Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Hey, Natalie! Thanks for meeting me here, rather than having me pick these up at your place."

I smile at Brad and give him a swift hug. We are meeting at Starbucks so I can give him his finished photos to add to his portfolio before he goes on some auditions this afternoon.

We sit at a table with our drinks as he pages through them.

"Wow, you're really good."

"I had a good subject." I wink at him and take a sip of my coffee. The days are getting cooler and rainier as fall approaches, and I'm thankful for the warm mocha.

Brad smiles shyly and continues to look through his photos. "You make me look good. When can I schedule another shoot?"

"Well, Brad, that could be an issue." I grimace and think of Luke. Hell, Luke wouldn't even like it if he knew I was having coffee with Brad.

"Oh?" he raises an eyebrow.

"My boyfriend doesn't like for me to shoot single men on my own. It's mainly a safety issue for him." I shrug and smile apologetically.

"I'd never hurt you, Nat." Brad frowns and I feel like shit.

"I know that. Maybe I could arrange for Jules to be there too, so we aren't alone. Luke would probably be okay with that."

"That's fine. You just do great work. I'm sorry if I was too forward before. You're beautiful, and I'd be stupid not to try, but I understand that you're not on the market. It's cool. I'll talk with him if you want." Brad looks so sincere and I pat his shoulder.

"Thanks. We'll figure it out."

"Natalie?"

I glance up into familiar blue eyes and my heart sinks into my stomach. "Hello, Samantha."

"I thought that was you." Her eyes shine shrewdly as she looks Brad over, then back at me and I want to shrink. Fuck! Of all the people to see me here with Brad!

"Will we be seeing you Saturday night at Mom and Dad's party?" She asks, a fake smile on her pretty face.

"Yes, Luke and I will be there."

"I'll see you then." She saunters out of the coffee house and I groan, hanging my head in my hands.

"Who was she?"

"Luke's sister."

"She sure doesn't like you."

I look up at him and chuckle. "No, she doesn't."

"Why?"

"Long story. I'm glad you like your shots. I'll let you know when I've had a chance to talk to Jules and Luke about setting up another appointment."

"Okay, cool. Hey, I mean it, I'll talk to Luke if it will help and let him know that I'm not into you like that."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the coffee."

"My pleasure."

Shit.

How in the hell am I going to explain to Luke about meeting up with Brad today? I know Sam will say something to him, and I pray she hasn't called him before I get home to tell him myself. Luke's really possessive where Brad is concerned, and I know I should have run it by him ahead of time, but it just seemed silly to have to ask permission to meet with a client in a public place.

I think I'm going to be in trouble. Maybe I can distract him with sex.

"Honey, I'm home!" I let myself into the house, using the key he gave me when we returned home from Tahiti.

"In the office," he calls back.

I set my handbag on the couch and carry two large, heavy shopping bags back to his office.

He greets me with a warm smile and then he raises his eyebrows in surprise when he sees the bags. "What's in there?"

"I did a little something for your parents' anniversary." I smile at him, nervous.

"You did?" He grins, delighted with me. "What is it?"

"Well, I had some help from your dad this week." I begin pulling out frames. There are eight of them. "I asked him for photos of just him and your mom every five years they've been married, beginning with their wedding photo."

Pulling the last of the frames out, I arrange them on Luke's desk. His eyes skim over them, and then settle on the last one.

"I made their wedding photo and this one I took at my birthday party the biggest two, and the others can be arranged around them."

He picks up the photo I took at the party and he stares at it for a long time. They had been posing for me, all stiff smiles and bodies, and Luke had made a joke about something, sending us all into giggles. In this photo, Lucy is laughing into the camera and Neil is smiling down at her, his face close to hers, and the love moving between them is touching.

It's my favorite photo of the day.

"You're so talented, baby. They're going to love these. My mom will hang them in the family room." He sets the frame on the desk and pulls me to him, kissing me in that soft way he does that makes me all weak in the knees.

"I hope they like them."

"You're so sweet. You didn't have to do this. I already put both our names on the gift I got them."

"I know." I hug him tight and bury my face in his chest. "But I wanted to do something nice for them. I've grown very fond of your parents. I put both our names on this too."

I feel him smile against my head.

"What did you get them, anyway?"

"We"—he stresses the word and I smile—"Got them a second honeymoon in the South of France."

"Of course we did." I laugh and kiss his sternum.

"Is that funny?"

"No." I pull back and look up at his impossibly handsome face. He didn't shave this morning, and I rub my hand down his cheek, enjoying the roughness. "I love how generous you are."

He shrugs and looks uncomfortable. "They deserve it."

"Yes, they do."

"Have you decided what you're wearing Saturday?" he asks as I gather the frames back into their bags.

"Yeah, I picked something up the other day when Jules and I took Stacy shopping. Thank you again for including Jules' family. They're excited to go."

"My parents really enjoyed themselves with Jules' family. They'll be happy to have them there."

"Do you have lots of work today?" I ask, steeling myself to tell him about Brad.

"No, I'm done. You?"

"I just so happen to have a clear calendar for the rest of the day."

"Hmm...what can we do with a whole day off in the rain?" He raises a finger to his lips and pretends to be thinking really hard and I laugh, but then remember that there is somewhere I need to be, and my mood shifts, and Brad and meeting with Sam is the furthest thing from my mind.

"Actually, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I do have to run an errand." I look down at my hands and then back at him, biting my lip.

"Okay, do you want company?"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"I always want to be with you. Where are you going?" He looks concerned, leaning back on his desk, his arms crossed over his chest.

"The cemetery." I shrug nervously.

"Why?"

"I only go twice a year, on my birthday, which I missed this year because my incredibly sexy boyfriend whisked me away to a tropical paradise." I grin sassily at him and he grins back. "And on their birthday."

"Their birthday?" He asks, confused.

I nod. "They shared a birthday, exactly three years apart. They always made a big deal of it, with a big party or a fun trip somewhere. They always made sure to include me, and so I want to always remember it for them." The last few words are a whisper.

He crosses to me and kisses my forehead. "Let's go."

Melancholy settles over me as we get closer to the cemetery. We took my car since I know where to go in the large graveyard, and I just needed something to occupy my mind.

Luke will most likely drive home.

"I'm sorry, honey, but this might turn into a sad day for me. I don't dwell on this often, but I'm usually not good company after I've been here."

He kisses my fingers gently and sighs heavily. "I wish you never had to go through this, Nat. It's something I can't fix for you, and I would do anything if I could."

"I know," I whisper.

I park on the single-lane paved driveway a few rows back from my parents' large headstone. After getting out of the car, I reach in the backseat for two bouquets of flowers, lilies for my dad and sunflowers for my mom. They were her favorite.

I walk over to where they rest; Luke walks just a couple paces behind me, giving me space. He always knows what to do to comfort me. I'll have to thank him later.

This section of the cemetery sits up on a hill with a great view of downtown, the Space Needle, and the Sound. I gaze around me, taking in their view, and then turn back to the large, black marble headstone.

I kneel before it, not caring about the wet ground, and brush leaves and grass off the base, cleaning it up, keeping myself busy and my eyes averted from their names and dates of birth and death. I place the flowers beneath their names and then sit back on my heels and look up.

CONNER is written in big, bold letters across the top, their names and dates are below. Written in script below that is I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

I lean forward and place my palms flat on the smooth, cold marble over each of their precious names and close my eyes, letting the memories flood my mind.

Luke kneels next to me and places his hand on the center of my back.

"Talk about them, baby." His voice is rough and he's rubbing my back gently.

I don't look at him, I just keep my eyes closed and my hands on the stone, but I find myself talking.

"My mom loved to bake. We would bake cookies every weekend, even when I was in college. She was pretty and she hugged me all the time." The tears are flowing now, running unchecked and unheeded down my face, mixing with the rain falling around us.

"She had an MBA from Stanford, but rather than leave me in day care, she chose to stay home and raise me herself. And she always told me that it was the best thing she ever did and that she was so thankful for the opportunity to care for me and my dad.

"She was so smart and funny and she was my best friend." I whisper and brush the tears off my cheeks before returning my hand back to the marble.

"My dad was funny too, but in more of a dry way. He was crazy about my mom. The sun rose and set with her as far as he was concerned. He spoiled her incessantly, which is one of the things that reminds me of him when I think of you." I smile to myself.

"No matter how hectic his job got, he always came home to us, every night. He was a ruthless business man, but he was the gentlest man I'd ever known. And when it was time to defend his daughter, he was voracious and tenacious and there was no stopping him."

"They were the center of my world." I hang my head in my hands now, rocking back and forth, letting the grief settle over me. Luke wraps his arms around me and settles me against his chest, rocking me back and forth, murmuring words I don't understand against the top of my head. He kisses me and tells me he's sorry.

Finally, when there are no more tears left, I wipe my nose on my sleeve and look at the black stone, reading their names and dates and the inscription below.

"They would have also been married thirty five years this year."

He gasps and kisses my head again.

"They tried to conceive me for seven years. They tried everything, but it never worked, so they gave up and resigned themselves to the idea of not having kids at all, or maybe adopting later. My mom got a partnership at a firm and their lives were taking a very non-child-conducive path.

"And then suddenly, in the eighth year, she got pregnant. She almost lost me at five months, and endured many months of bed rest, but here I am, safe and sound."

"Thank God," Luke whispers.

"I miss them." I begin to weep again.

"I know, baby."

We kneel there, on the wet ground with the rain falling on us for a long time. It feels like hours, but it might only be minutes. Finally, Luke stands and lifts me into his arms, cradling me against his chest and takes me to the car. He buckles me into my seat and kisses my forehead. As he walks to the driver's side, I pull my knees up and wrap my arms around them, pulling myself into a ball and cry all the way home.

Luke carries me inside and up to his bedroom. I'm not crying anymore, but I'm exhausted, my eyes hurt, and I'm just sad.

He sets me gently on the side of the bed and takes my shoes off for me.

"Stand up, baby." I comply and he takes my dirty jeans off. "Arms up," he says and pulls my shirt over my head.

He takes my bra off and grips my shoulders in his hands, guiding me back down to the bed. He walks to a dresser and pulls out a white T-shirt, moves back to me and slips it over my head. He strips out of his own dirty clothes and grabs a fresh T-shirt and pajama pants.

Luke pulls the covers on the bed back, and lifts me into it.

"It's the middle of the day," I protest, but he kisses my forehead and runs his fingers down my cheek.

"Take a nap. You're wrung out, baby. I'm going to grab my laptop and sit with you, okay?"

"Thank you." I grip his hand and bring it to my face, nuzzling his palm. "Thank you for today. I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you." I feel the tears start again and I'm mortified.

"Hey, hush, baby." He's kissing my forehead and cheek, rubbing his free hand soothingly up and down my back. "Nothing's going to happen to me. Go to sleep. I'll be right back."

He pulls out his phone and turns it off and does the same to mine, pulls the covers around my shoulders and walks out of the room.

A few minutes later he's back with a large bottle of water and his laptop.

He crawls onto the bed next to me and I turn so I'm facing him. Lifting his hand, he brushes my hair back with his fingers and smiles at me softly.

"I love you, beautiful girl. Get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours."

"Okay." I whisper and close my eyes, enjoying the rhythmic caresses of Luke's fingers in my hair and drift to sleep.