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My eyebrows pulled together. “Why are you smiling about this? I thought you were really into her? What happened?”
Bethan was a hot, petite blonde Bryce had met a few months back, and honestly, she was a vast improvement on his ex. Where Sarah was cold and standoffish, Bethan was warm and bubbly. I’d liked her right off, and Bryce had appeared to be pretty taken with her. As far as I knew everything was good between them. New, but good.
Bryce shrugged. “I liked her, but she decided she liked her ex more than me. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like things had gotten serious.”
I looked into his brown eyes, checking he really meant what he said. Not a hint of hidden sadness so I shrugged too. “Fair enough. And of course we can make room for you tonight.”
“Thanks, Leah.”
“Anytime.” I drew in a sigh. “I suppose I’d best go home and let you guys get back to work.”
I smiled as Jessica babbled away in baby talk and Radleigh nodded, engrossed, and when he caught my grin he smiled too. “See. I do listen.”
I gently took one of Jessica’s hands in mine and leaned in closer. “Hey, Jessica. How about you tell Daddy to pick up his socks.”
She frowned at me and threw some more baby talk my way. I glanced up at Radleigh. “Clearly she’s leaving that job to me.”
Radleigh chuckled and slid his hand around to my stomach. “I think we should talk about having another one soon.”
“Ha! One thing at a time, super sperm. When the wedding’s over we’ll talk about that.”
Truthfully, I did want another baby. In fact, we both wanted a house full of kids, but with Richard’s job offer on my mind, it was hard to consider planning for another baby. If I said yes to the job, getting pregnant again immediately wouldn’t exactly go down well.
“Can I order a boy this time?”
I laughed out loud and Radleigh grinned. He wouldn’t have changed Jessica for the world but I knew there was a whole lot of truth behind what he said. He wanted a son and I was certain we’d have to keep trying until we got one. It was a legacy thing. Radleigh’s father and grandfather had both been world class soccer players, and he wanted to keep the tradition going. God only knew what would happen if we had a boy who wanted to be a ballet dancer…
“You can try,” I said. “But no promises.”
Chapter Four – You’ve Got To Be Prepared For The Consequences
“Oh my God, Leah.” Deanna stared at my wedding dress, tears filling her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”
I’d laid it out on her bed for her to see and we were both mesmerised by its beauty. I still couldn’t believe it was mine, and that in four months I’d be wearing it to marry Radleigh. Butterflies flapped around my stomach as I closed my eyes, picturing myself in the stunning gown, walking down the aisle towards him. Sometimes it still floored me to think this was really happening.
The dress had brought Bree, Freya and I to tears when we found it in one of the many shops we’d been to. I’d always heard that you just know when you’ve found the right wedding dress, and that had certainly been the case for me. I saw it amongst all the others and it made me shiver a little as I touched it for the first time. But it wasn’t until I tried it on that I truly knew. It was dainty and classic, the kind that could be handed down through generations; pretty without being over the top. The white dress was embroidered with the most stunning floral detail that ran from the V-shaped neck down to my hips, and then down the front and half way down the back of the train. It wasn’t a huge meringue-type train but a soft floaty train. The dress hugged my figure for the most part, but was looser at the bottom, giving me room to move my legs. The shoulder straps were made from delicate white lace and the back was open, with tiny white buttons to fasten it up the bottom of my spine.
I nodded and smiled. “I can’t wait to wear it.”
Deanna turned to me, shaking her head in amazement. “It’s so perfect for you.”
“I know. I couldn’t wait to get over here to show you.”
She smiled, pulling me into a hug, and a happy sigh left my lips. “You’ve been a part of the family since the moment Radleigh brought you home, but I’m so proud that I’ll soon be able to officially call you my daughter-in-law.”
A tear slipped down my cheek – clearly my emotions were all over the place. “Thank you. I can’t wait either.”
Deanna was the best mother-in-law I could have asked for. As much as I loved my mum, we were never as close as I hoped we’d be. She never understood me, or my need to break out of life in the remote Cornish village I’d grown up in. She was a homebody, loving life in the English countryside, and I’d wanted… more. I wanted everything I now had. Deanna got me. She didn’t try to make me fit into a mould. While my own mother had tried to make me feel guilty for wanting to break away, Deanna understood and encouraged me to be who I am.
“Look at us getting all emotional.” Deanna laughed, wiping away a tear as she let go of me. “If this is how we are now, we’re going to be a mess on the day!”
“I know.” I chuckled. “I’ve already told Bree my make-up needs to be waterproof otherwise I’ll look like some kind of zombie when I walk down the aisle!”
“Bree’s very talented. How’s her new job going?”
I smiled. “It’s great. I think she’s actually a little sad she’ll have to give it up for a while when the baby comes.”
That was an understatement. She’d recently begun working at a small television studio, applying make-up to local news reporters so they looked flawless on camera. She still worked
