His Sister's Wedding (21 page)

In the middle of the war zone, Luke and Lillie stood, chests heaving, completely covered
in Maud's five fabulous flavors.

"What the heck is going on out here?" Maud demanded, skidding to a halt in front of
them, the kitchen doors still flapping behind her. "Are you two crazy?"

The diminutive gray-haired baker scanned the debacle, her face shocked. "What a mess!
You should be ashamed of yourselves. Acting like kids."

"I'm sorry, Maud--"

"We'll clean it up--"

"Quiet! Both of you," Maud barked, effectively silencing them as her face grew uncharacteristically
grim.

They stood before her contritely, covered in splatters of frosting, cake crumbs in
their hair, as messy and dirty as two year olds caught in a mud-slinging match.

Lillie started to shake a glob of frosting from her hand, but stopped in the face
of Maud's appalled stare. She knew without moving that her shoes were stuck to the
floor and she had a suspicion that her pink silk shirt would never be the same.

"I know it looks bad..." Luke began, his face apologetic beneath the splotches of
frosting.

Maud silenced him with a glare.

Luke Morgan had a lot to apologize for, Lillie thought, still furious with him despite
the bubble of a giggle in her throat. She looked at Maud, trying to decide between
blaming it all on him or going for a more mature version of damage control.

"I can explain--" she started, not knowing what she was going to say.

"I don't want to hear any excuses," Maud declared. "Just get out of here."

"But the mess," Lillie protested weakly. "We should clean--"

"Out!" Maud raised a rigid arm, finger pointing toward the door. "Before I lose my
temper!"

Not knowing what else to do, Lillie moved tentatively toward the door, acutely conscious
of Luke beside her.

"And you can be grateful, if I deliver that wedding cake of yours on time," Maud declared
as they retreated.

"I'm sorry, Maud," Lillie called out, relieved that the woman wasn't washing her hands
of them completely.

"Go on," Maud ordered, the tight expression on her face softening a little.

Lillie went through the doorway, suddenly conscious of the cake-damp cling of her
clothes and cascade of crumbs with every movement. She paused on the front sidewalk
awkwardly, not looking at Luke before taking the few steps to her van.

He followed her, stopping at her elbow as she gingerly picked through her purse looking
for her keys.

Aware of his presence, Lillie concentrated on her purse. Not since her teen years
had she let her impulsive side tempt her into a food fight. Despite the severity of
his provocation, she couldn't believe she'd actually hefted a whole cake and thrown
it in Luke's face.

Finding her keys, she fidgeted with them before finally glancing up at Luke.

Standing next to her, his dark hair was liberally sprinkled with white crumbs and
his t-shirt sported a tasteful collage of pink, yellow and chocolate frosting. A brown
smear decorated his left cheekbone and she thought she saw a crumb in his ear.

Their eyes met. The need to giggle gripped Lillie more fiercely. She tightened her
lips and concentrated on subduing the laughter rising in her chest.

Luke held her gaze for an instant, his mouth beginning to twitch.

In a flash of a second, Lillie realized she also looked like a refugee from junior
high. Her cheek felt stiff with frosting and her hands were covered with the stuff.

The squelched giggle erupted from her finally, only to be followed by another and
another until she was rolling with laughter, leaning against the side of her van for
support. Next to her Luke clutched at his side, his deep laughter ringing out as uncontrollably
as hers.

They laughed until Lillie gasped for breath. She drew in a gulp of air as chuckling
aftershocks rippled through her. Collapsing against the van, she mopped the tears
out of her eyes.

Next to her, his arm braced against the van, Luke's laughter subsided as well.

She was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen, Luke decided. With cake scattered
through her blond curls and frosting on the end of her nose, she could beat any other
woman hands down.

She was just what he'd been looking for, a woman who could fulfill all his dreams
and plans. He wanted her, wanted her passionate enthusiasm, wanted her permanently
in his life. And he wanted badly to kiss every speck of frosting off her body and
make hot, hungry love to her. Right here in front of the bakery.

Action following impulse, he bent down and layered his lips against hers. Lillie went
still as he pulled her into his arms, not resisting, her body going soft against his.

She tasted of sugar and secrets, longing and passion. Maybe he couldn't give her everything
she wanted, maybe they were doomed to hurt each other. At this point, Luke couldn't
bring himself to care.  He only knew he had to have her, not just as a sexual companion,
but as his woman, his mate.

If she would just give them a chance, he could show her how perfectly they were suited.
Committing to each other would be the most beautifully logical thing. Maybe it would
make her happy.

Their kiss deepened, the texture of hunger mixed with fear. Luke drew her more tightly
against his body and poured every ounce of his persuasion into their touch, his mouth
caressing and coaxing.

He couldn't be sure of anything anymore. She haunted his thinking, disturbed his sleep
and kept his hormones on overload. The image of her, head thrown back, cries of ecstasy
flowing from her soft pink mouth.

The difference between needing and loving didn't seem important. Luke only knew he
couldn't let her walk out of his life...and after the blasted wedding, she would.

When they broke apart, their breathing ragged, he looked intently into Lillie's face
and said, "Marry me, Lillie."

She stiffened, her eyes widening with shock. "W-What?"

Luke took her hand in his. "I'm asking you to marry me. We're so good together. We
can make a great life together. A home and a family. You make me crazy and you make
me laugh. I don't want to lose you. Let me make love to you for the next fifty years."

Lillie stared up at him as if he were speaking Greek. "You're proposing to me? Now?"

He shrugged, the ridiculousness of the situation curling his mouth. "Yeah."

In the back of his mind, he'd been toying with the idea ever since she'd asked him
to leave. But time was running out; he had to act now.  Marrying Lillie was unquestionably
the right thing. He couldn't image letting her go, seeing her marry another man.

Her perplexed expression shifted into a unhappy mixture of confusion and concern.
"I don't know what to say. I'm...."

"Don't say anything," he told her, not wanting to hear the refusal he feared was on
her lips. "Just think about it."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Pulling the gnawed pencil from her mouth, Lillie checked off the last item on her
list. "That does it. I'm glad you came home early enough to go over some of these
things."

"Me, too." Melanie said, fidgeting with a string on the chair cushion.

Scanning the girl's face, Lillie laid her note pad aside. Melanie had seemed distracted
all morning. Lillie could relate to her preoccupation since Luke's proposal had kept
her mind in a whirl for two days.

She hadn't talked to anyone about the sudden turn in their relationship. Everything
felt too tenuous. She felt too unsure of her answer. How did a woman refuse to marry
the man she loved?

If it wasn't so ridiculous, she'd be tempted to think he'd proposed just to shatter
her peace of mind.

Why had he really asked her to marry him? Did he think marriage was the only way to
get her in his bed permanently or did he have feelings he hadn't expressed?

"Can I ask you something?" Melanie said abruptly.

"Of course."

"Has Scott always been stubborn?"

"Well," Lillie hesitated, caught off guard. "He's always had a mind of his own."

"That's an understatement." Mel's voice was faintly aggrieved.

Concern filtered through Lillie's preoccupation. "Are you two having problems?"

Melanie sighed. "Not really. I mean I love him and I know I want to be married to
him, but sometimes he's just so difficult," she finished in a burst of indignation.

"Yes," Lillie agreed bitterly. She'd never realized it before, but lately "difficult"
seemed synonymous with "male." "Did you two have an argument or something?"

"Yes, and then we made up. Even though he said he was sorry for walking out in the
middle of our discussion, I know he thinks I was being unreasonable." The younger
girl fidgeted with the pillow, looking unhappy. "I just want him to be a little more
sensitive to how I feel."

Lillie struggled for something to say. While she had no trouble understanding Melanie's
plea, she also knew just how much Scott loved her. "Sometimes it's hard to see things
from the other person's point of view."

And then again sometimes it was impossible. She was beginning to think she'd never
understand Luke's mind.

"I know," Melanie agreed glumly. "Luke thinks I'm trying to keep Scott on a leash,
but I don't mean to."

"Luke said that?" Lillie asked, indignant.

Mel smiled ruefully. "Yes, but I asked for it. I was being really crabby. And he's
probably right." She sighed again. "I don't mean to be demanding, but I just want
to know that I'm number one in Scott's life."

Lillie stared at the girl, hearing an echo of her own longing.

"I guess you both need to compromise a little," she said slowly. Wondering suddenly
if the same could be said of her and Luke. Did she need to compromise with Luke more?
So many of his actions spoke of love. Why couldn't he acknowledge how he felt? Then
again, was she being unreasonable requiring him to verbalize something so difficult
for him to say? Could she actually marry him with only a hope that down deep he really
loved her?

"I suppose so," Melanie agreed, her face becoming thoughtful. "You know, I was really
mad when Luke took Scott's side, but at least he didn't say 'I told you so.' It's
been a while since he tried to talk me out of getting married."

"He's probably realizing you have a mind of your own, too, and are very capable of
making your own choices."

"Maybe." Melanie glanced at her, a sly smile on her face. "Or maybe he's changing
his mind about love."

She paused significantly. "You and Luke have been spending a lot of time together,
haven't you?"

"Yes." Lillie eyed her soon-to-be sister-in-law warily. "Weddings take a lot of preparation."

Melanie smiled like a cat who's spied the cream. "I knew you'd like each other."

*   *   *

Lillie had never been to a family wedding shower quite like this one she realized
when Melanie's Aunt Mary greeted her at the door. The elderly woman truly did have
a flair for making a statement.

Everything in the house shrieked of seventies decor done from top to bottom--the earth-toned
shag rug and the hammered-metal leaf sculpture on the wall. In honor of the celebration,
Mary had draped streamers and balloons on anything that didn't move. Over one doorway
hung a plastic banner with streamers that read "Melanie and Scott - Happy Forever."

Pausing in the arched doorway, Lillie spotted Luke across the room. From what she
could tell, two older gentlemen were grilling Luke on his business and offering him
loud-voiced suggestions as to how he could improve it.

Glancing toward the door as if he sensed her presence, Luke met her eyes for an intense,
heated moment, his gaze jolting her.

Still confused about her response to his proposal, Lillie felt the urge to pull back
out of his sight. In the four days since their cake fight, he'd deposited a potted
flowering azalea at her front door and left three messages on her machine. Lillie
hadn't known how to respond to any of them. He was probably wondering if she'd skipped
the country.

Dodging him had bought her more time to think, but thinking didn't seem to help. The
logic of pros and cons made no sense in this situation. All her pondering had accomplished
was to leave her in a state of nervous exhaustion. She still didn't know what to do.

She loved him, but how could she be sure he loved her?

Should she accept what Luke offered even though she couldn't be sure it matched up
to her parents' loving marriage?

"Come in, my dear," Aunt Mary invited, her hand outstretched in welcome. "Let me introduce
you to everyone."

Allowing herself to be urged into the room, Lillie glanced around, taking the scene
in.  Against Mary's artfully done backdrop, a mix of long-lost relatives greeted each
other and helped themselves to refreshments. The living room buzzed with conversation.

Lillie spotted Scott in a far corner talking to several other young men.