Shopping List
Whipped cream
Rope
Fishhooks
Leather ties
He let out a low whistle. “Planning a party, eh, Lu?” he exclaimed, clapping his hands and rubbing them together in anticipation.
Lumi was beet-red blushing. “Er . . . it might be a little different than what you’re thinking.”
Julien feigned a frown. “Is that set in stone? Because I like what I’m thinking.” He lunged for her, grabbing her around the waist. They both fell back onto the bed, where he tickled her mercilessly.
“You’re incorrigible,” she sputtered between laughs. “And you weren’t supposed to see that, so, um—just act surprised, ’kay?”
Julien looked at her with his bottomless brown eyes and playfully innocent expression. “It’s forgotten,” he said solemnly.
“Good.”
“What’s good?” he asked innocently.
“Oh, you.” She swatted at him. The sound of her phone broke up the tickle attack. “Wait,” she said, nearly panting. “It’s Jenny.”
Julien loosened his grip on her so she could answer the phone.
“Hey, Jenn . . . Yes, let’s still meet at twelve . . . Mm-hmm. Yes. Exactly. Okay. Love ya.” She hung up and took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts.
“I’m giving you thirty seconds to get up. After that, there will be no leaving here today,” he murmured into her ear, stroking her belly.
“We better go then,” she said. She tucked the note into her purse pocket.
“If we must, love. I’m going to get as much done as possible so I can take the day off tomorrow. Meet you at your place tonight?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Definitely my place.”
He eyed her curiously but didn’t ask any more questions. After all, he had agreed not to interfere with the surprise.
40
Julien
By ten thirty that night, Julien was at Lumi’s door. The hours had flown by, and he couldn’t wait to see her and what she had planned. If it was anything like that note hinted at, it was going to be his kind of night.
He knocked on the door, and to his surprise it swung open. Also to his surprise, the first thing he saw were blue lights that projected waves onto the walls. Julien gasped as he took in the sight of the living room and kitchen. A hundred tiny sequined fish hung on glittering hooks from the ceiling. Blue streamers simulating waves ran from one side of the living room to the other. He turned toward Lumi, who stood in the middle of all the fish and waves, a welcoming mermaid.
“Better late than never,” she said shyly. “Happy birthday, Julien.”
He wanted to speak, wanted to say many things, but the emotion was so thick in his throat that all he could do was pull her to him and shower her with kisses.
“I love you, mon coeur, I love you. You’re the best,” he whispered fervently, kissing all over her face, lightly over her scars. “Someone up there was looking out for me when they sent you to me.”
A single tear escaped from his eye and traveled down his cheek, nearly falling to the ground before she could catch it with a kiss. She tightened her arms around him, smiling to herself.
“I made a cake too,” she said, tugging him over to the kitchen counter where a square layered cake with diminutive goldfish and waves of turquoise buttercream sat pretty on a crystal plate. “Do you want some?”
Julien looked at her, and his eyes were glowing, his face effulgent.
“I would love to, but can we just sit for a minute, Lu? I feel a little . . .” He didn’t complete the sentence, and he didn’t need to. He sat down on the couch, her head on his chest, him holding her close to his heart. It was then that he decided not to wait any longer.
Rochelle stretched her wonderfully rounded arms, yawning as she traversed the aisle of the diamond store for the fifth time. “That birthday story is positively brilliant. But since when do you need someone to help you choose anything, you headstrong mule?” she asked, regarding her brother curiously.
“This is different, Ro,” he answered tersely.
She eyed him askance. “Are you sure you’ll be able to live with another human being?”
He glared at her. “Yes.”
“I don’t know. She leaves one dish in the sink and I think there’s going to be a headline in the Daily News about a pretty young chef found dead with a pillow over her face.”
He cringed at the thought. He knew he would never hurt her and would happily maim whoever tried. If he ever ran into that Colton guy one day . . . He gritted his teeth. The free fall of his heart when she had told him that story was still in his muscle memory. She deserved so much better than that. And here was Rochelle, making frivolous jokes.
“You know what, maybe this was a bad idea after all,” Julien snapped.
Rochelle heeled, seeing her teasing had gone further than she had wanted. She forced herself to take a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just that this whole thing feels so . . . alien to me. I was certain you were going to be alone forever.”
“Well, can you understand the concept that a person can change? That life can change? I’m not the same man I was six or even three months ago. I’m not the same man I was . . . before her.”
Rochelle willed herself not to roll her eyes. “You know, the truth is I’m a little jealous of her.”
Julien’s eyes shot up. “Well, if I’d known you wanted to marry me, I would have referred you to a therapist a lot sooner.”
“Not about that, you idiot. I mean . . .” She sighed wistfully. “I want to be somebody’s Lumi.”
Julien studied her, frowned, and put his arm around her. “You will be, Ro. I’m convinced of it.” He gave her shoulders a quick squeeze. “Now can you please help me choose?”
She leaned her head back onto his arm. “Yes. I will.” And then in a whisper: “Maman would be proud of you, you know.”
“Let’s just hope she’s watching and also forgives the grief I’ve given our father over the years.”
Rochelle pursed her lips. “We can only hope. Now, look. Yoo-hoo!” she called to the bearded clerk at the register. “I’d like to see this rose gold art deco setting over here.”
41
Lumi
One week after Julien’s birthday, Lumi found herself being led on a stroll in Central Park at twilight.
“Come on, I want to get to the turtle pond before sunset,” Julien said, practically dragging her by the elbow. She hadn’t known Julien was such a turtle lover.
The grass gave way to the asphalt path as they traversed Sheep Meadow. When they reached the turtle pond, Lumi drew a sharp breath. The sun had begun to set, and its rosy beams illuminated the thousands of lily pads floating on the surface of the pond, giving it the appearance of being lit with myriad floating candles.
Turtles small and large alike poked their heads out of the mossy water, hoping for a stray morsel of bread. The chatter and song of the various bird species living in the trees added a mellifluous backdrop.
Lumi had twisted her hair into an oversized topknot. A few tendrils had escaped at the base and danced in the breeze. She looked over at Julien, and their eyes met. He looked slightly euphoric, and for some reason that made a tiny muscle she hadn’t even known was there clench in her belly. She reached for his hand, and he took hers and squeezed it. He turned to her.