Page 46 of Searching for Sadie (Mystic Falls #5)

LUCAS

W hen Lucas's truck pulled up to his house it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. If that was how he felt, he could only imagine the relief Sadie must have felt.

"It feels good to be home," she said with a contented sigh.

The peaceful look on her face made Lucas want to sing. He had watched the toll this show had taken on her mental health, and now it was over.

"I think I'm going to go take a shower, but then do you want to order some pizza and watch a movie?"

"Sounds perfect," he said.

As he rounded the truck to get her suitcase out of the back, he noticed something on her porch. On the front porch was a wrapped basket and a sign on her door.

"What is this?" she asked as she climbed the stairs.

There was a sign on the door that read 'Welcome Home' and it was signed by all the women from book club. There was also a basket that was full of banana bread and a bottle of wine with a card attached.

Lucas climbed the stairs as Sadie bent over to pick up the basket. When she glanced back at him her eyes were glistening with tears.

"I don't think anyone's done anything this nice for me before."

"Well, welcome to Mystic Falls."

She slipped her arms around her waist and rested her head on his chest. "I'm so glad I ended up here."

"Me too," he said before kissing the top of his head. He would love to hold her, but his hands were still full with her luggage.

She switched the basket to her other hand as she dug in her purse for her keys.

As she pushed open the door Lucas was struck by how little this house had changed in the months that Sadie had been here.

It still looked like she was a guest in her own home.

Nothing downstairs had change except a few boxes in the front room.

"What room do you want this in?" he asked, holding up the suitcase.

"Can you put it in the big room?"

"Yeah."

When he made his way upstairs, signs of her living in this house were beginning to creep in.

When he opened the door to the bedroom that was still pepto-pink, but there were noticeably less flowers.

That and the big stuffed cat he'd won her at the carnival they'd gone to when she first moved in was on the bed but her real fluffy cat curled up next to it.

"Hello George," he said, giving the cat a scritch behind the ears.

"Hey Kitty," Sadie said as she joined him.

"Well, I'll let you hop in the shower. Just head over whenever you're unpacked. I'm going to shower as well, so just let yourself in."

On his way back to his house he grabbed his bag out of his truck and went inside.

He dropped the keys in the basket and slipped his shoes off.

It felt good to be home. The gamble of going there had paid off.

The anger that had coursed through him when all of that had gone down on stage was more anger than he'd felt before.

But Sadie had it handled, and she fucking shone bright on that stage. .. in that dress.

Yeah, he was glad he'd gone.

-

Later that night they cuddled up on his couch with the open bottle of wine and take out on the coffee table before them half watching the show she'd put on, half talking about their time in Nashville.

"I mean, I feel like at least maybe now my parents will be able to see things a little more clearly between my sister and me. I know that relationship needs a lot of work, but I'm actually looking forward to my parent's coming to visit."

"Do you want a relationship with your sister?"

She sighed and her brow furrowed in thought.

"I do. I mean, she's my sister. No one knows the way I grew up like she does.

But I do think I need some time. And I really need her to admit how hurtful what she did was.

As much as I'd love a relationship, I can't make her apologize for the hurt and I think that's what I would need. "

"Well, I'm excited to get your dad here. I think if we can get them here during the hockey season, I can get us some tickets for the Glendale Magic."

"I would love to go. I can't wait to see you play more. I had a lot of fun watching with your mom."

He squeezed her a little closer as they settled into a comfortable silence.

"Ya wanna know what I wish I could have done?"

"What's that?"

"I wish I could have made a post that tells people that I did find love.

I mean, women like me are so often told we won't find love and happiness unless we change ourselves.

But here I am, happy and in love. While I know that isn't the most important thing in life.

I wish I would have said that I did get my own happily ever after. "

"Why can't you tell them now?" he asked.

She turned on the couch to look at him more fully. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you have social media, even if you don't use it. I'm sure people have followed you if your story line meant something to them. You should post saying just that."

A look of trepidation settled on her face while she played with the blanket that was covering them both. "What would I say? I did fall in love, I swear."

"I think you could maybe say it a little better than that with how eloquently you spoke on the show, but yeah, pretty much that."

She turned to face the TV and settled back into him.

After a few minutes she turned to him, her brows knitted and her bottom lip between her teeth. "If I made a video would you..." Then she stopped.

"Would I what?"

"It's probably a silly idea."

"What?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "You would want to be in the video."

"Oh," he said, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Never mind," she said quickly, turning back to the TV. "Like I said, it's a dumb idea."

"I'll do it."

"Really?" she said, turning back to him.

The joy on her face was reason enough, but there was more. "Songbird, I'm proud to be part of your story. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"Do you want to make it now? Then I can just go back to ignoring it again?"

"Sure."

"Hold on," she said as she paused the show and got up and turned on the light that was over on the other side of the room before getting back on the couch with Lucas. Taking out her phone, she checked the lighting before starting. "Ready?"

"Do I need to say anything?"

"I don't think so, unless you want to."

"Let's do this."

She set the phone up on the coffee table and looked up at him with her big brown eyes and smiled. With a little nod of his head, she hit record and settled into him.

"I know I haven't been on social media much, and honestly I don't intend to change that any time soon.

But I just wanted to give everyone a little update.

I didn't say it at the reunion because it didn't seem like the right time, but I need all of you to know that I did find love.

Clearly not on the show and not with Ryan, but when I moved into my new home I fell in love with someone in this wonderful little town. "

She looked up into Lucas's eyes and it damn near took his breath away.

"I just need everyone to know that love is out there. It might not always happen how you think it will, but it does happen, doesn't it?"

She said looking up to Lucas who just nodded and winked at her. "It does."

"So don't let society tell you that you have to change anything about yourself whether it is your size or your exuberance, or whatever it is. Be you and take up space, because even big girls get happy endings."

With one more smile to Lucas she moved to stop the video. Before she had even fully stopped it Lucas wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She squealed as the video cut out.

"I fucking love you, Songbird."

"I love you too."

He kissed her because it was his favorite thing to do.

This felt like a fresh start for them. They'd gotten through this now they had the rest of their lives to figure out.

He was sure there would be more bumps in the road, but they'd get through them.

In fact, he welcomed them. He welcomed anything that was to come with his amazing songbird.