The Upside of Love

  “Is Luke pissed that I’m not there?”

  “No. I’m helping him paint the room.”

  “Oh. Thank you. I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I have to go out of town for a couple of days to smooth things over with this account, so I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Have fun!”

  “You too!”

  “The pizza will be here in about twenty minutes,” Luke said.

  “I just got a text message from Sam and he said he has to go out of town for a couple of days for work.”

  “Is that so?” He sighed.

  I walked to the kitchen and washed off the spots of paint that were all over my hands. I took two paper plates from the cupboard and set them on the table. Luke walked in and went straight to the refrigerator.

  “Beer?” he asked as he held up a bottle.

  “Sure,” I said as I walked over and took it from him.

  Luke took a seat at the table while I put the bags that I’d brought over on the couch.

  “What did you buy?”

  “Just some baby stuff. Towels, wash cloths, burp rags, bibs. You know, the usual baby things.”

  “I still can’t believe the two of them had a baby,” Luke smirked.

  I shook my head as I took the seat across from him. “I know. I sure hope they can stand each other long enough for that little girl.”

  Luke threw his head back and laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  I smiled as I arched my eyebrow and held up my beer bottle. A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. I went in my purse and took some cash out and handed it to Luke.

  “No, Lily. It’s on me.”

  “No. Take it.”

  He opened the door and it was Gary, our normal pizza delivery guy from the apartment.

  “Hey, you two. Did you move?”

  “Hey, Gary.” Luke smiled. “Nah, this is our friend’s house. We’re doing some work.”

  I tried to hand Luke the money and he kept shooing my hand away. Gary looked at me and smiled.

  “Lily, Luke always pays. What are you doing?”

  “Exactly!” Luke smirked.

  I sighed and took the pizza over to the table. Later, I would shove the money in the pocket of the hoodie he brought. We sat down and each took a couple of slices. It felt normal. Like the way things used to be.

  “How’s your mom doing?” he asked out of the clear blue.

  I took a sip of my beer before answering him. “She’s good. Why?”

  Luke shrugged his shoulders. “I heard you tell Charley that you went back to Seattle. How did that go? You know with—”

  “Brynn?” I interrupted.

  “Yeah.”

  “We talked and we cried. Same with Hunter, without the crying part.”

  “You saw him?”

  “Yeah. They’re still together and oh so in love. It made me realize a few things and see things in a different light.”

  Instantly, I saw a change in his face. “So let me get this straight. You went all the way to Seattle to talk to your sister and ex-fiancé about their relationship and what they did to you, but you refuse to talk to me about us? That’s real nice, Lily,” he said as he got up from his chair, threw the plate in the garbage, and then walked out of the kitchen.

  Great. Just fucking great. I didn’t know what to do. I cleaned up the table and put the leftover pizza in the refrigerator. When I walked back into the room, Luke turned around and looked at me.

  “You can leave now. I got this.”

  “Luke, please.”

  “Lily, I mean it. Get the hell out of here, NOW!” he yelled.

  I flinched at the anger in his voice. Reaching into my pocket, I grabbed some cash and threw it on the floor.

  “Fuck you, Luke. Just fuck you!” I yelled as I stormed out.

  26

  Luke

  I called Maddie and asked her if she could swing by Giselle’s place. I needed to talk to someone, because if I didn’t, I was going to lose it. It didn’t take her long to come over because she was shopping in the area. When she walked in, she came right into the bedroom and grabbed a paint roller.

  “What happened?”

  “Lily. That’s what happened. I just don’t get it, sis. She goes back to Seattle and makes amends with her sister and that scumbag ex-fiancé of hers and it’s okay, but she won’t fucking talk to me. She won’t talk about our relationship.”

  “Luke, you need to calm down for a minute.”

  “I told her to get the hell out of here, Maddie. I was so angry that she wouldn’t talk to me.”

  She walked over to where I was standing and wrapped her arms around me. “There’s something else going on.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked as I pulled back.

  “I’m not so sure anymore that it’s about the things you said to her. Your love for each other is so strong and so pure that it should be able to overcome anything. I don’t know, Luke. Maybe I’m crazy, but there’s something else going on with Lily.”

  “Whatever the hell her problem is, I don’t have time to waste anymore. I’m done and I mean it this time. If Lily doesn’t want to talk to me or discuss what happened, then fine. She can go off and live a happy life by herself because, obviously, it’s what she wants.”

  Maddie and I didn’t say another word after that. She stayed and helped me finish the walls and then we headed home. Lily’s truck wasn’t in the parking lot and it was almost midnight. Not that I should have cared, but it wasn’t safe. I said goodbye to Maddie and I stepped inside my apartment. Sam and Gretchen were both gone and I was all alone. There was no way I was going to sleep until I knew that Lily was home safe. About an hour later, as I was sitting on the couch, I heard her door shut.

  ****

  The next morning, I went back over to Giselle’s and helped Lucky build the crib. When I got there, he was sitting in the middle of the nursery, swearing up a storm with crib pieces and parts all over the floor.

  “Dude, it’s about time. Do you have any idea how fucked up this is?”

  I chuckled. “They aren’t that hard to build. Move over and hand me the directions.”

  “How’s Lily?”

  “Why are you asking me?”

  “Sam said she was over here yesterday, helping you paint. Oh, by the way, thanks for doing that.”

  “Things were going good until she told me something and I told her to get the hell out,” I replied.

  “Whoa, dude. Come on. What the fuck is going on?”

  “She went to Seattle to talk to her sister and ex and she won’t talk to me,” I said as I grabbed the screwdriver.

  “She talks to you. I’ve seen her.”

  “She won’t talk about us. She can forgive and talk to the people who cheated on her and made her life a living hell, but she can’t talk to me about our relationship.”

  “Well, you did tell her that she killed Callie.”

  “Thanks for that, Lucky. I don’t want to talk about Lily anymore.”

  Just as I was tightening one of the bolts, my phone rang. It was Cody.

  “Hey, Cody. What’s up?”

  “Hi, Luke. Sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but I think there’s a problem with the invoice for the liquor order.”

  “It’s your day off. Why are you at the bar?”

  “I had nothing else to do today, so I thought I’d come in. Do you think you can stop by later and have a look?”

  “Yeah. I’m in the middle of building the crib for Giselle and Lucky’s baby. I’ll be there in a while.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be waiting.”

  I hung up and looked over at Lucky, who was staring at me. “Dude, she is so into you. You better be careful.”

  “She is not,” I snapped.

  “Yes, she is. I know when women are into guys. I know their tricks and, trust me, she’s into you.”

  An hour later, the crib was built and put in its place and, after I helped Lucky clean up, I took off for the
bar.

  When I arrived, I walked straight to my office and saw Cody sitting behind my desk. She was holding the picture that I had in my drawer of me and Lily.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Oh, Luke. Sorry. I was just looking at your picture.”

  “Why?”

  “I couldn’t find a paperclip, so I opened the drawer and there it was. I’m sorry.”

  I walked over and took it from her hands.

  “It’s a nice picture.”

  “I’m not here to talk about the picture. What’s up with the invoice?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry. I already figured it out. I forgot to call you. But since you’re here, would you like to go grab a bite to eat?”

  “No. I already ate. Since the invoice is fine, you can go now.”

  “Okay,” she said with a sad look as she grabbed her purse and started to walk out the door. She turned around. “You’re a really nice and special guy. You shouldn’t be alone. If you would like some company, call me.”

  I nodded. Maybe Lucky was right. I was going to have to keep a closer eye on her. After talking to Candi for a bit, I decided to go home. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lily and how rude I was to her last night. I needed to apologize. When I pulled in the parking lot, her Explorer was in its usual spot. I knocked on her door before going to my apartment.

  “Luke,” she said as she opened the door.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “I think you said enough last night,” she said.

  “Please, Lily. I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I was way out of line and I’m sorry.”

  She motioned for me to come inside.

  “I just want you to know that I’m not going to try and push you to talk to me anymore. What’s done is done and obviously, I can’t change that night. I didn’t mean what I said and you are in no way responsible for what happened. I was a jerk and I was in shock. That’s all. I would give anything to rewind that night and do things right. I’m really happy that you talked to Hunter and Brynn because I know it had been weighing heavy on your mind for a long time.”

  She stood across the room and listened to every word I said. She never interrupted and she never moved from her spot.

  “I just wanted you to know that. I’ll leave you to whatever it was you were doing.” As soon as I put my hand on the doorknob, she spoke.

  “Thank you, Luke. I appreciate you saying what you did.”

  I nodded and gave her a small smile as I walked out the door.

  27

  Lily

  He was hurting; I could tell. He was hurting just as bad as I was. This pain he was feeling would pass. The pain of looking at me, talking to me, and making love to me would always be there in the back of his mind if we were together. Maybe he wouldn’t realize it at first, but little things would remind him of Callie and then he’d look at me, wishing that I’d never given him those tickets. It wasn’t only about how he felt; it was also about the guilt that I would carry for the rest of my life. Maybe I was protecting the both of us.

  I spent the next week photographing children and helping Gretchen plan Giselle’s baby shower that was going to be held at Luke’s bar. He offered and Gretchen jumped on it without talking to me first. She thought it would be perfect and so did Giselle. Since the shower was today and I hadn’t seen or talked to Luke since that Sunday he stopped by, it was going to be awkward. As I was putting the shower favors that I was in charge of in the box, there was a knock at the door.

  “Come on in. It’s open,” I yelled.

  The door opened and I heard Luke’s voice from behind.

  “Hey, Lily.”

  After I gasped, I turned around. “Hi, Luke.”

  “I was wondering if you needed any help with the boxes for the shower. Gretchen said that you’d have a few. I could load them in the jeep.”

  He looked so hot. As I stared at him, my mind went to all the times we made love. I missed him so much that I didn’t know what to do anymore. Gretchen and Giselle told me every day how stupid I was, but they didn’t know the real reason I couldn’t let him back into my life.

  “I have these right here,” I said as I pointed to the boxes on the table.

  “Are they ready to go?”

  “Yeah.”

  He walked over to the table and grabbed the first box and then looked at me and smiled.

  “You look beautiful.”

  I could feel myself blushing as I thanked him. He gave me a small smile as he loaded the boxes in his jeep.

  “Okay, I guess that’s it. I’ll see you at the bar.”

  The bar was decorated throughout with pink balloons and streamers. When I walked in, the first person I saw was Cody. What the hell is she doing here? Sam walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek.

  “You look gorgeous, Lily.”

  “Thanks, Sam.”

  “I live right next door to you and I haven’t seen you lately.”

  “I’ve been busy at the studio and then, with planning the shower, I really haven’t had much time for anything else.”

  “Well, stop being a stranger; I miss you.” He smiled.

  “I miss you too,” I said as I patted his chest.

  The shower got underway and was a huge success. A little over a hundred people came and showered Giselle and Lucky with gifts for Isabella. Luke was behind the bar making drinks when I walked up.

  “Hi. What can I get you?” he asked.

  “A glass of red wine will be fine.”

  He smiled and, as he was pouring it into a glass, Adalynn walked up to me.

  “Lily, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure, Adalynn. What’s up?”

  “How would you like to go to New York for a couple of weeks?”

  “That would be great. What’s happening in New York?”

  “I’m launching a fashion blog and I would like you to do the fashion shoot for it.”

  “I would love to.”

  “Great. I know it’s kind of last minute, but I need you to leave the day after tomorrow. It’s a two-week shoot and Prim will pay all your expenses. I knew you’d be game, so I booked you a room at The Trump. It overlooks Central Park and that’s where I want the majority of the shoot.”

  I could feel Luke’s eyes on me as Adalynn and I were talking. As soon as she walked away, he spoke up.

  “Wow. New York. That’s exciting,” he said.

  Suddenly, Cody stepped behind the bar and put her arm around his waist. “When you get a chance, I need to talk to you in private.”

  “Excuse me, Lily,” he said as he walked away with her.

  My stomach started to flip out and I became overly hot. Was he seeing her? Was that why he came over and told me that he wasn’t going to pressure me into talking to him anymore? Thoughts of the two of them together consumed me and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I walked towards the back to see if I could hear their conversation and when I approached Luke’s office, I saw him kiss her on her forehead as he clasped her shoulders. I put my hand over my mouth and quietly walked away so he didn’t hear me. I went into the main area of the bar and found Adalynn.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to leave tonight for New York. I haven’t been there since I was a kid and I think I should scout out locations in Central Park first.”

  “Great idea! I didn’t think of that. I’ll call the hotel and tell them you’ll be arriving tonight and you can fly on the company jet. Give me a second and let me check the flight schedules.”

  As she pulled out her phone, I looked over and saw Luke and Cody. He had his hand on the small of her back as they walked into the main area.

  “Great news. Your flight leaves at seven o’clock.” She smiled.

  I looked at my watch and saw it was four. I guessed I had better get home and get packed.

  “You’re leaving tonight?” Luke said.

  He must have overheard our conversation.

  ??
?Yeah,” I replied as I turned around and began to walk away.

  “I thought you weren’t leaving for a couple of days.”

  “Change in plans. I need to get the fuck away from here.” I didn’t mean for those last few words to spew out of my mouth, but they did.

  “Why the sudden change, Lily?”

  “It’s none of your business, Luke. Why don’t you focus on your little girlfriend over there and leave me the hell alone.”

  By this time, all the guests had pretty much left. I told Giselle and Gretchen what was happening and that I had to leave and go pack. I hugged them goodbye and when I walked out of the bar, Luke was standing up against the Explorer.

  “Get out of my way, Luke,” I said.

  “I’m not moving until you tell me what the hell that remark was about Cody.”

  “I saw you kiss her, Luke. Okay. There. You wanted to know, so I told you.”

  “When?” he asked in confusion.

  “In your office. Just a little while ago.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Lily, she quit. I was wishing her good luck.”

  “Luke, I have to go. I have a lot of packing to do and a plane to catch, so if you’ll excuse me and please move away from my vehicle, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Whatever, Lily. I’m over you.” He hit the hood of the Explorer and walked away.

  His words hurt, but what did I expect? Tears filled my eyes, as I would never get over him.

  ****

  Luke

  This was tearing me apart. I told her that I was over her and I wasn’t. I’d never be. I was so in love with her that I had to put an end to all of this once and for all. We needed to talk and if I had to lock her in a room until I got some answers, I would. I called Candi over to join me behind the bar so I could talk to her and Maddie.

  “What’s up, boss?” she asked.

  “I need the two of you to do me a favor. I need you to run the bar while I’m gone.”

  “Where are you going?” Maddie asked.

  “I’m going to New York to get my girlfriend back. I’m done with this game and she’s going to listen to me.”

  “Good for you, Luke.” Candi smiled as she patted me on the back.

  “What if she won’t?” Maddie said.