Not like the house? Was he completely obtuse? How could he have missed her oohs, aaahs, and squeals of delight. Or the fact that she’d practically molested him with kisses and hugs in every room during the first walk through.
“I don’t want you to feel pressured, darlin’. If you don’t like the house, we don’t have to stay here. Gramps gave us the house because it’s his subtle way of hinting that he wants us close by so he can maximize his interference.”
“No,” she said more forcefully than she meant to. “No, the house… it’s perfect.” How could she explain it? “It’s just that…,” she trailed off, lost in thought.
It was all so much. Everything was happening so fast. And it was all going perfectly—almost too perfectly. Like a script that was straight out of the happily ever after fairy tale she’d been saving herself for all these years.
“Just what,” Luc prompted in a quiet voice.
Gracious, how could she explain it and make sense? One word at a time and hope he understood. “You, me, the house, the wedding, the dress, Texas… it’s all so… much.”
“But is it what you want?” He looked tense and nervous as he waited for her response.
“What I want? I hardly know what I want any more,” she answered with a shaky laugh. “It’s all just happening so fast.”
Luc seemed to relax some as he took her left hand in his. He ran his thumb over the ring on her finger before he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the ring. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Lucien, the wedding is tomorrow. We can’t cancel it. Your mother will kill us and your sisters would lose everything they hold dear.”
Another kiss and he laced their fingers together. “True, but it’s your wedding.”
“No, it’s our wedding. You get a say in this, too.”
“Darlin’, the wedding isn’t for me.” He gently urged her closer. “It’s for you. Since you said yes, it’s been for you and only you.”
“But your grandfather—”
“Elise, eleven days ago, I hated where my life was headed. The highlight of my days and nights were coming to work and being with you. But I’d made a commitment and I couldn’t walk away from it. No matter how much I wanted to. Then,” she heard the smile in his voice as he bowed his head and continued, “Moonbeam worked up a super-duper, whammy of a money spell and everything I dreaded went up in smoke right along with your computer.”
“You didn’t seem too happy about that at the time,” she reminded him.
“I wasn’t, but things change. Besides, it was magic from one pissed off pagan goddess. How was I supposed to react? Mother Nature was anything but subtle that day.” He raised his head, looking out to the street then back at her. “Darlin’, this is your wedding—your life. Make it be whatever you want it to be.”
“But what if—”
“No what ifs. No regrets. No cold feet. If you want the magic, then claim the magic. Gaia delivered that lightning bolt for you. Take it and make the most of it.”
Elise considered his words for a split second before she blurted out, “Why do I get the feeling you’ve had this talk before?”
“With three older sisters who struggled to get their way against an overbearing, over protective grandfather?” A bark of laughter and then he admitted, “Yeah, you could say I’ve had my fair share of delivering motivational pep talks on following your heart.”
There was something in his voice. A bitterness that was deep and well hidden. “But what about you? Who gave you the motivational pep talks on following your heart?”
He was silent for a long moment. “Lucy did,” he answered in a resigned, somber voice that made her heart ache. Before she could push him into explaining more, he cleared his throat and reached across her for the water bottle, then promptly changed the subject. “What time am I supposed to have you back for your bachelorette party?”
Ten days ago, Elise would have deemed his abrupt change of conversation as an attempt to keep her away, or worse, run from the depths of his own emotions. But after having watched the way he was with his sisters and, in particular, how gentle and doting he was with Lucy… she couldn’t push. When she’d first met Lucy, Elise had thought her kind, gentle nature was just that. But after spending time with her and listening to how devoted she was to the abused women’s charity she chaired, Elise suspected there was more to Lucy than anyone knew. And if she were a betting woman, she’d wager a year’s salary that Luc felt guilty for whatever hellacious event happened to Lucy.