This Could Have Been Our Song!: A coulda woulda shoulda ballad (39 page)

“Who? Luce? I don’t think so,” she whispers. “Keep it down; Greg doesn’t like interruptions.”

“And we wouldn’t want that, would we? What do you mean, you don’t think so? Even her hair is different,” I whisper. “What has he done to her?”

“Greg is the bad guy here? Why? What do you think
he
has done to her?”

What hasn’t he done? She looks happy and most importantly, in love. “You know what I mean. She looked like a completely different person,” I say.

“More involved?” she asks.

“Right.”

“Sure of herself?” she asks

“Exactly!”
I say.

“More beautiful?”

“A million times and I didn’t even think it was possible,” I softly say.

“Happier than she ever was with you?” she asks.

“Yes,” I say. Hard to admit but it is true.

“So, I guess Greg did that to her then,” she says and stands up. “I’ve got to go to rehearsal. You should go say hi to the boys in the other room.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Beesly. This is all Lucia. Greg is just lucky to be part of it.” I understand Paul’s advice now…six months too late.

“Marcus, are you okay?” I hear Beesly say.

“I will be, love,” I confess before getting up and heading to the door. I will be as soon as I get her back.

Greg

“How about this one?” I ask Kathie. This ring is more understated; more Lucia. I put it under the bright light. “It’s shiny!”

“No, Greg. It’s just plain tacky,” she says loud enough to o
ffend one of the sale associates.

“Sorry about my sister; she has verbal diarrhea,” I tell him with my best smile. “Okay, genius.
Any suggestions?” I ask her.

“How about ‘don’t do it, Greg’? It’s too early,” Kathie says.

I’ve been dragging her to jewelry stores every day this week after rehearsals. I promised her that this one would be our last. “So, maybe it is, but what if I tell you that I’m shopping on Michael’s request?”

“Greg, don’t you dare joke with me about that!” she screams, looking at the ring even closer.

“I see,” I add, laughing, “It’s not too early for you and Michael but it is for Lulu and me,” I mock.

Each week with Lulu has been like a month. So fourteen months later just confirmed what I knew and have been wan
ting for the past ten years. We’re meant for each other.

“I’m just looking out for you; she may not be ready,” she’s pointing at another ring.

“What’s making you think that?” I ask her. She shrugs. “Don’t back out now, Kitty.”

“Are you happy?” she asks after a small silence.

She’s kidding right? “Are you kidding me? Do I look anything but happy to you?” I take a look at the ring she’s been pointing at. “Yes, Kitty, I’m happy. I’m not a masochist. I wouldn’t be here if I was.”

“This is what I mean. You left your own tour to your
assistant
to join Lucia’s,” she adds.

“So? You left your job to follow Michael,” I correct her a bit harshly. “Jason is not my assistant; he’s my second in co
mmand and is very capable of taking care of the rest of the tour until my return.”

“He would have been great here too! I’m not you, Greg. I don’t have a widely successful international career. I just took a fucking leave of absence!”

I know she’s right but being with Lucia just feels right. “Could you please show us this ring?” I ask a sale associate.

“Yes. It’s an excellent choice. It’s an asscher-cut diamond engagement ring. Very classy,” she says with her Scottish a
ccent.

“It’s her: classy, sassy, beautiful. I’m taking it,” I tell her and give her one of Lucia’s rings. She still thinks that it’s in her je
welry box in Toronto. “That’s her size. I would need a rush order on this, miss,” I tell her.

“Is tomorrow morning good enough for you?” she asks with a pleasant smile.

I nod then follow her and pay. Three thousand pounds later, I leave with Kathie, completely satisfied. She’s going to love the ring.

“But what has she given up for you?” she says out of the blue as we’re walking back toward the hotel.

“I wasn’t aware there was a rule about that. So, Lucia needs to give something up?” I ask her. There she is, leaving her whole world behind for a man she met only three months ago. But my relationship is apparently the unhealthy one.

“I know what you’re thinking. Michael and I –”

“Are at the beginning of your history and you are way more crazy about him that he is about you,” I tell her with a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Kitty; you’re not afraid of your feelings for him. And you shouldn’t be.”

“But you and Luce… All of those things happening to her and you are just along for the ride. You should be more than this,” she says.

I just laugh; I forget how naïve and protective of me she can be sometimes. “Why are you here, Kitty? Michael asked you, didn’t he?”

“Yes. He didn’t want to be alone on tour,” she mumbles.

Lulu didn’t. She just cried with joy when I told her that I was coming along and that was all I needed to know that I’d made the right decision. “I’m more than pleased to be
just
along for the ride with Lulu. But I’m not; I was supposed to work on that tour anyway and I’m getting paid big bucks for it.”

“So, I made a mistake coming here?” She looks afraid of the answer. “I’m not getting paid. I’m just the
girlfriend
.”

“What I’m saying,
yeodongsaeng
[22]
, is that only time will tell. I applaud your courage; it takes guts to follow your heart. I’ve waited too long and I almost lost her.” I haven’t spoken Korean all day to Lulu or to my
yeodongsaeng
, little sister.

She hails a cab for us. “Well, no one saw Marcus Grant co
ming.”

I really didn’t. He came, swept her off her feet and broke her heart all in one sentence. “Has he arrived yet?” A car stops and we both get in. Kathie gives the driver our destination.

“Yes, he’s here. Trouble in paradise… Better get that ring soon,” she murmurs.

“Excuse me!” I gently push her.

“
Nan amu mal an haess-eo
[23]
,” she teases.

“Nothing really?
I could have sworn that I heard sass.” I’m not worried about Marcus. Not worried at all…

Lulu is quietly reading on the couch in our hotel room. I’ve decided to stay with my crew in a different hotel to Beesly, Matt and the G Band; she has decided to stay with me. Her hair is tied in a now very loose ponytail, her bare feet are elevated by a couple of pillows next to her and she adds even more to support her back. She smiles when she finally notices me staring at her.

“
Jagiya
! Where did you disappear to?”

“I had an errand to run,” I tell then lean to kiss her. Today is Matt’s birthday and for this occasion, all rehearsals have been cancelled. She tastes like coffee and shortbread cookies. I touch the ring box in my pocket. “Have you left the room yet?”

She lazily stretches her beautiful body as a response. “Nope. I’ve been catching up on my reading.” She’s showing me the tabloid magazine. “
The inseparable duo, Lucia Mpobo-Riddell and Gregory McMullan, will both be part of the Second Coming Tour and have been rehearsing in Glasgow for the past two weeks,
” she reads aloud. They have been publishing things about us for the past three months.

“Inseparable duo, eh?
I think they found us out,
nae salang
[24]
,” I joke.

“Well, we were the new power couple a few months, so that’s an improvement,” she says, leaving the couch. “And look at that picture. Is that us at the charity ball earlier this month?”

I look at the picture; we’re both smiling at the cameras. Five minutes before, in the car, we were… “Yeah, that’s us,” I gloat and give her a knowing look.

“I barely had the time to put my dress back on,” she says. She looks at the picture again. “Did they alter it?”

Here we go again… “Why?” I take her in my arms.

“I look a bit too
muscular
,” she grimaces. “Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me, Greg!”

“Lulu, you have a six pack, a very sexy six pack,” I tell her between kisses. “Look, your pants are falling down they’re so loose around your small waist,” I say while caressing it. “You
look fantastic! And I didn’t know it was possible for you to look even sexier.” Her body has changed with all the dancing, not that I minded her body before, but I’m personally grateful for that new-found, extra flexibility.

“You mean you’re not charming them off me right now? So disappointed,” she pouts. She rolls them around her waist, flashing her flat, soft belly and gently pushes me. “You want to stay in and play hooky in our hotel room until the party or go out and get photographed…again?” She sits on my lap.

“It’s great free publicity for my show but I could ask them to back off a little. We’re not that interesting…or are we?” I ask her. She shrugs and laughs.

“I don’t care. We’re a hit couple and joined to the hip too.” she trails her fingers on my hips. “And what lovely hips we have.”

“God, I love you, Lulu,” I say against her mouth. She is the one.

She puts her arms around my neck. “I love you too. Now, are you going to tell me why you’ve been spotted around town shopping for an engagement ring?”

I thought I covered my tracks pretty well, but I can see by her serious look that she’s in the know. “So…the cat’s out of the bag I guess?”

“Just tell me you’re not shopping around for Michael. I think he’s screwing around with Danika,” she asks, her forehead against mine.

“What?” I just told Kathie how brave she was and all this for jerk who is… “How do you know about this?”

“Kathie told me but I’ve had my suspicions,” she tells me. She gives me a reassuring, tender kiss. “Greg, don’t get i
nvolved in this. An engagement won’t fix it and neither will kicking his ass,” she says.

“That bitch! And after all we did for her!” I lash out, thinking about Danika Erring. She’s a mediocre dancer at best. We
hired her because Erring Entertainment is financing most of this tour. “I wasn’t shopping around for them, Lulu,” I confess. I take a deep breath; this wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to do it, but I don’t believe in perfect moments, just not crappy ones. I’m really unsure what this one is.

“Greg, look at me… What did you do,
Jagiya
?” she asks.

I can’t read her and this is the first time in ten years that I’m nervous. Maybe I’ve reached too far this time. “Something good I hope.” I’m getting the box out of my pocket. But she gets off my lap and backs away.

“Gregory McMullan, do I look anything like a wife?”

I try to walk toward her but she stops me, tears are dropping down her cheeks.

“Look at me. I’m a total mess. I can barely take care of myself. You want me to add a husband to that mix?”

“Lulu, you are and always will be everything to me. Today, tomorrow or in a year,” I simply say.

Tears are still rolling but a smile is appearing as well. “You are incorrigible!”

“So, they are tears of joy; you got me worried there,” I say, opening my arms to her. She runs into them. “Yes, you look like a wife to me, Lucia Cassidy Ann Mpobo-Riddell.”

“This is not about Marcus being here, right?” she asks, still in my arms. She lifts her head and looks me straight in the eyes and they’re locked for what seems like a lifetime. “There was nothing then and nothing now that would have made me walk away from you, from this,
Jagiya
.”

I push her long hair from her face. “I know. It isn’t about him at all. I’ve wanted to propose to you for about three years now,” I tell her. I took a chance; maybe I should have waited until after the tour…

“Well, who am I to stop you?” she proclaims and gives me a quick kiss. “Could I see it?”

“Sure.” I open the box. My hands are shaking and I lower myself onto one knee. “Lucia –”

“Holy fuck!” she screams, taking the box away. “You crazy, amazing man… Yes!” she says, still looking at the ring. “Yes, yes, yes!”

I seal it with a kiss. Should I point out that I haven’t pr
oposed yet or just count my blessing. I put the ring on her finger. It’s a perfect moment. She keeps looking at it and not at me. “Lulu, do you want to revisit your answer?” I ask nervously.

“No…but you have to promise me something.” She’s cares
sing my face.

“Anything,
Jagiya
. Anything.”

“To be patient with me because I’m going to be a real pain to your sexy behind,” she says and jumps on me, locking her legs around my hips.

“Even more than you have been in the past decade? I can do that.” I walk toward the bedroom part of our suite. “I’ll be as patient with you as you will be with me, Lulu,” I tell her. I throw us on the bed and remove my jacket. “I’ll be as loving as you will be, as stubborn as I know you are, as passionate as I’m thankful you are and as supportive and understanding as I’ve known you to be. You are my best friend and I love you,” I say and take off her tank top.