"I see you everywhere, in the stars, in the river, to me you're everything that exists; the reality of everything." -Night and Day, Virginia Woolf
Union City,
January 1920
...
Lucas rested his hand on the small of Elizabeth's back as they approached the hotel's front desk.
"Good afternoon," the concierge greeted them. "How may I help you?"
"I have a reservation for Bouchard."
"Of course, Mr. Bouchard. Mrs. Bouchard." He gave Elizabeth a slight nod. "I'll get your key for you."
Lucas smiled, nudging Elizabeth softly. "Not a mistake this time, Mrs. Bouchard," he whispered.
She gave him a smile in return, threading her arm through his. "No. Not this time," she agreed.
He accepted the key, thanking the concierge before turning his attention back to his wife. "Shall we?"
Nodding, she leaned into his side, letting him lead the way to their room. As they walked, she thought back to the first time they had traveled to Union City together.
He had invited her to a reading by Virginia Woolf, purely because he thought she would enjoy it. At first, she was hesitant to accept his invitation, afraid that he saw the outing as a date, afraid to leave Jack overnight, afraid of what people in town would think of her.
Ultimately, though, she accepted, and she hadn't regretted that decision at all. Beyond the excitement of getting to speak with an author she admired, the trip allowed her to feel like a woman again, rather than just a mother—although she missed Little Jack terribly while she was away. It had also allowed her to get to know the man who was now her husband even better.
He had been a perfect gentleman throughout the trip, being completely honest with her but never pushing her beyond what she was comfortable with. His words and actions reflected the feelings that he harbored for her, but nothing he did made her want to flee. She remembered wishing they had more time to talk, to get to know each other better, even just as friends.
"What are you thinking about, my love?" His voice broke her from her thoughts.
"I was just reminiscing about the first time you brought me here."
He pulled her into their room, closing the door behind them before resting his hands gently on her arms. "I hope you don't feel that I was too forward then, inviting you out of town for an overnight trip, speaking so much about soulmates and starting a family. You were clear from the start that we were only there as friends, and I fear I may have made you uncomfortable."
Elizabeth shook her head. "I could have said no if anything made me uncomfortable, Lucas, and I know you would have respected that. None of my hesitations about the trip had to do with you or anything you said or did."
He let out a breath. "Good."
She touched his cheek. "I love you, and I'm so grateful that you invited me to that reading. I'm grateful you shared your heart with me."
He kissed her, softly at first. "I wasn't trying to scare you, but I knew, even then, that I would wait as long as you needed."
"I'm sorry I made you wait so long."
"Don't be. You were worth the wait." He gave her a dimpled grin. "I love you, Elizabeth."
Lucas sucked in a breath when Elizabeth stepped out of the washroom. "You look…beautiful."
A smile played on her lips as she did a little half twirl. "That's exactly what you said the last time I wore this dress." She smoothed down the front of the deep red gown, feeling the texture of the gold embroidery decorating the fabric. "And your reaction is exactly the reason why I wanted to wear it again."
"I think it looks even better with the jewelry you have this time." He brought her left hand to his lips, kissing the finger where her engagement and wedding rings resided.
Her smile widened. "I'll be sure to thank Rosemary for letting me borrow it again."
"Tell her thank you from me as well. Now, shall we go?" He offered her his arm. "Our dinner reservation is soon, and I'm anxious to show you off."
She slipped her arm through his. "I don't know about you, but I hope they still have those mushrooms on the menu."
He chuckled as he led her out of the room. "I think I might order something different this time, but I expect you to share some of your mushrooms."
"And what do I get in exchange for sharing them?"
He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Anything you want."
A flush filled her cheeks. "Lucas Bouchard."
He kissed her temple, chuckling softly. "I love you."
"I don't think I could eat another bite," Lucas stated as he pushed back from the table slightly.
"Neither could I. That was delicious."
"Were the mushrooms as good as you remembered?"
"Even better." She smiled mischievously. "I'm sorry I didn't share more of them with you."
"I guess I can forgive you… if you dance with me." He held out his hand. "I wanted to dance with you the last time we were here, but I knew that would be too forward of me."
She slipped her fingers into his. "It would be my pleasure to dance with you, Mr. Bouchard."
He led her to the middle of the room, where a few other couples were dancing. "I know I've already told you this tonight, but you look absolutely stunning."
"You look rather handsome yourself." She let her eyes trail up and down his body, silently thanking God for him.
He smiled at her as they swayed, his dimples deepening. "I love dancing with you, Elizabeth."
She stepped closer, resting her cheek against his chest. "So do I."
They lapsed into silence, just the sound of music swelling around them. Elizabeth closed her eyes, feeling his heartbeat beneath her cheek. She sighed contentedly, thinking of how lucky she felt to be in his arms. She could have ruined things with him, but his patience had won out.
Meanwhile, Lucas was having similar thoughts. He breathed in, smelling her soap and perfume—a scent that had become so familiar to him—and he thanked God for the woman in his arms. He truly believed that all of his wandering, going here and there, had led him to her.
Before they knew it, four songs had played. Other couples had come and gone from the dance floor, but they remained, wrapped up in each other.
"Elizabeth," he finally whispered. "We should be going. It's getting late."
"One more song," she insisted, tightening her grip on his arms. "Please."
He kissed her temple. "Okay. One more."
"Lucas?" Elizabeth closed her book and set it on the nightstand. "Do you think people talked? When we were here last time?"
"Maybe." Lucas slipped under the covers beside her. "But nobody ever said anything to me."
"Me neither."
"Why are you worried about this now?"
She shrugged. "I've just been thinking about it since we've been here. You have to admit, it probably looked a bit scandalous to everyone. A single man and a single woman, going on an overnight trip together, unchaperoned."
"Everyone has to know it was completely innocent. I know you told people we were going strictly as friends, and I made sure it was widely known that I booked separate rooms for us, in completely different parts of the hotel."
"Still, we were away from town, alone together. I'm sure there were some people who thought we were doing things we shouldn't."
"Elizabeth." He took her hands, waiting for her to meet his eyes. "You know the people in Hope Valley, how some of them like to gossip. If anyone thought what we did was inappropriate, we would've known. At the very least, Rosemary would've told you if she'd heard anything."
"I suppose that's true." She sighed.
"It is true, my love. And from what I remember hearing when we got back, people weren't worried about us going away alone so much as they were worried about how Nathan would feel when he found out."
She covered her face and groaned. "Don't remind me. Things were so awkward between us after that. I hate that I hurt him—and Allie—even inadvertently."
"But you apologized, and he knows that you didn't intend to hurt him. Besides, everything worked out for the best. He and Fiona are clearly head-over-heels for each other. I'm sure we'll be dancing at their wedding soon enough." He brushed a rogue strand of hair from her face. "Why don't we talk about something else? Did you enjoy the evening?"
A smile slowly spread across her face. "It was perfect, Lucas, and I enjoy every moment we spend together."
"Are you ready to go back home tomorrow?"
"Yes and no." She snuggled into him. "It's been nice to get dressed up and have a fancy dinner. And I've loved having this time, just the two of us, but I miss Hope Valley."
"And Jack."
"Of course. I always miss Jack when he's not with me."
He kissed her nose. "We'll have our boy back with us soon enough."
"But for tonight," she slid her arms around his back, "it's just us."
"Thank you again for letting me borrow the gown." Elizabeth handed the dress to Rosemary with a grin. "It worked just as I expected it to."
Rosemary laughed. "Of course. You're welcome to borrow it whenever you'd like. It's not like I'll be wearing it anytime soon, anyway." She set the garment on the table and cradled her stomach.
Her heart warmed as she watched her friend get lost in the moment. She and Lee were so wonderful with Jack, and Elizabeth knew they would be just as wonderful with their own child.
"I hope Jack didn't give you too much trouble. I'm sure you're exhausted being just a few months from your due date."
"Oh," Rosemary waved her off, "he was a doll, as usual. Besides, it's good practice for us."
"Well, whenever you and Lee are ready for an evening to yourselves, Lucas and I will be happy to watch your little one. It's only fair after all the times you've watched Jack for me."
"Unless you're busy with your own little one by then." She raised her eyebrows, giving her friend a knowing look.
Elizabeth chuckled. "We don't have another one on the way just yet."
"But it could happen anytime," Rosemary reminded her. "And Jack happened to tell me last night that he hopes there's a baby in your house soon."
She smiled as she thought about a day when she and Lucas might expand their family. Just imagining her husband and son fawning over a newborn nearly brought tears to her eyes. "He's such a sweet boy. He's going to be the best big brother, when the time comes."
"Mama." Jack came strolling through the front door. "It's time for dinner."
"Dad hasn't had time to make dinner."
Jack shrugged. "He said we're goin' to town."
"Well, that's news to me."
"Go." Rosemary waved her toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at church. We can catch up more then."
"Okay." Elizabeth hugged her before standing up. "Thank you again."
Rosemary grinned. "That's what friends are for. Bye, Jack!" She waved to the little boy, who was still waiting at the door.
"Bye, Auntie Rosie!" He took Elizabeth's hand, and they headed back to their own house next door.
"Stay down here, Jack. I'm going to talk to dad."
"Okay, mama."
She ascended the steps, finding Lucas in their bedroom. "So, what's all this about going into town for dinner?"
Lucas laughed. "Did Jack go over there to get you?"
She nodded. "He said you told him it was time for dinner."
He wrapped his arms around her waist. "All I did was suggest that maybe we go to the Queen of Hearts for dinner so I can check in with Gustav and see how things went while we were gone."
She leaned into him and smiled. "Well, that sounds perfect to me. All that travel made me too tired to cook."
He kissed her nose. "Let me get cleaned up, then."
Before he could walk away, she grabbed his arm, pulling him back to her. "That wasn't a kiss," she teased.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "How about this?" He brushed his lips against her cheek, and she shook her head. "This?" He touched his lips to the corner of her mouth.
Feeling impatient, she put her hands on his cheeks and brought his lips to hers, kissing him deeply.
He chuckled when she finally pulled back. "I love you."
"I love you," she replied with one more kiss.