Love At Last (Lily's Story, Book 3) (19 page)

“Hey, we should have lunch. Would you be able to stop by my office tomorrow?”

The thought of seeing him made my heart pound in anticipation, but would it just feel like torture to see him and know we could only ever be friends? “Sure,” I said, responding before I had a chance to think it through.

“Great! I should be available by twelve-thirty.”

We hung up a moment later and I leaned back against the couch and looked at Natalie, who was playing with one of her toys. “We’re going to see Marcus tomorrow, baby girl,” I said, and realized I was beaming.

The next afternoon Natalie and I pulled into a parking spot, and I took her out of her car seat and carried her inside.
 

“May I help you?” a girl a little older than me asked from behind the reception desk.

“Yes. I’m here to see Marcus Oliver.”

“Please have a seat. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

I sat in a nearby chair and held Natalie on my lap. As I waited, several groups of people came and went, which wasn’t surprising as it was lunch time. Without being too obvious, I took special notice of the women, wondering if any of them could be Chelsea. What would she think of her boyfriend going to lunch with me? What would Cameron think?

“Lily,” Marcus said as he entered the reception area.

My gaze went to him and I felt myself drawn to him, and all thoughts of Cameron fled. He was dressed in business casual and it suited him. As he walked toward me with a warm smile, I gazed at his incredible green eyes and knew it was hopeless—
he
was the one I wanted.
He
was the one who should be my someone.

I stood, and with Natalie in my arms, I smiled at him, but tried to keep my feelings under control, tried to keep my emotions on a friends-only level. “Hey, it’s great to see you,” I said.

Marcus stopped next to us and held out his arms to Natalie, who eagerly went into them. As I watched the two of them interact, I felt my heart breaking.
This
was what I wanted for myself and Natalie. A man who loved her. But he would also have to love me, and that’s where the problem lay. Loving me as a friend was not enough to build a relationship on, not the kind of long-term relationship I was looking for. And I didn’t think Marcus would be willing to make that kind of commitment to me anyway. Not with Chelsea in the picture. And if I was honest with myself, even if she wasn’t in the picture, Marcus had made it all too clear that we were destined to be friends only.

“I’m glad she didn’t forget me,” he said.

As if
, I thought. “It’s only been a few weeks since we saw you.”

“I know. But you never know with babies, right?”

I laughed, pushing aside my sorrow. “She’s known you her whole life. I don’t think she’ll forget you that easily.”

He held her in front of him, gazing into her face. “That’s good.” Then he nuzzled her neck, making her giggle. He smiled at me. “I love that sound.”

I smiled back. “Me, too.”

He held her securely against his side. “Ready to get something to eat?”

I watched the natural way he held her, and could picture him being a father to her, but as quickly as the thought came to mind, my heart reminded me that that would never happen. It didn’t matter how much I wanted it. It wasn’t like with Cameron, where he told me he wanted more, but was willing to let me set the pace. I’d
told
Marcus that I really liked him—who was I kidding? I
loved
him—but he’d shot me down, cleanly and clearly.

I nodded in answer to Marcus’s question and held the smile on my face, but inside I felt my heart crumbling. “Where do you want to go?” I asked, proud that I’d kept my voice steady.

“There’s an Applebee’s nearby.”

“Sounds good.”

We walked out of the building together and toward my car. “Do you mind if we take your car?” he asked. “With the car seat and everything…”

“No, that makes the most sense.” I unlocked the door and Marcus fastened Natalie into her car seat, then he climbed into the passenger seat. I got behind the wheel, thinking how wonderful it was to have someone else to help out, but quashed the thought the moment it came to mind.
Stop it, Lily. It’s not going to happen. You’re just torturing yourself.

We drove to the restaurant and sat in the waiting area for our party to be called. Marcus held Natalie on his lap, and she played with his watch.

“So,” he said. “Tell me about the cruise.”

Cameron’s face flashed into my mind, and I thought about how integral he was to my experience, but I wasn’t about to tell Marcus about him. “It was wonderful to see my friend get married. Maybe you’ll meet her one day.”

He smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Her husband’s a great guy, and we all had fun.”

“What did you do while you were in Alaska?”

“A lot of walking around the towns we visited.” I reached into my purse and pulled out the totem pole I’d bought for him, then held it out to him. “I got this for you.”

He took it from me and examined the intricate carving. “Thank you. This is cool.” He smiled at me. “You’re so thoughtful, Lily.”

I smiled in return, pleased. “I’m glad you like it.”

Natalie tried to grab it from him, but he held it out of her reach. “This is from your Mommy. I don’t want you to play with it.” He glanced at me with a grin on his face.

I blushed, but not wanting to make a big deal about my gift, I said, “My favorite thing on the trip was the whale watching. It was really cool to see them as they surfaced.”

“That would be awesome. Maybe I’ll have to take an Alaskan cruise one day.”

“I could show you around,” I said without thinking, then my face flamed red. “I mean, if I happened to be on the same cruise.”

He laughed. “That would be fun. Maybe we could get a group together and go one day.”

A group
, I thought. That made his intentions perfectly clear. “Yeah,” I nodded. “I would like that.” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but I knew going as a group was better than not going at all.

Our table was ready and we followed the server to a booth. They brought a high chair for Natalie, and Marcus placed her in the seat.

“So what’s new with you?” I asked, picking up the menu.

“Not much. Just working a lot.”

I thought about Chelsea, and frowned before I could stop myself.

“It’s okay,” he said, obviously thinking I was frowning about him working a lot. “I really like my job.”

“That’s great then.” I wondered if working with his girlfriend played a part in that.

“How did my mom do with Greta?”

“It’s funny. At first your mom was really hesitant to watch her, but now she says they’re old friends.”

He laughed. “I knew it would work out.”

I set my menu down. “That’s one reason I called you. I’m going to Las Vegas to spend some time with Trevor’s parents, and your mom will be out of town. I hate to ask you because it’s a bit of a drive for you, but I don’t know who else to ask. Would you be able to take care of Greta for a few days?”

“Sure. You know I’m happy to do it.”

“If you want to stay at the house while you’re taking care of her, that’s fine with me.” I wondered how that would go over with Chelsea. “But whatever works for you.”

“I’ll think about it,” he said. “When are you going?”

I told him the dates and he nodded. We ordered our meals and they arrived a short time later. We talked about this and that, and I managed to stay away from any romantic subjects. After we finished, I dropped him off at work, and he promised to stop by for my key before I left.

Chapter Twenty

The night before Natalie and I were to leave for Las Vegas, Marcus dropped by to pick up the key. We sat on the couch, and he scratched Greta behind her ears. Natalie had already gone to bed for the night.

“What did you decide about staying here?” I asked.

“I think it would be better if I just stopped by once a day to feed her, rather than stay at your house.”

Chelsea didn’t like the idea, huh?
I wanted to say, but instead I nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry about the drive.”

“It’s only about ten minutes. Not a big deal.”

“Well, I really appreciate it.”

He smiled warmly. “You know I’m here for you, don’t you, Lily?”

I felt my heart lurch. What was he saying? I nodded. “Yes, and it’s comforting to know I can count on you.” As much as I wanted to say more, I had to let him lead the way.

He nodded slightly. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

I almost groaned. Why did he have to keep saying that? Was he trying to make a point? Could he tell how I felt and he wanted to put me in my place? “Right.”

He left a short time later, and after I closed the door behind him, I felt my shoulders slump, and tears filled my eyes. My hopes of our relationship moving past friendship seemed to be dimming. I trudged up the stairs and got ready for bed, focusing on the visit I was about to embark on.

The next morning as Natalie and I drove to Las Vegas, I thought about Marcus taking care of Greta. Would he bring Chelsea along when he came? I didn’t like the idea of her in my house, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

When we arrived at John and Marcy’s house that evening, Natalie was cranky from the long drive. I carried her to the front door, but Marcy opened it before I had a chance to knock.

“Lily,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “It’s so good to see you and Natalie.”

The warmth of her embrace made me feel welcome, and I was glad I came. “Hi, Marcy,” I said as she released me.

She held the door wide. “Please come in.”

I followed her inside.

“Can I get you something cold to drink?” she asked.

“That would be wonderful. It’s so hot here in Vegas.”

“Yes, I suppose it is, but I’ve gotten used to it.”

I followed her into the kitchen and remembered the last time I’d been there. Trevor’s older brother Chris had made it clear that he didn’t want me around, and I’d left early, mortified.
 

Marcy handed me an ice-filled glass of raspberry lemonade. “May I hold Natalie?” she asked.

I smiled. “She’s a little grumpy from our drive, but you can give it a try.”

Marcy took her from me and Natalie didn’t object. “Hi there, sweetheart,” Marcy murmured to her.

It warmed me to see my daughter with her only living grandmother, and I was glad that Trevor’s parents were so accepting of me after all that had happened. I knew they could have resented me and things could have been very different.

“Have you been keeping busy this summer?” Marcy asked as we sat on a pair of comfortable chairs.

“Yes, actually. A good friend of mine just got married, so Natalie and I went to her wedding.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Where did she get married?”

I smiled. “In Alaska.”

Marcy’s eyebrows rose. “Alaska? That’s a ways to go.”

“Actually, it was on a cruise ship.”

She bounced Natalie on her lap, which Natalie seemed to like. “That sounds like fun. When did you go?”

“We just got back earlier this week. It was really fun.”

“Was it hard with Natalie?”

“Honestly, having her along did make it harder to do things, but she’s such an easy-going baby that it was fine.”

“You know, I’d be happy to care for her if you were to go on a trip like that.”

“Well, I’m still nursing her, so I wouldn’t be able to leave her.”

“Oh, okay.”

We visited about other things, and when John got home, we had a nice dinner together.

“Melody and Deena are going to come over the day after tomorrow with their kids,” Marcy said as we cleaned up the dishes. “I hope that’s okay.”

I liked my sisters-in-law—were they still my sisters-in-law?—and was happy to spend time with them. “That will be fun,” I said.

On the day they arrived, Natalie had just woken from her morning nap, and soon after they got there, Deena brought up the subject of me moving to Vegas.

“It would be so wonderful for Natalie to grow up surrounded by her cousins,” she said.
 

The last time I’d come for a visit, I’d been resistant to moving to Vegas because I’d had high hopes for a relationship with Marcus. But now that all seemed in doubt. Even so, I wasn’t ready to remove him from my life—what would that do to Natalie? She adored him. Not only that, but with Cameron in the picture now, I had even more reason to stay where I was. “As much as I agree,” I said, “I have a life where I live now and I don’t feel like the time is right to change that.”

“But what about Natalie?” Marcy asked.

 
I looked at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

She hesitated, like she wasn’t sure how this would go over. “I just mean, well, don’t you think it would be good for her to have a father-figure in her life?” She paused and her eyes shone with unshed tears. “I mean, since her father isn’t . . . here.”

I felt my stomach flutter and the room became silent, the only sound Natalie’s babbles, which seemed to emphasize Marcy’s point. I didn’t know what to say. After a moment I said, “I have a good friend.” The word ‘friend’ nearly stuck in my throat. “And he’s really sweet with Natalie.”

Marcy’s eyes widened briefly, like this was unexpected.
 

I glanced from her to Melody, then to Deena, then focused on Natalie. I could tell none of them had expected me to say I might have another man in my life. Good thing I hadn’t mentioned Cameron. They would have fallen over with shock to learn I had
two
men in my life, although my relationships with both men were complicated.

“What is this person’s name?” Marcy asked, her voice even.

“Uh, Marcus.” I lifted my eyes to meet hers and noticed her tears had dried.

“How long have you known him, if I may ask?” she said.

My heart began to pound at this unforeseen line of questioning. “I guess about a year now.” It had actually been more than a year, but I didn’t think I had to be that specific.

I heard a soft gasp and glanced at Melody, who’d put her hand over her mouth. Then my gaze went to Marcy to see how she was taking the news.

Not well, that’s how. She stared at her lap as if doing a difficult word problem, then she looked up at me and frowned. “So, you were ‘friends’ with this man while you were hiding from Trevor?” When she said the word ‘friends’ I could hear the air quotes in her voice.