Page 128 of Playing With Love

“Okay, business done, tell me what’s going on with you.”

I glanced down at my ring. That time my smile was so big it hurt my face.

“I’m engaged.”

I startled and had to pull my phone away from my ear because Shannon’s screech was so loud.

Yeah, I’d missed a lot of signs when my head was screwed up, including Shannon had always been more than just my boss, she’d made numerous attempts to be my friend. It was me who didn’t recognize the gestures.

It sucked I no longer lived close to her, but I knew I could firmly call her my friend.

We chatted for a little while longer before I had to go. I had a standing lunch date I had to get to. We rang off, I grabbed my purse, hustled out of my office, down the hall, peeked into Tucker’s office, and seeing it empty I made my way to reception.

Lily was already waiting for me.

The woman was always five minutes early and I was always two minutes late.

“Sorry.”

Lily waved off my apology and pulled me in for a tight hug like she hadn’t seen me for years when I’d seen her yesterday. Damn, but I loved this woman.

“Ally and Ren will be right back; they went to grab Liberty.”

Since that day in the hospital when Lily saw me at one of the lowest points of my life, she’d succeeded in keeping her promise.

She’d seen me through.

She’d held my hand when I first saw Tucker.

She’d held me while I cried.

She and Lenox had stood by my side when I’d talked to Tucker’s doctor.

The both of them were all in to help me heal.

Lenox by hilariously calling himself a girl dad of a grown woman who drove him crazy. I’d reminded him, I wouldn’t drive him crazy if he didn’t insist on doing the most bizarre things for me like taking my car in for new tires because he deemed them unsafe. Tucker told me not to fight this, so I didn’t but I did demand to pay for my own damn tires. My insistence was what drove Lenox crazy. The weird part? When Lenox complained about me being hardheaded and not allowing him to take care of what he felt he needed to, it felt good. When he rumbled, it made me smile. When he frowned at me when I would’ve give in, I felt love.

It was the strangest, most beautifully weird thing I’d ever felt.

Lily was quieter in her care and protection and it was different than Lenox’s. Lily was a mom, she loved her boys. Her watching my mother tear me to shreds had awoken the mama bear and now at her demand we had lunch once a week. Sometimes it was the two of use, sometimes Liberty or Ren would join, and other times like today, Allyson would meet us and we’d all go out.

Speaking of Ally, she and Ren rounded the corner sans Liberty.

“She’ll be right out,” Ren told us but my attention was on Allyson.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Who me?” Ally singsonged.

I glanced at Lily. She smiled but shrugged. No help there. Ren pinched her lips to hide her grin, she knew what had Ally smiling.

That was something else that made me love my job. Not only had everyone welcomed me, this included all of the Lenox, Clark, Walker, and McCoy families but the women had welcomed Ally and her sister Jessica. Ren and Ally had become good friends, and Ally and Jess had gone with me and Tucker to Chelsea and Matt’s to help them put in temporary fencing for the horses. Construction on their new barn was due to start in a few weeks. Tucker had been right, the insurance company was jacking Matt around. He was paying out of pocket and very loudly and creatively told the insurance people where they could shove it.

“Ally?”

“I have a date,” she blurted.

“Really? That’s great.”