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Between Candy’s encouragement and Eloise suddenly appearing to tell him he needed to get his act together, he didn’t feel he had any other choice. He didn’t even know that Eloise was close enough to Ella to be aware of the relationship they’d been in.
But then he had to remind himself that she was a resident of Copper Creek, and as such, she would be privy to all the gossip.
Not to mention, her sister had been a real pain in the behind lately. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Brielle had spilled every detail she’d overheard when Lucas had asked Elijah for advice.
At this point, it seemed his love life was known by everyone. He couldn’t un-ring that bell any more than he could mop up an oil spill with a rake.
None of that mattered anyway.
The only thing that did was what he would do next, with the woman of his dreams staring up at him. His throat had all but closed up, cutting off his ability to speak along with his ability to breathe. He could spill his guts to her up here on this stage—he could out Taven and the reasons behind his poor behavior.
Or he could spill his heart.
“Hi,” his voice squeaked, and he shifted his focus to the crowd who had given him his undivided attention. “I bet a lot of you know who I am. I’ll spare you the need to ask the most common questions. Yes, I’m one of twelve kids. Yes, my folks walked out on us when we were kids. And yes, you’ve probably blamed us for destruction of property a couple times when we were younger.” He chuckled to ease the tension, but it didn’t work.
Lucas glanced down at Ella, who motioned with her hand to climb down. She probably wanted him to stop embarrassing himself. Well, she’d have to wait.
He tugged at his collar and gazed out at the crowd. “I’m standing up here because I want everyone in town to know something. This whole project was made possible by your mayor. Let’s give it up for Mayor Thompson.”
Several cheers erupted until he lifted a hand to quiet everyone down.
“Not only did your mayor come through to make this project possible, but he made sure it was taken care of by the mostcapable person we know. Anything I could say about Miss Ella Thompson would just be a repeat of what the mayor already said. But did you know that not only is she smart, but she’s also the kind of person you can count on to do the right thing?”
He gazed down at Ella, his eyes locking with her.
“She’s the most genuine and hard-working person I know. I had the pleasure of working side by side with her while we rebuilt this place with a local crew, and let me tell you, she doesn’t lower the bar just because you’re a Keagan.”
That statement got a few chuckles from the crowd, and he smiled.
“Ella is the sort of person who will make sure something is done right even if it takes fifty tries. Thankfully, it didn’t get that far, but I knew it could if I didn’t listen.” His voice turned serious as he continued to stare at her. “More than all of that, this woman is the one person who was able to make me feel like I could accomplish something good in my life.”
“We get it—you’re in love,” someone out in the crowd hollered. “Just get off the stage and kiss her already.”
Several people laughed and Ella looked away.
Lucas glanced out into the group of people and grinned. “I have every intention of doing that, but before I do, I’m going to sing a song.” He pointed at Ella. “This one is for you.” Turning, he nodded to the DJ, hoping the guy had been able to find the song.
He did his best to control his shaking hands and keep his voice even, but he failed miserably. Even Lucas could tell he was off-key, but he kept at it, singing his own rendition ofYou Were Meant for Me.He read the lyrics off his phone, and when he finished the song, the crowd cheered for him.
Lucas beamed, took a bow, then handed the microphone over to the DJ. His eyes found Ella, relieved that she hadn’t taken off the second the song ended. He hurried toward the edgeof the platform, dropped down and swung himself off the edge with one hand. Lucas landed with a thud in front of her and then completely forgot what he was going to say to her.
Ella glanced around as if she wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor at that very moment. The rosy coloring in her cheeks was such that she looked as though she’d been outside in the cold weather.
And she was as beautiful as ever.
Lucas reached for her hand, forcing her to unfold her arms. He cocked his head, waiting for her to make the first move. Even if he wanted to say something first, he didn’t think he could find his voice. He’d never done something so ridiculous as serenade a woman he had feelings for. He’d never made a public statement either. Tonight had been one of several firsts.
He shifted his gaze to his boots and adjusted his weight. It was possible he’d embarrassed her to the point that she would never want to see him again.
And yet she still stood in front of him. Slowly, he lifted his eyes. “Well?”
“Well,” she repeated.
He let out a nervous laugh. “Are you going to say something? Anything? I bared my soul up there.”
Her lips twitched as she tore her eyes from his.
That wasn’t something he would tolerate. He lifted her chin with the crook of his finger. At this point they’d lost the attention of those nearby. The music had started up again and people were enjoying themselves. For all intents and purposes, they were alone.
