Page 9 of Tying the Knot with her Sweet Scrooge

“Oh boy,” John muttered. “Here we go…”

“Music? Music?” Ortega retorted, “Lemme tell you about some music…”

“I like Sleeping Beauty’s song,” Rose, John’s daughter, chimed in openly in a high-pitched voice that had everyone turn to look at the little girl. Ortega’s entire face softened as he leaned toward the little girl, smiling and began humming.

“Is it that one?” Ortega asked – and Jill realized that no matter the gruff, tough exterior front that these guys put up, they were all the same when it came to family.

Rose nodded happily – and then looked at her daddy. John rolled his eyes dramatically but got up from his seat, scooping up the little girl as his wife looked on, laughing softly. John carriedRose into the living room and began to waltz with his daughter in his arms as she continued humming her ‘favorite song.’

Lena leaned her chin on Ortega’s shoulder as the two shared a tender look. Juliet and Logan shared a smile, and even Lyndsey looked enchanted at the simplicity of a daddy showing affection for his child, who obviously meant the world to him.

But her sweet Babe had left.

Jill drew in her breath to keep from crying at how unfair all of this was – but this garbage going on wasn’t going to continue either. Houghton was about to have a ‘come-to-Jesus’ discussion with her, and she was going to set him straight on a few things that needed to change immediately.

After dinner, Jill was washing the dishes and putting away the food with Lily, Lena, Juliet, and Lyndsey – only to hear a distinct clearing of the throat behind the five women coming from the doorway.

“Ladies, with me,” Juliet ordered, grabbing Lyndsey and Lena by the wrists as Lily followed without hesitation, almost like it was choreographed. Logan and John stood in the doorway, looking at Jill. Both men were shoulder to shoulder; arms crossed over their chests with sympathetic knowing looks on their faces.

“You can’t be hungry,” Jill said simply, looking away from them and busying herself. “If you are, just get something from the pantry to…”

“Jill,” Logan said quietly. “We’ve known each other for years, and I think you know better than to assume I came back for seconds or thirds of dinner.”

“You were always a beanpole.”

“And you were always impatient,” Logan retorted softly, causing her to whirl around as her eyes stung and a lump in her throat nearly choked her.

“Impatient? Impatient! Don’t you even start with any of that prattle…”

“We know,” John interrupted simply, smiling at her.

“We both know,” Logan added. “But you’ve got to trust him and give him a moment to work things out in his head.”

“There’s nothing to work out,” Jill said, hating the fact that it came out in a sob as she looked at her husband’s two best friends. “I’m pregnant at forty years old. After all this time, all these years, God has blessed us with a child and… and my husband isn’t happy about it.”

“He’s beyond happy, Jill,” Logan replied. “I promise you that. He couldn’t help but share the news because he was so ecstatic about the baby – but you need to trust him, trust in your commitment to each other, because I can tell you that man is tearing himself up over things – but it will work itself outif you have patience.”

“Why?” she snapped hotly. “Why should I sit here patiently and keep getting pushed away when all he does is run every time I look at him sideways…”

“Jill, helovesyou,” John answered. “That man was always talking about you when we could get him to open up overseas. He doesn’t say much, and when he does, half the time it sounds like he’s griping, but you are – what’d he call her that night that we teased him, Logan?”

“Oh yeah,” Logan chuckled as the two men shared a grin before looking at Jill where she stood waiting. “He said you were ‘his moon, his stars, and his entire universe… and without you there was nothing’. We teased him for being a romantic twat… and he punched me.”

“He split my lip,” John added, chuckling.

“My sweet Babe said that?” Jill whispered, stunned.

“He did.”

“More than once.”

“Just be patient with him – and trust in his love for you. I promise everything will be okay. If you know him, then you know everything has a place, a specific way of things to be done, a certain time, and if someone messes with his things?”

“Then he feels like he needs to fix it,” she answered softly. “I messed with something, didn’t I?”

“In the best way possible, my friend,” Logan replied softly, holding out his arms and stepping forward to hug her. Jill turned easily to her friend, fighting back the tears as John joined in, hugging the both of them.

“It’s gonna be okay, Jill,” John promised.

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