Author's Note: Please note, you've reached the end of the edited chapters. The story continues, but will be in third person past tense as I'm still editing them. I'll be updating the remaining chapters about 1-2 times a week.
Talia
Lucas loves me.
That thought continued to permeate Talia's mind like ink in water.
After trying to boost morale among her existing employees, Talia threw herself into the strategy deck she was preparing for the board. At first, she had been able to distract herself from the shock of letting Imani go and the life-altering conversation with Lucas. The strategy she'd be using to win her the position was nearly done and just needed some fine-tuning. Even Cora had been impressed with it and didn't have many notes on things to update.
Yet Talia soon reached a point where she couldn't deny or escape Lucas' words any longer. A warm buzz settled over her every time she replayed everything he had said to her in her office. His declaration of love had dissolved into her like it was a powerful nutrient running through her veins. And every time she pictured her life without Lucas, a searing pain coursed through her chest as if the nutrient needed replenishment straightaway.
It got so bad that she had made an unplanned trip during the week to Lucas' building to "talk with their Accounts Executive and get Ethan up to speed on some things" AKA potentially run into Lucas. She needed to numb the ache in her heart and assess if he was as dazed as she was. Yet, he hadn't been in the office when she got there so she never got the chance to see. And her mind couldn't settle on a decision yet so she couldn't reach out to him intentionally.
Now, she'd be face-to-face with him again at his parent's house. Despite still not knowing how to move forward with him, a swirl of excitement and nervousness filled her leading up to the Labor Day party. She was going to see him again and the world would fall back into its regular orbit, despite the millions of unknowns.
She pulled up to the sprawling property with fields of green and a long-winded driveway that led to the mansion. The afternoon sun shone brightly over the beautiful landscape.
Something tugged at her mind. It felt as though she'd been to this house before. It didn't hit her until she handed her keys to the valet attendant. Her eyes grew wide as she thought about the Christmas party all those years ago. The first night she had met Lucas.
An attendant directed her toward a path on the side of the house. Cradling a bottle of wine, her gift for Lucas' mom, she followed a couple of people walking down the brick path to a poolside area that carried hundreds of people mingling with each other. Her pulse picked up speed as she searched the animated faces for Lucas.
"Oh, my God! Talia, you're here!" A woman's voice pulled Talia's attention away from the crowd. She turned to find an older woman she didn't recognize smiling widely at her. The woman looked to be in her sixties with her slightly wrinkled skin and streaks of gray in her hair. Before Talia could respond the woman wrapped her arms around Talia. "I'm so glad you made it!"
Talia's mind spun trying to remember if she knew this woman who was now hugging her like they were long-lost friends who hadn't seen each other in years. The woman retreated and squeezed Talia's arm. "You angel! Is that for me?"
Ahh. Lucas' mom!
"Oh, uh. Yes, Mrs. Handler. Thank you for having me and it's nice to meet you." She passed over the bottle of wine, smiling politely.
"Please call me Debra!" The woman's striking blue eyes reminded Talia of Lucas'.
She tried to hide the slight shake in her hands by locking them behind her. A man walked by, and Talia stole a glance, hoping it would be Lucas. It wasn't. "Thank you, Debra. Do you know where-"
"I have been watching the entrance all afternoon waiting for you! Oh my goodness, you're wearing white. White's a beautiful color on you! I bet you'd look amazing in a long white dress."
Talia glanced down at her white dress that hit just above her knees. "Thanks."
"Come! Let me introduce you to some friends." Debra led Talia through the crowds and began introducing her to random people. Names were said but Talia would not be able to remember any as her mind was on one man. Her body buzzed in anticipation. She had to be running into him sooner or later.
A child's squeal from the grassy area on the side of the pool caught Talia's attention. She glanced up and her stomach flipped seeing Lucas toss a young girl who couldn't be older than six, in the air. She giggled widely in his arms as he tickled her.
"Isn't he great with kids?" Debra's voice pulled Talia away from the scene.
Talia cleared her throat with her gaze gluing back to Lucas. "I've actually never seen him like this. Like outside of a work setting with friends and family." She studied him for a moment, her heart swelling within her chest and her smile growing. He was playing some sort of tossing game with the young girl and it looked like his VP Kyle and some other guys she didn't recognize were playing with them too.
"Oh, he's great with kids. That's my niece's daughter, Sophie, who just adores him. My Lucas knows the important things in life. He's family-oriented, wise, a very loyal and thoughtful man, would make a great husband to any lucky lady."
Talia nodded and chuckled before turning back to Debra. "You don't need to convince me."
Debra smiled knowingly. "Sorry, dear. I know I can get carried away. You need to stop me before I overstep. I've just heard such amazing things about you from Lucas and was just floored to see you. Anyway, I should probably go and not get into too much trouble. It's been such a pleasure, Talia. I bet Lucas will be very glad to see you. I'll be around if you need anything."
"Thanks, Debra. I appreciate it."
After giving Debra a quick hug goodbye, Talia made her way to the game that was happening. "You guys got room for one more?"
Her heart skipped a beat when Lucas' gaze shot up. She smiled widely at him and warmth filled her belly when he reciprocated her smile. "Hey, Tal! Yeah, of course." Up close, he looked so good. He wore a light button-down, short-sleeved shirt and slacks. A more casual look than she was used to seeing on him.
"Nah uh! We don't have space!"
"Come on Sophie, be nice," Kyle said before turning back to Talia. "Good to see you, Talia. I hope all is well."
"Thanks, Kyle. You too."
"Talia, this is my cousin, Sophie," Lucas said while holding the young brunette's shoulders. "And this is her uncle and my cousin, Noah." He pointed his head toward a young man standing next to him before moving it toward the last man in their group. "And that's my friend, Chance."
"Chance is a potty mouth," Sophie said while crossing her arms.
"I'm fucking not, you snitch!"
"See?" The young girl raised her brows in satisfaction as if she won an argument. Everyone laughed.
"Nice to meet you all. And I can wait for the next game if this one's full."
"No, no! It's all good. We were an odd number anyway, so now with you, we could do three on three." Lucas rubbed the back of his neck and his bulging bicep caught Talia's gaze. She gulped before looking down. She was out of her element here. Her stomach was doing somersaults as she wondered what was going through Lucas' mind about her.
"No! I have a better idea!" The young girl threw her hands up. "Let's do girls against guys!"
"I thought a second ago you were telling Talia she couldn't play and now you want to be on her team?"
"She's pretty and smells nice."
"I can't argue with that logic. Boys, let's move to the other side."
While Talia had never played corn hole before, she picked up the game pretty quickly. Her teammate didn't have the best aim, but they were able to get a point here or there. Lightness blew through her chest as she witnessed Lucas in his element, surrounded by people he loved and people who loved him. Sophie jumped into his arms every time she grew tired and Lucas held her as he continued to play the game. Talia's heart continued to swell within her chest and her cheeks began hurting from smiling and laughing so much. Sophie and her were becoming fast friends.
At one point they switched teams around and Lucas and Talia were on the same side. Her stomach did Olympics-level gymnastics when he whispered in her ear how pretty she looked. His lips grazing the shell of her ear sent shivers down her spine.
She couldn't help herself, she hooked an arm around his waist and leaned into him. "I missed you this week."
"I missed you too, Tal," he said before moving his arm around her shoulder and planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"Are you guys married?" Sophie asked immediately after.
"In Lucas' dreams," Chance responded.
When the guys laughed, Sophie joined in a long second later.
"No, Soph. We're not married."
"But why are you next to each other like that? Uncle Noah told me I can't hold hands with a boy until I'm married."
Everyone glanced at Noah who shrugged. "Does anyone disagree?"
The guys looked at each other and shook their heads.
"That rule only applies to you, Soph," Lucas said before turning back to Talia and placing his lips on hers.
The kiss sent electric currents throughout her body and she molded against him before realizing where they were. "Lucas!" she said with amusement as she leaned back and brought her hand up to her lips, the zings of pleasure still unfurling throughout her body.
She quickly glanced around to see if anyone they worked with saw them as Sophie yelled, "Ewwwww! You got Lucas cooties now!"
Thankfully everyone crowded around the pool and grass areas seemed occupied enough not to notice. Talia giggled and leaned into him as they continued their game.
After a few rounds, Sophie started to lose steam quickly. She ended up falling asleep on Lucas' shoulder as they made their way back to the main party. The sun was now setting, creating an orangish glow over the space. Torches lit up the pathways around the property.
"Oh, shoot, I have to take this call," Lucas said as he held up his phone. He left Talia with Kyle while the other guys made their way to the food tables.
"He cares a lot about you, you know," Kyle said.
"I know."
"And it's not just been recently. I think he's cared about you for a long time."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember the first time you came to the Handler Finance offices?"
"When he talked over me during the staff meeting? Yeah." Talia made a mock annoyed face.
Kyle chuckled. "Alright, yeah that was a dick move and we were all weirded out by it. But, something happened after you left."
Talia's eyebrow raised. "What? What happened?"
"Some idiot made a crack about you, and Lucas lost it. He defended you and since then, I've not heard a single negative thing said about you in the office. I mean some guys may still think some stupid stuff about women in the field. But not even a whisper of anything remotely similar to what was said during that meeting has been said again."
Talia blinked a few times trying to process the information.
"Anyways, I'll catch you later. I'm going to grab another drink." Kyle turned to leave but paused when Talia grabbed his arm.
"Thank you, Kyle."
He smiled and nodded. "Sure. I want my best friend to have the best and I think you're that person for him. Just don't fuck it up."
Talia smiled. "I won't. I promise."
After Kyle left her, Talia stood frozen for a moment processing that day. Concern had been etched on Lucas' face when he came back to talk to her in his office. When she had told him about the rumor that had spread around about her, he seemed more heartbroken than her. "I'm such an idiot," she whispered to herself.
Kyle's words were like the last piece of the puzzle of her feelings toward Lucas. It was as if the impressionistic painting that stared back at her was clearer than ever. It was a picture of them together, taking care of each other, supporting each other, and being there for each other no matter what came their way.
Her pulse fled up to her eardrums as she moved quickly through the crowds. She was a woman on a mission to tell Lucas exactly how she felt about him. If she held it in any longer she would surely explode.
I love him. I love Lucas!
Sweat lined her palms as she sped walked past the buffet table and into the house. More people were mingling in the kitchen and flashbacks from her and Lucas' first conversation back in college appeared in her mind. She moved to the living room, and their time playing the game around the couch area surfaced. Flutters filled her stomach.
I love Lucas. I love him.
She quickly made her way back outside and smiled widely as soon as she spotted him on the far side near some tables. After smoothing her hands against her dress and taking a deep breath in, she began walking toward him. He was chatting with some guy that looked a little familiar.
She stopped dead in her tracks, her stomach dropping and her smile instantly vanishing. The guy Lucas was chatting with was none other than Gary, her ex-boyfriend.
***
Any predictions as to how things will go?
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