Page 81 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“I know you haven’t had a mother in your life, and I’m sure that’s always been a big hole that could never be filled, but—”

I stopped her, “Marge, I never felt that hole because of you. You were the closest to a mother figure I’ve ever had, and I do think of you as my mother. I always have. I hope you’re okay with that.”

Her eyes welled up. “And I think of you as my daughter, honey. I want you to know that no matter what obstacles life throws at you, that you can always come to me.”

“I know, and I will.”

“Are you and Nick happy? I mean, he’s not staying as long as he was supposed to.”

“I’d rather we had longer too, but we’re very happy. Actually, I’m over the moon. It won’t be easy seeing him leave, though. How do you do it? How can you be so calm about it?”

“You’re forgetting that my husband used to be in the navy. This is nothing new to me, but you… you’re so young.”

“I know. I guess it just takes time getting used to.”

“You’ll get the hang of it. And I’m sure once this mission is done, Nick’s schedule will be more manageable, and he won’t need to leave for so long. At least that’s what he says.”

“I hope so. You think we can get the wedding ready in two weeks?”

“Well, we’d like it to be just us and a few close friends, nothing bigger than a picnic, maybe.”

“Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you, Joelle.”

Nick rushed back to us, a little flushed, and took my hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here for a while.”

I waved to Marge and followed Nick’s lead. “Okay. Where are we going?”

“That’s the surprise.”

He gave me a quick kiss, took my hand and led me to the back of the house. “Can you jump the fence?” he asked.

“It will be hard with this dress on. But I can try.”

Nick gave me a boost up, and with a quick flip I was on the other side. I was secretly afraid that my dress would get stuck on the fence and I’d end up hanging upside down with my butt shining up. Thankfully, I didn’t. When I saw him fly over it himself, I did a double take at his shoes to see if he got the additional thrust from hidden rockets or propellers, like Astro, the boy from the comics.

I followed him through the back field that led to the old Camden barn. It had been for sale for years, and I wasn’t even sure who the owner was anymore, but the field around it was at least fifty acres of land or so, and the only other visible establishment from here was our bakery and our house.

Nick pushed the main barn door, opening a sliver of space to squeeze through. Inside, the now setting sun streamed between the wooden boards from the outside, creating ribbons of light that carried dust and particles. At the far end, old hay was stacked about fifteen feet high, and the smell of dried grass filled the air. Overhead, on the exposed upper level, some old tools and pitchforks were propped against the wall. The only way up was a ladder.

I sneezed.

“Bless you.”

“Thank you. So, where’s the surprise?” I asked.

“You’re standing in it.”

I looked around, wondering whether I was missing something.

“I’m going to turn this into a house,” Nick said. “Our house.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Jo, I’m not the kidding type when it comes to you and me.”

“I’m not sure if I want to live in a barn.” My nose wrinkled and I sneezed again. “Especially one filled with hay.”

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