“Do you know the name of a good therapist around here?”

Giselle tilted her head and pushed out her bottom lip as she looked at me. “You’re seeking therapy, sweetie?”

“Luke and I got into a huge fight yesterday over him not being around as much since he took ownership of the bar. It was my entire fault, and I called him ‘Johnny.’”

As Giselle’s mouth dropped, she reached over and grabbed my hand. “Why on earth would you call him ‘Johnny’?”

“Because at that moment, I was having flashbacks of my parents, and the things my dad used to say. Music was his life and his world. It was his passion, and he put every waking moment he had into it. Suddenly, I saw that in Luke with the bar, and I freaked out, especially since Hunter never had time for me.”

She sighed. “You need therapy!”

“I know I do. Now give me a name, because I know in your industry, ninety percent of the models are in therapy.”

Giselle laughed as she got up from the couch and grabbed her cell phone. As she scrolled through it, she asked me if I wanted a male or female therapist. I looked at her with a twisted face because it didn’t matter. I wanted the therapist who was the best.

“I would call Dr. Evelyn Blakely,” she said. “Marissa sees her, and she said she’s a god-send, so I’m taking that to mean she’s good.”

As I took my phone from my purse, I noticed a text message from Luke.

“I just wanted you to know that I can’t stop thinking about your beautiful, talented mouth, and it’s distracting me from my work.”

I smiled as I quickly responded.

“Good, that was the plan, baby.”

“Are you going to be coming to the bar?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there later. I have a few things that I need to do first.”

“See you later, Lily. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I tapped the contact button and asked Giselle for the number for Dr. Blakely. She rattled it off as she sprang from the couch and ran to the bathroom.

I dialed the number and waited for someone to answer.

“Dr. Blakely’s office, Janelle speaking. How may I assist you?”

“I would like to schedule an appointment to see Dr. Blakely, please.”

“Are you a new patient?”

“Yes.”

“I know this is kind of short notice, but do you think you can be here in thirty minutes? I just had someone cancel about an hour ago.”

“Wow. Yeah, I can be there in thirty minutes,” I said.

“Your name, please.”

“Lily Gilmore,” I replied.

Giselle emerged from the bathroom and sat down next to me. “I swear this kid is going to kill me.”

“Aw, don’t say things like that.” I smiled as I put my hand on her flat stomach. “Anyway, I have to go. Dr. Blakely’s office told me to be there in thirty minutes.”

“Wow! Who gets into therapy that fast?”

“They just had a cancellation.”

“See, it was meant to be.” Giselle smiled as she got up and walked me to the door.

I parked the Explorer in the parking garage of the Santa Monica Sunset Medical Center. Upon entering the building, I took notice of the large salt-water fish tank that sat in the middle of the lobby. I looked over to my right at the directory and found Dr. Blakely’s suite number. Upon entering the elevator and taking it up to the fourth floor, I suddenly became nervous. I hated the fact that I had to relive my past in order for Dr. Blakely to try and help me. As the elevator doors opened, I stepped out and took the long hallway down to Suite 413.

As I walked through the door, I was greeted by a small brunette who handed me a clipboard with paperwork and asked me to fill them out. I sat down, filled out the papers, and returned it to the desk. It was shortly after that when the small brunette called my name and walked me into Dr. Blakely’s office.

Dr. Blakely emerged from behind her desk, walked over to me, and extended her hand.

“You must be Lily Gilmore; it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled.

I politely shook her hand, and told her it was nice to meet her as well. She told me to have a seat on the beige leather couch, and she asked me if I wanted some water or coffee. I opted for coffee as she walked over to where her coffee pot sat and poured me a cup. As I looked around her meticulous office, I couldn’t help but notice the burning of incense. I asked Dr. Blakely what the scent was. She told me it was sandalwood and that she burned it to help her patients relax. As she handed me my cup of coffee, she took a seat in the oversized beige chair that sat next to the couch.

“Why don’t we start by you telling me why you feel like you need therapy?”

I looked down as I traced the rim of the coffee cup with my finger. “For the first time in my life, I’ve met someone that I truly love, and I can’t let the effects of my past ruin it. I realized that last night when we had an argument, and I called him by my father’s name.”

Dr. Blakeley listened intently as she nodded her head and wrote things down on her notepad. I went on to tell her about Johnny and my childhood. Before I knew it, our time was up.

“I would like to see you at least three times a week to start, if that’s alright with you,” she said.

“Yes, that would be fine.”

“Take care, and I’ll see you in a couple of days,” she said as she put her hand on my shoulder.

As I walked out of the office and headed towards the parking garage, I pulled out my phone and saw that I had a missed call from Luke. I quickly dialed him.

“Hey, babe,” he said as he answered.

“Sorry I missed your call. I was in an appointment with Dr. Blakely.”

“Who’s Dr. Blakely?” Luke asked.

“A therapist,” I replied.

“You got in that fast?”

“Yeah, they had a cancellation. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Are you coming to the bar now? There’s something I want to show you.”

“Yep, I’m on my way now,” I said as I got into the Explorer and shut the door.

“Good. I’ll be waiting, babe, and park around the back. I love you.”

“I love you more.” I smiled as I quickly ended the call before he had a chance to say anything.

I pulled into the back lot of the bar like Luke had asked, and he was standing there waiting for me. As I smiled and parked the Explorer, he walked over and opened my door. He leaned in, smiled, and brushed his lips against mine.

“I’ve been waiting to do that since this morning,” he said.

As I got out of the truck, Luke bent down and picked me up.

“What are you doing?” I laughed.

“Close your eyes. Make sure they’re closed tight because I don’t want you peeking.”

“Luke, what’s going on?”

“I want to show you something. Just do as I say, and keep your eyes closed.”

He carried me through the parking lot, and I did as he asked and kept my eyes closed. He stopped, put me down, and told me to open my eyes. When I opened them, they darted to the new bar sign that read, ‘Luke’s Bar & Grille.’ I covered my mouth with my hands in excitement as I stared at the artistry that officially made this Luke’s bar.

“It’s perfect, Luke!” I squealed as I threw my arms around him.

“They put it up this morning. Do you know how awesome it is to see my name up on that sign? I’ve dreamed of this for so long, Lily, and it finally happened.”

“I know, baby, and I’m so happy for you,” I said as a damn tear rolled down my cheek.

“Babe, don’t,” he said as he wiped it away with his thumb.

“It’s a tear of happiness. I love you so much,” I whispered as I hugged him tight.

“I love you more.” He smiled. “Come on, let’s go have some lunch. Are you hungry?”

“I’m starving,” I said as we walked into the bar.

As Luke walked to the back, I sat down at the bar where Maddie was putting glasses away.

“Hi, Lily.”

“Hi, Maddie. How are you?”