things I didn't know before. It made me realize that I desired him like a wife desires a husband.
I wanted Luke's to be the only lips I kissed for the rest of my life, and I wanted him to kiss no one else but me. I suspected it before, but this kiss made me know it—he was the one. He was mine and I was his, and I just wouldn't settle for anything less.
We sat on my porch for—
Honestly, I had no idea how long we sat there.
I think it might have been hours.
My mouth was wonderfully swollen and sensitive by the time I sat back, took a deep breath, and came to my senses.
"What time is it?" I asked. Luke leaned to the side, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.
We both looked at it as he pressed the home button. It was after 9pm, and the realization of how late it was caused me to glance at him.
"Wow," I said in a matter of fact tone. "Time flies." I didn't have to add the bit about when you're having fun, because Luke knew what I meant.
"Yep, it does," he agreed.
"Do you want to get married?" I asked, still matter of fact.
He grinned, thinking I was messing around.
"I'm serious," I said. "Not right this second or anything, but soon. Do you want to marry me?" I glanced around. "You could just move in here with me, if you want."
"You sound like you're being serious," he said.
"I am being serious."
"You're probably just a little delirious," he said.
I shook my head, feeling slightly heartbroken. I thought he would just agree the instant I suggested it. I tried to hide it, but I think I made a disappointed expression. "You're the one who's delirious, not me," I said.
"Then, I'm probably hearing you wrong."
"You're breaking my heart," I said. "I thought you felt the same as me, and I—"
Luke stopped me by putting his hands on the sides of my face. He held me steady as he stared into my eyes with a serious expression. "I love you, Ivy Bishop. I have never loved anything as much as I love you. I never even knew it was possible to love anything this much."
"But what?" I asked.
"But your dad and brothers would kill me if I tried to come over here and marry you like this. They're protective of you. They're gonna think it's too fast."
"Why do you care what they think?"
He shrugged. "I don't, but you do. You're gonna ask me to marry you, and I'm gonna take you seriously, and then your family's gonna remind you that it's a crazy idea, and I’m gonna end up all heartbroken and dissapoin—"
He stopped talking during mid-sentence, and smiled at me because I made a big scowl, scrunching up my face at him—wrinkling my nose and everything. I held the expression long enough to cause him to laugh. His chest shook as he stared at me.
"I honestly don't care what they think, Luke. I mean that with all sincerity. I know I want to marry you. I really do. I got to know you as a person at a time when I couldn't follow my attraction, and then, for a year, I lived with that letter you wrote—those words that were from your heart to my heart. I just know it was meant to be like this. Me and you. I'm glad Wes found Jolene and they're happy and everything, but as far as I'm concerned, they were just a little bonus, a side project in the bigger plan. The real plan—the one to get you to me."
Luke still had my face in his hands, and as he regarded me, his smile turned to something else, something more earnest.
"Yes, then," he said. "Obviously, yes. I would love nothing more than to marry you, Ivy Bishop. You name a time and place, and I'm there."
I smiled. "That's better," I said.
Luke kissed me one last time while he still had his hands on my face, and then he took them away, giving my legs a little pat like he assumed we were about to stand up.
"You ready?" I asked.
He nodded and smiled at me with a long blink.
I knew he was running on empty. It had been far too long since he had any real sleep. I got up, stretching, and he stood beside me, doing the same thing. He reached out for me, taking me into his arms now that we were on our feet. I marveled at how tall and broad he was. I felt utterly safe and secure, like this man could protect me from anything.
Chapter 19
For the next five days, I did my best to ignore the fact that Luke would eventually have to go back to London. We spent all of our free time together, and I truly dreaded the time when he would have to leave. I knew it would come way sooner than I wanted it to, so I chose to think about it as little as possible. He would only be in Memphis for three more days before he had to go back.
He had customers and co-workers depending on him at the dealership. He had commitments that he needed to get back to over there. Luke was the steady, dependable type, and he didn't feel right about leaving his job or his parents under such hasty circumstances. He had friends and an apartment in London. He simply had things h
e needed to do. I understood that, because I had commitments in Memphis.
I hated the idea of being separated from him, though, and I really thought about going to London with him when he left. But the nonprofit was still in the development stages, and as the founder, I just couldn’t leave for an extended amount of time.
The plan was that he would go back for three months. And then, in June, once the house was ready, he would come back to Memphis—this time for good.
Of course, there would also be a wedding, but nobody knew that yet. Luke and I kept the whole plan to ourselves, at least for the moment. We would tell them all before he left, but we didn’t want to share it just yet. After all, Jolene didn't even know we were seeing each other. She had been on the road with my brother and had no idea that Luke came to Memphis. I made a family announcement asking anyone who talked to her not to tell her that he was here so that we could surprise her when she came back.
I remembered calling her that night when they were in Chicago. I had asked her for Luke's contact information but that was as much as she knew. So much had changed since then, and Jolene had no idea.
She and Wes had rolled into town last night, but we still hadn't seen them. I knew if I rushed them into coming over she would know something was up. They were supposed to come by at 10am this morning, and I was so excited about it that I could hardly sleep.
Luke and I had fallen asleep on the couch the night before, and he woke me up at 2am to tuck me into my bed. I was so amped about seeing Wes and Jolene and telling them the news, that I was up and down until 6:30 when I finally got out of bed and took a shower. I was dressed and ready for the day before 8am.
Luke had gotten showered and dressed by the time I finished, and he was waiting in the kitchen for me when I came out. I was dressed for work in my "teacher clothes", and Luke was looking sharp wearing jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. He would spend his day at the shop, but he would change once he got there if he felt like he would be doing something that would get his clothes dirty.
We spent the morning hours together since we had some time to kill before Wes and Jolene came over. We drank coffee, ate breakfast, talked, laughed, and speculated about how his sister would react to him being there.
It was a good thing I didn't apply lipstick when I was getting ready.
His lips were like magnets to mine.
I kissed him any chance I got.
It was 10am when I got a call from Wes saying they couldn’t make it.
"We got a late start this morning," he said, sounding apologetic. "I know you have to get to work. We'll come by this afternoon."
"This afternoon?" I said, feeling disappointed. "Shoot, I was missing y'all."
"Mom said something about cooking tonight," Wes said. "We'll just plan on seeing you then."
I knew that would have to be okay. I knew if I pushed for anything else, Wes would know I was hiding something. "Okay, that sounds good," I said. "I'll see y'all then."
I hung up with my brother and made a sad face at Luke.
"What?" he asked, seeing my expression.
"They can't come right now," I said. "They must be tired from the trip. He said he'd see me tonight."
Luke shrugged. "It might be fun to surprise her with everybody here."
"You're right," I said. "I'll have to think of some way we can do it—we'll have to trick her somehow since my brothers will be here. Maybe we could make her think you're one of them." I stared into space, thinking of different ways we could surprise Jolene—games we could play, or things we could do to really get her good. I had always loved surprises, and I knew she was going to flip out when she realized her brother was in Memphis. "I'll think about it while I'm at work," I said. "There's got to be a way to blindfold her or something."
Luke laughed and shook his head at me for my shenanigans.
"Just make sure none of the guys at the shop mention anything," I said. "I hope they don’t go up there today."
Luke gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they won't," he said.
Within minutes, we left the house, Luke heading to the shop, and me heading to work.
I didn't get off work until 6pm.
I was hoping to leave earlier, but a perspective student came in right at 5, and I couldn’t bring myself to rush.
I was nervous about Jolene finding out Luke was there, so I had been in touch with my family all afternoon. Mom said Jo and Wes had been home all day, recovering from their travels, and that she told them she would have dinner ready at 6:30.
This was pushing it for me. I really wanted to be there for the surprise, but the later it got, the more I felt like it wasn't going to be possible. None of us ever really listened to Mom when she said what time she would serve dinner—we all just came to the house whenever we could. I knew the whole family would probably beat me there even though I would arrive before 6:30.
I called Luke on my way to the house, and he picked up on the second ring.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey. Is she there yet?"
"Jolene? No."
I glanced at the clock on the dashboard of my car, which read 6:09. "Really?" I said. "She's not?"
I was genuinely surprised that she and Wes hadn't gotten there yet. I thought for sure I would have missed everything.
"I think I heard your mom talking to Wes on the phone," he said. "But they're not here yet."
I sighed. "I had to stay for a new student, but I'm on my way. I'll be there in like ten minutes at the latest."
"It's all good," he said. "They're not here yet."
"Are other people there?" I could hear commotion in the background, so I knew the answer to my question. What I should've asked was who's all there.
"Daniel, Owen, your aunt and her kids… I think almost everybody who's coming, but not Wes and Jolene."
"If they get there, can you please go hide in the back room so they won't see you?"
He let out a little laugh on the other end. He knew how very much I wanted to be there for the surprise. The fact that I wanted him to hide was something we had gone over at least five times.
"I promise I'll hide if they get here before you," he said, reassuring me.
"Thank you, I love you."
"I love you too," he said. "I'll see you in a minute."
We said goodbye and hung up the phone. I was so excited and nervous that I was shaking. I turned on a classic rock station. They were playing Led Zeppelin's D'yer Mak'er, and I adjusted the volume accordingly, singing along (with the lyrics I knew) at the top of my lungs.
I wouldn't say I sped, but I certainly didn't take my time getting to the house. I pulled up at 6:22, scanning the row of cars in the driveway, and feeling so relieved when I realized that neither Wes's nor Jolene's were among them.
The house was packed with people when I walked in. They were all standing and sitting around in the kitchen and living room. Everyone yelled at me when I walked in. The toddlers ran over to give me hugs, followed by a few of the adults. I yelled, "Hello, y'all," to everyone who was looking at me from across the room, and I greeted the munchkins before standing to embrace Shug, Aunt Jane, and Courtney who were standing near the place where I had walked in.
My mom was busy in the kitchen, and she made a kissyface at me while she checked on whatever was in the pot.
"Smells like spaghetti," I said.
"Close," she said. "I've got stuffed shells in the oven. She gestured at the pot. "This is broccoli."
Stuffed shells were my favorite, and she knew it. I smiled thankfully at her, and she winked at me.
Luke was standing at the edge of the kitchen, but he waited for me to pass out hugs to everyone who was standing near the door. Once I greeted them and set down my things, I walked over to him. He was wearing the same jeans and plaid shirt that I had seen him in that morning, but his handsomeness still somehow took me by surprise. He smiled, and it caused a tingling sensation in my lower abdomen.
I walked directly into his arms,
feeling so thankful that he seemed as relieved to see me as I was to see him. I squeezed him, breathing in the clean, familiar, masculine smell before stretching up to give him a kiss. I had to get on my tiptoes, and even then, he had to lean down for our lips to connect. I vaguely knew we were being watched, but I didn't care. In fact, I wanted everyone to see.
"They're here!" Shelby's voice came from the living room, and I turned to find her standing next to the window.
I craned my neck to glance out of the dining room window, and, indeed, I saw Wes's truck headed up the driveway.
I looked up at Luke. "That was close!" I said.
He lifted his eyebrows and nodded at me.
My eyes widened as I regarded him. "You have to hide!" I said. I let him go, stepping back. "Okay, y'all just play it cool!" I announced loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Nobody mention somebody being here. I've got a way to surprise her. Y'all just keep doing what you're doing and don't look suspicious. Just play along with what I say."
I tried to make my warning speech as kid-friendly as possible. I knew if I said they specifically shouldn't mention Luke, that would be the first thing out of their mouths. Luke walked down the hall, and everyone else went about their business, looking as inconspicuous as possible.
Within a minute, Wes and Jolene came to the door, and we all yelled at them and greeted them the same way everyone had done for me. It had been a while since any of us had seen them, so there was a little extra excitement surrounding their arrival. Basically, everyone who was in the kitchen made their way to the entryway to greet them. My mom even put down her spoon so that she could go to the door and see them.
Wes was in the middle of tickling little Cora when Kip walked up to Jolene. He tugged at her pants.
"Why awe we not suppose to look se-pi-shus?"
"Why what?" she asked, smiling and glancing at Courtney for translation.
"He's into dinosaurs lately," Courtney said dismissively. "Go get your T-rex so you can show Wes and JoJo."
Kip ran off, and Courtney turned to give me a wide-eyed glance at how close that had been.
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