Chapter 31 Montreal: The Attic

Elizabeth woke the next morning to the sunrise which cast a soft amber glow from the window. She was wrapped up in her husband's arms like he was never going to let her go. She felt wonderful in his embrace; thoroughly ravished as promised and now she lapped up his warmth as she lay in his arms. "What I night", she thought to herself. She needed to get up for a few minutes but as always, hated to wake him.

"I can hear you thinking my love," whispered Lucas. "Go and I will keep your spot warm."

"Sorry, I will be right back."

Lucas inched over to her side so he could keep his promise. He could smell her scent on her pillow, and he breathed her in, savoring the moment and thinking back upon their night. Seeing her when she arrived home from the ballet had set off something deep inside him that had rendered him more aggressive that usual when they made love. He had told her long before they were ever intimate, not to be embarrassed by her feelings. And so, he would take his own advice.

She was soon back and nudged him over so she could regain her spot. She snuggled in next to him to recapture the cozy warmth with which she had awoken.

"Lucas…?"
"Elizabeth?"

"It may be a bit unladylike for me to mention this at all. But last night was something beyond anything we have experienced together and that is saying a lot."

"It is never unladylike for you to tell me your feelings Elizabeth. You are my soulmate and whatever you feel is not dictated by convention. I want you to tell me anything you want, and I will do the same."

"I know you say that, but it is always nice to have our partner check in with us. N'est pas?

"Yes, I was pondering while you were gone. Hoping that you weren't taken aback by my obvious need….."

She interrupted him, "to love me completely? Even when you were in such a state, you thought of me first. This is your way, Lucas. I would tell you that you don't need to be so concerned for me, but I know it is not in your nature."
"You are right, it is my nature to want you happy and that means in every way." He turned her to him and just stared into her eyes for a while, sinking into the depths of the blue sparkle.. drowning in the pools as she looked back at him with the look of a woman in love. He kissed her on the forehead and then snuggled her back against him. "Je t'aime," he whispered.

It wasn't long before they heard the daily knock on the door and then little feet running toward them. Lucas grabbed him and pulled him in between them so they could get their morning dose of family medicine. This was what he looked forward to every morning, after having the luxury of waking up with his love beside him of course.

"So how did you sleep buddy? And what shall we do today?"

"I slept a looong time. And I waited for a looong time."
"Thank you son. Your mama and I appreciate that you wait to come see us in the morning. Sometimes we are very tired. But we love to have you here with us." He was hugged soundly by the little boy.

"I love you Papa." To which Elizabeth let out one of her little sounds…"oooh". Lucas then grabbed her to pull her into the hug. "And I love you too son, very much. And your mama too." He gave them each a big smoochy kiss with lots of sound effects." They were all giggling before long as Papa Bear tickled Mama and Baby Bear. "Shall I tell you both a story about "The Three Bears?", asked Lucas.

Jack clapped, "Yes Papa… story please."

They had their breakfast and caught up with the telling of the ballet and the men's evening out. Jack had had a good time playing over at the Bouchard's' friend's house. He had a lot to say about all the toys in the playroom. They apparently had had quite a fun time.

"Lucas, I was speaking to your mother after we returned last night. It seems that we still have all your childhood toys and collectables up in the attic, except for a few of the souvenirs that you have with you. Perhaps you would like to take Jack up to look through them. Elizabeth might enjoy a peek into your childhood too," Martin said.

"Say yes Papa!"

"All right, Elizabeth did you have any plans for this morning? Would you like to join us?" Lucas asked her.

"Helen, Laura and I are going into the city center to shop this afternoon and to hopefully be joined by the men for tea. But until then, I am free as a bird and would love to see a glimpse of your past."

"Okay… so Mother, will we need to cover our clothes to go up?"
"No, heavens. Matilde has a maid go up every month or two to make sure it is kept dusted, and that we don't have any bats or mice residing with us. She would be horrified to hear you think otherwise. Make sure you compliment her after your visit. She takes great pride in ensuring everything is in impeccable shape in this house no matter if it is never seen."

"Well, good. How about we meet in thirty minutes at our room, and we will head up. Laura, would you like to join us?"

"Oh yes please."

The attic was indeed pristine in terms of cleanliness. And even though there were a lot of items, they were maintained with some order. There was a clear spot where all of Lucas' belongings were kept in trunks, boxes, and some items with dust covers. Jack was so excited he was bursting at the seams. "What is under the covers?" He asked.
"Well….. we will just have to go see, won't we?" Lucas prolonged his answer with great suspense.

Jack skipped over to the first covered object, pulling his papa with him.

Lucas removed the first cloth to reveal an intricately carved rocking horse that reminded Elizabeth of a carousel horse. It was beautiful.

"A horsey! May I try it?"

"Certainly, you may."

Jack had a rocking horse that he was given for his first birthday/Christmas but he had long ago outgrown it. He rocked on this one with glee. "See Mama, isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, indeed it is very beautiful." She smiled up at Lucas who had dimples on full display.

They then perused one trunk that contained collectibles from his childhood travels. There were also a few newspapers, that had particular significance to him, including an article about the World's Fair. He had a baseball from his first visit to see a game with Martin along with the tickets to that game. The last trunk was filled with toys for what seemed all ages. "Jack you may select a few toys to take down to your room." Lucas told him. "And there is one that I would like you to see but we will only play with it up here, okay?" He went over to the shelves and carried back two boxes. Inside was a train set and track. It was his pride and joy when he was just a bit older than Jack.

"Oooooo a train Papa. Almost like the one we came on."

"Yes, I will set it up for you and help you run it. You must promise to be very careful with it because it is your Papa's favorite," Lucas said very seriously.

"I will … I will.. I promise."

"Lucas, if you two are going to play with the train then I am going to excuse myself for a while. I would like to go soak in the tub and prepare for my outing this afternoon." Lucas crossed over to her and took her in his arms. He kissed her cheek and gave her cheek a nuzzle with his nose. It was a gesture that she found so endearing. He would do it even when he kissed her on the lips sometimes… he would nuzzle his nose against hers, like he didn't want to quite let her go yet.

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Jack and Lucas found Elizabeth in their room in the final steps of preparing for her outing. "Did you have fun my darlings?"
"Yes, we did" they said in unison.

"Apparently boys never fully grow up she said looking at Lucas."

"Well never out of our toys anyway. They just get bigger and more expensive."
"Yes… I know. I see you have your eye on a newer model of car. Jack pointed one out in a magazine."

"That was supposed to be a buddy secret, but I guess I didn't tell him that. Just looking, my sweet."

"And what do you have there?"

"It's a sailboat. Jack and Father and I are headed to the park while you three go shopping. There is a pond for sailing boats there, so we are going to take her for a sail." Both Lucas and Jack beamed at her.

"Well, that does seem like fun. Just stay dry please."

"We will try our best." Lucas replied. "Come, Jack, Grand-pere is waiting with James at the car." So off they went.

The men would join them for high tea later that day and there was a wonderful story to hear as Jack recounted the big sailing adventure. Martin and Lucas interjected every once in awhile to add to the fun and excitement. They had had a grand time together.

Elizabeth was understandably touched by their tale as she felt so blessed to have Lucas and now a grandpa for her son. The men were clearly bonded by a deep love for one another. Martin had learned from experience that family time was precious and can easily get past you. He was very proud that his son was in a position to take time for his family, but not only that, that he would prioritize his time accordingly. Lucas had lived patiently for his soulmate and this life, and the wait had been more than worth it.

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