Page 38 of Her Sweet Surrender
Brie giggled.
Seeing she was on a roll, Lea continued. “Hey, Brie?”
Realizing she must be a masochist at heart, Brie played her part. “What?”
“Who’s bigger? Mrs. Bigger, Mr. Bigger, or their baby?”
“I don’t know.”
“Their baby—because he’s a little Bigger.”
Brie snorted. “Where do you come up with these?”
Lea winked. “I’ve got one more. So, there’s this dad who tries to keep his wife happy through labor by telling a bunch of jokes, but she doesn’t laugh—not even once. Do you know why?”
“Because the jokes are terrible?” Brie answered in a deadpan voice.
“No silly. Because it was the delivery!”
Brie slapped her palm to her head, chuckling despite herself.
“What’s so funny?” Sir asked, walking through the room.
“Lea’s telling me jokes.”
“And you’re laughing?” Sir’s comeback was quick and unexpected, catching them both off guard.
Lea put her hands to her heart, a tragic expression on her face. “That hurt, Sir.”
“Ms. Taylor, while I’m sure they were of the utmost quality, I have yet to find any of your jokes funny.”
Sir delivered his humorous retort in such a matter-of-fact manner, it reminded Brie of the critiques he used to give at the Training Center.
Lea stared at him in disbelief as he walked away.
Brie threw her head back and started laughing. She couldn’t stop. Every time she looked at Lea, she broke out in a fresh peal of laughter.
It wasn’t until the doorbell rang that Brie was able to finally gather herself. Heading to the door, she wiped her eyes before welcoming in Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds and little Jonathan.
“I’m so tickled you guys could make it.”
“Nothing could keep us away from Hope’s first birthday,” Judy told her, bouncing Jonathan in her arms.
Jack glanced around. “Where is the birthday girl?”
“She’s just waking from her nap. Sir will be down in a bit. Can I get you any refreshments while you wait?”
Judy stopped to admire the decorations. “Oh, Brie. I love what you’ve done. It’s so festive and sweet.
Brie winked at Lea. “We had fun setting it up.”
“You two always have fun together,” Jack observed, smiling at them both.
When he set Jonathan down on the floor, the little boy stood there clinging to Mr. Reynold’s leg, staring at Lea shyly.
Brie spied the gift on the counter and grabbed it. Kneeling beside him she said, “This is for you, Jonathan.”
The little boy looked up at her with his big brown eyes and long lashes. Those eyes, along with his classic good looks, left no doubt that he was Lilly’s son. Although it was disconcerting for Brie, she felt only love for this innocent boy.
