Where the Lotus Flowers Grow (39 page)

I polished off my plate. He took it from me and went back to the kitchen. “Ready for a feast?”

“I thought that was the feast.”

“No, love, that was just something to whet your appetite.”

When he came out, he was rolling a cart full of covered dishes.

“When did you make all of this?”

His smile turned mischievous. “I’ll admit, I had it catered, but I did plan the menu.” He removed each cloth with a flair. “It’s all part of our journey.”

None of the dishes went together, but I recognized them because they all held a memory. Spiced lamb stew with hot buttered naan to remind me of Jaipur. Buffalo wings similar to what we ate at the Chili’s in Mumbai. A ceviche from Goa. Pizza reminiscent of New York. My mouth watered as I took them all in.

Then he set down the thing I could not resist or get enough of—a large glass jar of Sidr honey. Okay, counting Liam, there were two things that fit that description.

He sat on the couch and handed me a fork. “Dig in.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Romance you. Make you remember every delicious moment we shared. Remind you that you are mine and I am yours.”

Something inside me broke. I threw my arms around him. He held me tight. My mouth found his. I let out some wild sound between a joyous cry and relieved laugh.

“I missed you, Liam.”

“Me too, lass. Me too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Shhh, we’re not going to apologize to each other. We can’t undo the past. We can only plot the future. That’s all I want to do with you.”

“I love you so much, Liam. I promise I will never leave you again.”

I lifted my head and attacked him, crushing my lips into his, threading my fingers through his hair, tasting his delicious, naughty mouth.

“Baby, if that’s how you kiss me, I can’t wait to see how you fuck me.”

I laughed. “Let me show you. Take me to the bedroom, sir.”

He picked me up and carried me outside.

“Where we going? Isn’t the bedroom inside…sir?”

“Lotus Girl, believe me, I have an erection the length of the equator. There is nothing more I want than to have my way with you. But first, there is something I need to give you. Something that belongs to you.”

He set me down in the courtyard. We stood in the middle of three fountains. Each one was lit up and bursting with gleaming white lotus flowers.

“Oh, my God. Did you do this?”

“Yeah, the plan was for us to have a dance right here, but I don’t think it’s wise since your feet hurt.”

The flower on the far fountain was the largest. I sat on the stone ridge of the structure staring at the blossom. It had a soft pink tinge on each petal. I knew it to be mine.

“Liam, I swear this is my lotus flower from Jaipur.”

“It is, lass. The new owners hadn’t started construction yet. I convinced them to let me have it. I had it flown here.”

“You did all that?” I pointed to my chest. “For me?”
My God…was he real?

“I wanted to prove a point to you.”

“What point?”

He sat next to me. “The blossom maybe delicate, but it is strong, too. It can always find a new home.”

I leaned my head against his chest. “Don’t let go of me.”

“Never, but this isn’t what I wanted to show you.”

“I can’t handle anymore.”

“Sorry, lover, this one, this one we can’t skip. It’s a full moon, and I’ve timed it just right.” He scooped me up in his strong arms and carried me to the beach. He set me down on the sand so we were facing each other. The foamy sea lapped against our bare feet. “I’m so relieved you didn’t make me wait ten years, but I would have. I would have come down to this beach every night, waiting for you and praying for your happiness at the same time.”

He took my hands and fell to his knees.

“Liam,” I gasped. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”

He shook his head, stood, and brushed the sand off his knees. “Shit, this isn’t a ring either.”

“Oh,” I said, not hiding my disappointment. “How about you stop getting on your knees in front of me?”

“Yeah, in hindsight, it wasn’t the most fitting gesture.”

He took a rock out of his pocket, an actual rock, and handed it to me. I stared at it, wondering if he was doing some sort of symbolic Penguin gesture. Then I saw what it was. “It can’t be.”

“It is.”

“How did you…?”

“My mum bought it. I helped her fashion some wire into a lotus flower pin. We pasted this in the center. I didn’t even know I had it until Stephen dropped off this box of my old stuff. I’ve had it all along, but it really belongs to you. I’m giving it to you under the full moon.”

I held it up against the moonlight. I said a prayer for our happiness. Then I handed it to him and closed his hands around it. “Dadima told me to give it to my true love. So I’m giving it back to you. I am bound to you in every way.”

“I was hoping you’d do that.” He hugged me and whispered in my ear, “I love your soul, Mary Costa.”

“I love your soul, too.”

I shivered against the breeze. He picked me up again, and this time he did carry me to the bedroom. We fed each other strawberries dipped in Sidr honey. He made love to me. I finally let the darkness go.

I finally survived it.

* * * *

When I woke in the morning, he was staring down at me.

“Morning,
janu
,” I said.

“What does that mean?” he asked, twirling a piece of my hair in his fingers.

“It means ‘love.’”

“I like it,” he said, stroking my hair.

“How long can we stay here?” I didn’t want to break the spell of this magical place, but I knew we had other, more practical things to talk about, like where we were going to live. Not that it mattered as long as we were together.

He smiled. “You like the cottage, lass?”

“I love it.”

“How does forever suit you?”

“What are you saying?”

“I bought it. It’s ours.”

I sat up. “Don’t you have to work, Liam?”

“When the IPO happened, I sold my stock. I gifted a few shares to Stephen, giving him controlling interest.”

“You sold your stake in the company?”

“I never wanted it, Mary. I just thought I did. I gave the lion’s share to charity, but I kept enough so we’d be comfortable while I pursue a new career choice.”

“You’re going to paint?” I asked with excitement.

He grinned. “No, baby, I’m going to be a professional arm wrestler. What do you think?”

I elbowed him. “Liam!”

He tickled me. “Yes, I’m going to paint. But only if my muse promises never to leave me again.”

“I promise, janu.”

His kiss was tender and fierce at the same time. He tasted like Sidr honey.

His expression turned serious. “And you, Mary. What would you like to do?”

“First, I’d like to visit Marcus and say a proper good-bye. Then I want a nice wedding with all our friends who have become family and all our family who have become friends.”

“Brilliant idea.”

“Then maybe while you’re pursuing your passion, I’ll go to school and learn some culinary techniques?”

“A woman who can feed me. I’m such a lucky man.”

“But before any of that, you have to propose to me.”

“I have plans for that,” he said, kissing my neck. He worked his way down to my breast. His tongue flicked across my tender nipple.

I yanked his hair, pulling his face up. “After last night, I don’t need anything else. You literally swept me off my feet. I think if you do one more grand gesture, my heart might just burst right out of my chest. I don’t even need a ring. Just ask me.”

“Oh, I got a ring. You sure about this? Because I have a plan that’s already set in motion.”

“Positive.”

He opened a side drawer and pulled out a box. He kissed my stomach before placing a light blue box on it.

“Mary, me—”

“Yes,” I screamed.

“I wasn’t finished.”

“Oh.”

“Mary…” This time he paused, smirking. “Me and you have been through so much.”

I sighed. “Liam, please stop teasing me.”

I expected the amused smile. Instead, he inhaled. “I’m sorry. I’m kind of nervous.”

“Don’t be. We already belong to each other.”

His smile was full of relief. “Yes, we do. Mary,
mai tumse pyar karta hoon.
I love you. I promise to be a good husband and the best father I can be. I will always safeguard your happiness. Marry me and make me the happiest man in the world.” He opened the box. Inside was a stunning platinum band with diamonds shaped into a lotus flower.

I cupped my hand over my mouth, afraid to touch it. It was so lovely. He slipped it onto my finger and kissed the underside of my wrist.

“You’re suppose to respond. That’s the tradition.”

“
Mai tumse pyar karti hoon
. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Mary

Liam was a grand gesture
Raj
. He’d already put so much work into the proposal, he insisted on carrying out his original plans. A fortnight later, he took the ring back from me and told me to go out to the beach. I stood there alone, a cool breeze flowing in the air, ripe with the scents of coconut and honeysuckle and spices, wondering what was going on.

Then the music started. Musicians, dancers, and singers dressed in colorful outfits descended around me. They did a mash-up of Bollywood, Dusty Springfield, and even a little opera. Somehow, it all blended into the most harmonious song I’d ever heard. Then Liam made all my highlander fantasies come true by galloping down the beach on a white horse. Yes, a real white horse, and in a kilt no less. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life. It was a huge epic spectacle of over-the-top corny, but I loved every minute of it.

We married in New York in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Central Park. Spring in New York made me appreciate the city a hundred times over. All our friends were there. Liam surprised me by flying out Divya, Amira, and their families. Stephen was Liam’s best man. He brought a very lovely woman with hair the color of strawberries as his date. Next month, we were flying back to New York for Jan and Stephen’s wedding.

All of those huge memories would always hold a special place in my heart. But this…this right now was the kind of moment I couldn’t get enough of.

Lying on the hammock of our veranda and watching my husband and son stroll the beach. I was wrong about our child being a girl. We had a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Marco had rich, dark curly hair and the same green-brown eyes as his daddy. He giggled as he ran down the shoreline, turning back to his dad. Liam ran after Marco, grabbing the boy around the waist and swinging him onto his broad shoulders. Then my janu
turned to me, a goofy grin on his face. I returned his smile, my heart expanded to a level I didn’t think was possible. Wasn’t that the magic of love? Just when you thought you reached a level of fullness, the boundary lines stretched once more.

I had lived through hell. Then made my own purgatory. Now…now I finally had emerged from the dark waters to find a love and happiness I would always fight for.

M.K. Schiller is a hopeless romantic in a hopelessly pragmatic world. In the dark of night, she sits by the warm glow of her computer monitor, reading or writing, usually with some tasty Italian … the food, that is! She started imagining stories at a very young age. In fact, she got so good at it that friends asked her to create plots featuring them as the heroine and the object of their affection as the hero. She hopes you enjoy her stories and find The Happily Ever After in every endeavor. M. K. Schiller loves hearing from readers. Find her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @MKSchiller, and visit her website at www.mkschillerauthor.com.
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MK Schiller’s first cross-cultural romance, Unwanted Girl, has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and an Amazon editor pick. A heartfelt tale not to be missed.

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