Chapter 29
Hot chocolate was a major hit…well, once Gustave overcame the horror of Lucas pottering around his kitchen!
It took a mammoth strength for Grace not to burst out laughing at the sight of Gustave's facial expression!
Lucas also fought like a bear against laughing at his cousin's expense. He assured him that the kitchen was left spotless, but couldn't resist not to jab just a bit at Gustave's sensitive chef-nerves.
"Wait, you let children in your kitchen and I am not allowed?!", gasped Lucas, pretending to be offended.
It only got him a murderous glare from his dear cousin.
"Kids were supervised. You were not. And you make a mess even when you are supervised!", grumbled Gustave.
That was it for Grace - she completely lost it!
Bursting to laughter she put both her palms on her thighs, not being able to stand straight.
Wiping her tears, she noticed two men looking at her - Lucas with amused and Gustave with shocked facial expression.
"I'm so sorry, Gustave", she barely managed to breathe out before she started to laugh hard once again.
Lucas grinned in pure delight at her happy laughter.
She should be able to laugh more.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est, un complot?!", Gustave gasped, causing Grace to stumble a bit from laughter and grinning Lucas tried to steady her with one arm on her back and the other offering support which she accepted, holding his forearm with both hands. He also found it incredibly hard not to laugh. Gustave's appalled facial expression and Grace's sweet laughter were a deadly combination.
And Lucas completely lost it!
Grace was trying to catch a breath but the moment Lucas started to laugh beside her, she couldn't stop. It took only one look at Gustave's horrified facial expression and she lost it once again!
Barely able to stand up straight on her legs from laughing, Grace leaned her palms on Lucas' chest and upper arm, trying to calm down. Lucas' hand on her back moved a bit, pulling her closer to him until he wrapped both his arms around her, her face leaning on his shirt as they laughed their hearts out!
Gustave huffed, then mumbled something in French before he stormed to inspect the state of the kitchen.
"Oh, my God, Grace, he's actually going for an inspection!", Lucas choked out, crying from laughter, feeling Grace shaking from laughter in his arms.
"Stop it, I can't breathe!", Grace's voice was muffled in his vest as she laughed.
—--
Henry looked up from his meal and smiled at the sight.
"I didn't hear Lucas laugh like this for months", commented Henry.
Across the table, Bill was fixing himself a plate and looking up, he had to admit that Henry was right.
Lucas had a weight of the world on his shoulders ever since he pulled a ground under Balfour's feet. Elizabeth's cruel break up of their engagement and relationship was like a bomb for Lucas. He was hurt badly and from what Bill could see these past few weeks, the pain was killing him. Last Saturday was the worst day ever since Bill came to Capitol City. And Bill knew why. He knew what was supposed to happen that day.
And to see him like this now was truly like a blessing. A ray of light in the darkness.
"She's good for him", Bill said, a small, gentle smile on his face.
—--
Slowly calming down Grace became aware of her surroundings. The scent of pine, sandalwood and masculinity all joined in one unique scent.
A scent of Lucas.
A scent of belonging.
A scent of peace.
And her face was in the middle of all that.
Her head swam and feeling his arms holding her as they laughed Grace felt incredibly warm and protected in his embrace.
Her laughter slowly stopped, but she gave herself a moment or two more to stay tucked away in this dream.
She didn't want to move.
Lucas opened his eyes as his laughter slowly calmed down.
And the first thing he saw was her brown soft hair, tickling his beard as he leaned his head close to hers.
Lucas inhaled deeply, letting a scent of her chamomile shampoo calm his senses. Just for a moment he leaned his chin on her soft hair…
And it felt so right.
He hated to break this moment. He wanted to stay like this forever.
Unbelievably or not, they both moved at the same moment. Grace looked up at him and Lucas wished to drown in her warm, brown eyes.
He gave her a gentle smile and whispered:
"Come on. Lets get something to eat", at her small nod they went toward the tables.
The kids were chattering with Bill and Henry and so Grace and Lucas were left to themselves once again.
As she filled her plate Grace glanced curiously at Lucas.
"You know, I realize that I never asked you something", she said.
Lucas put some food on his plate and looked back at her.
"What's that?"
"Why did you decide to run to be a Governor?", she asked.
Lucas took a deep breath in and told her about Balfour's plan to destroy Hope Valley.
"I couldn't let him do that so…", Lucas took a breath in "I was supposed to give a small speech of support for him and it was on the air. I let him believe that I would do it and I started like that, but then threw it back at him. Told to a million auditorium how corrupted he was and what was his plan. All small cities were endangered, not just Hope Valley. His opponent backed out and people were desperately looking for somebody else to run against Balfour. All of a sudden people started to tell me that I should do it. That I was the one that could beat him. Before I knew it, the entire town started to shake my hand and tell me that they believe in me. That they believe that the only way to save Hope Valley was for me to run against Balfour", Lucas' voice drifted away and he fell silent.
Grace watched him carefully.
"But, it was not a life you wanted", she silently said.
Those words hit home, hard.
Lucas raised his eyebrows, mumbling:
"Truer words were never spoken".
Grace paid close attention to his face. His eyes were down, his face serious, his forehead slightly creased.
He didn't want to run. He had to run.
"I'm sorry, Lucas", she whispered gently.
He looked up at her and for a moment they held their gazes, not saying a word.
She knew it cost him everything he ever wanted; a home, a family and love.
In a matter of seconds he lost everything.
Grace put her plate down on the table and reached for his free hand. He was so deep in painful memories that a touch of her fingers slightly startled him.
"Lucas", Grace gently called him. He stayed the same, eyes downcast. Her heart ached "Lucas, look at me".
He slowly picked up his head and Grace nearly gasped at the intense pain and sadness in his eyes. She fought with all she had not to reach her hand out and caress that darling face.
Instead, her thumb brushed over his knuckles as she gently started to talk.
"I am so sorry you were hurt so badly when all you did was try to save your town and your life there. You didn't deserve to have your heart ripped out like that. You didn't deserve to be pushed into something you didn't want. You deserve the world, Lucas", she gave him a small, warm smile and felt his fingers gently squeezing her hand…like she was a straw for a drowning man. Grace gently squeezed back and continued "You did wonders as a Governor already. Hope Valley is safe now, thanks to you. And our orphanage…those kids got a friend for a lifetime", she quietly added "I hope that you can find strength in that to heal".
Lucas squeezed his eyes shut, stopping his tears and taking a deep breath in.
Opening them, he allowed himself to just watch that lovely, angelic face.
Her good heart never ceased to amaze him.
He put his plate down on the table and his other hand found hers.
"Well, I am grateful for one thing".
Grace creased her eyebrows.
"What's that?", she silently asked.
Lucas gently squeezed her palms then slowly pulled them up to his chest, holding their joined hands there.
Grace felt her breath stopping at the warmth that replaced pain and sadness in his eyes.
"Meeting you", he gently whispered.
—--
Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown,
I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb,
I was soft inside,
There was something going on.
You do something to me that I can't explain,
Hold me closer and I feel no pain,
Every beat of my heart,
We got something going on.
Tender love is blind,
It requires a dedication,
All this love we feel needs no conversation.
We ride it together, ah ha,
Making love with each other, ah ha,
Islands in the stream
That is what we are,
No one in between,
How can we be wrong?
Sail away with me
To another world,
And we rely on each other, ah ha,
From one lover to another, ah ha.
I can't live without you if the love was gone,
Everything is nothing if you got no one,
And you did walk in the night
Slowly losing sight of the real thing.
But that won't happen to us and we got no doubt,
Too deep in love and we got no way out,
And the message is clear
This could be the year for the real thing.
No more will you cry,
Baby, I will hurt you never,
We start and end as one
In love forever.
We can ride it together, ah ha,
Making love with each other, ah ha,
Islands in the stream
That is what we are,
No one in between,
How can we be wrong?
Sail away with me
To another world,
And we rely on each other, ah ha,
From one lover to another, ah ha.
Sail away,
Oh, come sail away with me.
Islands in the stream
That is what we are,
No one in between,
How can we be wrong?
Sail away with me
To another world,
And we rely on each other, ah ha,
From one lover to another, ah ha.
(Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - Islands in the stream)