Page 27 of Forever, Finally

“Why does all this have to be different?” she asked. “Why can’t it be like it was?”

“It will be. We need time to adjust.”

To what? Nothing had changed. Or was she wrong in that? Had getting married changed the rules so much that neither of them knew what to do or how to act?

“I didn’t want to make things bad between us,” she said.

“You didn’t.”

But he spoke the words as he walked out of the kitchen and when the back door slammed behind him, she knew he was wrong.

She’d gained Jake as a husband but lost him as a friend. From her perspective it didn’t seem like much of a trade.

* * *

Lily showered and straightened up Jake’s house, then drove over to her place where she could check out the refinished floor. Various rooms were still roped off so the new finish could dry. Carpeting would come in next, then she was free to move back.

Yesterday Jake had talked about moving in with her. Was that still going to happen?

She put her hand on her stomach. “Whatever is going on with him, I’ll still be here for you,” she promised her baby. “We’re going to be a family.”

She crossed to the window in the living room. The sub flooring creaked as she walked. As she stared out at the front yard, she vowed that somehow she would fix all of this. She hadn’t come this far only to lose Jake now. She was tired of messing up her life, which meant it was time to get things right—and she knew just how to start.

She drew her cell phone out of her purse and scrolled through the numbers. When she reached the one she wanted, she pushed the talk button and waited. The phone was answered on the second ring.

“Rachel?” she said, her stomach jumping into her throat. “It’s Lily.”

* * *

“Why are you keeping an old woman company when you have a beautiful new wife at home?” Nadia asked as Jake checked the dip stick in her car.

“You asked me to change your oil.”

“I see. And you chose this morning to do it? The morning after your wedding night?”

He slid the stick back in place. “It’s not like that. She’s pregnant.”

“Oh, and while a woman is pregnant she doesn’t have needs? Or are you saying you don’t find her attractive?”

Jake had been on his own since he was twenty. He had a dangerous job, was a responsible citizen and prided himself on knowing his way around the bedroom. But in less than thirty-seven seconds, his mother had him blushing like a fourteen-year-old.

“I’m not talking about this with you, Mom,” he said firmly.

“Fine. You don’t talk. I’ll talk and you listen.”

He slammed the hood and busied himself with polishing the already gleaming finish. Escape was only a few steps away, but if he tried to duck out, his mother would follow and possibly want to discuss this outside, in front of the neighbors. Dealing with her in the privacy of the garage seemed much more palatable.

“You and Lily—you’re friends for a long time,” his mother said. “You have feelings, she has feelings, but no one talks.”

“You don’t know that she has feelings.”

“I know.”

He risked glancing at his mother and saw affection in her gaze.

“I know, Jake,” she repeated. “Trust your heart. Trust her heart. A marriage isn’t made in a day. It’s not about the ceremony or even sharing a bed. It’s about building a life. You have time. So build that life. Be with her. The sex will take care of itself.”

He winced. “We’re not talking about sex.”

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