The Dreams We Share

Chapter 20 Come Fly With Me

Arawyn was waiting on the porch enjoying the sun when he arrived. She opened the door and called in to her aunt and uncle to let them know she was leaving. The man in him admired how she looked in her fitted tan trousers and white button-down shirt. She was on the taller side for a woman, and she was slender in build, but she curved nicely in all the right places. She carried a bag with her sweater, jacket, and a sun hat. He took her bag and placed it in the back and then held the door open for her to climb in. As she passed him, he stopped her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"I missed those luscious lips," he whispered in her ear.

She looked around to see if anyone was looking and when she determined the coast was clear, she put an arm up around his neck and dragged his lips down for an encore. He moaned as she did; he knew this wasn't the time to take it any further. But he enjoyed the sweet way in which she had advanced on him. She was certainly getting bolder.

She scooted into her seat, and he circled the car to hop in next to her. He grabbed one more quick kiss and then they were on their way. He drove south for perhaps 20 minutes before turning off onto a small road. She saw that there was a large building not too far ahead. She turned to look at him. He was smiling. She could see how excited he was. He parked near the building and a man came to the car to greet them.

"Hello there, Mr. Bouchard", he said mostly because he saw that he had a guest. He usually just called him Lucas.

"Hi there, Thomas. This is my friend Miss MacKenna," he said as he helped her from the car.

"Nice to meet you," he told her.

"Arawyn, this is Thomas, the man that taught me to fly," he informed her.

"Fly?" she asked as Thomas slid the large barndoor revealing two biplanes inside. Her eyes grew wide, but she didn't say anything. She looked over at Lucas who had been watching her.

"Arawyn are you all right?" he asked her.

She nodded that she was but still hadn't said a word. He reached down and took her hand in his.

"We don't have to go up if you don't want to," he told her. "Perhaps another time?"

He had just taken her by surprise. She had tried to guess what they were going to do but this was not anything she had dreamed of. Airflight was still so new. And while she had seen a few planes demonstrated in an airshow in Montreal, she had never imagined she would see this moment. Not so soon, anyway.

She turned to look up at him, "you just surprised me that's all. I want to go up with you. I do." She smiled at him, giving her best effort to show that she was truly willing.

"If you're sure," he said. He didn't want to force her, but he knew if she went up, she would love it.

She nodded and he led her back to the car for them to put on their sweaters and jackets. He also asked her to braid her hair and then he put a leather helmet on her head and showed her how to put the goggles on. He had an extra scarf with him and put it around her neck tucking it into her jacket.

In the meantime, Thomas had moved the plane on to the start of the runway. Lucas helped Arawyn slide into the rear seat and made sure she was strapped in; then he took his spot in the pilot seat.

"Are you ready he called out to her?"

"Yes… this is so exciting", she called back to him.

Lucas gave the thumbs up to Thomas who cranked the propellor over until it caught and began to spin on its own. He waved to them and stepped back away from the plane. Lucas eased it forward and soon they were racing down the runway. Arawyn grabbed the handle Lucas had shown her. He gave a loud "Whoop" as suddenly she felt them leave the runway and they were in the air.

The feeling was new, and she couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. They climbed up but soon leveled off and she looked over to see the patchwork quilr below. Rectangles in shades of green and brown as she looked at the farmland beneath them. She could see the road they had come in on. He flew along the path of a river and lowered the plane so she could see a field of cows grazing. Some children ran to watch them waving vigorously and she waved back even though they probably couldn't see her. The air was still today, but as they flew it was like a strong wind coming at them. She was glad Lucas had had her braid her hair or she could imagine the tangled mess now if she hadn't. They really couldn't talk but he called to her to make sure she was doing okay. And she would call back to him to let him know she was.

She was more than okay. This was perhaps the most exhilarating experience of her life. She felt that Lucas was quite in his element in the outdoors; how could you get further outdoors than up in the sky soaring across the countryside? After a time, he changed direction in a slow banking move. She thought that he may know how to roll the plane as she had seen in the airshow, but that he wouldn't put her through that on her first trip up. After a while she could see the airstrip ahead and he motioned that they would be going down. It was a little more disconcerting than the assent, but Lucas soon had them taxiing back to the hanger safe and sound. He brought the plane next to the building and stopped. He then unbuckled and jumped to the ground and came back to help her. She unbuckled herself and stood and then jumped down into his arms as he eased her to the ground.

"That was wonderful! We were flying! I absolutely loved it," she told him with excitement. He grinned at her and swung her around keeping her airborne for a few complete turns.

He set her down and looked down at her. "Thank you," he told her barely able to contain his excitement. She leaned back against the side of the plane and grabbed him by his jacket, pulling him against her. She looked at him with a look that told him she wanted to share this moment with him in a special way. He removed her helmet and set it on the plane with his. He then removed her scarf, never letting his gaze drift from hers; next came her jacket and he quickly removed the braid from her hair. He ran his fingers through the silky strands bringing it down around her. She was so achingly beautiful, and she was looking at him with nervous excitement as he brought his hands up to hold her face on both sides, tilting her head as he brought his mouth down to hers. She was now on her tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer. He put his arms around her, one hand on her slender waist and the other rubbing her back as he ran his hand under the sweater she wore. His mouth was insistent, and he could no longer hold back as he deepened the kiss. They had not brought their kissing to this level before, but she followed his lead instinctively welcoming him and meeting his urgency with her own. As he ended the kiss, they were both breathing heavily. He still had her tight against him and used one hand to pull her cheek against his chest. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. Trying to slow his breathing as she matched her breathing to his. At one point he felt her shudder and she moaned softly. "This is the most heavenly torture" he thought to himself.

He slowly released her slightly so he could tip her head back to look at him. "I love you, Arawyn Mackenna. I am in love with you, and I can no longer hold in the words," he said as he looked into those endless pools of green and blue.

She looked up at him her eyes filling with happy tears. "I love you Lucas Bouchard, and I am so glad that you could tell me because I could hardly wait any longer to say the words. I love you and I am totally, and irrevocably in love with you."

He kissed her again, trying to show her how he felt. This time he kept it tender, a kiss that said, "I cherish you and we have forever to explore these beautiful feelings."

He finally told her that he needed to get Thomas, so he could help get the plane in the hanger and go home as he had come in today just for them. She nodded as they grabbed their things and walked hand in hand to the office in the hanger to get him. She waited by the car, retrieving her sun hat to keep from getting too much more sun. Lucas and Thomas soon had the plane secured and they headed to a nearby park to eat a very late lunch.


The found a spot that let filtered sunlight down through the trees and spread out their picnic. Lucas excused himself for a few minutes and went to pick a bouquet of wild chamomile he saw growing nearby. Somehow, the picnic didn't seem complete without flowers. She smiled as soon as she saw what he had done.

"For you my sweet he told her kissing her cheek as he sat next to her on the blanket."

After they had eaten their fill, they lay on the blanket holding hands and looking at the puffy cloud formations that drifted over them. They each took turns imagining what the clouds overhead looked like, besides cotton candy of course. Lucas finally found what he thought looked like a dragon rising out of one cloud, his favorite mythical creature of course. Arawyn spent some time convincing him of an elephant that she saw. They began to get wilder and sillier with the formations they found until they were playfully arguing. Finally, Lucas just grabbed her and tickled her until she begged for mercy. He stopped the tickling but lowered his head to kiss her. Her giggling ended in a moan as she found herself being held close under the man who held her heart. He quickly realized the predicament that he was placing them in especially in a public place and softened the kiss ending it with a gentle kiss to her forehead. He rolled to her side but kept one arm over her keeping her close.
"Shall we make our way home?" he asked her. "Can we go to my house and call your aunt and uncle and tell them that you will be staying for dinner? I am not ready to let you go yet."

"All right but I don't think I will be hungry again after this lunch that Gustave made us. And I really don't need permission, Lucas," she told him. "They know I am with you."

"Just a courtesy, I don't want them to wait and wonder. I want to stay on their good side," he told her with a grin.

They gathered their things and headed to his house.


They brought the picnic basket and bag to the kitchen as she wanted to thank Gustave for the lunch. He loved to have guests fawn over him and his delicious meals. Especially lovely guests like Arawyn. She asked him some questions about the items in the basket which delighted him. Lucas knew she had figured out how to wrap Gustave around her little finger; but he also knew she was being genuine in her praise. He told her he was heading to the library to make a call and that she should join him when she was finished in the kitchen.
"I will meet you in thirty minutes or so. I am hoping Gustave will show me how to make some of these vegetable garnishes; in particular these beautiful radish flowers." Gustave beamed at her.

Lucas turned to leave before they saw his eyes roll.


Lucas made his call to move forward one of his meetings for the next day. He removed his sweater and settled into not his usual chair, but one that was a bit wider, he imagined it was meant for a parent and child to read together. He closed his eyes to wait for her and soon he slipped into a light sleep. He dreamed of Arawyn; she leaned over him, her silky hair caressing his face as she leaned to kiss him tenderly.

"Lucas, wake up darling," he heard. He didn't want to wake up from his dream. He reached for her to pull her near, and she toppled onto him. He groaned as he was startled awake. He looked at her as she was just above eye level, partly on top of him with her legs dangling over the side of the chair. "You fell asleep, I was trying to wake you gently."

"I was having the loveliest dream; I didn't want to wake up. I reached for you and here you are," he told her.

"Yes, here I am." She leaned down and kissed him softly, he closed his eyes to enjoy her exploration as she traced his lips as he had done to her before. She then leaned into the kiss with passion as he responded to her; she took the kiss deeper until they were lost in one another. He shifted her weight, pulling her into his arms, pouring all the love into the kiss, showing her how much he loved what she had started. She broke away gasping for breath and she looked into his eyes, seeing the desire there. She knew he could see it written all over her face which was flushed.

"Lucas, I want…. I need….", she fumbled.

"I know sweetheart, I know." He pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair as he felt her quiet. "I don't think we are going to make it until Christmas. You know that don't you?" He felt her nod while he continued to run his fingers through her hair.

"I love you Arawyn. There is no doubt in my mind that we belong together. I think we need to consider moving up our timeline to before the Fall term begins."

"I love you too, and I have no doubts. I haven't for weeks now."

"What if we married before the term begins. We could go to Montreal and have a quiet ceremony with just our parents and your siblings. We would have to forgo a honeymoon for now, anything more than a few days that is. Perhaps we can let our mothers plan a huge reception at the beginning of the holidays to celebrate our marriage with extended family and friends. And then take the remaining of the break to honeymoon. We can perhaps travel in the summer for a longer period. Perhaps even Europe if you can take time off then," he sounded convincing even to himself. He looked at her; "what do you think, my sweet?"

"All I know is that I want to be with you, for us to belong to one another. To fall asleep in your arms each night. To wake up each morning and look into those soulful eyes of yours. To see your sumptuous head of hair the mess as I imagine it must be," she told him.

"Why don't we take a few days to consider this, and we can talk again on Wednesday. We can have a quiet dinner here so we can talk privately. Gustave can make something that we can manage to serve ourselves. He and Marcus can be very discreet if I ask them," Lucas told her. If fact, why don't we make it a date night right here at home. We haven't danced in a while, I can set up the Victrola in the ballroom," Lucas told her.

"It sounds lovely," she kissed him on the cheek and rose to her feet. "It is a date then; but now, it is time for you to take me home. As much as I would rather stay here with you, I have an early morning meeting and need to get home to get some sleep."

He nodded and got his car keys to take her home.


They stood on the porch for a few minutes to say goodnight.

"Thank you, Lucas, for taking me flying. It was truly an experience of a lifetime. Do you suppose Thomas could teach me?" she asked in earnest.

"Really, you want to learn? Certainly, he would. We can speak with him whenever you're ready," he said and then gave her a gentle kiss. "Good night, my sweet. I will see you in my dreams."

"And I will be there," she said as she opened the door and slipped inside.

He went to his car and sat as he often did until she had turned on the light in her room. Tonight, she came to the window and waved down at him before she turned to prepare herself for bed.

He wanted to marry her; he had already been certain that is where they were headed at Christmas. But he knew in his heart that they needed to move the plan forward. He wanted to keep his promise to her. To wait until they were married. But, he realized that with her honest straight forward approach, she would ask him to forgo his promise. He knew how desperately he wanted her; she might win. He knew it was soon, but he also knew it felt right. He would ask her to marry him during their date.


During lunch on Monday, he headed out to a jewelry store that he knew of. He had gone with James when he was picking out an anniversary present for Mary. While they were browsing, he had seen a ring that immediately made him think of Arawyn. At the time they had barely known one another but she had come vividly to mind.

He entered the shop which automatically rang a bell. The shopkeeper came out of the back to greet him.

"How may I help you, Sir?" he asked.

"I saw a ring in your shop a while back and I would like to take a closer look at it. It was silver or white gold with a celtic infinity knot pattern and a heart shaped emerald center stone and diamond side stones," Lucas told the man.

"I know exactly the one you describe; just give me a moment." He headed over to one of the cases and withdrew the ring and returned. "The setting is white gold and the center stone is an emerald with diamond side stones."

"That is the one," Lucas exclaimed. The man handed it to him, and Lucas looked at it more closely. It was meant to be hers. "I would like to purchase the ring; but I don't know her exact size."

"We have it in three sizes, but it can be custom made to any size," the man told him.

"I need it by Wednesday," Lucas said.

"Well, if you don't know her size, I suggest you purchase one of the three that is closest and then we can have it sized later. Come with me, I have some model hands that might help you decide."

They walked over to a side table and Lucas immediately knew the one that most resembled her long slender fingers. "This one," he told the man.

"Perfect, that is the smallest of the three sizes we have in the shop." He went to the display case and found the ring in her size and then had Lucas select the velvet case to put it in. He selected the black velvet one that best highlighted the beauty of the ring. He had withdrawn the money for the ring from his home safe this morning. He opened his billfold and took the sum the man had indicated and added extra as a tip. The man thanked him and handed him the box which Lucas put in his pants pocket.

"Best wishes on your upcoming engagement," the man told him as he was leaving.

"Thank you. Someday I will bring her by so that you can see to whom this beautiful ring belongs. You will understand my selection," he told the man. And he left the shop with a skip to his step.


A little before 3:00, Lucas dialed the phone. He had calculated that it would be just before 5:00 in Montreal, which would be closing time for government offices.

"MacKenna here," he heard.

"Mr. Mackenna, my name is Lucas Bouchard. I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time."

"Ah, Mr. Bouchard, my daughter told me I might be hearing from you someday, but I hardly expected it to be so soon. I have time now; I was just leaving but perhaps I will just sit back down to listen to what you have to say."

"Sir, I am sorry to hold you up, but this is important, and I am so glad that I caught you. To come straight to the point, I am in love with your daughter, and I would like to have your permission for her hand in marriage," he paused for a moment.

"Call me Mathew. Isn't this a little soon to be asking for her hand?" her father asked.

"A few months ago I would never have imagined that I would meet a woman that I would ask to marry me in just a handful of weeks. But then, I had not met Arawyn. She is brilliant; such a bright inquisitive mind and ready wit. We have so much in common that it is as if we have known each other for a very long time. We are both well-traveled and we have a passion for literature. We both love the outdoors and have similar adventurous spirits. And we both are called to service in our communities. In fact, we are working on a project together related to my work at the Ministry and her charitable work with the Ladies' Society here in Edmonton," he paused for another breather which her father took for an opportunity to step in.

"Mr. Bouchard, I assume I may call you Lucas?"

"Absolutely," Lucas replied.

"She has told us that you have set your priorities on getting to know one another. And that she knows already that you are the man she wants to marry someday. There was even a hint that the holidays might be possible. Is that the case?" He asked.

"Well, that was the case. We had spoken about Christmastime in Montreal as she will have the winter break and so does the cabinet. But sir, we are sure, and we are now discussing the possibility of marrying before Fall term," Lucas told him waiting for a reaction.

"My, that is just around the corner. Don't you think that Christmas would be a better time?" Her father asked.

"Well, it would be a better time from the standpoint of a large wedding and the time to plan it and for guests to make arrangements. But Sir, we want to begin our lives together as soon as possible." Lucas proceeded to explain their plan to her father.

"It sounds like you have this thought out. If this were not Arawyn, I think I might ask you to wait. But she is a grown woman and has put aside her personal life in order to pursue her academics and her position at the university. Her mother and I have been concerned that she might continue to prioritize her work over a chance for a family. You do want a family, do you not?" her father asked him.

"Yes, very much so. And Arawyn has found herself wanting that too. But sir, let me tell you that her work is a passion that I wouldn't ask her to forgo. I will do everything in my power to see that she can have both. I want her to be happy and I will do everything in my power to see to that," Lucas told him with great sincerity.

"That is good to hear. My wife let go of her dreams to support mine. And that worked for us. But we have always encouraged her to pursue her passions and that someday she could have both. I am glad that she has found someone who wants that for her too. You have my permission, and I will let her mother know. Please ask her to call us as soon as possible. Her mother will want to help with whatever arrangements need to be made for the wedding and then after your parents arrive back to town, she can get your mother to help as well. Particularly for the reception at Christmas."

"Thank you, Sir. I will take very good care of your daughter. I promise you that. I will be asking her tonight, so I expect you will hear from her tomorrow."

"Well then, Lucas, it has been a pleasure speaking with you and I look forward to meeting you. I must tell you that as soon as we heard from our daughter about you, I did some inquiries," he told Lucas.

"And I would expect nothing less. I would do the same if it were my daughter. Thank you again. I will let you go on with your day," Lucas said.

"By the way, please call me Mathew. I hear enough Sirs from my staff."

"Goodbye, Mathew. We shall speak again soon." Lucas waited until the man had hung up and then placed the receiver down. He was very happy that he had this last piece in place before asking her tonight.