Elizabeth took the three kids shopping for Christmas presents for Lucas while he shopped for their gifts, including hers.
After that, they were going to find a tree and decorate it "like a family does," Ace said.
"I don't know what to get him," Amie whined. "I don't got money anyway."
Elizabeth hugged her against her side and smiled down at the precious girl.
"Don't worry about money, Amie. I'll help you."
"You will?"
"Of course I will.
Now let's think. What does Daddy need?"
"Me! He said he needs me," she said proudly.
"Of course he does and he has you, doodle bug."
"Dad needs a ring!" Ace told her.
"A ring?"
"Yeah. He was talking to Uncle Lee and he was talking about buying a ring."
Elizabeth's eyes got big for a moment and her face turned red. He couldn't possibly be planning to propose, could he? They hadn't known each other that long…yet they had said their "I love you's" and were planning a romantic trip very soon.
"I wanna get him these!" Amie said, holding up a very festive pair of Christmas socks with a reindeer on them complete with antlers, a big red nose and candy canes.
"Alright. That's a great gift, Amie."
"Yay!"
Ace picked out a mug that said, "Best Dad Ever" on it.
"Its true. He's the best dad ever," Ace told her.
"He certainly is," Beth agreed.
"Mama!" Nora said, pointing at a display.
"Hey, sweet pea. What did you find?"
"Book! Daddy."
"You want to buy a book for Lucas?"
"Daddy read book Nora."
"Let's pick out a couple."
After making the purchases, Elizabeth and the kids headed to the middle of the mall at the spot they agreed upon to meet Lucas.
"Daddy!" Amie yelled, running over to him.
"Hi, baby doll."
Elizabeth smiled as Nora ran over too, begging to be picked up.
"Find everything you needed?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes. You?"
"Well, I was hoping maybe you could watch the kiddos and maybe get them a S-N-A-C-K while I go to one more store. Something for our trip."
He took in the blush on her face and immediately couldn't wait two more days to be really and truly alone with this woman.
"Sure."
She kissed his cheek and smiled. "Thanks, babe. I'll be right back."
"Let's get food, guys," Lucas said, watching Elizabeth walk away.
"I want pizza!" Ace announced.
"I want a big soft pretzel," Amie said.
"Want….petzel," Nora told him, putting her hands on his cheeks. "Tiss, Daddy." She kissed him and giggled, filling his heart to the brim.
He walked with the kids over to a food stand and got their food, distracting himself from what Beth was buying for their trip.
Lingerie store
"Anything I can help you with?" the sales lady asked.
Elizabeth blushed. She had been daydreaming about their trip.
"I'm taking a trip with my boyfriend. Just looking for something special."
"What's his favorite color?"
"You know…I'm not sure. I'm thinking I want something white." It seemed romantic, pure. Like how she felt for him.
She was more than pleased with the purchases she made and couldn't wait for Lucas' reaction.
"Mama!" Nora yelled, wiggling to get off Lucas' lap. "Petzel."
"Wow, sweetheart. That looks yummy."
"Mine," she said, holding it close to her shirt. Elizabeth reached down and tickled her and then gave Lucas a kiss on the cheek.
"Find what you wanted?"
"I did. What's your favorite color?"
"Not sure I have one but if we are talking about what's in your bag, I'd say either black or white."
"What did you buy?" Amie asked, trying to peek into the bag.
"Nothing for little eyes," Elizabeth said with a smile.
"I'm a big girl!"
Elizabeth picked her up and bonked her nose with her fingertip. "You're big in a lot of ways but this bag is just for me and Daddy, alright?"
"Like a surprise?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I hope Daddy likes it!"
"I have no doubt," Lucas said, making her blush again. Gosh, the way he made her feel…
…..
That evening, Lucas' house
Ace played on the floor with Beans, giggling and having fun while everyone else decorated the tree.
"I wanna put this one on the tree," Amie said, holding up a unicorn ornament.
"Of course you can, babydoll. Its yours," Lucas told her.
As they listened to Christmas songs and played games, Elizabeth felt the love of a family, what she wanted for herself and all of them. She knew then, if Lucas proposed on their trip or even at Christmas, she would say yes.
"Mama? Choos?" Nora said.
"Sure, honey. Let's go get you some juice."
When Elizabeth returned with Nora's juice, Nora snuggled up on the couch with Elizabeth and watched everyone else.
"Ace?" Elizabeth said quietly.
"Hm?"
"Don't you want to help decorate the tree?"
"I don't know," he shrugged.
"I think you should. You are part of this family."
"I don't know how."
Elizabeth laid Nora on the couch and covered her with a blanket and then held her hand out to Ace. "Come on, bud. I'll show you."
"What about, Beans?"
"He will be just fine."
Elizabeth wasn't sure why he was shying away from decorating but maybe he'd open up to her or Lucas.
"Hi, son. I'm glad you decided to help. Want to hang your ornament?"
"I have one?"
"Of course." He handed him an astronaut and it made him smile.
"Thanks, Dad!"
"That one is from your…um from Miss Elizabeth."
"It is?" He looked up at Elizabeth and smiled, tears in his eyes, and then threw his arms around her waist. "I need you, Miss Elizabeth. Please don't leave me."
Elizabeth knelt and hugged the dear boy, feeling the same emotion. "I'm not going anywhere, Ace. I promise."
Ace had always had a problem accepting promises from adults because of his first dad but he trusted Elizabeth now. He knew that she kept her promises. He really really hoped she would be his mom soon. He assumed that how he felt about her was how someone would feel about a mom. He had no frame of reference except for what his friend Sam told him and Sam didn't live with his mom.
"Are you and Dad gonna be back to celebrate Christmas with us?" he wondered. He wanted to give her a present that Lucas had helped him buy.
"Of course. We are only going to be gone Friday, Saturday and we will be back Sunday afternoon. Only three days."
The doorbell rang. "Its Nana and Grandpa! They're back!" Amie yelled, waking up Nora and making Beans bark.
"Amie, babydoll," Lucas said. "A little quieter please."
Amie was already running to the door though. "Sorry. Nana!"
A few hours later….
Lucas had his arm around Elizabeth as they snuggled on the couch, the lights low and the fireplace and tree lights on. "Is it Friday yet?"
"Mm no and I'm not sure its a good idea for me to stay here tonight."
"Sure it is." She was staying in Amie's room tonight with Amie and Nora since Martin and Helen were in the guest room.
"Its going to take all I have not to head to the master."
"Would that be so bad?"
"Bad, no. Risky, yes."
He turned her chin with his finger and brought his lips to hers, kissing her deeply and thoroughly, leaving them both breathing hard.
"No risk, no reward?" he whispered.
"I want to, babe, so much but I want our first night together to be alone and romantic. Like in Vermont."
"That does sound pretty good."
"No, it sounds absolutely perfect."
….
Elizabeth kissed the forehead of her sleeping daughter early Friday when she dropped her off at Vi's.
"I'm going to miss her so much."
"I know but you are going to FaceTime her and that will help both of you."
"I know."
"And this weekend is important for you and Luke."
"You're right." She hugged Vi and headed out the door to Lucas who was with Martin who was dropping them off at the airport in his big Lincoln SUV.
"Ready?" Lucas asked.
She wiped a tear and nodded. "That was hard."
Lucas squeezed her hand and kissed her tenderly. "You're a wonderful mom, Beth Thatcher."
"I feel like the opposite leaving her behind."
"Let's think about what Molly would say," he told her.
"I know what she'd say. That it's good for us ultimately. But right now, I feel like she's going to hate me."
He kissed her knuckles and then turning her hand over, he kissed her palm, his beard tickling the sensitive skin there. "She's going to love you even more. Imagine how excited she's going to be on Sunday when you walk back into Vi's house."
"Her little round cheeks and bright blue eyes," she said, picturing her perfectly. "She is wonderful. You're wonderful, Lucas."
He was beyond wonderful and from that point forward she would concentrate on making this weekend special for them. Essentially a huge turning point in their relationship.
A few hours later as their plane landed, he handed her his credit card.
"Why…."
"For our food. You said you're headed to the store."
"Right, yes but you don't need to give me your card. I can pay."
He kissed her softly and smiled. "What's mine is yours, my love."
"That was awfully romantic and wonderful, Mr. Bouchard."
"And true."
They didn't have to wait for luggage because they only had their carryon bags so they walked hand in hand to the car rental area. While waiting, Lucas ordered his Uber.
"You look handsome, babe," she told him, straightening his tie.
"Thanks."
"Next," the lady behind the counter yelled.
"Car under Bouchard," he told her.
After checking his ID, she typed away on her keyboard. "I see, sir. We have a Cadillac XT5 for you and your wife."
Neither bothered to correct her, both liking the way it sounded.
"Thank you."
About ten minutes later, Lucas' Uber arrived. "I need to go, hon."
"Okay. I'll see you tonight."
"I can't wait."
He gave her a slightly longer kiss than was probably necessary in public but she wasn't complaining.
"Love you."
"Love you more."
….
Elizabeth plugged the rental house address into her GPS and then sighed. This car was so fancy, she hardly wanted to touch anything.
She slowly pulled out of the parking space and started following the audible instructions. The house was apparently thirty five minutes away so she decided to relax and enjoy the drive in Vermont.
The roads were clear now but the clouds were dark and looked like snow. Maybe they'd get snowed in. That could be amazing, especially with a hot tub.
The house was absolutely lovely, set back away from the road on a long driveway, surrounded by woods. She imagined a fire with smoke coming out of the chimney while they snuggled on the couch, likely dressed in very little, maybe just a blanket. They would chat for hours, making plans for their family's future.
She sent him a text to let him know she made it and then she took their bags inside to check out the rooms.
"How's the house?" he texted, surprising her.
"Perfect. I miss u."
He sent her a kissy face emoji and a wink.
She hung up her new lingerie in case there were wrinkles and then grabbed the keys so she could go to get groceries.
She decided to grab pasta and chicken for dinner, nothing too heavy. Then, just in case of a snowstorm, she stocked up on extra snacks and grabbed food for each day's meals. She lastly bought an assortment of fruit and a couple bottles of wine.
Once she left the grocery store, she drove through Montpellier and stopped at a bookstore. She would have some time until Lucas came home but she also wanted to grab a book for each of their kids as an extra Christmas gift.
After the bookstore, she headed to a Cafe and called Vi.
"Hey, there. How's Vermont?"
"Beautiful. Cold, much like home. How's Nora?"
"Eating breakfast with the boys."
"Can I talk to her, please?"
"Of course."
"Mama? Hi!"
"Hi, baby girl." Her eyes filled with tears but she knew everything was fine. "What are you eating?"
"Mmm egg and nannas."
"Yum, eggs and bananas. Your favorite."
"Yeah."
"I love you, baby. Be good for Auntie Vi, okay?"
"I good, Mama."
"Yes you are. Bye Bye, Nora bean."
"Bye, Bye."
Elizabeth sipped her coffee and then headed to the rental house. She was going to put some fuzzy socks on, grab a blanket and sit by the fire with the novel she bought herself.
….
"Sweetheart?" Lucas called, walking in the door to their rental.
"Here," she said, appearing in the doorway of the living room in a black dress that lit him up. Holy moly. It hugged her perfectly everywhere. "Luke?" she smiled.
"Wow." He walked forward, slipping his arms around her waist and hugging her.
"How was your day?"
"Long. Torturous."
"Really?"
He pulled back slightly and kissed her long and slow, his hands moving up to cup her cheeks.
"I just wanted to be here," he whispered. "Just wanted to be with you."
His stomach growled, making her chuckle. "I made dinner, babe. Wanna eat?"
"Sure. I'll go head to the bathroom real quick and then I'll be out."
She lit a few candles and put the chicken and pasta on the table and opened the wine.
He walked in and watched her fiddling with things, straightening the silverware.
"Hey, beautiful."
"Hey."
He took her hands and pressed his lips to the knuckles on each one. "Are you alright?"
"Nervous. I'm not sure why."
"I am too," he admitted. "This is a big step for us."
"Huge."
"Yes and I need you to know that if you aren't ready, we will wait."
She put her arms up and over his shoulders and smiled. "I assure you, I'm ready. I just want it to be perfect."
"It will be, Beth, because we love each other. There is no pressure. That's why they call it 'making love', right?" He winked at her and she blushed, tipping up on her toes to kiss him again.
"Yeah. You're right. Now let me tell you what plans I have for us tonight."
….
A little later
Lucas sat in the hot tub, staring up into the snowflakes as they softly floated down, waiting for Elizabeth. This was part of her plan and though his plan would have been to rush a bit, he wouldn't rush her. She set the pace.
Upstairs, Elizabeth was dressed in a black one piece swimsuit with a ruched waist, a sexy, yet tasteful, cutout in the front and a tie in the back. She felt beautiful and she couldn't wait to show Lucas. She grabbed the complimentary bathrobe the rental owners provided, slipped her flip flops on that she brought from home and went to join Lucas.
"Oh my gosh," she shivered, shutting the sliding door behind her out to the deck. "Its so cold."
"Well, get in here with me. I'll warm you up." She had no doubt. In fact, she was about three feet away from him and the hot tub but she already felt hot.
"Babe?"
She put her bathrobe on the table nearby, kicked her flip flops off and stepped up and into the water.
Lucas was basically boiling from head to toe and not because of the water.
"Holy…"
She moved to the seat next to him but it wasn't close enough.
"Good heavens above, Elizabeth Thatcher. That suit is pretty much the hottest thing I…wow."
"Thank you."
It wasn't as if it was too revealing. It was what his imagination did with the cutout perfectly placed in front. He wondered what the back looked like. He assumed it was perfect and so was she. He was a lucky lucky man.
"So…" he said, putting his arm around her.
"Soooo?"
"I mean, you told me to meet you here because you had plans."
"I did," she confirmed, turning her head, bumping noses because they were so close. She raised her hand to his cheek, his recently trimmed beard begging her to touch it. "I love you, Lucas. With all of my heart."
"I love you too."
She needed to be closer so she stood up slowly and swung her leg over him so that when she sat back down, her knees were on either side of his hips and she was on his lap.
"Hi," he whispered.
She smiled and touched his beard again. She could stare at this man all night. He rested his hands on her thighs and just waited for her next move. This woman…
Their noses bumped and their eyes locked for a long moment before she covered his mouth with hers taking his breath away and putting his heart into overdrive.
His hands moved from her thighs to her hips and up to the string on her back, tugging gently.
"What are you up to, babe?" she mumbled against his lips.
"Mm, saving time for later."
She laughed. "What's happening later?"
"You tell me," he said, pulling back. "You have plans."
"I have something special to wear. It's short," she told him, kissing his neck, making him shiver. "And white." Another kiss. "And has some lace."
"Mm. Can't wait."
"Let's go inside then."
He paused for a long moment, his eyes asking to make sure. She stood up, turned and climbed out, giving him a nice view of the back of her suit. Yep. Smokin'.
When they arrived in the master, she headed into the closet, grabbed her new, white chemise and walked into the bathroom. "I'll be right out."
He couldn't wait.
While he waited, he went into the second bathroom and changed too, putting on his black silk boxers that he purchased for the trip. Then he walked back to wait. However just as he walked back in, he saw his angel in white. She was slender, as he'd always known, her legs long and toned and the chemise only highlighted these facts, not to mention the tantalizing, lacy neckline.
"You're stunning, love. Come here." She didn't hesitate.