Page 65 of Reuniting with Lucy

“I have a half a pack of crackers in my purse,” she said. “I’ll just keep nibbling on those. I usually don’t eat until later.”

“How long have you had morning sickness?”

“It comes and goes,” she said. “And it’s not that bad. Well, except the barfing. I really hate throwing up.”

“Understandable. Do you feel okay now?”

“Yes. Much better than earlier anyway.”

“Good,” he said, starting the engine. They drove in silence until he passed the street to her condo.

“Jack, you missed the turn,” she said. “I thought you were taking me home.”

“I just need to make one quick stop. Why don’t you lay your head back and close your eyes?”

Now that he mentioned it, resting her eyes did sound nice. “Fine,” she said, tipping her head back. She’d nodded off and came to once the truck stopped.

When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t tell where they were. It was a driveway, but one that wasn’t familiar to her. “Where are we?” she asked.

Instead of answering, Jack got out and jogged around to open her door. “I have a surprise for you. Will you close your eyes? I’ll help you.”

“Okaaay,” she said, grabbing his arm and closing her eyes.

He led her carefully along a walkway and helped her navigate a few stairs to the front door.

She heard him use a key to open a lock and allowed him to lead her into wherever they were. Finally, he stopped and told her to open her eyes. They stood in a big, beautiful home, but she still had no idea who it belonged to. “Um.”

“Come this way,” Jack said. “Maybe the view will jog your memory.”

She followed him to the rear of the house, which was almost entirely floor-to-ceiling windows. Before she even reached the sliding glass door, she could tell the view was spectacular. She did a double-take and finally realized where they were. She hadn’t seen the inside for a couple of years, but she’d looked at the pictures online enough to know.

“Is this my dream home?” she asked. “Why are we here? How do you have a key?”

“You were right. The view is spectacular.”

She opened the slider and stepped onto the huge wood deck. “Jack, you’re not answering me. What’s going on?”

“I bought it,” he said, taking her hands in his.

“You what?” she exclaimed. “Impossible. It wasn’t on the market. Kate would have told me.”

“That’s true. It never did go on the market.”

“Then how—”

From nowhere, her family started filing out of the house onto the deck with them. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?”

“Moral support,” Kate said.

“I appreciate that,” Lucy said. “But—”

“Not for you,” Lizzie said, shaking her head. “For that one.” She jerked her chin toward Jack.

“I made a deal with the devil for some help,” Jack said with a chuckle. “Well, several devils. They wouldn’t let me do this without them.”

“I am so confused,” Lucy said, still looking at her family. When she turned back to Jack, he was on one knee, holding up a little black box.

“Ah,” she screamed. Her mouth dropped open, and she slapped both hands to her cheeks. He was proposing?