Lulu's Loves (26 page)

I nodded and sat on the sofa. I picked up a fishing magazine that was lying on the coffee table and flipped through it. Suddenly, another thought crossed my mind. I followed the path he’d taken to the bathroom. Before I got there, I took my clothes off and laid them neatly on the bed. Stepping in the bathroom, I cleared my throat. He wiped the glass on the shower door to peek. He pushed the door open.

“Are you coming in here with me?”

He held the door and I stepped in. “Yes.”

He moved closer to kiss me, his hands ran down my sides to my hips. He pulled me closer and I could feel him. He began to pleasure me, and finally, when we were both ready, he slipped inside me, holding my leg up with one arm, bracing the wall with the other.

“Oh, my God, Lulu,” he said, breathlessly. I braced myself against the shower wall.

“Micah,” I called out, meeting each thrust.

“Lulu,” he said, burying his face in my neck.

I ran my hands through his hair and drew him closer to kiss me. I knew that this was where I belonged. This was my life. This was my world. This was my man.

We never made it out of the apartment. Micah gave me a t-shirt and we stayed in bed all day. We didn’t make love, we watched movies and napped. I thought heaven must have a place just like this.

“I’m getting hungry. How about a pizza?”

“Micah?” I scooted closer. He held his arm for me to move into his embrace. “This has been the best date I’ve ever had.”

“Today?” he chuckled, kissing the top of my head.

“No, the date that started last night and hasn’t ended yet,” I snuggled closer. “Best date ever.”

I closed my eyes to visualize the scene in my head. I knew I needed to tell him what I knew. I couldn’t keep it to myself a moment longer.

“Share your thoughts?”

“Yet,” I said.

“Yet?” he asked, and then repeated it. “Yet?”

“I love you.”

“Christ, Lulu. I’ve heard you say that in my dreams a million times, but it never sounded quite like this. I fell in love with you weeks ago. I’d have waited forever. I love you.”

And so began my life with the incredible Micah Flinn.

Sunday morning we went back to my place early. He’d noticed something in the dining room window that he wanted to fix. I made breakfast while he worked. As we sat down to eat his phone rang.

He held up a finger. “Sorry, I need to get this.”

“Hey, Fi,” he said, and I saw a smile on his face. “I’m on a date right now, let me call you back in a few. Yeah, yeah, yeah…sheeesh, I’ll tell you later.” He hung up laughing.

“My oldest sister, Fiona. It’s Sunday and she’s cooking. She gets all motherly, every once in a while and herds us together. ‘Date this early on a Sunday?’ she asked me, and then I knew the fifty questions would start.”

“That sounds nice.” The thought of him leaving me left me feeling disappointed.

“Well then, I’ll tell her we’ll be there by two.”

“Wait. We? What?” I stammered.

“You said it sounded nice. Join me.” He looked away and began to eat.

My mind raced and my palms felt wet all of a sudden. Micah didn’t look up; he just ate the breakfast in front of him.

Lulu, you have to respond. You have to say something. This is huge.

“What time do I need to be ready?”

The smile on his face when he looked up melted my heart into a big puddle of love. He reached across the table for my hand.

We arrived at ten ‘til two. When we pulled up an auburn haired beauty came out on the porch.

“Geeze, Fi. You’re making her all nervous and shit.” A big belly laugh followed the statement.

Fiona made her way toward us, and a group gathered on the porch. She threw her arms around me like a long lost friend. “Welcome!”

I took a big breath to brace myself for the crowd that waited.

“Thank you for having me.”

Micah reached for my hand and smiled. We reached the porch and the crowd shuffled inside.

We were barely behind the closed door when Fiona announced, “So this is how it will go. I’m Fiona, the oldest. This is Manuel, Manny, my husband.”

I noticed a teenage girl step forward as though she’d done this before. It made me think of
The Sound of Music
and I smiled.

“Audrina.”

“Patrick,” a man in the corner said. “This is my wife, Mavis, and my sons Paddy Jr., the twins, Aiden and Angus, and this is Cassidy. It means curly haired. Who knew?” he laughed. I looked at the little girl with reddish blonde curls, who bashfully stood behind her mother peeking around her legs.

“Finnegan Flinn,” the next one laughed. “Cruel don’t you think? Finn Flinn?” Those in the room laughed out loud.

“He’s the prankster,” Micah laughed.

“Lynn,” the woman beside him said. “Yes, it’s true, Finn and Lynn Flinn.” Her smile radiated as her husband slipped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her closer. “This is Quinn.”

My eyes widened, and everyone laughed again.

“She’s messing with you,” Micah laughed. “That’s Michael. The blonde is Shannon, Shanny, we call her. And the little one is Nell, after our mother.

“I’m Brennan,” a young woman with bright red, corkscrew curly hair said.

“I’m her man servant, Neil,” the man beside her laughed.

“Eileen,” a raven-haired beauty announced. “I’m single, so I don’t have to introduce anyone but myself!”

“Roan, part of Roan and Darby, the twins. This is Angie. My wife for a whole whopping year on Monday.”

“Darby,” another one said. “I’m single, too.”

Something about Darby made me think that he and Keelin would get along wonderfully.

I looked around and realized that everyone had introduced themselves. They looked at me expectantly.

“Oh! I guess it’s my turn!” I laughed. “I’m Louisa Welk. My dad and my friends call me Lulu. Thank you for letting me know who all of you are. Bear with me, because that was a lot to take in. No tests today, all right?” I was rambling nervously.

Micah took over. “Lulu is an English instructor at the University of Jacksonville,” he added.

“Welcome, Lulu,” Finn announced.

“We’ll eat in about fifteen minutes. Louisa, would you like to join us in the kitchen?”

Suddenly, I felt as though I was being taken to the Flinn women’s lair. I looked to Micah. He looked down, chuckling.

How can I say no, but oh my geee, this makes me nervous. There’s six of them…and one of me.

“Sure,” I replied. Fiona waited for me while the others headed to the kitchen.

“This is huge.” I noticed the big kitchen.

“It was our family home. After Dah left, Manny and I bought the house, so we could keep it in the family, and moved in with Mother. Micah did a makeover on the kitchen two years ago. I love to cook…”

“She’s good at it, but best, she’s like a surrogate mother and this is like coming home,” Brennan added.

There were two cooktops and pots on every burner. The others all started grabbing dishes and I watched, waiting for my job. The ‘littles,’ as Fiona called them, were busy setting the table. Finally, they started handing me dishes.

“We put them in the center of the table and pass them around when we sit down to eat,” Eileen instructed.

When I went to the dining room, Micah looked up.

His face…those rosy cheeks…the tousled mop of reddish blond hair…that smile. I felt a blush kiss my cheeks, and I saw him wink.

At last, everyone gathered at the table. Standing behind the chairs, I felt Micah grab my hand. Shanny was on the other side and reached for my other hand.

“Bless this food before us, the family beside us, and the love between us,” Manny said, and everyone started to sit down.

“Bless Miss Lulu, too,” Shanny said.

“Bless Miss Lulu,” the group repeated and Micah squeezed my hand.

As we ate, everyone at the table was talking. It was crazy and loud. They were firing rapid-fire questions at me. I felt overwhelmed.

Finally, Micah put his fingers in his mouth and blew out a sharp, shrill whistle.

Silence.

“Listening to y’all is too much for me; can you imagine how Lulu feels, experiencing this for the first time?” He slipped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed.

No one said a word. It was uncomfortable. I tried to hear the questions they’d overzealously fired on me in my mind and began to talk.

“I
'm thirty-two. I was previously married for a year, he cheated; I left. I don't have any children. Micah told you I teach English at the University of Jacksonville and have been there nine years. My mother died when I was eight and my dad took over as both parents. I do like chocolate cake, and I'm looking forward to dessert. The meal is amazing and I thank you for inviting me. I don't have any pets, although I've been thinking about a cat...”

They all sat quietly, looking at me. Even Micah seemed surprised at my outburst.

“
Micah is allergic,” Fiona finally said in a quiet voice. The look on her face, that of a scolded child, made me laugh. When I started, laughter seemed to make its way around the table.

“We’re a rowdy bunch, but we mean well. We’re glad you’re here– glad to know you, Louisa,” Manny said.

“Lulu. Please call me Lulu.”

The rest of the afternoon was nice and the conversation was pleasant. Around five, Micah told the group that we needed to go. I was hugged so many times that I felt like a rag doll being tossed back and forth.

In the Jeep, Micah turned to me. “I’m not sure if I thank you or say I’m sorry.” He smiled and I laughed.

“Thank you for taking me with you.”

Quiet a moment, he turned to look my way. “I’m not sure what we do here?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean that I don’t want to leave you. I can’t imagine sleeping in my bed alone, ever again.”

“Stay with me tonight,” I encouraged.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked.

“Please stay with me. I don’t want you to leave me.”

He made a turn that let me know we were going to his place. He grabbed things for the next day and we went to my house.

It was just after seven when we sat down on the sofa to relax.

“I think we’re still on our date?” I hinted and he smiled at the idea.

“Best, longest date I’ve ever been on. Thank you, Lulu.” He pulled me closer and gave me a kiss.

“Your family is…”

“A lot,” he laughed.

“You can feel a lot of love there,” I noted.

“A lot.”

“You said you didn’t have a good relationship with your dad…”

“No one did,” he replied. “He just up and left one day. Fiona, the motherly one, she kept in touch with him, but her goal in life was to assure that our mother was taken care of.”

He was quiet a moment. “He left our mother for another woman. I tried to keep up with him, but it finally got where I knew he didn’t want me to. That’s past.”

He looked at me and smiled. “When am I going to meet your dad?”

“Thursday night, if you’re free,” I answered, quickly. “I usually cook dinner for him on Thursdays.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”