After work, Tom picked Lucy in front of the company as usual and they both headed for his house instead of Lucy's.
"My grandfather said you asked him to report himself to my parents?" Tom asked as he drove and Lucy nodded.
"Yes. He should do that much. Why? Do you have a problem with it?" Lucy asked with a raised brow and Tom shook his head.
"No. I asked you to handle it. So whatever you say is fine," Tom said quickly.
"Good," Lucy said as she looked away from him to her window.
It seemed to her that when it came to other people interfering in his life or their relationship Tom knew how to draw the line and was usually harsh and unforgiving, but when it came to his family he was lenient.
She was just going to step in and do what he couldn't do himself.
It was one thing to seek their opinion on his problems but it was another to have them interfere directly one way or the other.
Her family knew better than to interfere. They could talk all they wanted, but that was all they were allowed to do. And all the talking was to be directed at her and not at Tom.
Neither of them said a word to each other as they were both lost in their own thoughts, until they both sighed simultaneously and turned to look at each other.
"What is in your head?" Tom asked curiously.
"I'm just thinking, what now?" Lucy said, and Tom smiled since that was sort of what he had been thinking too.
As happy as he was that this whole drama with Kimberly was a ruse, he felt like some how they were back to where they were before it all came up.
Yes, there have been improvements in their relationship, but now he had no idea of what was next.
Would they be stuck in the same pattern? Would things change for them?
"What do you want now?" Tom asked, and Lucy grinned.
"A bowl of chocolate Ice cream," she said, and Tom chuckled.
"Let's find somewhere to get it for you then."
"What about you? What were you thinking?" Lucy asked as she looked at him with interest.
"Nothing serious," he said with a shake of his head as he kept his attention on the road.
They drove in silence for a moment until they sighted an ice cream parlor ahead of them and pulled over to get some for Lucy.
"Want to stay in the car while I get it?" Tom asked, and she shook her head.
"Why don't we just sit out there for a moment? There's no hurry in getting home, is there?" Lucy asked as she took off her blazers so that she was wearing just her spaghetti strapped top on her slacks.
Tom watched as she took the band off her hair and shook it out so it would fall down her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" He asked, and she smiled at him.
"Consider it an Ice cream date," she said as she opened the door and got out of the car.
Tom chuckled as he did the same, "Why do you suddenly want an ice cream date?" He asked curiously as they both headed inside.
"Because you seem tense. I want you to relax," Lucy said, surprising Tom who had not expected that.
"I'm not tense," he said, even though he appreciated her gesture.
"You are. You have been unusually quiet. So I want us to get some ice cream, relax, and pretend we are two people who are not Thomas Hank and Lucinda Perry," Lucy said, and his lips twitched.
"Want me to be Handy Tom?" He asked, wiggling his brows and she giggled.
"We can make it more fun instead. How about you are Lucy, and I am Tom?" She asked as they went to the ice cream stand to place their orders.
Tom laughed at that, "You want me to be you?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Why? Can't do that?" She asked, and Tom shrugged, feeling really amused.
"I don't see why not. I don't think it's so hard to be you. All I have to do is sit quietly, smile when I need to and make as little contribution as I can muster to any subject," Tom said, and Lucy scowled.
"That's not me!"
"How would you know that?" He asked with a grin as they stopped in front of the show glass and placed their order.
Because they now had an audience, Lucy decided not to respond.
Instead of ordering the chocolate ice cream Lucy had said she wanted, they ordered for flavors which were mixed together into a large bowl with waffles inside.
After they found a comfortable spot and sat down, Lucy scowled at Tom, "You just described me as boring," she said, and he chuckled.
"I thought we've gotten past that already?" He asked, and she raised a brow.
"How can we?"
"Alright. That wasn't to say you were boring. It just meant you don't talk much unless you absolutely need to or you are drunk. Now can we focus on switching roles?" Tom asked as he pushed up an imaginary glass on his nose bridge as Lucy often did, making Lucy giggle.
"Alright then," she said as she ate a half spoonful of ice cream.
"Action!" Lucy said, once she had swallowed her ice cream, and while Tom smiled, she kept a blank face.
Tom watched her with amused eyes, curious to see exactly how she would behave like him. Maybe it wasn't such a bad way to destress after all.
Lucy cleared her throat, "Are you okay, Jewel?" Lucy asked in a deep voice, while she tried to maintain a soft gaze as she looked at Tom.
Tom grinned, "Sure, I am. Why do you ask?" Tom asked in a tiny voice that made Lucy howl with laughter, attracting the attention of others in the ice cream parlor.
Lucy raised a hand to cover her lips, embarrassed, "Sorry about that," she said, and Tom raised a brow.
"You are breaking out of character," he said in a tiny voice that made her giggle again.
"I don't think this will work. Let's just forget about it," she said in her normal voice with a shake of her head.
"Why not?" Tom asked as he took his first spoonful of ice cream.
"Because you sound funny," Lucy said with a grin and then watched Tom with serious eyes for a moment.
"So, are you feeling better now?" she asked, and he nodded.
"Yeah. Sure. Thanks," he said, but she continued to watch him.
"What now?" Tom asked, wondering what she was thinking.
"Have I ever told you how handsome you are?" Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled as he looked away from her, feeling unexpectedly embarassed by the compliment.
What was up with her? He mused.
"Aww! Don't tell me you are shy," Lucy said in amusement and Tom looked at her.
"Did you have some alcohol at work when no one was looking?" He asked, and she giggled.
"No, I didn't. Why?" She asked with a grin.
"If you didn't, why are you acting so unlike yourself?" Tom asked, and she smiled as she shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess I'm just happy and I want you to be too," she said, and Tom raised a brow.
"You must be really relieved that Dawn isn't mine," Tom said, and Lucy nodded.
"Yes, I am," she said, not bothering to expand on the fact that she felt that relieved because she wanted to be the only one to bear his kids if at all.
"But that's not the only reason I'm happy. I'm also glad that Anita is out and I'm excited that tomorrow Rebekah would be taken care of tomorrow. I think everything will finally be normal for us. I'm sort of feeling relaxed and contented," she said, and Tom smiled.
"That's good. I'm happy to know you feel that way," Tom said as he watched her take a spoonful of ice cream.
"Sonia said their wedding is set to be in a month's time," Lucy said, changing the subject.
"Oh, really? That's nice. I wonder what I should get them. If they didn't get a house already, I would have done that," Tom said thoughtfully, and Lucy raised a brow.
"Wow! I keep forgetting that you're that wealthy," she said, and Tom chuckled.
"What should I do to make you not forget?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled at him.
"I love you, Tom," she said, causing his heart to flutter at the unexpected confession.
"I love you too, but what's up with you today?" Tom asked, and Lucy smiled.
"Nothing is up. I'm just thankful I have you in my life and I'm expressing that. What's so strange about it?" Lucy asked, and Tom gazed at her for a moment without saying a word.
It sort of felt like they were reversing roles and Lucy was doing what he usually did.
"It's strange because I'm not used to being at the receiving end of such open affection from you," he said, and Lucy's heart broke a little for him at that.
Where he had always been one to express his love and feelings for her at every point so effortlessly, she had been more reserved.
"Well, I guess I will have to do it more often so you get used to it," she said as she took a scoop of ice cream and brought it to his lips.
Tom opened his mouth and let her feed him, and they both held each other's gaze as he ate slowly.
"Thank you," Tom said, and she raised a brow.
"What for?" Lucy asked curiously.
"For being in my life. And for not leaving even when you thought Dawn might be mine," Tom said, and Lucy smiled.
"I'm never leaving you for anything. I love you. I want to be with you. And that's that. Even you can't make me leave you now. So you better get prepared, because going forward, I'm going to stick to you like a tick on animal skin," she threatened, and Tom laughed softly.
"I'd like that," Tom said with a happy smile.
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