Текст книги "Love in Between"

Автор книги: Sandi Lynn

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

9

Charley wanted to go on the Ferris wheel. In fact, she wanted all of us to go together. I hated Ferris wheels because I’m afraid of heights, and the thought of being stuck at the top scared the shit out of me.

“Come on, Uncle Luke and Lily; let’s go on the Ferris wheel!” Charley squealed in excitement.

“Ok, Charley, we’re coming.” Luke smiled as he tried to catch up with her.

“You two, go ahead. I’ll watch from the sidelines.” I smiled.

“You don’t like Ferris wheels, do you?” Luke asked with a small grin on his face.

“No, I don’t. I’m scared of heights.”

We got up to the gate, and Luke grabbed my hand. I looked at him as he smiled at me.

“Luke, what are you doing?” I said in panicked tone as he pulled me through the gate.

“Face your fears, Lily. It’s the only way you’ll get over them.”

“Luke Matthews, I’m not getting on that Ferris wheel,” I said as I tried to loosen the tight grip he had on my hand.

“Just like you weren’t getting on my bike?” he asked.

He stopped pulling me, turned around, and our eyes met. “You’ll be safe; I promise.”

Just like with the motorcycle, I trusted him. I took in a deep breath as the three of us climbed into the seat of the Ferris wheel.

“Lily, since you’re scared, you can sit next to Uncle Luke,” Charley said.

I sat in-between Luke and Charley. The ride started to move, and I gripped the bar so tight that my knuckles turned white. My heartbeat quickened as my panic grew, so I closed my eyes, wishing that the ride would end before it even began; then Luke took my hand.

“Take slow, deep breaths, Lily,” he whispered as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

The touch of his warm hand soothed me as my racing heart began to slow down, and a sense of calm slowly washed over me.

“Now, open your eyes. You can get some great pictures,” he said.

I slowly opened my eyes to see Charley was staring at me.

“Are you ok, Lily?” she asked.

“I’m fine, sweetie.”

The time had come for the ride to end, and of course, we stopped at the top. I gasped. Luke looked over at me and smiled.

“Look at the world through your camera lens,” he said. “It’ll calm you down.”

I brought my camera up to my face and began taking pictures of the bright lights and the people down below. Luke was right. For a minute, I forgot we were stopped at the top because I was focused on getting the best pictures. Before I knew it, we were back on the bottom, and it was time to get off the ride. Luke took my hand and helped me out of the seat.

“I’m hungry,” Charley announced.

“Me too, peanut,” Luke said as he picked her up to give her a piggyback ride.

Charley was giggling. I wanted to capture the sweetness and innocence of this moment, so I began snapping pictures of the two of them. We stopped at a stand where they sold burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Charley ate a hot dog, while Luke and I ate hamburgers. We were sitting down at the wooden table eating, when Luke and Charley started throwing French fries at each other and laughing.

“You both need to stop.” I laughed at them.

Luke picked up a fry, threw it at me, and smiled. I looked at him and smirked as I threw one back. After our food fight had ended, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was late, and Charley looked exhausted. Luke picked her up and carried her to the Jeep while I carried her oversized cat. He set her down and buckled her in. Being with him tonight and seeing him act the way he did with Charley told me he would be an amazing father. It’s just one more thing about him that seems to be making him perfect. We arrived back at the apartment building, and I held the door while Luke carried Charley into his bedroom and laid her in his bed. Luke walked out of the bedroom as I whispered good night to Charley. She opened her eyes and gently took my hand.

“I haven’t seen Uncle Luke so happy in a long time,” she whispered.

I smiled and kissed her gently on her forehead. “I had a great time too.”

Sam and Gretchen were sitting on the couch, watching a movie when I walked back to the living room.

“Hey, you guys, did you have fun?” Sam whispered as not to disturb Charley.

“Yeah, we had a great time,” Luke said as he walked into the kitchen.

“It was a lot of fun,” I agreed.

Gretchen looked at me and winked. I rolled my eyes at her.

“Call me tomorrow,” she whispered.

I headed towards the door, and I heard Luke ask Sam to keep an eye on Charley while he walked me home.

“One foot out the door, and I’m already home.” I laughed.

“You can never be too careful in these parts.” He smiled.

I inserted the key into the lock. “Would you like to come in for some adult drinks?” I asked.

“You mean I can have something alcoholic?” he asked jokingly.

I laughed and nodded my head. “Come on in and have a beer with me. I think, after tonight, we deserve one.”

Luke followed me in as I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers. After handing Luke a bottle and opening mine, I held my bottle up.

“Here’s to a wonderful evening spent in good company and facing my fears of the Ferris wheel.”

Luke threw his head back and laughed. “I’ll drink to that,” he said as our beer bottles came together. I was leaning against the refrigerator while he was leaning up against the counter across from me. It was one of those awkward moments when neither person is sure what to say next, so I just went for it.

“Let’s go sit on the couch while we finish our beer.”

“Um, ok,” Luke said as he followed behind me.

I sat with my back against the arm of the couch so that I was facing him. I brought my leg up and tucked it underneath me. Suddenly, I had felt the urge to pee, so I got up from the couch.

“I’ll be right back.” I smiled.

Luke smiled back and took another drink of his beer. When I walked back into the living room a few minutes later, I saw him standing in front of my guitar.

“Hey,” I said as I put my hands in my pocket. I knew he was going to figure it out soon– if he hadn’t already.

“This guitar of yours; there was only one made in the whole world, and it belonged to Johnny Gil—” He stopped before he could get my last name out. After pausing for a moment, he continued. “The guitar was handmade by an old man who lived in a small village in Southeast Asia. It was most known for the initials, L.G., that was engraved into the frets. No one could figure out what it stood for.”

He turned around and looked at me. The expression on his face was pure shock. “The initials stand for Lily Gilmore, don’t they?” he asked.

I took in a deep breath. “Yes, the initials are mine. He had that guitar made one week after I was born,” I said as tears started to fill my eyes. I quickly looked up at the ceiling. There was no way I was going to let Luke see me cry.

“Wow, I had no idea that you’re the daughter of Johnny Gilmore. He’s a legend.” He smiled. “The way he merged the sounds of the late 70’s and early 80’s was amazing. He’s a musical genius. He created a sound that no one could duplicate, and everyone said it was because of this guitar.”

I was getting pissed off with the way he idolized my father. He may have been a musical genius, but nobody knew the way he lived his life like I did. Luke’s phone went off, so he pulled it from his pocket and then looked up at me.

“I have to go. Sam and Gretchen are leaving, and I need to get back to Charley. Thanks for the beer,” he said as he headed towards the door. He stopped as he put his hand on the knob and looked at me. “Come to the beach with us tomorrow.”

I didn’t know what to say at that point. Did I want to go? Was he only asking me because now he knows who my father is? Are we really friends? I started to question everything about our time spent together, and he put me on the spot.

“Sure, I’ll go. It sounds like fun.”

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He smiled.

After locking the door behind him, I pressed my forehead against it, immediately regretting my decision. I can’t let this happen again.

10

Luke

Charley was sleeping peacefully as I carefully opened the door and peeked into the room. Closing the door as silently as I could, I grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the hall closet, set them on the couch, sat down, and ran my hands through my hair. I couldn’t believe that Lily was Johnny Gilmore’s daughter. I remembered her father having passed away about two years ago, but I didn’t recall hearing anything about her mother or sister, so I decided to get up and bring my laptop back to the couch. I did some online searching, and because her parents were divorced for the past ten years, I couldn’t find anything on them until an article popped up that caught my attention. The headline read: ‘80’s Musical Legend’s Daughter Calls off Wedding’. I clicked on the headline to bring up the article.

“Lily Gilmore, daughter of 80’s musical legend, Johnny Gilmore, calls off wedding after she caught her fiancé having relations with her sister, in the church, on their wedding day. Sources say Miss Gilmore caused quite a scene outside the church, climbed into a limousine and then hasn’t been seen since…”

I looked at the date of the article, and it was dated a little over a year ago. At that moment, it had occurred to me that she lied to me about her family. The only person in her family that had passed away was her father, whereas her mother and sister were still alive. I set my laptop on the coffee table and laid myself down on the couch with my hands behind my head. Why would she lie to me? I couldn’t understand her motive, and I was pissed. There’s one thing in my life that I hated most and will not tolerate—people who lie.

* * *

I awoke to the feeling of tapping on my shoulder. I opened one eye and saw Charley standing over me, smiling.

“Wake up; I’m hungry,” she said.

“Ok, ok, I’m getting up.”

I sat up on the couch and rubbed my eyes. “What time is it, Charley?”

She looked at the clock in the kitchen. “It’s seven o’clock.”

“May I ask why you’re up so early?”

“Uncle Luke, it’s not early for a kid my age.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“I want your smiley pancakes.” She smiled.

I walked into the kitchen and took out everything I needed to make pancakes. Charley loved the way I made them. Her favorite part is when I use chocolate chips for the eyes and whipped cream for the smile.

“Don’t forget the eyes, Uncle Luke!” she shouted from the couch.

“Don’t worry, Charley, I won’t.”

The pancakes were cooking on the griddle when Sam walked through the door.

“Damn, Luke, those smell good.”

“Want some?”

“Yeah, I’m starving. Gretchen had a photo shoot this morning, so we didn’t get to eat.”

I poured more batter onto the hot griddle.

“Hey, don’t forget to make them smiley,” Sam said as he turned and looked at Charley.

Charley looked at him and giggled. I rolled my eyes. Sam walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

“I pulled up an article last night about Lily,” I said to him.

“Are you stalking her or something?” he asked.

“No. Do you know who her father was?” I could tell by the way Sam looked at me that he already knew. “You asshole, you knew and didn’t tell me?”

“Uncle Luke, language!” Charley yelled from the couch.

“Sorry, peanut. Please, don’t tell your mom.”

“The article said that she caught her fiancé with her sister on the day of their wedding.”

“Yeah, I only found that out from Gretchen,” Sam said as he poured some coffee into his cup and sat on the bar stool. “I asked Lily about it, but she got really pissed and told me to forget that I even knew about it.”

“You asked her about it?” I said as I took the pancakes off the griddle. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I think you two would make a great couple, and I wanted to get her feel about dating.”

“Bro, leave it alone. Jesus Christ, I already told you that I’m not interested in dating anyone.”

“Uncle Luke, I’m pretty sure J.C. is a bad word when used that way,” Charley said as she sat down at the table.

“I’m sorry, Charley.” I sighed as I set down the plate of pancakes in front of her.

Sam got up from the bar stool and sat at the table across from Charley. “Dude, what the hel—heck did you do my pancakes? They’re frowning cakes,” he said with a pout.

I rolled my eyes and poured myself a cup of coffee. Just as I was about to sit down, Maddie walked into the apartment.

“Good morning, baby,” she said as she walked over and kissed Charley on the head. “Good morning, guys.”

“Hey, Charley, would you mind if Sam took you home while I talk to your mom for a few minutes?”

Charley looked at Sam and tilted her head. “Will you give me a piggyback ride upstairs?”

“You bet I will. Hop on, little girl, and we’ll giddy-up outta here.”

Charley climbed on Sam’s back and giggled. As soon as the door shut, Maddie asked me what was going on.

“Lily’s the daughter of Johnny Gilmore,” I said.

“What? As in Johnny Gilmore, the musician?”

“Yeah, and she lied to me about something.”

“What did she lie about, Luke?” Maddie asked as she poured more coffee into our cups.

“She told me that her family was killed a couple of years ago in an accident, but I did some research. The only person who died in her family was her father, and I remember that day. The reports said he had a massive heart attack. Her mom and sister are still alive and living in Seattle.” I grabbed my laptop, set it on the table, and brought up the article I saw last night. “Here, read this,” I said as I turned my laptop towards Maddie.

“Wow, poor girl,” she said as she looked up at me. “She obviously had her reasons for telling you her family’s dead. I know that if I had a sister and caught her having sex with my fiancé, I would never talk to her again. But to find them on her wedding day, in the church! Cut her some slack, Luke, you don’t know the whole story.”

I stood there for a few moments, pondering what Maddie had said. “You’re right, sis. Thanks.”

“You’re falling for her, aren’t you?” Maddie asked as she put her hand on my shoulder.

“No, we’re just friends,” I replied.

“It’s ok, Luke. Don’t fight what’s natural,” she said as she walked out the door.

I sighed and started cleaning up the kitchen.

11

Lily

I laid there in bed, staring at window as the sunlight filtered through the sides of the blinds. It was going to be another beautiful day, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to the beach. After last night, I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. I know for a fact that I’m falling for Luke. His brown eyes stared at me intently when I talked. His sculpted face and chiseled chin was perfection, as was his perfectly shaped lips that I’ve found myself wanting to touch. It’s the way he lit up the room when he smiled, and his perfect body; a body that’s strong and that I know could protect me. I fantasized about running my hands across his chest and down to his forbidden area…

Snapping out of my fantasy, I threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. I did a little stomping dance because I’m angry with myself for thinking about him that way. I refuse to give my heart away; it’s mine, and it’s my job to keep it safe. It’s tucked away deep inside, and I won’t let it come out. It won’t be able to withstand any more pain. After I threw my hissy fit, I picked up my phone and sent a text message to Luke.

“Something came up, so I won’t be able to go to the beach today. Sorry, maybe next time.”

I waited for a response, but I didn’t get one. Maybe he’s pissed at me for not telling him who my father is or maybe he just doesn’t care whether I go or not. Whatever the reason, I don’t care. I can’t care. I won’t care.

I walked into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and threw my hair up into a ponytail; then I put on my bikini because I decided that, when everyone left for the beach, I was going to lay out by the pool. I threw on my jean shorts and a tank top. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I saw I still hadn’t received a message from Luke. I sighed and walked into the living room. The beer bottles from last night were still on the coffee table. As I was walking over to pick them up, there was a knock at the door. I looked out the peephole, and Luke was standing on the other side. My heart started racing as I turned the lock and opened the door.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Morning,” he replied. “Can I come in?”

“Oh sure,” I said as I stepped out of the way. “What’s up?” I could feel something was off between us.

“Grab your things. You’re coming to the beach,” he said.

“Didn’t you get my text? I told you something came up.”

“I got it, and I don’t believe you, so grab your things, and let’s go. The gang is probably already there.”

“I don’t appreciate you being so bossy,” I snapped.

He stared at me with his beautiful brown eyes that were making me weak in the knees. I had to turn away because I was starting to melt right in front of him. I walked over and picked up the beer bottles. As I walked passed him, he reached out and lightly grabbed my arm.

“I know you probably think things are weird now because of last night, but they’re not. You said that you would come to the beach with us. I don’t want you changing your mind over something that isn’t true. Things are fine, Lily.”

I stood there for a moment before looking at him. I could hear the sincerity in his voice. He let go of my arm, and I set the bottles on the counter.

“Let me go get my things. I’ll be right back,” I said as I headed towards my bedroom. I grabbed my bag that was already packed for the pool, grabbed my camera, and then I slid on my flip-flops and walked back to the living room.

“Ok, I’m ready.”

Luke looked at me and smiled. When we left the apartment, I walked towards the spot where he parks his Jeep, but his Jeep was gone. I looked behind me, and Luke was sitting on his motorcycle with a big grin across his face.

“Oh no! Once was enough. I’m not getting on that bike again!”

Luke started it up and rode over to me. “Come on, Lily, hop on,” he said as he handed me his helmet.

“Let’s take the Explorer!” I yelled.

“Hop on, Lily. Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbed the helmet from his hands, and I put it on. Climbing on behind him, I put my bag across my shoulder and wrapped my arms around him.

Here we go again, I thought to myself.

* * *

The beach was crowded. I took off the helmet and handed it to Luke as I got off the bike. My heart was still racing from the nerves and excitement.

“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked.

I looked at him and smirked as I made my way through the parking lot. When I reached the end of the sidewalk, I stopped to take off my flip-flops. The minute my toes hit the warm sand, I felt serene. Luke and I walked across the sand and over to where Sam and a group of people were sitting around. Lucky jumped up when he saw me.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said as he lightly kissed my hand.

I smiled at him, and I saw Luke giving him a dirty look out of the corner of my eye. I said hi to Sam, and Luke introduced me to the rest of his friends.

“Isn’t Gretchen here?” I asked Sam.

“She’ll be here in about an hour. She had a photo shoot this morning.”

I smiled at him. They already sounded like a real couple, and it made me happy that Gretchen found someone. I couldn’t ask for a better man for her. Lucky put his arm around me and started walking me away from the others.

“Every time I look at you, I feel like I’ve died and gone to Heaven. You’re a real angel in disguise, aren’t you? I just know that we can make beautiful, angelic music together. How about we give it a try?”

I looked at Luke and winked at him. He could tell I wasn’t falling for Lucky’s bullshit lines.

“You know Lucky,” I said, pausing to turn around and face him. “Every time I look at you, I feel like I’ve died and gone to hell, so please do me a favor and back the fuck off so that I can go on with my day.” I smiled politely.

He looked at me for a moment with knitted eyebrows. Extending his hand to me, he said, “You are one awesome chick! Friends?”

I smiled and shook his hand. “Friends,” I said.

Sam and Luke both busted out laughing; then I looked over at Luke as he was shaking his head at me.

“What do you guys want to do?!” Luke yelled to everyone.

“I think I’m just going to lay in the sun for a while,” I said as I took off my top and shorts, revealing my bikini underneath.

“Hot damn!” Sam squealed as he ran towards me, picked me up, and ran to the water.

I yelled at him to put me down, but he just laughed and said he would, but not until we cooled off. We hit the water and he carried me out until the water stopped at our chest.

“Sam! You just wait!”

He was smiling at me, and suddenly, out of nowhere, someone had a tight grip around my waist and pulled me under the water. My heart started racing, but within moments, I was released and returned to the surface. When I turned around, Luke was inches from my face, smiling.

“You asshole! You scared the shit out of me!” I said as I splashed him.

“Watch your mouth, and I couldn’t resist! Please tell me you’re not mad.”

How the hell could I be mad at that face? He was having fun, and I’m all up for crazy, wild fun—at least I used to be.

“I’m not mad.”

“Good. Then let’s get out of the water,” he said as we swam back to shore.

Sam was standing at the shoreline with two towels. “Here, dry off, and let’s play some volleyball.”

I saw Gretchen waving to me as she sat in the sand, so I ran over to her.

“Look at you miss sexy thing in that teeny weeny bikini! You’ve gone and gave all the boys a boner!” she said in her fake southern accent.

I threw my towel at her and sat down; then I put my arm around her and laid my head on her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Looks like you and Luke were having some fun in the water.”

“He found out last night about Johnny.” I sighed.

“What did he say?”

“He was shocked, but then he raved about him like he was some sort of God.”

“Lily, he was a god to a lot of people, and one of them happens to be Luke. How weird is that? You move here to start a new life, and you live next door to a twenty-seven-year-old guy who worships your dad.”

I lifted my head and gave her a dirty look.

“I’m just saying.”

Sam walked over and asked Gretchen if she wanted to play volleyball. She jumped at the chance; little did the boys know she was the captain of her volleyball team and star player. She grabbed my hand and told me to come on, but I really just wanted to lay back in the sun and relax for a while, so I told her that I’d play later. I looked around, and Luke was off to the side, talking to a group of people, and the volleyball game was about ready to start. I decided to wander the beach and take some pictures instead, so I put on my jean shorts, grabbed my camera from the bag, and headed down the beach. The sun was bright, the sand was warm, and the beach was filled with people enjoying a beautiful Saturday. I heard someone call my name, so I turned around, and Luke was running up behind me.

“Hey, where are you off to?” he asked as he caught up with me.

“I was just wandering around, taking some pictures.” I smiled.

“I know this great little area that has the best view that’s perfect for taking pictures. Come on, follow me.”

I followed him about half a mile down the beach. When we reached the area, I looked around. It was a cove with large boulders around one side, forming a small wall. There were a few sailboats in the water, but overall, there wasn’t anyone else around.

“If you climb those rocks over there, you’ll be able to get some great pictures looking out into the ocean,” Luke said.

I smiled as we walked over to the area. Luke climbed up first and then held his hand out to me. “I don’t want you to fall. These rocks are tricky, and you could slip.”

I took his warm, strong hand, and he helped me up onto the rock; then we climbed a couple more until we were at the top. Luke was right; this was a beautiful place to take pictures. I took my camera and began clicking. Luke was staring out into the water as I turned towards him and took his picture.

“I think I took enough pictures from this spot.”

Luke took my hand as we carefully stepped down onto each rock. Only when we reached the sand, did he let go.

“This is a quiet spot,” I said as I sat down.

“I come here when I need to think.”

“Think about what?” I asked.

“Life,” he replied as he stared out at the water. “There’s something that I want to ask you,” he said nervously.

I suddenly became nervous, and I had a sick feeling in my stomach. “Ok, ask away.”

“Why did you lie to me about your mom and sister being deceased?” he asked.

I felt a knot in my throat, so I closed my eyes. Did I owe him an explanation? Was I obligated to tell him everything? I stood up and grabbed my camera. “They’re dead to me,” I said as I walked away from him. He instantly jumped up and followed me.

“Lily, wait!” he called out to me.

He caught up with me and lightly grabbed my arm. “Please, don’t walk away from me.”

I sighed and stood there. Luke let go of my arm, and as I stared into his brown eyes, and he stared back into mine. I shook my head and pursed my lips. The last thing I wanted to do was dredge up the past, but I don’t think I had much of a choice.

“My mother and sister did horrible things, and as far as I’m concerned, they’re dead to me.”

“I read the article about you and your ex-fiancé. I’m sorry that happened.”

I took in a deep breath as I looked down. “Hunter’s an asshole, and my sister’s a whore. My mother knew they were fucking behind my back for a long time, but she didn’t say a word to me about it. She was going to let me marry that cheating bastard and ruin my life. Just because she stayed in a marriage where her husband did nothing but cheat on her, doesn’t mean everyone else wants that life. I hate them for what they did!”

Tears started to fall down my face. Luke stepped closer, and before I knew it, his arms were around me, embracing me, and letting me know everything was alright. My heart started racing. His arms were so strong. I wanted to push him away, but I couldn’t muster up the strength to try. My head was telling me to run, but my heart was saying it was ok.

“I had no idea that your mom knew. I’m sorry, Lily.”

I broke our embrace and looked at him. “Thank you, Luke. I moved here to start a new life and to forget about them as well as everything that happened. I’ll tell you more sometime over several drinks.” I laughed.

Luke laughed and put his arm around me. “Come on; let’s head back to the gang. They’re probably starting rumors about us.”