Chapter 4
Elizabeth had put Jack to bed a little over an hour ago. She had wrapped herself in her shawl and grabbed a book to read as she was waiting for Lucas to stop by. Since she and Lucas had parted earlier that day, Elizabeth had been worried about him. She loved him dearly, didn't know the specifics, but she knew that the discord between Lucas and his father would make his dinner with his parents difficult. Elizabeth hated not being with him and knowing how it was going. Elizabeth decided to make some tea if only to distract herself for a little while. As she finished making tea, she heard a light knock at the door. Elizabeth opened the door to find Lucas standing there smiling. "Lucas! Come in" She grabbed Lucas' hand, pulling him inside and not giving him a chance to decline. Lucas had never stepped into her house before, and that fact was not lost on either of them. Since it was Elizabeth's choice to go slow, she never persisted when he would decline her invitation to come inside. Now that Elizabeth had unequivocally given him her heart, Elizabeth wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Lucas chuckled as he allowed Elizabeth to drag him into her home. "You didn't even say please," he said to Elizabeth teasingly as he took off his jacket.
Elizabeth closed the door and turned to Lucas, who for the first time stood inside her home "and wait for you to turn me down? For a moment there, I thought you might be a vampire, incapable of entering someone's home" she said flashing him a cheeky smile
Lucas laughed, "aren't vampires able to enter if they're invited in by the homeowner?" Lucas arched a brow, his eyes going dark as he began walking towards her so that he was close enough to tantalize her with the feeling of his hot breath hitting her skin. He dropped his voice to a husky whisper before continuing, "By my count, you've invited me in at least 3 times before. If I were a vampire you'd already be conquered". He kissed her cheek and looked into her eyes in a beguiling manner. He then moved to her living room and draped his jacket over her settee.
Elizabeth felt a lightning bolt of heat course through her body. The sensation of having Lucas' hot breath on her neck caused the hair on her neck to stand erect, making her shiver. She was hyper-aware of the exact location of her cheek where Lucas' lips had just been and when he held her gaze fervently, her knees nearly buckled. Lucas turned away from her knowing full well what he was doing to her, she thought and moved towards her living room. Elizabeth took that moment to quell her awaken desires and took a deep breath, before letting it out to try and slow her heart rate. Feeling herself calm a bit, Elizabeth decided to change the conversation to a more serious matter. She cleared her voice before she spoke. "How was your dinner with your parents?" Elizabeth wanted to share in his sorrows, but she'd be lying if she said that was the only reason, she brought that topic up.
Lucas closed his eyes momentarily and let out a deep breath before looking back up at her and giving her a tight smile.
"That bad" Elizabeth asked tenderly wanting to help him through whatever it was that bothered him.
Lucas ran his hand along the back of his neck and took in a deep breath. "I told you about my mother being an editor, but I never told you what my father does, not specifically. Thomas Edward Bouchard is a powerful businessman that built his empire through ethically questionable business tactics."
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow confused by Lucas' assessment of his father and his character which was in startling contrast to how Lucas described him the many times before he would speak about his father when they talked at length about their childhoods.
Lucas could see the confusion in Elizabeth's facial expressions. He nodded before continuing. "Thomas was a good father to me growing up. He wasn't always there but he made sure I knew he loved me. When he had free time, he and my mother would devote their attention to me. But when it came to business, he was a different man. Ruthless." Lucas scoffed at a memory "Henry Gowen reminded me a bit of him when we first got into business together. It's why I wanted to pull out before you convinced me otherwise. My father is the kind of businessman that only sees the numbers. It's what makes him so successful. When I finished my degree in business & finance, I started working for my father. He was so happy and proud. The parodical son who would one day take over had finally begun his journey. It didn't take long for him and me to clash. I watched him take away people's livelihoods, kill small businesses in favor of monopolizing an entire industry, to deepen his own pockets while good honest hard-working families lost everything." Lucas sat down on Elizabeth's settee rubbing his fingers over his eyes in frustration before running his hands through his hair.
Elizabeth sat down beside him taking his hand into hers and squeezing it as if silently urging him to continue.
"10 years ago, he and I clashed hard, so to preserve our relationship, I left the family business and Pittsburgh. I guess you could say I've been running ever since, moving from place to place."
"And now you've settled in Hope Valley and after 10 years you and your father have come face to face, the same problems still prevalent?" Elizabeth said, her tone in a questioning manner to probe him some more.
"Yeah, Elizabeth there is something I need to tell you about why my father is in Hope Valley. I want you to hear it from me."
Elizabeth looked at him a little worried. She squeezed his hand again reassuringly and waited for him to continue
"The reason my father is in Hope Valley is that he's planning to open an automobile industry here. He is the mysterious businessman that has been buying up several properties, including the Canfields cabin, and hired the Pinkertons." Lucas said, with a defeated sigh bracing himself for Elizabeth's reaction.
Elizabeth's eyes widen. She was stunned at Lucas' revelation and didn't know what to say. Everyone in town had been worried and believed that Hope Valley was in danger of some trouble. Not to mention Rosemary's encounter with the Pinkertons and Jesse's with Wyman Walden and now Lucas was telling her that all of this was because of his father. "I don't know what to say, Lucas, do you think your father's plans are going to hurt Hope Valley." She asked, a bit worried about his response.
Lucas sighed and took her hand back into his, this time hoping to reassure her. "I won't let him, Elizabeth. This isn't like Pittsburgh or any of the other places my father has conquered. Hope Valley is too important, so are the people who live here. I won't stand idly by."
Elizabeth nodded. She watched his brow furrow, as his face illustrated for her the inner turmoil he was battling. Elizabeth placed her hand on one side of his bearded cheek and kissed his cheek, tenderly. She let her lips linger for a minute before pulling back and staring into his eyes. "I hope you know that, come what may I will always be here to talk and to support you in whatever way you need. I don't want you to be troubled, but when it gets to be too much, come to me."
Lucas slowly grabbed the hand that rested on his cheek, he kissed the inside of her palm before placing her hand on his heart and covering it with his own hand. "Thank you, I can't begin to tell you how much your words and support mean to me." He moved their joined hands to his leg and continued "I apologize for my sullenness."
Elizabeth smiled at Lucas, and said tenderly, "You have nothing to apologize for" Lucas offered her a smile and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. He let out a deep sigh of content, before kissing her temple and letting his lips linger. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. "I love you" he whispered, softly as they sat there on her settee with Elizabeth still tucked into his side. Elizabeth looked up into his eyes lovingly and gave him a beautiful smile. "I love you, profoundly" her eyes traveled to his lips and back up as Lucas leaned down, capturing her lips with his in a sweet kiss. Elizabeth moaned softly as their lips stayed fused, pausing for a moment before instinctively moving to the same rhythm. Lucas moved his hands to her lower back, and Elizabeth's hands traveled to his neck, as they pulled each other closer and deepened the kiss. Elizabeth felt her senses heighten as their lips continued their dance. Lucas loved the feel of her hands roaming his neck and allowed himself to get lost in their kiss. After a few moments, Lucas pulled away. He clenched his jaw as he attempted to quell his urges. "It's getting late, I should go" Elizabeth looked into his eyes and nodded, missing the feel of his lips on hers but knowing how dangerous it would be to continue their impassioned kiss and what that could lead to. She knew she would not have the strength to stop, his lips were intoxicating, and it left her wanting more each time. They both stood up and walked towards her door. Lucas opened the door and turned to her. "I wish to see you tomorrow; would that be possible?" Elizabeth smiled at him "I think that can be arranged." Lucas leaned against her door frame staring at her intently as if he was trying to memorize her face to keep him fueled until he'd see her again. "When I came here this evening, I hadn't realized how difficult it would be to part." Elizabeth smiled at him, knowing exactly how he felt. She sighed "Parting is such sweet sorrow" Lucas' heart fluttered at her literary quote. He moved closer to her and whispered, "I shall say goodnight till it be morrow." He leaned down and kissed her, softly at first. It quickly took swift gradation of intensity and passion that caused her to grab hold of his shoulders, to steady herself. Their breath blended to perfection and Elizabeth couldn't tell where his breath ended and hers began. It awakened a desire in her that she did not know she could have. They both pulled apart slightly, keeping their foreheads against each other. After a few moments, Lucas pulled back and resumed his position leaning on her door frame staring at her adoringly. Elizabeth giggled like a schoolgirl causing Lucas to chuckle as well. "Do you think it will always be like this" Elizabeth asked, as she felt herself blush. Elizabeth looked down feeling shy and embarrassed by how much Lucas affected her. Lucas smiled knowing exactly what she meant. "I hope so. I never want to get used to you." Lucas took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. Elizabeth's knees nearly buckled as he kissed her hand. She could not believe how incredibly powerful her love for him was. Especially in such a short time. Once Elizabeth was able to open her heart fully to Lucas, it was as though a volcano in her had erupted as her love and desire for him came spilling out in large quantities. Lucas sobered for a moment as he looked up towards the staircase that stood in front of him. Elizabeth looked behind her to see what he might be looking at, when she couldn't see she turned back towards him waiting for him to turn his attention back to her. "I want to spend some time with Jack, get to know him and for him to know me" Lucas blurted, catching Elizabeth off guard by the sudden change in topic. Before Elizabeth could respond, Lucas began to ramble. "Look I know, I'm a virtual stranger to Jack and that I may have not had many interactions with children Jack's age but I'm sure I can learn. Elizabeth, I am deeply in love with you, and I intend to be in your life permanently. Jack is a part of your life, which will make him a part of my life as well. We can go as slow as you'd like but I do hope to spend some one-on-one time with him in the foreseeable future. I know first aid, not that Jack would get hurt in my care, but you know children can… if there was perhaps…" "Lucas" Elizabeth said as she tried to interject and stop his rambling. Lucas continued not hearing Elizabeth "This conversation is getting away from me, I apologize, what I'm trying to say is that I'd like for Jack and me to have a relationship. It can be on your terms of course but I want you to know it's important to me. Jack is important to me as well and I" Elizabeth stepped towards him as he continued to ramble, pulling him into a kiss. She kissed him and kissed him until she felt him relax into her and kiss her back. She pulled away after a few moments and began to speak. "You are not a stranger to Jack Lucas; he knows who you are and just how important you are to his mother. I would love for you two to spend some time together and build your own relationship. I wouldn't have given you my heart if I didn't think you would be a good father" Elizabeth stopped when she realized what she had just said. Now it was Elizabeth's turn to ramble, fearing she had scared Lucas. Elizabeth quickly continued, "Of course, Jack will always be my late husband's son and Jack will know who his father was but if we were to, not that we need to discuss this now. I don't mean to presume that you would even want my son to refer to you as his father" Lucas placed his hand on her waist and pulled her towards him crashing his lips onto hers, kissing her passionately. After a few moments, he broke the kiss breathing heavily and smiling at her. "I'd like to come for dinner tomorrow. We could have a nice meal and afterward spend some time together, the three of us. I can have Gustave make us a meal and bring it with me. Would that be alright?" Elizabeth felt herself blush feeling shy. She looked up at him with trepidation "I didn't scare you, moving our newly solidified relationship too fast." Lucas smiled at her and shook his head. "You've made me the happiest man, and I don't think it's possible to go too fast. We will go at the pace you feel comfortable going. I love you Elizabeth, you are my passion and my greatest joy. I already love Jack tremendously. Now I might not have any experience with children, but I want to learn, and I hope you and Jack can be patient with me as we navigate this new chapter." Elizabeth smiled at Lucas as she felt her love for him grow infinitely more at his impassioned words of love and devotion to her and her son. "Don't ask Gustave to make anything, just come by after work and I will make something for us all." Lucas nodded, feeling more relaxed but also nervous for tomorrow. He so badly wanted Jack to like him.
"I should go. I've kept you up far too late. You have school tomorrow and I an early morning" Elizabeth could see his mood sullen as he mentioned his meeting. Elizabeth stepped back towards him, wrapping her arms around him, and laying her head on his chest. Lucas laid his head on top of hers hugging her tighter as if he were trying to draw strength from her. "Why don't we go back inside. You can stay and we can talk a little longer. I don't want to part like this. Not when I know you need me" Lucas kissed the top of her head pulling away from her, instantly missing the feel of her in his arms. "I'll be alright, I promise. You need your rest, and I could use some as well." "Are you sure?" Lucas nodded smiling at her "Thank you but I am, I promise. I don't want you to worry" "I will always worry about you, my love." Lucas smiled softly and leaned down kissing her lips once more. Once the kiss ended, Lucas sighed "Goodnight Beautiful. Sleep well" Elizbeth smiled lovingly at him and whispered, "Goodnight my love." Lucas kissed her cheek before turning on his heel and walking towards his car. Elizabeth watched him drive off and waited until he was no longer in her view before going inside and locking the door. Elizabeth missed him already and longed for the day they would no longer have to part.
