Lily Fields (Garden of Love 1) Page 6

  “I have something for you,” Cathy said, pulling an envelope out of her purse. “This is a small token of how much Tim and I appreciate you, Lily.”

  “Ohh, you didn’t have to do that,” Lily said, taking the card from her.

  “Knowing Max is in such good hands here with you is one of our greatest blessings. You are an answer to many prayers.”

  Lily was touched by her words. One of her goals in life was to bless others however she could, and knowing she was currently doing that for Max and his parents gave her great joy.

  “Thank you,” Lily replied. “I’m happy to be a part of your lives. Max is blessed to have you and Tim as parents.”

  She sincerely meant that. She knew Cathy and Tim saw Max the same way she did: not as a mistake, but as a special gift.

  “Mommy!” Max called out, running to Cathy’s side.

  “What, sweetheart?”

  “I got two cookies!”

  “Great, honey! Go sit down and eat them, okay?”

  “Okay,” Max replied, giggling and dashing back to his seat.

  Turning back to Lily, Cathy commented on Max’s speech. “It’s amazing how much better he’s speaking. That was a complete sentence, and have you noticed that he’s been saying ‘I’ instead of ‘Max’ when he talks about himself?”

  “He started that out of the blue about a week ago,” Lily replied. “Isn’t it funny how all of the sudden things will click for him?”

  Cathy nodded. “I’ll never forget the day he started talking. He hadn’t spoken a word for three years of his life, and then one day I was talking to his baby sister in a sing-song like voice, and he started repeating me. One day he wasn’t speaking, and the next he could say everything under the sun.”

  Lily had to help Mrs. Stewart with getting the children ready to go home. She tucked the unopened card in the pocket of her coat and kept busy for the remaining fifteen minutes of class. She gave Max an extra-long hug before he left with his mother.

  “Bye, Miss Sulwivin,” he replied. “I yove you.”

  “I love you too, Max. See you in two weeks.”

  After helping Rita clean up the mess from the party, Lily gathered her things and headed for the parking lot. She was surprised to find Devin waiting for her outside.

  “Hey, don’t you have a plane to catch?” she said, checking her watch.

  “I’m going straight to the airport from here,” he said, walking beside her to the car. “I thought I’d wait a few minutes and see if I might get a chance to tell you good-bye.”

  She thought about the kiss he had given her the previous evening and almost said, You did a fine job of that last night, but she restrained herself.

  “I hope you have a nice time,” she said instead. “When are you getting back?”

  “The Friday before school starts.”

  She tried to think if she had any plans for that weekend, having a feeling about what Devin might ask.

  “I had a nice time last night, Lily. Any chance you might want to do that again?”

  She unlocked her car door but looked back at him before opening it. “I’d like that, Mr. Taylor.”

  He smiled. “I’ll call you when I get back.”

  She returned his smile. He backed away and gave her a casual wave. “Merry Christmas, Miss Sullivan.”

  “Merry Christmas,” she replied.

  Getting into her car and escaping the chilly winter wind, Lily let the reality sink in that Devin wanted to take her out again sometime. She had been swooning over him for the past two years, but now she found herself wanting to really get to know him.

  Her last romance had been short-lived, only four months. She and Alan had gone out a lot and had some fun times together. He had tried to teach her to rock-climb in an indoor rock gym, and water-ski in the chilly Columbia River. She had enjoyed trying new things, but his interests were a bit beyond her. His excitement about spending the afternoon at a bookstore or the library was equally as thrilling for him.

  But in all the time they had spent together, she found she hadn’t gotten to know him very well. What made him laugh, what made him cry, what his dreams were, how he felt about God and spiritual matters. She knew he went to church, but that was about all. Other than Marty, she didn’t feel that she had ever gotten to know a guy’s heart. That’s what she found herself wanting with Devin, and she hoped the new year would bring them some time together where she could do that.

  Lily was looking forward to her evening with Marty, but her hopes of spending any time with him as anything but an old friend had dwindled significantly in the last twenty-four hours. The possibility of them actually getting back together seemed unrealistic. His life had taken him to the mission field in Africa. She continued to feel her place was right here in Oregon, especially after Cathy Harris’ comments today.

  She opened the card she’d been given and found a nice note about her being an answer to their prayers as Cathy had commented, along with a generous gift card for one of her favorite clothing stores. Yes, her life here seemed to have a special purpose, and she had no desire to let go of that.

  She expected to have a nice time with Marty tonight but knew it was probably better to put any idea of romance between them on the shelf of the past where it belonged. Deciding to go casual for their dinner date later, Lily chose her jeans from her drawer and slipped on a cable-knit sweater when it was time to get ready. She didn’t bother with make-up. Marty had always preferred the natural look. She couldn’t resist spraying her neck with her favorite perfume, however.

  He arrived on time, and they left for a nearby pizza place she suggested. Any nerves she had about seeing him again disappeared within the first five minutes. This was her old friend, Marty Graham. She had always felt at ease with him, and tonight was no different. After dinner he offered to take her to a movie or something, but she said she would rather go back to her place and talk. He agreed that sounded better.

  “I’m glad you called me,” she said as they walked back to her apartment. The wind had mostly subsided, and they didn’t hurry.

  “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to,” he replied.

  “Why would you think that?”

  He shrugged. “Not hearing from me for so long, I thought you might rather keep me a nice memory.”

  “Well, you are a nice memory, but it’s good to see you again. You haven’t changed. Have I?”

  He gave her a contemplative glance. “Not really,” he replied with a smile. “A little more confident, I think.”

  She supposed that was true. Her self-esteem had always been a struggle, but in the last few years she had learned to remind herself she was a unique creation of God and that made her a person of great worth, even if she didn’t have the face and body of a model.

  Marty appeared to have something else to say. He smiled and stopped his stride. She turned back to him and couldn’t read the expression on his street-lamp lit face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You were beautiful at twenty, Lily, but now you are--” he hesitated, searching for the right word.

  She waited for him to finish, feeling a smile emerge. No guy had ever looked at her the way Marty had all those years ago, and now here he was again.

  “You’re luminous,” he finished, making her heart rate increase a tad. His voice had softened, reminding her of the way he had often spoken to her while they were dating.

  Not knowing how to respond, she remained silent. He began walking again, and neither of them said anything until they reached her door.

  “I’m sorry, Lily,” he said, placing his hand on her back as she turned the key in the lock.

  She looked back at him in surprise. “For what?”

  “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “You didn’t,” she replied, expressing her sincerity with a smile. “I’ve always appreciated your compliments. They’ve had a good affect on my--what did you call it?--confidence?”

  She stepped inside
and he followed. Removing her shoes, she excused herself to go use the bathroom and returned to find him looking at one of the many sets of family photos she had scattered around the room. She lit some candles and turned off the bright overhead light but left the lamp beside the couch on, giving the room a nice homey glow.

  Stepping away from the armoire by the window overlooking the street, Marty came to join her on the couch. They continued to talk about their lives, old memories, recent events, family, other relationships they'd both had. Marty didn’t sound like he’d been in love since they had parted ways. Lily knew she hadn’t either.

  When nine o’clock came and went, Lily decided to go make them some homemade hot chocolate and cheese quesadillas, one of their favorite snacks from their college days. Marty followed her into the kitchen and searched her refrigerator for the ingredients while she put some milk into a pan and placed it on the stove.

  Laying the tortillas and cheese on the counter, Marty opened the packages while she searched for the cheese slicer. Having Marty here rummaging around in her kitchen seemed strange. Back when they were dating, they had always been under their parents’ close eyes whenever they spent time together like this. But they weren’t teenagers anymore.

  She had been on her own for several years, and he had been on the other side of the world. They didn’t have anyone looking over their shoulders tonight. Whatever they did was entirely up to them. And although the guy in her apartment was an old friend, Marty was also a very handsome man. A man she had once had some strong desires for. She still felt her heart race whenever he stood close to her.

  By the time they had their creations assembled and heated in the microwave, the milk was hot and ready for the sugar and cocoa to be added. Stirring the warm milk until it became a creamy chocolate color, she poured the hot beverage into two mugs and led the way to the living room.

  They returned to the couch, placing their hot drinks on the round coffee table and sharing the plate of hot quesadillas. After a few minutes Marty moved closer and turned to face her. Neither of them spoke. Lily took a sip of her hot chocolate and let the mug warm her cool hands, avoiding Marty’s eyes that were only about eight inches away. Marty reached out to brush a loose strand of hair away from her forehead, then took the warm cup from her and placed it on the table.

  Taking her hands into his, he searched her face. She had seen that look before. He was giving something serious consideration before moving ahead. She held her breath, waiting to see what his decision would be. He slowly leaned toward her and kissed her forehead, the end of her nose, and her right cheek.

  “I’ve missed you, Lily,” he whispered and moved his lips to her own, kissing her with both gentleness and passion that took her heart by storm. Pulling her closer to him, Marty made his renewed feelings for her quite clear. There was no mistaking his desire for her, and she responded easily to him.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “I never stopped. Marry me, Lily.”

  She was tempted to say yes. She was very tempted. She had missed him too. She had never stopped loving him either. Her first love. Her only love. And he still wanted her. He wanted her to be his wife. She had been waiting for someone to ask her that for a very long time.

  But as much as she didn’t want to, Lily knew she had to give herself some breathing room and take time to think before she spoke. Gently she pushed Marty away.

  “Marty,” she said. “Hold on a second. I think I need some time to figure out what’s going on here and how I feel about it. I wasn’t expecting this.”

  He laughed softly. “I wasn’t planning for this to happen either.”

  She enjoyed the feeling of being held in his arms as much as she had back when they were teenagers, possibly even more. Not once in two years of dating had he ever tried to go beyond kissing, but the kiss he had just given her was more intense than any they had shared back then. Thus the reason for stopping him: It scared her.

  “Are you still in love with me, Lily?”

  “I don’t know,” she replied, looking into his eyes once again. “Is this why you came to see me in the first place?”

  “No. I saw your mom at the old church when I went to visit and thought, ‘Hey, I should find out what Lily’s up to these days.’ When I asked about you, she ended up inviting me to dinner and I thought that would be nice to see you again and get caught up on each other’s lives,” he said, giving her a crooked smile. “The problem was I expected my old friend Lily Sullivan to show up, not the even more beautiful twenty-seven-year-old version.”

  She knew Marty wasn’t trying to flatter her. He had always told her he thought she was beautiful, and somehow she knew he meant it.

  “And tonight?”

  He smiled. “I didn’t plan for this to happen, but I’ll admit the thought crossed my mind a time or two.”

  He kissed her again, more slowly and tenderly than before. More like he had when they were nineteen. This time she didn’t push him away but let the kiss end naturally.

  “Do you think you could leave your life here behind?” he asked.

  She smiled. “To follow you to the ends of the earth, you mean?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I certainly would give it serious consideration.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder and tried to sort through her thoughts and feelings, but it was difficult to think straight at the moment.

  “I think I better go now,” Marty said after a minute of them sitting quietly with one another. “Is that okay, or do you want to talk about this right now?”

  “It’s fine,” she replied. “I need to think about something besides you kissing me again.”

  He laughed softly. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Marty promised to call tomorrow and gave her one last kiss at the door. After he was gone, Lily began to pray. She was willing to follow Marty to the ends of the earth if that’s what God had for her. But at the moment she had no idea if that was the case.

  Lily couldn’t help but think these years apart from each other had been good. It had given them both a chance to find what they wanted out of life and what God had for them as individuals. And she hoped that would help in making the right decision about their future together.

  True to his word, Marty called her the following morning and they spent the entire day together. During his stay in The States, he was living with his parents in Salem, an hour south of Portland. His dad had gone to pastor a church there after leaving the one Lily had grown up attending with her family.

  “What made you go visit the old church? Did your mom talk you into coming to see me?” she teased, sitting across the table from him that evening as they waited for their food to be served. They had been reminiscing about the past and how thrilled their moms had been at their success with getting them together.

  “I went there to do a missions presentation,” he replied. “But my mom did ask me about you, wondered if you were married. She said she hadn’t talked to your mom for a couple of years. I said I didn’t know. I thought for sure you would be.”

  “My mom said you were cute when you asked about me at church,” she said, fingering the cross pendant on her necklace.

  He blushed. “When I didn’t see you there, I thought for sure it was because you were married, but I knew I couldn’t leave without asking.”

  “I’m glad you did.”

  “Me too,” he replied. “How long have you been going to the church downtown?”

  “About three years,” she said, removing her fingers from her necklace. “I started going there because they have such a large singles group. It’s helped me to feel less like an oddball for not being married by now.”

  “We’re only twenty-seven.”

  “I know, but most of the friends I grew up with are married. And the people at church were always asking me when I was going to get married or if I was seeing anyone “special.” I got so I didn’t even
want to go to church, and I knew that wasn’t right, so I found someplace else to go. I like it. You should see if you can do a presentation there. I think they’re having a missions conference next month. I bet you’d get lots of support.”

  Their server came with their salad and bread, interrupting their conversation momentarily. She was reminded of how they had always been able to talk nonstop, and she thought about what a perfect day this had been. She had helped Marty with some of his Christmas shopping this morning, and he had asked her to point out some things she wanted. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of money to be spending on her, she had kept her choices simple: an inexpensive sweater, some pretty earrings that weren’t too pricey, a CD and some books she wanted. She really didn’t care if he got her anything. Having him here was enough of a Christmas gift.

  After lunch they had gone ice skating at the mall. It was something they had done back in college, and the rink brought back some good memories. Then they had gone for another walk along the waterfront, talking and enjoying being together.

  One of the things she discovered throughout the day was they had both changed more during the last seven years than she originally thought. Mostly in positive ways. It was like getting to know Marty all over again--and falling in love with him all over again.

  Marty spent the night with an old friend who lived only a few blocks away from her apartment. In the morning he came to meet her, and they walked to church together. Lily was eager for her friends to meet Marty, and everyone welcomed him easily, although Josie appeared a bit perplexed when she introduced him as Marty instead of Devin. Lily tried to give her an I’ll explain later look, and Josie recovered quickly. Mark had to work today, so Josie sat with them during class and also during the morning worship service.

  Marty enjoyed the music and said he understood why she liked it here. The pastor’s message focused on Jesus’ birth and why He had come to earth. Lily had heard the story many times, from her earliest days in Sunday school, but she found herself marveling at the amazing thought of God coming to earth as a baby. It seemed incomprehensible, and downright unbelievable, and yet her heart knew it was true. She had never doubted the existence of God. His love had always been a part of her heart.