Page 64 of Sprite Wedding
“She’s trying to break into your room!” Zoe called from below.
The sprites flew around Linda and the back yard. “It’s true” and “We saw her,” a few said. “We tried to stop her,” Marty added.
“What are you, you freaks!” she shouted at them.
My pulse raced. “I’ll be right down.”
By the time I dressed and ran out back, Linda had climbed down to the final few rungs.
“Why on earth did you do that?” I asked.
“I was coming to see you,” she said.
Oh, hell. She’d caused trouble when she’d come on to me at the club. That’s when Zoe and I argued, and I’d left. I’d better be direct tonight and not dance around hurt feelings, the same way Zoe told her ex.
“Linda, maybe I haven’t been clear before, but I’m telling you straight up—we will never be together.”
“But Lucas,” Linda protested, eyes watery. She climbed off the ladder.
“There are no buts. I’m in love with Zoe. She’s the only one for me, now and forever.”
Zoe stood near the ladder. When she caught my gaze, she smiled. I walked over to her and slung my arm around her waist. Then I turned back to Linda. “Zoe is the only woman I want in my bed and in my life. I am not the one for you, Linda. You will continue to bring yourself anguish by thinking there’s something between us. There isn’t. There never was. Zoe has my heart and soul. You need to find the one who’s right for you, but I promise you it’s not me. Now please leave and don’t come back.”
Linda’s face fell, and she crumbled. She walked away in tears. I felt bad. A big part of me wanted to run after her and console her, but that would be crueler in the long run. She had to know the truth to accept it and move on.
My heart slowed, and Zoe and I returned inside. I turned to her as we sat beside each other on the sofa. “You have to know I didn’t encourage that.”
“I know,” she said.
“I didn’t invite her here.”
Zoe smiled. “I believe you, Lucas.”
I exhaled with relief. “Oh, good. When I saw what was happening, I thought you’d think the worst of me.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Well, maybe I jumped to the worst conclusion for one second,” she admitted, “before I smartened up. I let my doubts get in the way before, thinking our relationship would play out the way mine had with Bryan. I worried you’d get bored with me, realizing I’m not exciting enough, and stray the way he had. But that was wrong of me. You’re not like him, and it’s not fair to think you’d act like him. I know you, Lucas, and I trust you.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “And most importantly, I love you.”
A coupleof weeks after the incident with Linda, I’d made up my mind. I’d been trying to avoid being spontaneous over an important, lifelong decision, but I’d wanted to propose to her since we’d returned from the cruise. It wasn’t a fluke thing. I wanted to marry my mate and live with her.
When Sebastian came over to grab a few things, he, Diego, and I played a video game. I had a hard time sitting still on the sofa and kept talking during the game.
“What’s up with you tonight?” Diego grumbled. “You can’t sit still or be quiet for more than two seconds. I liked you better in stone.”
“There’s something big on my mind,” I explained.
If there was anyone I’d talk to about this, it was these two. After all, they’d both taken the plunge and were happy thus far.
“Spit it out, sunshine,” Diego said.
“Fine. I want you to come somewhere with me,” I said.
“Stop asking us to go have an orgy at a sex club with you,” Diego quipped.
“Funny, but no. And never. You think I want to see you doing the horizontal tango?”
“No worse than seeing your bare ass in the kitchen when I come down for breakfast,” Diego grumbled.
“Where do you want to go?” Sebastian asked.
