Author's note: I've found sentence "From dimples to wrinkles I will be there for you. I promise", but cannot find the author. If you know who it is, let me know so I can credit him/her. Not my sentence, just borrowing it.
I hope you will like this chapter. I'd love to hear what do you think!
—--
As both of them fought to normalize their breathing, Lucas noticed small smudges under Grace's eyes from her tears of happiness. His heart soared at knowing that he was the one who made her that happy.
He brought his hand up and whispered:
"Look up at the ceiling, my love. I have to wipe away small smudges under your eyes."
"Oh, no", mumbled Grace "I knew this would happen! I will look positively horrendous in the photo! Like a racoon!", she complained as she looked up at the ceiling.
Lucas chuckled at her choice of words as he carefully cleaned the smudges with a handkerchief.
"No, don't worry…I think I fixed it", he slowly wiped away the last traces of tears mixed with mascara, his heart swelling "There. Beautiful as ever."
Grace blinked twice and looked at him, her cheeks turning rosy.
"Merci, mon amour", she whispered.
He smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead.
She sighed and smiled as their eyes never lost contact.
"So…how did the meeting with the Mayor go?", she asked. As Lucas rolled his eyes and rubbed his beard, Grace grimaced sympathetically "Oh, dear…that good?"
Lucas huffed a breath out.
"Oh, Mayor was fine and we actually compromised on several issues…but Mrs. Mayor", he shook his head "That woman could test the patience of a nesting bird! Can you believe it that she said that I should host a ball again considering the fact that my Governor's ball was a fiasco due to the stabbing incident?!"
Grace gasped in shock.
"What?! Is she serious?!", she exclaimed, her heart clenching at the mere memory of that horrible moment when she almost lost the love of her life.
Lucas nodded.
"I know, right? And, she tried to persuade me to make it memorable by making things between you and me official! She said it would be the event of the year!", he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Grace's eyes widened, her anger making her lips open…only to suddenly stop and turn into a mischievous smile. Lucas watched her face, his curiosity peaking up.
"Uh oh…I know that look", his lips curled up in a smirk "What are you thinking, angel?"
Grace's smile grew slowly, but surely.
"Ooooh…I am just thinking about giving Mrs. Mayor a taste of her own medicine", she mumbled, her eyes sparkling.
Lucas' smile widened.
"What on Earth is going on in that beautiful head of yours?", he asked.
Grace raised up her chin.
"Saaaayyyy…what do you think we really throw a ball to celebrate our engagement? But…only if you do something first", at Lucas' curious gaze, Grace added "That you check when exactly are Mr. Mayor and esteemed Mrs. Valerie going to visit their son in San Francisco…", as Lucas slightly creased his eyebrows, Grace pulled on a serious face "Imagine if the dates overlapped…wouldn't that be such an inconvenience?!"
She blinked fast a few times, her face innocent as baby's while Lucas' eyes widened and his mouth gaped open slightly.
And in the next moment both of them bursted into laughter!
Lucas pulled Grace in his arms and buried his face in her soft hair, laughing his heart out.
"You know, I should hire you as a Chief Advisor at the Governor's Board!", he managed to say through laughter "You give such sage advice!"
Grace giggled even more.
"You should! I would make sure that your staff do all the job so that you can stay home and be with your wife 24/7!", she laughed at her own silliness only to have Lucas pull away a bit to look down at her.
"Like I said. Sage advice", he whispered warmly, his eyes caressing her heart with love.
She smiled warmly at him and accepted his short, gentle kiss.
Lucas raised his eyebrows and put on a serious face.
"Alright. I will heed your advice", his eyes twinkled, accompanied with a smile that took Grace's breath away "But, first thing's first. Let's at least take that photo so that Mrs. Mayor may have something to fuss over in the upcoming days."
He chuckled and she giggled sweetly as they got up and holding hands, they left the library.
Before they reached the end of the corridor, Lucas stopped and turned toward Grace.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look?", he put a stray curl behind her ear "Like a fairy."
Grace smiled, her cheeks warming up. Her fingers reached up and fixed his tie.
"Thank you. And you look very handsome. As always", she slowly brushed her fingers down his ice white vest that matched the color of her dress.
Lucas took one of her hands and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles, his eyes softening.
"Thank you", placing her palm in the crook of his arm, he silently asked "Shall we, Miss Bennett?"
Grace smiled softly and nodded slightly.
"Lead the way, Governor", she said gently.
They walked toward the grand staircase and slowly made their way down, Lucas' other palm covering Grace's fingers that rested in the crook of his arm.
Sally was talking to the photographer at the bottom of the stairs when she heard the footsteps. Turning around, she smiled at the sight in front of her and hurried toward them.
"Congratulations!", she exclaimed "Oh, I am sooo happy for you!", she hugged Grace first, then Lucas and whispered confidentally "I can tell you that you will stir a pot quite a bit with this
announcement. Somebody bristled at the photos from the press conference saying how the two of you won't last a week more!", she winked at them.
Grace looked up at Lucas, worried that this may upset him, but was relieved to see his face and, more important, his eyes completely calm.
"Luckily, my Grace isn't fickle and dishonest like some other people", he glanced at his lovely fiancée and gently added "That's why we will last forever."
Grace smiled lovingly at him, her fingers gently squeezing his arm.
Sally nodded with a smile then turned toward the photographer, an older man with a kind face.
"I would like you to meet Mr. Paul Watkins. He is the chief photographer for the 'Capitol City Gazette'", said Sally as Lucas stepped forward and shook hands with Paul.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Watkins. Welcome to our home", he said warmly.
Paul smiled as he shook the young Governor's hand.
"Thank you, Governor. It's a pleasure to meet you", he said with a smile.
Lucas stepped back to stand beside Grace again and wrapping his arm around her waist, he said:
"Mr. Watkins, I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Miss Grace Bennett", his face glowed with happiness as he watched his Grace stepping forward and offering her hand to an older gentleman with a smile on her face.
Mr. Watkins smiled.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bennet. Allow me to be the first one to congratulate you on your engagement", he said warmly.
Both Grace and Lucas thanked him and then Lucas asked where would Mr. Watkins like to take a photo, offering to give him a tour of the mansion, but Mr. Watkins shook his head with a smile.
"Here in front of that magnificent staircase will be just fine. I don't want to waste your time. Every moment is precious when you are young and in love", he said with a warm smile "That is how my Linda and I still feel after 40 years of marriage."
Grace smiled in awe.
"Wow, 40 years?", she smiled warmly "That is wonderful!"
Lucas nodded.
"It sure is", he said with a smile.
Paul smiled.
"Thank you. And I do believe that you two will be as happy as my Linda and I. Now", he took a photo camera in his fingers "Shall we make that photo?", he looked at the windows from where the lights came in and then toward the grand staircase, trying to find a perfect place for a perfect photo.
Grace glanced at Lucas with a smile on her face.
"Forty years! Imagine that!", she whispered.
Lucas smiled warmly at her.
"Oh, I can. With you by my side", he whispered, making Grace's heart melt "I cannot wait to grow old and gray with you."
Grace's smile grew.
"Neither can I", she gently touched his dimples and whispered "From dimples to wrinkles I will be there for you. I promise."
It took all strength and willpower Lucas had not to pull her in his arms and kiss her at that moment. He glanced at Mr. Watkins to estimate could he do it now without camera flashing, but it was exactly at that moment that the photographer turned around with a smile.
"Here, this is the perfect spot. The light falls at just the right angle", he rambled on then looked at Grace "Miss Bennett, can you stand here, please?", he showed to the spot with his hand and Grace nodded with a soft smile as she walked to take her place. Mr. Watkins nodded and turned to look at Lucas "Excellent. Governor, can you stand over here, please?", as Lucas stepped forward and took his place on Grace's left side, Mr. Watkins rubbed his hands and walked a bit away from the young couple, fumbling with a camera.
In the next moment, he turned around and gave final instruction.
"Alright, here we go. I want you to join hands, look at each other and…smile!", as the young couple followed his instruction to a T, his camera flashed and he exclaimed "That was perfect! Thank you!"
—--
Sally and Mr. Watkins left about an hour and half after the photo shooting was done. Lucas insisted that Mr. Watkins stays for a tea and they chat quite amicably.
Sally brought him a few of newspapers that were published after the press conference in Hope Valley and Lucas and Grace had the time of their lives reading the articles.
"Oh, listen to this!", Grace said with a loving and proud smile on her lips "Young Governor Lucas Bouchard could teach older politicians a lesson or two in empathy. Governor Bouchard is starting a scholarship for the kids at the New Hope orphanage that remain in the orphanage until they are out of age. There are no better words to praise this act than to quote Governor Bouchard's words himself: 'Investment in children is investment in future'.", Grace's facial expression softened and she looked at her love "I am so proud of you."
Lucas glanced at his fiancée with love shining from his eyes.
"Don't forget to give some credit to yourself and Lillian too. If you two didn't start the orphanage, I wouldn't be able to help those children", he showed her the article he was currently reading and said "It is written very nicely here, listen", he picked up the newspapers a bit and started to read "Two sisters reconnected after being apart for 12 years and decided to start an orphanage where no siblings would ever be separated. It was the rule they established because they were separated after their parents' tragic death", as he read that line, Lucas took Grace's palm in his and bringing it to his lips, gently kissed her knuckles "Now, under loving care of Miss Grace Bennet and Miss Lillian Walsh, the kids in the New Hope orphanage blossom. The children stay in the orphanage until they are out of age and afterwards, Miss Bennett and Miss Walsh help them to find jobs and accomodation and stay in touch with them as long as necessary. The children can always contact them for help. These two young ladies show to all of us that every good thought counts. To quote Miss Grace Bennet herself: 'Each person is able to make this world a better place for living'", Lucas put the newspapers down and glanced at his love "I am so proud of you. And so happy that a woman like you chose to love me."
Grace felt her heart skip a beat and she leaned in, meeting Lucas halfway for a sweet, gentle kiss.
As they went back to reading the newspapers, they both smiled happily at the photo of the two of them in front of the "Queen of Hearts" saloon. The photo was published on the front page with a headline "Governor Lucas Bouchard and Miss Grace Bennett - A powerful couple & darlings of the region".
Under the photo, a short teaser was written: "Who is the couple that changes the world for the better? How can altruism, empathy and love improve the world? Read all about it on page three!"
Lucas pulled Grace closer to him and she snuggled lovingly into his side as they continued to browse through the newspapers.