“Lucas,” I said. But I hadn’t planned what to say next, and so I fell silent again.
He redirected his gaze from the ceiling to somewhere on my forehead. “Natalie.”
I approached slowly, uncertain of where this was going.
“Don’t worry, I won’t bite,” he said, and his sense of humor calmed my nerves and gave me the strength to take the final few steps between me and him. I reached the bed, plopping down gently beside him, careful not to touch him until he invited me to. I knew he sounded calm, but still I suspected he was upset with me, and I didn’t want to push my luck.
“You could’ve told me, you know,” he said, after a few moments. “I love Sophie.”
I looked at him, suddenly awash with guilt. “I know, Lucas. And she loves you, too. But I just…” I paused, unsure of how to articulate my reasoning. There had been many times when I’d wanted to tell him the truth yet hadn’t. What had stopped me was more a feeling than logic, and it was hard to use feelings as an adequate defense. So I reached for what I thought was the truth. “I just didn’t want you to think that what we had wasn’t real.”
He sat up, looking over at me. “Nat, what do you mean? Of course I know what we have is real.”
I looked away, focusing on a random point on the wall as I continued. “I know you do— now, anyway. But imagine if I’d told you right when we first reconnected. How do you think you would’ve reacted?”
After saying this, I looked back at him. His mouth was open, but no words came out. Then, his mouth fell shut. He nodded, softly, as if suddenly understanding. “I would’ve found it suspicious,” he admitted finally.
“Exactly. Think about it. Woman meets and sleeps with mysterious millionaire, only to reconnect with him after years of being a single mother to a child whose age happened to align with their encounter. Who wouldn’t jump on an opportunity like that?” I paused, making sure I covered all my bases. This was the moment to say everything I’d ever wanted to say to Lucas yet found myself utterly unable to. “And then we fell in love, and you and Sophie got on so well, and I thought, why not tell him now? But still I didn’t, because I was afraid—afraid that it would push you away, or that you’d resent me for lying to you, all those months. I knew I needed to tell you, and that you needed to know the truth, but I just… I just didn’t know how, Lucas. And I’m sorry.”
There was a silence. Then, Lucas grabbed my hand. “I understand, Natalie.”
“You do?” I looked into his eyes, and found he was looking intently into mine.
“I do,” he said, and then he kissed me.
This hadn’t been the outcome I’d anticipated. I suspected that we would work through things, but that it would take time and patience, and yet as soon as he began kissing me, I found myself wanting more. My hands wandered up and down his body, hungry for his warmth, greedy for his touch. He grabbed me firmly around the waist and pulled me in, gyrating his hips and rubbing his bulge against my front. I felt myself getting excited, my clit tingling, and before I could stop myself I rolled off of him and pulled off my pants. He did the same, the room suddenly alive with the sounds of belts and buttons and zippers undoing themselves, bringing our bodies closer together. And then, once we were both naked, we turned to face each other.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he told me.
And then, before I could respond, his tongue was all over my body. First on my neck, then trailing down my breasts, lingering on the nipples, and finally gliding over my soft belly and toward my groin. He looked up at me as he reached my clit, massaging it gently with his rough, hot tongue. I moaned, overwhelmed by the sensation, my head almost spinning. It was as if he understood my body completely, for in precisely the moment I was going to tell him I wanted to have sex, he flipped me onto my stomach and found his way into me. I relaxed, widening to accept his cock, and as he slid in and out of me I felt the walls of my vagina contract. I came, harder than ever before, and as Lucas pulled his penis out, glistening with my cum, he smiled proudly before sliding it expertly back in. It felt so good that I had to bite down on the pillow to keep from screaming and alarming the neighbors—even though I knew they were hundreds of feet away, still I suspected I might scream that loud, so pronounced was the pleasure.
I came several more times before Lucas did. He got up to fetch us a towel, and as he was returning from the ensuite I noticed his demeanor had shifted, almost imperceptibly. He wasn’t mad or concerned, but I could tell his mind had wandered elsewhere.
“What’s up?” I asked him, smiling from my position on the bed.
He broke out of his mental fog, smiling back at me. “Oh. Sorry, I was just thinking, I don’t like how we left things with my parents. Now that your parents have accepted me into their family, and I know that Sophie’s my daughter—” here he shot me a cheeky look, which melted my heart, “I think it’s only right that my family come to accept you as well.” He paused, but not long enough to suggest he anticipated a response. “That’s why we’re going to see them.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What, right now?”
He smiled. “Well, we should shower first… but after, yes.”
Running through my mental to-do list, I realized everything else had been checked off. Getting Daniel off my back, telling Lucas he was Sophie’s father, securing my parents’ approval: check, check, check. All that was left, it seemed, was to get into the Mendosas’ good graces. And so, I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
We showered together then quickly got dressed. Luckily, Lucas had bought me so many clothes during his trip to New York that I managed to keep a full wardrobe in the apartment even after bringing several outfits to his house. I opted for a modest dress, long-sleeved in beige and brown tones, pairing it with low, brown heels. It was neither too homely nor too provocative—just right for the occasion.
“I’m ready,” I called out to Lucas, who was already in the living room, as I descended the stairs.
He looked up at me, and I could swear I saw his eyes sparkle, as if he were beholding something precious and rare. Then, in a playful tone, he said, “I’ll bring the car right around, madame.” He came to meet me at the base of the staircase, took me tenderly by the arm, and guided us out of the house.
Despite it only being two hours away by car, I seldom visited Minneapolis—it wasn’t that I didn’t like the city, but circumstances never really brought me there. Since the flight I’d taken to Tala’s wedding in Seattle, I’d only returned once, and even then it had only been to renew my passport. But now, driving into it with Lucas, I felt as if I were seeing it through new eyes. The skyline glimmered, the tops of buildings coalescing with the gray-blue clouds, and the streets were abuzz with people, each living out their own story. My troubles felt so small then, and I took comfort in this.
We drove a few minutes more, deep into the heart of Minneapolis, when Lucas looked over at me. “Almost there,” he said. Then, in a more serious tone said, “How are you feeling?”
“A little nervous,” I told him. After all, I had remained silent during the last family confrontation, and even now I doubted my ability to speak up. And yet, I didn’t want Lucas to fight my battles for me. “Alright… a lot nervous,” I amended, smirking awkwardly.
Lucas smiled at me. “There’s nothing to worry about, I promise. Just remember that I’m on your side, and regardless of how things play out, I love you and want to be with you. If my family can’t accept that, then to hell with them. Alright?”
My awkward smirk transformed into a genuine smile. “Alright,” I said, resting a hand on his thigh. “I love you, Lucas.”