Lessons Learned (29 page)

Was that even allowed? I had no idea, and I certainly couldn’t ask Principal Mullins. His frosty glare had greeted me in the office this morning, pretty much reaffirming my belief I’d be looking for a new job next year.

Sighing heavily, I closed my eyes and rolled my head from side-to-side. It was my vain attempt to relieve the tension that always seemed to settle in my shoulders whenever I thought about Matt, the principal, or my future unemployment.

Suddenly, my hair was being pushed to one side, and I smiled when his gentle hands settled along my neck.

“How do you always know when I need your hands on me?”

Lucas laughed softly.

“Maybe I just always need my hands on you,” he whispered, massaging my aching shoulders.

I hummed contently. “Maybe that’s why we’re so perfect for each other.”

“Maybe so.”

The tension of the day slipped away as his touch continued working its magic. Grabbing his hand, I kissed the back of his knuckles before twisting around in my seat. After glancing over my shoulder to make sure we were alone, I playfully tugged his tie and pulled his body toward mine. He took the hint and lowered his head, kissing me softly.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. Feel better?”

“Much.”

He grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it closer to the computer. “Have you eaten lunch?”

“Not yet,” I replied, glancing at my screen. “I was actually just checking my email.”

“Did you get a message from Debbie Stuart?”

I nodded.

“Me too. What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly. “I mean, I’d love to help Matt. I’m just not sure if it would even be allowed, and Principal Mullins hates me as it is.”

Lucas shrugged. “I really don’t know what he could say. It’s our personal time, and it wouldn’t be on school grounds.”

I grabbed his hand, squeezing it softly.

“I think you should talk to Principal Mullins. Make sure it’s okay before you say yes.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t expect to be rehired, anyway. What more could he possibly do to me?”

Lucas carefully searched my face. “You’re really worried about your job, aren’t you?”

“I am non-tenured, and I was insubordinate. If he wants rid of me, he has the perfect excuse to do so.”

“But you’re a good teacher, Sarah.”

“Good teachers get fired all the time.”

He considered this before sighing softly.

“What would we do?” Lucas suddenly asked, his voice low and gentle.

“What do you mean?”

“If you don’t get rehired.” His eyes fixated on my left hand. I watched, fascinated, as his pinky gently stroked my bare ring finger. “Where would we go?”

Where would we go?

There was no question about it. I’d have to leave Sycamore Falls. I didn’t have a mortgage, but I’d still need to work, and there were zero jobs in our little town. Besides, I wanted to teach, and if the only high school in town refused to rehire me, I was out of luck.

“You wouldn’t have to go anywhere. You’ll be rehired, Lucas. Your evaluations have been great and the principal loves you.”

He looked up at me with his big blue eyes and shook his head.

“How is it possible you still completely underestimate my feelings for you?”

I blinked rapidly.

“I don’t. I know how much you love me.”

“Do you really?”

“Of course I do,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “I just don’t expect you to quit your job and follow me wherever I go.”

“Would you do it for me?”

“Absolutely,” I answered without hesitation.

He smiled and tugged my hand, pulling me out of my chair and into his lap. I looked nervously toward the door and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Wherever you are is where I want to be,” Lucas whispered. “I’d follow you anywhere, Sarah.”

“But you love it here.”

“I love you more.”

He made it sound so simple.

I gently cupped his cheek, and without giving one glance toward the door, I brushed my lips against his.

Maybe it
was
just that simple.

The next morning, I was awakened by warm lips brushing across my cold shoulder, causing me to shiver and reach blindly for my blanket.

“Wake up, baby,” Lucas whispered against my skin. “There’s something you have to see.”

Groaning, I opened my eyes, expecting to have to shield my eyes from the sunlight. Instead, a pale, wintry light streamed through the windows. I shuddered again, and Lucas’s body covered mine.

“Am I dreaming?” I murmured as his lips nuzzled my neck.

“You’re wide awake, Sarah.”

“But you didn’t spend the night.”

“I know. I used my key,” he said softly, gliding his nose along mine. “I really want to show you something.”

I grinned and tilted my pelvis toward his.

He smirked. “Not
that
.”

I pouted.

“Okay, maybe
that,
but first things first.” Lucas crawled off the bed and pulled me upright.

“What time is it? Are we late for school?”

Grinning widely, he tugged me by the hand until I was standing on the floor. Following him over to the window, I couldn’t contain my excited gasp when I looked outside.

A blanket of beautiful snow covered the earth, and it was still falling.

“No school today,” he murmured against my ear.

“Oh!”

Mountain snow was just as pretty as I remembered it. Everything shimmered, and I had to blink rapidly so my eyes could adjust to the glistening white.

“The roads are terrible,” Lucas said. “I’d never driven in snow before. It was definitely an experience.”

I peered through the frosty glass. “How much is out there?”

“About four inches. We’re supposed to get another three by tonight.”

“That means no school tomorrow, either.”

“Wow, schools rarely close in New York.” His lips brushed against my ear. “Are you smiling, Miss Bray?”

“I am, Mr. Miller.” Slowly, I turned around in his arms. “You braved the icy roads just to be snowed-in with me?”

“Of course. It’s our first snow day.”

I smiled. “We just had our first Thanksgiving. Pretty soon it’ll be our first Christmas.”

“That’s a lot of
firsts
.” His eyes then flickered with emotion as his voice became a whisper. “The first of many, I hope.”

Gently, I pulled him toward the bed. Lucas fell back against the mattress as I crawled over his body, my hair falling around us when I teased his lips with mine. His quiet groan vibrated through me as we slowly undressed each other. Goosebumps erupted on my flesh, but I hardly noticed. All I could feel was the warmth of his body against mine as we made love in the early morning light.

It was only later, after he’d drifted off to sleep in my arms, did the enormity of his words weave their way into my heart.

The first of many.

His words were thrilling because I knew, deep in my soul, they weren’t
just
words. It was also terrifying, for that very same reason.

Lucas was ready for more.

Was I ready to give it to him?

As if he sensed my anxiety, his arm tightened around my waist. I closed my eyes and forced myself to focus on the man whose head was snuggled against my chest. I concentrated on the warmth of his breath against my skin and the quiet peacefulness of his snores, and I desperately tried to ignore the nagging voice in my head that was trying to convince me I was far too wounded and not at all worthy of this wonderful man.

“I love you, baby.” His soft voice was like a beacon, and it was exactly what I needed to hear.

A quiet reminder.

A tender promise.

Lucas snuggled deeper into my arms. Pulling the blanket around us, I closed my eyes and prayed when the day finally arrived, I would be ready.

“Something smells good.”

After sleeping until noon, we’d finally showered and spent the rest of the afternoon downstairs. He’d spent a few hours on his laptop while I’d finished grading some papers.

“Beef stew.” I smiled as he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. “Grandma always made it whenever it snowed.”

“And it’s still falling,” he said. I continued stirring as we gazed out the window. “I think the meteorologist missed his prediction.”

“That sometimes happens in the mountains. We might be snowed in the rest of the week.”

Lucas kissed along my neck. “I could think of worse ways to spend the rest of the week. You might get sick of me, though.”

“Never,” I whispered, shivering as his nose inched along my skin.

Luckily, his cell rang, saving the stew from a definite scorching. I quickly removed it from the heat while he took the call.

“No school tomorrow,” I heard him say. I could only assume he was talking to Tommy. “Yeah, we’re just going to stay in, unless I can convince her to make a snowman.”

I laughed and gathered bowls and silverware, taking everything to the table. They talked for a few more minutes before Lucas finally slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“Tommy says most of the roads are impassable,” he said as he took a seat next to me. “Daniel had a fever, so Tommy had to slip and slide his way to the pharmacy.”

“Did his fever break?”

“Yeah, about an hour ago.” Lucas lifted the spoon to his lips, humming appreciatively. “So good.”

“Thanks.”

“He did mention Aubrey was missing you. How long has it been since you talked?”

My spoon stilled.

“We talked at Thanksgiving,” I answered lamely.
For an entire five minutes.

“Sweetheart, don’t let this situation with Matt ruin your friendship with Aubrey. Tommy is trying to make amends. He really does love the kid.”

I was still so disappointed in Tommy, but it was true. Paying for Matt’s bail was definitely a step in the right direction.

“I don’t have a problem with Aubrey.”

“No, but you have a problem with her husband, and they are fiercely loyal to each other. It would be the same way with us.”

“What do you mean?”

Lucas shrugged as he reached for a roll. “I’ll always be on your side, no matter what. If someone asked me to choose, I’d stand by you.”

“I didn’t ask her to choose sides,” I replied, my voice a little harsher than it should’ve been. “There isn’t a
side
. It’s just common decency. We’re the teachers. We are supposed to protect those kids.”

He took my hand. “I know, but you’ve told me time and time again how conservative this town can be. Tommy was born and raised here. He’s having to question everything he’s ever been taught. We need to have a little patience with him.”

Lucas squeezed my hand and finished his stew.

Frustrated, I leaned back in my chair and thought about Tommy. Even growing up, he’d been vehemently against homosexuality. When we were fifteen, a transfer student from Charlotte had arrived at Sycamore High. I couldn’t even remember his name, but he dressed a little nicer than the rest of the guys, and Tommy and his friends had bullied him mercilessly. He survived a week before his family moved back to the city. Now, Tommy was being faced with the reality one of his players was gay.

“I just want Tommy to be a little more tolerant—for Matt’s sake,” I finally whispered. “Is that wrong?”

“No, but Tommy has to come to terms with the fact that being kind to Matt doesn’t mean he agrees with the kid’s lifestyle. It’s a very fine line, but he’s trying, Sarah. He really is.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I do miss Aubrey.”

“I know. Just talk to her, Sarah.”

I glanced out the window. “I will, if we ever get back to school.” I decided a change in subject was in order while we continued to eat. “So, you want to make a snowman?”

His eyes danced with excitement.

“Maybe. It would be my first.”

“Your first snowman?”

I couldn’t believe it.

He grinned shyly and pushed his empty bowl away. “There just aren’t a lot of places in Manhattan to build a snowman.”

Another first.

The first of many.

“Hey,” Lucas whispered gently. “We don’t have to go out, Sarah. I’m perfectly content to stay inside and cuddle with you on the couch.”