It took effort to contain it as she watched her dad and Brady go out onto the front porch.
“Hey, squirt! Where’re you at?” CJ shouted from the kitchen.
Reilly spun around, feeling lighter than she ever had, as she practically skipped to the kitchen.
“Hey,” she greeted her brother.
“What’s up, kid?” he replied, not looking up from his phone.
“Hi, Mama!” she chirped, circling the island so she could hug her mother.
“Hi, honey.” Deborah looked at her, skimming her face, cataloging her mood as always. “You look happy.”
“That doesn’t begin to describe it,” she said, barely containing all the joy that filled her as she wrapped her arms around her mother. “He loves me,” she whispered.
Expecting her mother to ask her who she was referring to, Reilly was shocked when her mother said, “I’ve known that for a while. What tookyouso long to figure it out?”
“Yeah,” CJ added. “What she said.”
Reilly pulled back and looked her mother in the eye. She was smiling brightly. So brightly tears formed in Reilly’s eyes.
Of course she knew. Her mother knew everything. She always had.
“You know what my next question is gonna be, don’t you?” Deborah asked.
Reilly’s eyebrows lifted. “What?”
Her mother leaned close and lowered her voice. “It’s gonna be a big wedding, right?”
That giddy sensation intensified. So powerful it was a wonder Reilly didn’t shatter into a million bright, sparkling lights.
Twenty-Three
“If you’re about to ask me whatI think you’re about to ask me…”
Brady heard the concern in Owen’s voice, but surprisingly, it didn’t cause him to second-guess himself.
“I—”
Owen stopped him by holding up a hand and standing directly in front of him.
“Do you love her?”
Brady’s breath caught. Considering how quickly things escalated between him and Reilly, Brady hadn’t anticipated her father to expect him to ask for permission to marry her.
“Yes, sir,” he said because that was the truth.
“Then, as long as you make each other happy, you have our blessing.”
“Thank you, sir. Honestly, I thought you’d have concerns about how long we’ve been seein’ each other.”
“Oh, you mean the fact that you didn’t get with the program until the last few days?” Owen chuckled. “Sure, it’s fast. But I know you, Brady. And I trust you. You won’t do anything until you’re absolutely sure it’s right for both of you.” Owen’s expression sobered. “I can’t imagine a better man for my daughter.” He gestured toward the house. “Don’t think I’m oblivious. I know she put all that mistletoe up for you.”
Brady grinned. “I think she mighta put some up for Donovan and Tate, too.”
Owen laughed. “That’s my girl. Always lookin’ out for what’s important.”
That she was.
