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“There’s a lot of things you springlets don’t know, but yeah. Losing your grandfather was hard, but you learn to move on too. I should add, when love comes along you never say no.”
“How about you, Mom? What made Dad the perfect man for you?”
Ivy passed around the bread and each grabbed a buttery slice.
“He knew how to read my grocery list and loved kissing under the moonlight on long walks along the beach. What else does a woman need?”
Juniper remembered the stories fondly and smiled.
“I don’t know, maybe the need to know he’ll always tell the truth, wake me up with midnight kisses—”
“Facetime me while grocery shopping to make sure he gets the right kind of chocolates,” Ivy cut Juniper off. “I can’t tell you how many times Aspen has done that.”
“Know how to set up a candlelight dinner,” Mom added next and the circle came back to Gran, who slipped another piece of lasagna on her plate. “How about a man who says nothing when I go back for seconds? How’s that for a perfect man?”
“And a man that knows exactly what I need every second of the day.”
Juniper sat back and raised her hands in defeat. “Okay,okay. I get it. So there’s no such thing as a perfect man.”
“Oh I think there is, sweetie,” her mom added, chuckling. “A perfect man for you because your heart said so not because of some list. Love doesn’t hold to borders, rules and bullet points.”
“I thought it did and I almost missed a chance at what I have with Aspen.”
Juniper swirled the silky red liquid in her glass. “You know, the whole time I was with Marshall I didn’t even think about my list.”
Hmm. That wasn’t entirely true, but she wasn’t about to say she mentally checked off the ‘spanking my ass just right’ rule.
“He makes me smile, piques my curiosity with his ideas and way of viewing the world and if we’d only met under different circumstances.” She let her words trail off. He could have been the one in another life.
A heavy weight settled over her heart. Time for her to grow up. Her childhood fantasies of a happily-ever-after at all costs were made for fairytales and would make her what she feared most—being alone.
“Honey,” Gran took her hand, “I want to tell you things will work out the way they’re meant to be, but in this case, when it’s the matter of the heart, planned or unplanned, you don’t really get a say in it. You’ll see what I mean in time.”
Ivy nodded. “Your wise gran told me the same thing with Aspen one day when she saw me having cold feet.”
“I told him I would follow through with the wedding, but...” She drew in a breath and didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry or both. “I’m afraid it will break my heart if it’s not true love.” She looked at her friends, her mom, and gran in turn.
Her phone pinged and she let out a shaky laugh. “Save by the bell, I guess. It’s probably Jon.” Gran released her hand and Juniper flipped her phone over to read Marshall’s name on the screen.
Her heart quickened, and her stomach tumbled over with nerves.
Meeting went fine. Glad you are home safe and sound. Wishing I was there with you.- B
