Page 11 of A Complicated Bride

That made Lily laugh and Julie rolled her eyes.

“We need to get home. I want to talk to Jack. I feel a need to tell him now. I can’t wait another minute, and be damned with the doctor’s confirmation.”

“Of course you shouldn’t wait. You should share every last second of this wonderful journey with him,” Lily opened the passenger door for her and Julie got inside.

“I’ll follow you back to the Lamont mansion.”

Lily nodded as she went around to the driver’s side. I was comforted by her competence, her no-nonsense take-over of the situation. As if I had a need for someone to take over this thing I knew nothing about and yet felt responsible for dealing with.

“You know something Brad? I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Lily grinned.

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” I grinned back, knowing I should feel foolish, but unable to muster anything but a buzz of delight.

“It loses something without the airplane and the runway and the foggy night, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t know—I think we’ve made up for some of the drama with a sobbing pregnant woman, don’t you?”

“There’s that.”

I gave her a salute and hopped into my car. Or it felt like a hop since my feet barely touched the ground I was so lighthearted. I felt like I’d ingested a helium balloon and if I didn’t watch out I might start talking like Minnie Mouse in a minute.

It was a good thing the drive back to the mansion was a short one because I found I was giving myself a ridiculous lecture the entire trip—out loud like a certifiable idiot.

What the hell are you doing, Bradley Simmons? Don’t you dare play games with this lovely young woman.

But I wasn’t playing games and that made the bottom drop out of my gut. Either way, the foolish grin never left my face based on the multitude of checks I made I the rear view mirror.

I pulled in the driveway after the two stunning women and followed them into the back door of the imposing solid home that my best and only friend Jack built. In a manner of speaking—his great grandfather built it, but Jack re-built it from the inside out and filled it out with a family, bringing the place back to life.

This was what I came back here for. I wanted to be reconstructed from the inside out and be brought back to life by my friend Jack and his family and friends and this place.

By Lily. The practical girl with the theatrical streak