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“Well, you ladies have fun. See you tomorrow.”
Within minutes of leaving work, she parked her SUV in the parking lot of the florist shop. Dodging the big, wet snowflakes, she hustled from her vehicle to the store where her friends were already scoping out the floral options. Fortunately, it didn’t take Holly long to settle on the arrangements for the tables and the church pews. The bridesmaid’s bouquets took a bit longer, but the white roses won out. Progress, another item checked off the list.
Now, off to dinner to discuss and finalize some of the remaining wedding details.
As soon as the waitress left the table, Holly let out a deep sigh. “I’m going to be fat at the wedding. I can hardly button my pants already, and I have a couple of weeks to go yet, and you would think with as much as I throw up I wouldn’t be gaining any weight. And let me tell you, these salads aren’t quite cutting it.”
Listening to her friend, Elizabeth found a small bit of comfort in the fact she wasn’t feeling ill, but did all pregnant ladies experience morning sickness? She hadn’t a clue, and why would she, never having had to worry about it before. A hint of fear snaked through her, at the memory of throwing up when Mr. James and Patrick were at her house, at the time she chalked it up to nerves, but what if it wasn’t nerves?
“You’re going to be a beautiful bride,” Jody reassured, snapping Elizabeth back into reality.
The waitress delivered the salads.
The bride to be rolled her eyes. “Pass the rolls, please. I don’t stand a chance at keeping this down without the bread”
Holly excitedly boasted about the number of RSVPs she received daily. “It’s like Christmas every day when I get my mail.”
“By the way, Elizabeth, from what Sam says, it appears you’ve done a number on Joe,” her friend commented with a coy smile.
Her cheeks warmed. What had Joe told Sam, and what had Sam told her friend. “What do you mean?”
Holly flashed a wicked grin as she spoke. “Jody, it appears that someone has been holding out on us concerning her relationship with Joe.”
“Really, what don’t I know?” Jody asked.
“Well, it appears that Joe has been walking on cloud nine lately, and all he can seem to talk about is Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Sam says he’s is even starting to come to the office more, rather than hiding out in his home office. And, he’s playing a more active role with the clients like he used to before...well, before Amanda died. I wonder what brought this on?” Holly asked as she shot her a sly wink.
Elizabeth liked what she was hearing. She liked knowing Joe liked her but she couldn’t help worry about the situation at hand that plagued them.
“Details...I want details,” Jody interjected, curiosity filling her gaze.
Elizabeth smiled, not knowing quite what to say. “There’s not much to say but that I really enjoy being with him and his family.”
“And his family,” Jody repeated. “You like being with his family. Did you forget that you don’t really like kids?”
She thought for a moment about what Jody had just said, and decided just to tell it like it is. “I know. I can’t believe it myself sometimes, but the more time I spend with Max and Molly the more I fall in love with them. I can’t help it. And Joe, he’s a wonderful father to them.” she paused and gazed at her friends who stared at her in disbelief. “They’ve taught me to love and be loved in a way I never thought was possible.”
“And the sex, what about the sex?” Jody asked.
Her cheeks heated.
“I’m not telling you that.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be holding out on us. He’s Italian, right? You know what they say about Italians. Is it true?” Jody teased.
“I’m not talking about this anymore if you guys can’t grow up and act mature,” Elizabeth scolded.
“We’re just messing with you,” Holly interjected. “You don’t have to get all defensive. We’re just surprised you finally let your guard down. According to Sam, Joe’s as nice as they come. And he tells me that Joe treated Amanda like she was a princess.”
She cooled down a bit, and flashed a smile at her friends. “He’s wonderful and he treats me very well.”
“Okay, so now tell us about the sex,” Jody demanded.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She knew she wasn’t going to escape the sex question until she gave some sort of answer. “We haven’t been that far yet.”
Holly cocked her head to the side and flashed her a bewildered look. “You haven’t had sex yet, but you said you loved him.”
“Can we just get back to the wedding plans please?” Elizabeth asked upon deciding she would offer no more information concerning her relationship with Joe.
