Prologue
Have you ever had the feeling that something
wonderful was about to happen to you? Something so amazing that only God could
be the responsible party? And yet, in that excitement of thought was also fear,
fear of the unknown, fear of the changes it would bring, and fear of the
possibility of it becoming all consuming. Would you run away and let the fear
win, taking your joy with it, or would you cover your eyes and jump in
whole-heartedly? Well, a year ago that was me, right before I jumped.
I suppose some might call me crazy at the
simple fact that I, for one, still believe in love. Not the settle-for kind,
mind you, or the just-co-existing kind, or even the friendship kind, any
half-hearted romantic can believe in
that
kind of love. No, I’m talking
about the slap-me-down, heart-pounding, can’t-get-enough, would-die-without-you
kind of love. The kind that takes your breath away, changes you from the inside
out, and makes you feel like you can climb the Empire State Building barehanded
in ten minutes.
Did I believe it would happen to me? Yes, I
suppose I did. But I was not at all prepared for the full impact the collision
would bring, or the dizziness it left in its wake.

Who
am I? I’m Lilianna, or Lily to most, and I’m sitting here at my computer at two
o’clock in the morning with a lump in my throat and a cup of coffee in my hand.
Why, you ask? Because I can’t sleep without him, and writing the details of our
short life together seems to help fill the empty void his absence has left
behind.

The
last year has brought me more joy and fulfillment than I could’ve ever
imagined, as well as heartache and pain. What will happen next? With the way my
life has been going—who knows. There is one thing I
do
know, nothing can
extinguish our love; not the numerous dangers that have threatened to destroy
us in the past; nor the thousands of miles that separate us now. We will always
make it back to each other.

My
heart aches for him, every breath painful, reminding me that each moment
without him is an unbearable sadness that only his presence can ease. As I type
every line, I wipe away a tear as I remember. But still I type on, capturing
every look, every touch, every kiss, and every obstacle overcome. Despite the
pain, I’m more determined than ever to make sure every detail is recorded. If
it takes me all night, every night, I’m going to make sure that our love is
never forgotten. In one hundred years people will still remember
our
kind of love; a love that knows no bounds—that surpasses all reason—and will
never, never die.

Chapter One

One
year earlier . . .

“All
right, all right, I’ll go with you! Dang girl, what’s up with you tonight
anyway?” I demanded.

“I’ve had a hard
week. It’s Friday night, for cryin’ out loud. We need to go out and have a
little fun for a change. Besides, you need to meet some really great guy, get
married, and fill this big, empty house with lots of babies. And that’s not going
to happen if you sit at home every night and watch episodes of
Whose Wedding
Is It Anyway
?.” she remarked with too much drama.“I love that show.” I
pouted.

“I know, but you’re a
wedding planner—hello—you see that wedding crap all day long. At the end of the
day, you need a life. I mean how much fun is it anyway—cooking for one?”

“You would know.”

“Yeah, and it rots,
and we’re going to change that tonight.”

“Is there something
you’re not telling me?” I asked.

“No, of course not.”

“You know I don’t want
a man right now. My life is fulfilling without one, thank you very much.”

“Yeah whatever, now
let’s get you dressed.” She towed me down the hall and up the stairs to my
bedroom.

Now,
I’ve been best friends with Meagan since third grade, and I love her dearly,
but we do not see eye to eye when it comes to fashion. Her idea of classy is to
throw a dinner jacket over a bikini, so needless to say I was a little wary as
she began pulling clothing from my closet. The first dress she pulled out was a
skimpy, red number she bought me as a ‘going away to college’ gift, which I’ve
purposefully never worn.

“No
way!”

“Okay,
what about this one?”

“Oh come on,
something that covers my lower body please. I wore that in sixth grade.”

She cocked her head
at me, putting her hand on her hip. “Well, why do you still have it then?”

I
smirked. “I’m sentimental, okay.”
Actually, she had a point. It was past
time to clean out my closet.

“Oh
yes, this one’s perfect,” she declared, pulling a floral, lavender dress from
my closet.

“Hmm, I guess I could
wear that one.” I slipped it on, and then appraised myself in the mirror. “It’s
a little tight. I guess I’ve gained a few pounds since I wore it last, but I
can just wear this jacket over it.”

“No, it looks great
without it,” she replied, pulling the jacket from my grasp.

“Meagan, are you
sure? I don’t want guy’s eyes bugging out of their sockets.”

“Yes
you do, and yes I’m sure. You’re beautiful, and your body is fabulous. Stop
complaining. You look like a super model in that dress.”

“I
don’t want to look like a super model. I want to look like a classy,
respectable, young woman.”

“Oh
shut up. After seeing you in that dress, I think I’m going to change. Where’s
that red number I pulled out first?”

I
couldn’t help but laugh. She could be so dorky sometimes.
It
actually looked good on her considering she’s a little thinner and a lot
shorter than I am.

“Okay.”
She wrapped her arm around me and turned us toward the mirror. “I think we’re
ready to go. Gentlemen look out, here we come!”

“Speak
for yourself.” I snapped playfully.

“Oh,
I am. Believe me, I am.”

It
was already late when we pulled into Woody’s parking lot. Woody’s is a
gathering place for the young adult locals. Now, normally I don’t find myself
interested in going to places like Woody’s. To be honest, it’s not the kind of
place I ever pictured myself meeting my future husband. However, Meagan was
clearly up to something, and I have to admit my curiosity got the best of me.

“By the way, I need you to pinch me
every time I say ‘Oh-my-God’, okay?”

She gave me a curious look as we exited
the car. “Um okay, I’d never turn down a chance to pinch you, but may I ask
why?”

“Well,
today the mother of a potential client pointed out to me that I was saying it
and that it offended her. That’s the second one this month. I can’t be
offending my clients. We do live in the Bible-Belt after all.”

She
shrugged. “True.”

“She
said you only use God’s name if you’re talking to him, or about him. Makes
sense to me. Anyway, will you help me stop?”

“Okay,
should be fun, but you asked for it.”

“Great.”
I sighed deeply as we approached the front steps. “I have a bad feeling about
this. Are you sure this isn’t a setup? Remember, I’ve known you for like a
million years.”

“Don’t
be so paranoid, Obi-wan Kenobi. So what if it is, you’re here now anyway.”

“I
knew it! What have you done? Tell me now!” I scowled, stopping her at the door.

“Okay,
calm down. Well, remember Randall, the guy from college that I had a crush on
for like—ever? Well, I ran into him at the Piggly Wiggly this morning, and he
mentioned that he had a friend visiting from L.A. and that they were going to
be at Woody’s tonight. And well, I sort of mentioned that I had plans to be
there as well—along with a friend.” She tensed waiting for my scolding—when it
didn’t come she smiled. “You’re not mad?”

“Meagan,
all you had to do was ask me. I remember how much you liked this guy. I
would’ve come with you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah
I guess. Sorry I was sneaky—and thanks for not being mad.”

“No
problem. Now let’s get this over with. Just promise me you won’t leave me alone
with this guy right off the bat like that time at your office party, okay?”

“Yes
ma’am,” she replied, rolling her eyes at me.

Once
we were inside, it wasn’t long before Meagan spotted Randall and his friend
sitting at a table, in a dark corner, at the far side of the room.

“Look,
Lily, there they are. Randall’s the one in the gray shirt. Isn’t he cute?”

He
had blonde spiked hair and was guzzling his beer with eagerness, afterwards
wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. My first impression wasn’t a great
one. “Sure, he’s cute, but—” My eyes were suddenly drawn to the sullen-looking
guy to his left. I gasped and found myself instantly fighting the urge to fan
myself. “Is that his friend in the blue?”
He was the most beautiful guy I
had ever seen.
“Oh—my—God! He is gor—oww!” I squealed as Meagan pinched me
as hard as she could in the soft flesh under my arm. I turned to glare at her.

“Well,
don’t get mad at me. I’m just doing what you told me to.”

“I
hate you,” I scowled, rubbing my arm vigorously to soothe the pain.

“Yeah,
yeah. You can show me how much later.” She grabbed my wrist and began pulling
me along faster than necessary.

“Now
I know why you insisted on me wearing this ridiculously tight dress. You wanted
to make sure I gave the wrong impression.”

“I
totally wanted you to give the wrong impression, and it wouldn’t be so
ridiculously tight if you would cut back on the snacking you do while you bake
for your weddings,” she remarked under her breath as we reached their table.

“Randall!”
she squealed.

Maybe
it was just me, but it seemed like she embraced him for an embarrassing length
of time.

BOOK: Loving Lily Lavender

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