Early February
It felt cliche to him but the plan he came up with, on his own by the way, was to propose on Valentine's.
Yes, he had thought he needed assistance with the ring, even though he had picked it out alone. Then he thought he needed help with the proposal, but when it came down to it, he knew Beth. He knew her heart, her likes and dislikes. That's all he needed to know what to plan.
Lucas hit the confirm button on the travel website. There. He had just finalized the tickets for their honeymoon in Ireland, complete with accommodations and a rental car. That was taking a chance that she'd want to get married in June, but since she was off school for the summer then, it made sense.
"Chief," Tim repeated, standing in the doorway of his office.
"Huh? Or, sorry, Lawson. What can I do for you?"
"I need to have some time off. My sister Maggie…she is sick and…" Tim shook his head, wiping his tears. "Sorry, sir. She's sick and I need to go help my Mom."
"I'm sorry, Tim. Will she be alright?"
"I don't know."
"Well, you take as long as you need. Just keep me in the loop."
"Thanks."
Lucas stood and squeezed Tim's shoulder as he dried his tears again. "Is Allie going?"
"I won't ask her to go. I don't know how long I'll be there. She has school and work."
"Just remember she loves you and she will support you."
"Yeah. Thank you."
Tim composed himself and then called Allie from the parking lot.
"Good morning, babe," Allie said cheerfully.
"Hi. Are you at home?"
"Yes. Where are you?"
"I'm at work but I'm leaving. Allie, can I come over?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
"Are you okay, Tim?" There was something in his tone that worried her a bit.
"No. I need to see you."
"I'm here."
Aunt Beth was at work so Allie and Tim would have time to talk. She watched for him and then opened the door as he walked up the sidewalk.
"Hey."
"Hey."
He walked inside and immediately wrapped his arms around her.
"What's going on?"
"Can I just hold you? Just for a moment?"
She reached up and kissed him softly, but he took over, pouring his emotions into their embrace, deepening the kiss. His hands holding her softly but firm, almost as if he was worried she'd move away.
"I'm scared," he admitted breathlessly as he buried his face in her neck.
"Tim, what's going on? Why are you scared?"
"Maggie…"
"Your sister?"
"Yes. She's sick. I'm so scared we are going to lose her."
"Oh no." She led him to the couch and they sat down. She grabbed his hand. "What's wrong with her?"
"She had a heart attack."
"What? She's my age, right?"
"Yes. They don't know why it happened. It just did."
"Oh my."
"I'm heading to Pueblo this afternoon. I have to help."
Allie nodded and stood, grabbing his hand. She led him down the short hall and up the stairs to her room.
"What are you doing?" Tim asked.
"Packing."
"For what?"
She turned from the closet, hands on her hips. "Tim Lawson! For Pueblo."
"Why?"
"Are you being serious?" She sat down on her bed next to him. "You came to me. Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why didn't you just go to Pueblo instead?"
"Allie…"
"Talk to me, Tim. Don't clam up."
"Because I needed you, alright? I needed you and I…"
"You…." she prompted.
"I know you're busy with school and work. I didn't expect you to come."
"I want to come. I want to meet your mom and sister. I want to support you. Help you get through whatever happens."
"Allie."
"I love you. This is what you do when someone you love is hurting."
"I love you too." He did. He just struggled with verbalizing his feelings.
As they drove to Pueblo, Allie held his hand and reflected on their relationship. He was a tough nut to crack sometimes and she knew that came from his childhood experiences for the most part. Losing his dad and feeling guilty for losing him likely caused a lot of damage to his ability to deal and heal and forgive.
The fact that he had come to her instead of just taking off showed that he was making progress with his therapy. She loved him and she would be his partner, best friend, and support.
"I love you, Tim," she told him softly. A tear rolled down his cheek. Just the one but it was there. She wiped it away and squeezed his hand. "Just say the word and I'll drive."
He nodded and pulled off the road. It was safer if his emotions were flowing freely.
As they walked around the vehicle to switch spots, he pulled her close and kissed her. "Thank you, Al. I'm glad you're with me."
"You're welcome."
….
Lucas sighed as he sat down on Beth's couch after a very long day.
Elizabeth put a pillow on her lap and patted it, inviting him to sleep there.
"Its tempting but this couch is not forgiving to my almost 50 year old bones."
She giggled and shook her head. You are not almost 50."
"Vannah says I am. Honestly, after a day like today, I feel 65."
"Well, why don't you go take a hot shower and nap on my bed?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Maybe I should go. I'm likely to need to stay if I do those things."
"Just shower then? I don't want you to go. I can warm up some dinner for you while you're in there."
"I do have a change of clothes in my truck." Plus, he didn't want to leave either. He wanted to be wherever she was.
"How does roast beef and potatoes sound?"
"Perfect." He leaned over and kissed her before heading outside to get his bag.
30 minutes later
"Wow, that water pressure is amazing. I can't wait until all my showers are going to be here."
He was standing in her kitchen, his t-shirt showing off those strong biceps she loved, hugging his chest perfectly. Then, there were the tiny drops of water on his neck from his hair. And the man smelled delicious and had bare feet. All those things combined made her heart beat really fast.
"You do have a say in that, love."
"I know and I have a plan."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yep. And no hints."
"That's fine. I'm a patient person."
"I also made plans for our honeymoon."
"You did?"
"Yep. You have a passport, right?"
"Um, no. Haven't ever needed one."
"Well, you will."
"When?"
"As soon as you can. That's all I'm saying."
She couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. He smiled and leaned down teasing her with a kiss. His warm lips barely touched hers, leaving her wanting more.
"Luke…"
"Beth."
"You smell so good." She buried her nose in his neck and hugged him tight. She was very close to asking him to stay. But she wouldn't. She was a patient person.
His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt where it rested on her hip. Her skin was unbelievably soft.
She lifted his shirt up and over his head and then kissed him again. She wanted to blurt that they should elope. That minute.
He pulled back slightly. "I love you, Beth."
"Mm." Her lips met his again and again but he pulled back, pressing his lips to her forehead.
"If you still want to wait, we need to stop. Do you want to wait?"
"I…" She sighed. She wouldn't compromise her principles. No matter how much she wanted to be with the man that held her whole heart. "Yes."
He put his shirt back on and stepped back. "You mentioned roast beef?"
"Yeah. And potatoes."
….
Allie pulled into the driveway of Wilma and Maggie Lawson's home.
She turned the car off and looked over at Tim. "Babe?"
"Yeah. I'm ready."
"Let's pray."
"I don't know if I believe in God anymore. Let's just go in."
She nodded and decided to pray silently herself.
"Mom?" Tim called as they walked in the door. "Mom, it's Timmy."
"Kitchen, Timmy. I'm making cookies!"
Allie and Tim looked at each other with raised eyebrows.
"That's weird on so many levels," he told her, walking toward the kitchen.
"Mom?"
"Hi, Timmy. I made chocolate chip, snickerdoodles and peanut butter. There's plenty for everyone." There were racks and plates of cookies all over the counter.
"Since when do you bake?"
"Recent hobby," she said, shrugging. "Had to stay busy once I quit my job."
"Mom, you quit your job?"
"Timmy, don't be rude. Introduce me to this beautiful girl you brought home."
"Mom, this is Allie. Al, my mother Wilma."
"Its nice to meet you, Wilma. How's your daughter doing?"
"Much better, dear." She picked up a plate of cookies and held it out. "Help yourself."
"Mom? What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"You quit your job, you're baking, Maggie had a heart attack yesterday but you're not at the hospital with her. You're acting like nothing is wrong."
"Well, Timmy, I needed a change. I've worked there for so long. I needed something new. I never knew how much I'd like baking until I tried it. As for your sister, she's really doing well. It was a mild heart attack and she told me to come home and rest."
"What caused her heart attack? She's twenty four."
"The cardiologist said it was a mixture of genetics and high blood pressure. Lethal combination." Wilma took a seat at the table and bit into a snickerdoodle. "Mm. Yum. How long have you been dating?"
"About six months."
"Well it's about time you brought her home then. Tell me about yourself, Allie, since Timmy hasn't shared anything."
"What would you like to know?"
…..
Later, the three of them went up to the hospital to see Maggie.
"Big brother, you didn't have to come."
"Of course I did," he said, kissing her forehead. "My baby sister is in the hospital."
"You must be Allie."
Allie smiled at Maggie. "That's me. It's nice to meet you."
As they chatted, Tim realized that he had worried too much. Yes, it was serious to have a heart attack but she was young and otherwise healthy. She'd be just fine.
He was a bit worried about his mom though. Quit her job? How would she pay her bills?
"Tim? You look worried," Maggie said, squeezing his hand.
"Heck yeah, I was worried. I was so scared that I would lose you, Mags."
She squeezed his hand again. They were close since their dad died and she could tell when he was hurting. She could see it in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Timmy. I was scared too."
Allie slipped out the door with Wilma, giving the siblings time.
"I'm glad you are supporting Timmy," Wilma told her as they went to get coffee. "I've been concerned about him since your accident. Quitting the station, retreating into himself."
"To be honest, so was I. I can't take the credit but I see him making changes too. I'm so proud of him."
"You love him?"
"I do."
"That's wonderful. I can see you'll take care of him."
"I promise."
Wilma noticed her right hand. "It seems Timmy has made a promise as well?"
"Yes. We are taking things slow. We are not moving forward until we are both ready."
….
Elizabeth's home
Elizabeth climbed into bed and rolled over. She reached her hand out to touch the cool, empty side. The side where she had always had pictured Nathan. Now, though, she longed for Lucas to be in that space. He was her heart now.
Nathan, of course, would always be her first, but she had moved forward.
Her phone buzzed. She smiled and answered. "Hi, love."
"Hi."
"I miss you. I want you next to me, Lucas."
"I want that too, babe. We just need to be patient a little longer."
"Okay. I trust you."
"I love you."
"I love you more."