Page 34 of Lilly
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“Here?”I ask as I look back at Lucas who is loaded down with all the bags. I know he’s trying to be a gentleman, but I have no problemshelping.
“Sure.” He still looks a little unsure about this, but I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a sunny springevening.
I pull out the picnic blanket that I luckily found in the BBQ isle of the supermarket and lay it out in the sun. I sit myself down and start rummaging through the bags for everything else Ibought.
In only a few minutes, I have our picnic laid out in front of us. Lucas, however, is still stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at me with complete confusion written all over hisface.
“You swerved a posh meal in a restaurant for a picnic in Hyde Park?” he asks, like it’s the most insane thing he’s everheard.
“Yeah. Is that not okay?” I ask, now a little concerned that I’ve done the wrongthing.
“No, I think it’s perfect,” he says as a wide smile creeps across hisface.
My heart jumps into my throat, seeing his happiness. He’s serious so much of the time that it’s a real pleasure to see thatsmile.
He lowers himself down next to me but makes no attempt to reach for the food. We haven’t eaten since breakfast so he must be starving, I know I am. Instead, his hand wraps around my neck and he pulls me to him. He kisses me gently to start with bit it soon begins to turn into something that shouldn’t happen in a publicplace.
“Calm down,” I say with a laugh when I pull back from him. “We’re in a public park. We coulddefinitelyget arrested for doing that kind of stuff here,” Isay.
He huffs in disappointment as he looks down at his lap. I can see his issue; there’s not really any hiding that he’s hard but the look on his face makes melaugh.
“I’m sure you can wait a few hours. Come on, let’seat.”
We’ve almost polished everything off when Lucas’ phone rings. He stretches out his legs so he can pull it from his pocket. I’m expecting him to silence it like he has most of the calls he’s gotten today, but instead, he looks at me as if for permission to answerit.
“Of course, go ahead,” I say, feeling a little weird that he felt like he had toask.
“I wouldn’t usually but it’s Joe,” he responds beforeanswering.
The name rings a bell but it only takes a second of listening to Lucas’ friendly banter into the phone to remember that it’s his friend who also ended up with food poisoning last weekend. Wow, was that only a weekago?
“I’m in London with Lilly,” he says, like Joe knows all about who I am. It piques my interest so I eavesdrop with a little more enthusiasm than I did when they were talking about work stuff. “Soon,” he says after Joe clearly asks a question. “Fine, yes. Okay, Friday night. Yes. Tell her she’s a demanding pain in the arse,” he finishes with a laugh. “Okay, yeah.Bye.”
“What was thatabout?”
“They want to meet you. We’re going out on Friday night—is thatokay?”
“As long as it’s not to the same place you went last time,” I say with amusement because I can see the worry etched in Lucas’ face. “Why do you look soworried?”
“It’s…” he starts, but pauses as he finds the right words. “I have very few people in my life,Lilly…”
“And you introducing me to them and allowing me into your circle is hard for you?” I ask, finishing his sentence forhim.
“Yeah, something like that. How did youknow?
“Your mum said something that day on thephone.”
“Of course she bloody did. I still need to talk to her about that little stunt shepulled.”
“Don’t be mad at her, Luc. She’s only trying tohelp.”
“I guess,” he mutters before shoving a mini pork pie in hismouth.
It’s my phone’s turn to start ringing then. I grab it, see that it’s Dec and immediately swipe and put the phone to my ear. Lucas will have to get used to Dec if he plans on sticking around. We kind of come as a packagedeal.
“Hey, how’s itgoing?”
