Page 83 of Lucky in Love
“I did a lot of thinking last night,” she said, ignoring his I love you. Again. “Even if we get past this, what’s next? Whether it’s a bad review, an ex-girlfriend, a new job, or just too much time away while you travel, how can we make that work? And if we can’t, I don’t want to fall any deeper in love with you. It will only hurt worse. It’s better to nip this in the bud and go our separate ways.”
Did she just admit she loved him? Or was falling in love with him? He couldn’t let that slide. He was so close.
“I disagree. Wecanget past this. And whatever else comes at us. At least, let’s try.”
“Brody, we barely know each other.”
“Doesn’t matter. If you want the God’s honest truth, I knew I loved you the minute you came down that trail and demanded I get my tools and follow you.”
She huffed out a sad laugh.
“Alex. Please let me come back and make this up to you.”
“Your mom needs you. Stay there and do what you have to do.”
“I’m getting a new phone today. I’ll call you as soon as I have it. I do need to make some arrangements for my mom. And I did promise I’d stay a few days.”
“Take your time,” she said. “Goodbye, Brody.” Then she hung up. Without clarifying whether he still had a chance or if she’d just broken up with him. He wanted to call her back to ask, but realized he still hadn’t gotten her phone number!
In his mind, she hadn’t closed the door completely. He needed to get to work on a plan. His mom was right. He’d have to fight for her. And he planned to do so as if his life depended on it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Come on, Mopey Joe,” Holly said. “You’re killin’ the vibe here.”
Alex snapped to. It had been a week since she’d told Brody they should “take a break.” She was sure she’d be over him by now, but thoughts of him lurked everywhere and distracted her at inopportune moments.
“Sorry,” Alex said, shaking her head. “Is it my turn?”
Holly and Cole had arrived the night before, and everyone was gathered at Nick and Faith’s to exchange Christmas presents early. They were down to the last few boxes.
“Actually,” Holly said. “Y’all need to go at once with these.” She passed out identically wrapped gifts to Faith, Tess, Juliet, and Alex before returning to sit next to Cole, who winked and grabbed her hand.
Alex ripped at the paper as the others did the same. Faith got hers open first and let out a happy gasp, causing Alex to move faster. Tearing open the box, she found a plain yellow T-shirt with the words “Auntie Alex” scripted on the front. Tears welled immediately. Holly was pregnant.
They all jumped up, screaming and hugging and crying, overjoyed for their friend.
“I’m so happy for you,” Alex whispered into Holly’s ear as she hugged her tight. “Congratulations.”
“I wondered why you weren’t drinking,” Tess said. “I should have known.”
“Is this why you insisted we exchange gifts first thing?” Juliet asked.
“Yes,” Holly said. “It would be impossible for me to hold on tothissecret all week.”
The fantastic news dominated the conversation for most of the evening—questions of how Holly was feeling, how and when she’d found out, how she told Cole, when the due date was, and whether they were going to find out the sex.
Alex was relieved to have a distraction from her breaking heart, but later that night, Holly cornered her and brought up the topic. Nick and Cole huddled in a corner, trading law enforcement war stories, and Tess and Juliet were helping Faith in the kitchen. That left Holly an opening.
“I miss you, woman.” Holly plopped down beside her.
“Miss you too,” Alex said, rubbing her friend’s stomach. “Any chance a baby means you’ll come home?”
“Cole’s got a few more years before he can retire, but as soon as that happens, we’ll be back. NYC’s okay, but I’m not raising my kids there.”
Alex nodded. Their whole team was close—very close—but Alex and Holly had been best friends “on the side” for some time, and losing her had been an adjustment for Alex.
“So, what’s the story with you and Brody?”
