Page 87 of The Art of Loving Lacy
“What I should have done a week ago.” Lacy blinked away tears.
Chapter Thirty-Five
AN HOUR AFTER talking to his father, Dane packed his bags and headed off the Cape. He’d been there long enough. He couldn’t hide from his feelings forever. He’d put his career first for his entire adult life, and now it was time to put something else first. Or rather, someone else first.
He picked up his cell to call Lacy and then set it back down in the center console. He hadn’t contacted her since the day he’d asked her to leave.She probably won’t take my call.He considered asking Danica to step in, but he’d already pulled that favor once with the therapeutic advice, and he felt bad that he wasn’t in Florida to meet Blake.
Once he was off the Cape and on the highway, he stopped at the first exit, grabbed a Diet Coke, and texted Lacy.
He got back on the highway, set his GPS, and continued driving.
NOTHING WAS GOING as Lacy had hoped. The cab took forever to arrive at the hospital, the employee at Sprint moved slower than molasses, and it had cost her a fortune for the cab to wait, although she was glad to have a replacement phone. Once she charged it, she’d put her plan into action. Thankfully, the employee at the car rental company moved quicker than the Sprint employee. By six o’clock, she was back at home and charging her new phone.
She picked out three outfits and tossed them into a backpack, then headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She didn’t want to waste time, but she couldn’t make her big entrance with dried blood smeared on her arm. She stripped off her dirty clothes and glanced in the mirror. Her breath caught in her throat. Her hair looked like she’d been caught in a wind tunnel, all frizz and no curl. Her forehead was streaked with dirt and blood, and her chest and upper arms were already showing black-and-blue marks. Combine that with the bags under her eyes from a week of no sleep, and she would surely frighten small children. She’d been so frenzied to get her errands done and get to Dane that showering hadn’t even crossed her mind.
Her cell phone buzzed like it was on steroids.It’s finally charged.Lacy hurried to the bedside table and watched as messages came in one after another. She scrolled through the messages, grateful that the mediocre Sprint employee had been able to transfer her contacts from her broken phone. Danica, Fred, Danica, Kaylie, Danica, Danica, Kaylie, Kaylie, Fred, Dane, Danica, Danica, Dane, Dane.Dane?She scrolled back up and stared at his number. Her pulse raced as she read the messages.
I’m an idiot. Can we talk? I miss you.Lacy lowered herself to the bed.He misses me. He misses me!
Half an hour later,Lace, I’m sorry. I haven’t slept in a wk. Have you?
Her lower lip trembled as she shook her head. She checked the time the next text had arrived. Forty minutes after the last.I’m not giving up on us. I know ur mad and hurt, but I love u more than sharks.
Lacy laughed. She began texting back,Sorry my phone broke. I miss u2. I’m not ma—
A knock at the door interrupted her text. She peered out the window and saw Dane’s car parked on the street. Lacy reached up and touched her hair. She rushed to the mirror and tried to pull her hair back. Goose bumps rose on her arms. Fluttering started in her stomach and found its way to her chest. She carried the phone out of the bedroom, her hair, her pain, the accident forgotten, and she reached a trembling hand toward the doorknob. As she pulled it open, Dane’s voice filtered in.
Dane stood before her with sorrow in his eyes, and behind that sorrow she saw hope and an immeasurable amount of love. “I’m here, Lace.”
Hearing his voice after being without him for so long weakened her knees, and she fumbled for the doorknob for support.
“Me too. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” she said. She couldn’t believe he was there. The last week felt like a year, and just like that, she was thrown back to when they’d spoken every night, and the rush of excitement hadn’t faded. If anything, it had grown stronger, as evident by her inability to stop her hands from shaking.
“I miss you.” Dane took a step forward. “I’m so sorry, Lace, and I know you don’t have to forgive me for sending you away, but I wasn’t myself, babe. I was so lost with everything that happened to Rob and what Sheila was going through, and I couldn’t imagine you in her place.”
She wanted to fall into his arms, but she couldn’t move. It was all she could do to speak. “I know. I shouldn’t have left. I should have stood up for us, but I was in shock or something. I don’t know.” She took a deep breath. “Dane, I lied, too.”
Dane’s eyes filled with pain. He drew his eyebrows together and shook his head.
“I fell in love with you, too,” she said.
He closed his eyes and smiled, and when he opened them, his eyes were damp. Dane opened his arms. His eyes never left hers as she walked forward and met his embrace. She breathed in the scent of him, and it felt like she’d come home. Her chest hurt as he held her, but she didn’t dare move. She’d never move away from him again.
“I love you, Lace. I’ve made all kinds of mistakes, but that’s all done.” He leaned back and looked at her; then he cupped her cheeks in his palms. His eyes searched her face, as if he had only just seen her bruises. “Baby, what happened?” He kissed her forehead.
Her heart soared. “You love me?”
“More than I can express. Yes. I love you, every spec of you, from your kinky hair to the birthmark on the heel of your left foot,” he said.
“You noticed?” she asked.Gosh, I love you.
“The first time you wore flip-flops. It’s adorable.”
“You love me.”He does; he really does.“It was one thing to hear it when you were asking me to leave, but it’s a whole other thing to hear it now,” she said. “Tell me again.”
He looked into her eyes, and before the words came out, she could feel his love surrounding her like a cloak. “Lacy Snow, I love you, now and always. I adore you.”
“Oh, Dane. I love you, too,” she said. She kissed him then, wincing when he held her too tightly.
