“Really, guys?” Leeza’s voice echoed through the backyard and I groaned as I sat up and pulled away from Lucky. “Lucky, I don’t know how you were able to forgive him so easily.”
“Leeza…” Lucky’s voice held a warning.
“I’m just saying.” Leeza whined. “Are we going to go and do something today, or am I expected to sit at home and watch Maury and Days of Our Lives?”
“We can drive you around Los Angeles.” Lucky jumped up. “Is there anywhere you want to go specifically?”
“Beverly Hills, 90210.” Leeza’s voice was excited and I rolled my eyes.
“Leeza, can you give Lucky and me a moment please? I need to ask her something,” I said.
“Whatever.” She twirled around and walked back into the house.
“I know she’s your friend, Lucky, but she really annoys me.” I muttered as I watched her friend leave. Even though I knew Leeza wasn’t planning something with Evan, I still couldn’t stand her. I was hoping in my head that she was on her way back to Florida very soon.
“What did you want to ask me, Zane?” Lucky looked at me with a worried expression and my heart went out to her. I felt ashamed of myself for making her feel that way. I made a vow to myself that I wasn’t ever going to give her a heavy heart again.
“So, remember when I asked you about going to London?” I took her hands in mine and used my fingers to trace the lines in her palm.
“You mean the other day?”
“Yeah.” I nodded and watched her face, carefully. “So, I was thinking, what about it? We could go for the weekend - just you and me. We could just take a break away from everything and relax.”
“But, London?” She half-smiled, considering my proposition. “It just seems so far away.”
“I just want to take a trip away, you and me. Somewhere romantic.” A light bulb flashed in my head and I exclaimed. “Or we could go to Paris. See the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. We could eat French pastries in bed and shop along the Champs-Elysees.”
“Well, I don’t have money to shop, but I do love croissants.” She smiled at me. “And I’ve always wanted to go to Paris.”
“See? It was made to be. You, me, and Paris.” I kissed the tip of her nose and we walked back inside the house. “This is going to be the trip of a lifetime. I love the French. They are such a romantic and passionate people.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “We could learn a thing or two from them.” I winked at her and she blushed. I felt a secret thrill that I could still make Lucky’s cheeks redden with embarrassment.
“I don’t really know much about the French, aside from the fact that they love French fries and that they got rid of their monarchy during the French revolution.”
“I can’t say I know much more than you, but Noah was obsessed with all things French. One of his favorite movies was called Jules et Jim and he would make us watch it every few years.”
“Oh really?” Lucky gave me a peculiar look. “Was there a reason why Noah liked France so much?”
“Not that I know of.” I shrugged. “Noah was a man with eclectic tastes, not that you would have known that by the look of him.”
“Oh?”
“Most people looked at him and thought he was just a playboy.” I laughed. “I suppose that’s how you thought of me as well.”
“Well, I…I didn’t really know you well,” Lucky stuttered.
“It’s okay.” I stretched my arms and turned to her. “So are we down for Paris?”
“This weekend?” Her voice was hesitant, but I could sense the excitement in her tone.
“No time like the present.” I grinned.
She laughed. “I guess so.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” Her voice was small and I lifted her up and swung her around. We were both laughing, but as I set her down, she gave me a worried look. “Don’t ever lie to me again, Zane. I don’t think I can go through what I went through last night.”
“I am so …” I started, but she held her hand up to stop me.
“I know how important Noah was to you, and I know you have been after Braydon for the last year, but I hope this is the end of it, Zane. I’m not sure my heart, or my sanity, can continue on like this. And I don’t know if our relationship could get through one more hurricane.”
“For you, I’d weather any storm, my love.” I traced the lines around her eyes and it saddened me that I had made my Lucky cry. She was the woman who had snuck into my heart without me even knowing it. She was the woman that had made me believe in love and she had broken down my walls. She was the last person that I wanted to make sad. Seeing her cry for me made my heart break. I wanted to see her with a smile on her face. She was the one I should be making happy. She was the one I should be lifting up to the heavens. I vowed to myself that I was going to make sure that no more tears would be shed on my behalf.
Chapter 10
Lucky
My head was spinning like a yo-yo. The last few days had gone by in a blur and I still wasn’t sure how I felt about everything. I put on a good face for Zane because I knew he worried easily, but I still felt tense and worried. When I thought about what could have happened to him that night, I wanted to scream. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t told me what he was doing. It wasn’t even sure about Angelique, though I knew I would hate her for the rest of my life. I could get over the fact that he had slept with her, though I didn’t like it. It had been before we had got together and it wasn’t as if I didn’t have a past. But for him to have gone behind my back and been part of some big drug sting and not even think to give me the details—well that made my blood boil.
I knew that Zane thought he was trying to protect me, but I wanted this to be a partnership, a real twenty-first century partnership. I didn’t want to be stuck in the 1950s and in a relationship where Zane thought he was Ward Cleaver. I certainly didn’t want to be in a relationship where Zane was the provider and I spent all day cooking his meals. I had other plans and I didn’t want to give up my other dreams just because he was my dream man.
“This is our second plane ride together.” Zane beamed at me from his seat and winked. I knew he was trying his best to get things back to normal with me, so I tried my best to put on a good face.