Page 43 of Lilly

"And then your dad liked him?"

She nods. "Yes, but his wood chopping skills weren't the reason why. It's because my dad could see how much your father loved me. That's all he really cared about. And your father is the same way with you."

"But he knows Reed loves me. He doesn't need to test him."

She closes the fridge and turns to me. "Just give him time. He won't act this way forever. Right now, he's just having a hard time letting you grow up. In his mind, you're still his little girl and he's not ready to give you away to someone else."

"He's not giving me away. It's not like Reed and I are getting married, at least not next week."

Her eyes pause on mine. "Have you two talked about that? Marriage?"

I don't know if I should tell her, but then I do. "Don't tell Dad this, but yeah, we've talked about it. But we're not in any hurry. We'd finish college first and then maybe get married a few years after that."

She's quiet, which means she disapproves. Why would she be against this? She likes Reed. I know she does.

"You don't think I should marry him," I say, a touch of anger in my tone. It's not like I need my parents' approval but it would make things a lot easier.

"Lilly, that's not what I was thinking."

"Then what were you thinking?"

"That it's best not to make plans that far out in the future. You still have three more years of college and a lot can happen in three years."

"But I'll still love Reed."

She comes around the island and sits next to me. "When I was in college, I dated a boy I thought I loved. We were even engaged for a short time. But then he changed and became someone else. Someone I didn't want to be with and definitely didn't want to marry."

"So how did you know you wanted to be with Dad?"

She smiles. "From the moment I met him, I felt something between us. Something I hadn't felt with anyone else. He's very handsome, so of course I was attracted to him, but it was more than that. When he held my hand, I felt like it belonged there, like it was a perfect match to mine." Her gaze shifts down to the counter as she thinks back. "We could talk for hours and never get bored. If I had a bad day, just being around your father would make me feel better. He always knew the right thing to say, but he also knew when it was best to say nothing at all and just be there for me. And when he wasn't with me, I felt like there was this huge hole in my heart that could never be filled by anyone but him." She tears up as she says it and I know it's because it reminds her of the years they spent apart, when he thought she was dead. That was a long time ago, but she still tears up when something reminds her of it.

"Mom." I put my hand over hers. "I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, honey." She smiles and wipes her eyes. "I only told you all that because I want the same thing for you. I want you to know for sure that Reed is the one before you make plans for your future."

"He is the one. I love him, and just like you said, when he's gone, I feel like something is missing. He's the one I want to be with. I can't even think about being with anyone else."

She hugs me. "Then I'm happy for you. Your father and I just want you to be happy."

"Then get him to leave Reed alone."

She laughs. "I can't promise you that, but I'll see what I can do. Now should we finish up with the groceries?"

"Yeah."

She goes back around the island to continue putting the food away while I unload the sacks.

"What are your plans for next week?" she asks.

"I don't really have any. Why?"

"Kelly's organizing a fashion show to raise money for one of the local animal shelters and she wants us to come. It's Wednesday afternoon but I thought we could go down early and do some shopping first. Or if you wanted to, we could even spend the night there and maybe go to a spa on Thursday. We haven't had a spa day forever."

"That's sounds fun. Let's do it! Do I get to stop and see Reed?"

"Yes," she says, laughing. "I assumed the trip would include a visit to see Reed."

I rip open a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies and pop two in my mouth. "I love these."

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