"Daddy! When is she gonna wake up?" Aria whispered loudly.
"Baby, she's sick. She needs to rest."
"But I wanna say hi!"
"Aria, come finish your cereal. Laura is going to be here to pick you up very soon. I can't be late for work."
The doorbell rang.
"Laura!" Aria yelled and then put her hand over her mouth, remembering she was supposed to be quiet. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
"Go get your backpack."
"But I didn't eat."
"I know."
Lucas let Laura inside. "I'm sorry. We are running late today." He grabbed his wallet from his side table and handed Laura a ten dollar bill. "Would you mind buying her breakfast before her art class?"
"Of course I don't mind, Mr. Bouchard. I'm happy to." She was the best babysitter. A godsend really.
Elizabeth started coughing right then.
"Who's sick?" Laura asked.
"My friend Elizabeth from work."
Laura nodded and smiled when Aria walked in the room.
"Hi, ladybug. Are you ready to go?"
"I'm so hungry."
Lucas bent down and kissed his daughter's head. "Next time maybe eat instead of snooping on our guest."
"I'll get you some food on the way to art class," Laura told her.
"Donuts?!"
"Nope."
"Aw man," Aria shrugged. "Had to try."
Laura smiled and led Aria out the door.
Lucas shook his head and went into the kitchen to make Elizabeth some tea.
"Lucas?" Elizabeth said in a raspy voice from behind him. Then she coughed more and groaned.
"Morning, sunshine. How are you feeling?"
She raised her eyebrow at him. "Perfect. I feel one hundred percent."
"Okay okay. I get it. I'm making you tea."
"I need to get home."
He kissed her forehead. "Um, you should stay. You are still feverish."
"I don't want to stay here. I don't want to get anyone else sick."
"How far away do you live?"
"Twenty minutes."
"Do you really feel okay to drive? No one will be here today so feel free to rest here."
"I appreciate that but I'd feel better in my own bed."
She could see the concern in his eyes. That made her feel wonderful, despite how physically ill she felt.
"I'll be okay. Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes to sleep in."
She could see the look of want in his eyes as he lazily looked at her from the top of her head to her toes. She really hated that their beach picnic was going to be put on hold.
She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, just for a moment. He held her close, as if she was the most valuable thing he had. "I hope you feel better soon."
"Thank you."
She took a moment to use the bathroom and then she left. His little home felt so empty now. No Aria, no Elizabeth. Just him.
He let himself think for a moment and then went to get ready to go to work. He would call her later.
……
After texting each other every day after that for almost a week, she was finally feeling a bit better. So they planned their picnic for Sunday evening.
She put on her light green and white sundress and sandals and headed out the door just as Lucas pulled into her driveway.
He looked amazing. It took all she had not to run up and kiss him right there. He had on khaki colored shorts with a brown belt and a navy and white dotted shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. The man looked amazing in his scrubs but like this, holy moly.
"Hey," he said, his delicious voice music to her ears. She'd missed him a lot.
She walked forward and hugged him tight. "I missed you, Lucas."
"I missed you too. How are you, besides gorgeous?"
"Stop," she told him, blushing.
"Seriously gorgeous."
"I'm ready for our picnic," she said, changing the subject. And that kiss. She wanted that more than anything.
"Me too."
Lucas walked Elizabeth to his car, offering his hand as she entered. He raised her hand and left a lingering kiss on her palm. That spark between them had Elizabeth's heart racing and butterflies going crazy in her tummy. Goodness, this man was handsome!
"Have you been to Swansea Town Beach, Elizabeth?"
"Yes, a few times. It's one of my favorite beaches in the area. It's beautiful, especially at sunset. And the sky is so clear tonight it will be perfect for stargazing after."
"That's what I heard. After my interview the other day I stopped to check it out. It's exactly what I was looking for on our first date." Lucas reached over to hold Elizabeth's hand.
"I hope you are hungry, Elizabeth," Lucas cast her another flirty smile. "... But don't forget to save room for dessert."
Those sexy dimples almost made her forget her name. After a deep breath to try to regain her composure Elizabeth replied, "Yes, I am very hungry. I can't wait to see what you've prepared for us."
They finally arrived at the beach. Once again Lucas opened Elizabeth's car door and extended his hand to help her out of the car. When he immediately started walking toward the beach, Elizabeth pulled back his hand with a questioning look on her face.
"Lucas, don't you have stuff in your car for our picnic to bring with us? I can help you carry it to the beach."
"Everything is already set up. Come with me."
Lucas was being very mysterious and Elizabeth loved seeing this side of him.
As they approached the beach Elizabeth could see a picnic set with an excellent view of the approaching sunset. A beautiful light blue blanket with seashell patterns was laid out on the sand and a dozen blue and white pillows lined the picnic blanket. At the center was a small, low-to-the-ground picnic table with covered dishes, wine, and votive candles in clear and pale blue mason jars scattered around. It was a wonderfully romantic location and setting.
"I hope you don't mind the citronella candle votives. Multifunctional, adds ambiance and keeps away the mosquitoes later. I'm pretty sure it's better than the on-call room." He winked and she laughed.
Wow, this amazing man thought of everything. He really went all out for their first date. "Lucas, how did you do all this?"
"I have my ways." Lucas grinned and winked at her playfully, flashing those dimples again. "Please, have a seat and relax. Wine?" She nodded.
After making themselves comfortable, Lucas poured them each a glass of wine. Elizabeth pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head there, watching Lucas's every movement. As he handed her a glass of wine, Elizabeth sighed contentedly.
"What are you thinking about, Beth?" The nickname brought a smile to her face.
"How happy I am to be here with you… on an actual date."
"I wanted our first date to be special, because you deserve it." Lucas's words started those butterflies fluttering madly in her tummy again causing Elizabeth to blush. And then her tummy grumbled.
"Guess I'm really hungry," she giggled.
Lucas grinned and with a flourish uncovered the charcuterie board revealing a delightful spread of meats, cheeses, crackers, olives, and fresh fruit. He moved the bread basket closer so they could both share. And lastly, he revealed her favorite, chilled shrimp cocktail.
"You talked to Faith, didn't you? All of my favorites are here! And bread… always have freshly baked bread around for me and I'm yours forever, Lucas."
Lucas's eyes flared with desire when he heard those words. And in a husky voice, he said, "I'll remember that."
While they enjoyed the meal, their light and teasing banter continued. By some unspoken agreement, they both wanted to build up the anticipation of that first kiss tonight.
It wouldn't be long now before sunset and Lucas wanted to share one more of her favorite foods with her. "Are you ready for dessert? I brought chocolate chocolate chip cake."
"From Nothing Bundt Cakes?" Elizabeth asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling with delight. Oooo… she couldn't wait to taste the decadent chocolate cake with the rich cream cheese icing on her tongue. "They have the most delicious cakes ever!"
"I hope you don't mind. I only brought one. I thought we could share." Reaching into the picnic basket Lucas pulled out one fork. Leaning forward he fed Elizabeth the first bite of cake.
The savory chocolate exploded in her mouth causing her to close her eyes and quietly moan her approval. When she opened her eyes she lost her breath as she found Lucas gazing at her with those mesmerizing eyes of his, as if he could look into her soul.
Elizabeth finally pulled her gaze away. Then she heard him give his quiet chuckle she loved to hear.
Grinning, Lucas said, "You left some chocolate cake on your face."
Elizabeth went to wipe her face but Lucas grabbed her hand, "No, please, allow me."
Resting his right hand against her cheek he slowly wiped his thumb across the corner of her mouth capturing the chocolate. Then he raised his hand and licked the chocolate off his finger. "You are right, Beth, that is delicious."
Their gazes held for longer than usual. Elizabeth could barely breathe. Lucas was the first to look away towards the water. Smiling, he turned back and stood, extending his hand. He asked her, "Beth, why don't we walk along the water?"
They kicked off their shoes and walked hand in hand along the shoreline, the water gently washing over their feet. The view didn't disappoint. It was stunning at sunset. As the setting sun inched closer to the horizon, the sky was beautifully illuminated by colors of red, orange, purple, pink and blue.
Lucas pulled on Elizabeth's hand until she was facing him. She looked absolutely stunning in the sunset. He slid both of his hands down her arms, linking their fingers together.
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about all of our firsts we are going to share together, Beth… I'm starting to fall for you and…"
Elizabeth gasped, smiling brightly. As Lucas was still talking she reached forward and placed a finger on his lips to quiet his words. "Lucas, I'm falling for you too."
Lucas took a step closer and pulled Elizabeth forward the last few inches into the circle of his arms. Moving his right hand to her face he tilted her head slightly and lightly touched his lips to hers, lingering for several seconds. Lucas felt the spark all the way down to his toes.
He pulled back slightly, his eyes lit with his passion for this woman. Elizabeth was rooted to the spot, breathless and wanting more. This spark between them was threatening to consume her. Searching his eyes and his handsome features, Elizabeth couldn't resist. Diving her hands into his gloriously thick hair she pulled his head down for another kiss.
The kiss quickly turned passionate, pulling a whimpering sound from Elizabeth as he deepened their connection. It was the sexiest sound Lucas had ever heard. He pulled her closer still, so there was no space between them. Lucas placed one last sweet lingering kiss on her lips.
Foreheads touching and trying to get their breath back, they couldn't stop smiling at each other.
"So worth the wait," she whispered. That spark she wanted again and had been searching for was one thousand percent present.
"You are so worth the wait," he whispered back.
…..
Later, lying on the blanket with the pillows cradling their heads, they stared up at the sky, enjoying themselves.
"I'd like to take Aria to the spa."
"Beth, seven year olds don't need to go to the spa."
She smacked his chest and laughed, kissing his cheek. "No one needs to go to a spa. I want to take her. Bond with her. If this thing between us is going somewhere, I think it's important that she and I have a good relationship, don't you?"
He turned his head and pressed his lips to her forehead and nose. "If…?"
"Well, I mean it's only our first date, Romeo," she teased.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "In my opinion, Beth, we've been seeing each other since that night you went out with that other guy. The minute you called and said you blamed me for his beardless existence, this started."
"Sparkless, beardless, childless and a lawyer," she corrected.
"Right, yes. Anyway, even though this is our actual first date, my heart feels like its much more."
"Yeah?" she asked, leaning up on her elbow to stare down at him.
"Yeah."
She leaned down and kissed his delicious lips, her hand resting on his soft beard. "Mine too."