The Merger

Chapter 42

Talia

"Lucas, you're scaring me. What did Gary say?"

Lucas was now leading Talia through the house, away from the party. The chatter grew quieter as he led her up the stairs. Some lights were on, but the hallways were dim and deserted.

When Talia had first seen Lucas and Gary talking, she decided to observe from a distance. So many questions had gone off in her mind and she needed to assess what the hell was happening. Except when Debra had caught her and started talking to her again, Talia missed a lot of it. When she was finally able to glance back, it looked like a bomb had gone off between the men standing around in a circle. Carefree Lucas had looked like he was turning into Begging For Another Lawsuit Lucas.

With each step through the house, her heart picked up speed. Lucas guided her to a room that could only be his bedroom. The shelves carried various golf paraphernalia and the desk on the side of the room had a couple of finance books stacked on top of it. But Talia didn't have time to look around. She glanced back at Lucas who scowled like someone had chopped off his leg.

"What's wrong, babe? What did Gary say to you?" She placed her hands on the sides of his face and he closed his eyes. "Talk to me, Lucas. Please?"

Seeing Gary again hadn't bothered her as much as she thought it would have. For years she'd wondered what it would be like to come face to face with him again. But all her heart had longed for at that moment was to take care of Lucas and shield him from whatever was happening.

Lucas took a deep breath before opening his eyes, causing something to twist in Talia's gut. "He was just being a prick, talking shit about you."

She released the breath she was holding and chuckled. That's it? "Well, that's nothing new. I'm surprised you didn't kick his ass." She smirked as she wrapped her arms around him. He was still tense and her smile faltered.

"Tal, I have-"

"Lucas, I need to-" she started to say at the same time Lucas spoke. She paused and leaned back smiling. "You go first."

His head shook. "Please. You go."

Talia stepped back and tried to steady her breath. Sweat swam across her palms and her heart drummed loudly. The weight of her next words grew heavy on her chest and if she didn't get them out they'd likely break her ribs.

"I love you, Lucas."

His eyes flared and eyebrows shot up. She grabbed onto the sides of his arms and gulped. It was as if she was skydiving out of an airplane. She had two options - scream and freak the hell out as she fell closer to a potential death or squeal from the adrenaline rush of being free and weightless. The latter option was much more appealing.

"Lucas, I love you so much. Everything you said the other day, I feel the exact same. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure my shit out. I'm sorry I didn't see how amazing you've been all this time." A small smile grew over Lucas' lips, feeding her resolve to continue. "I've missed all the signs but they've been there all along. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I can't imagine my life without you."

A tear slipped down her cheek and Lucas quickly moved his thumb over it.

"I want to be with you. I want you to meet my dad and my brothers. You've supported me even when we didn't get along. I've been so blind. I want you to be mine officially if you'll still have me?"

Lucas' silence filled her stomach with dread. She had never said these words to anyone in her life and there was a slim chance Lucas had moved on.

"Tal," he whispered as glassiness covered his eyes. She couldn't tell if he was happy or sad while she held her breath for his response. A tear dropped as he closed his eyes and it was as if a dagger pierced her heart.