“Mmm. Yum . . . mee.” She smiles and black cookie remnants decorate her mouth and teeth.
I burst out laughing. “You have to get a picture of that, Bridg.”
“Good Lord.” Bridgette fetches her phone from her bag. “Smile for Mama.”
I push the plate toward Ava. “One left. All yours if you want it.”
Ava picks up the last cookie and holds it out to Lawrence. “Want it, Wren?” Wren. I like that much better than Law or Lawry.
“What a sweet girl you are. Thank you, but the last one should be for you.”
“Full,” Ava says. She holds it out to me next. “Unky Bou?”
I lean forward and open my mouth so Ava can feed me. Not bad. But I guess anything tastes good deep-fried and covered in powdered sugar.
“Likit?” Ava asks.
I gobble at her fingers and Ava bursts into laughter. “Cookie monster like. He may eat fingers too.”
Bridgette gathers the plate and wipes down the table. “You ready to go, Warren?”
“Whenever you are, baby.”
Bridge lifts a foot and extends it. “I think I need to get home so I can put these up. They feel like they’re twice their normal size.”
Swelling to the face and hands. Headaches. Blurred Vision.
All of those things were symptoms that happened prior to the seizure Bridgette had the day she gave birth to our son. We were too young and stupid to know something was seriously wrong. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I thought she was dying.
“None of the other problems are happening?” I don’t have to go into details about what I mean. Bridgette knows.
“Not a one.”
Warren grasps my shoulder and squeezes. “The doctor told us a little swelling was normal but said she should elevate her feet when it happens. We’re watching everything carefully.”
Warren has only seen Bridgette carry a perfect child full-term during an uncomplicated pregnancy. He wouldn’t be so at ease if he’d seen the things I had.
She comes over and wraps her arms around me. “My feet will go up the minute I get home. I’ll notify the doctor immediately if I have any problems or feel like something’s not right.”
“I know you’re cautious. I just—”
She grabs the sides of my face. “You definitely enjoy being a pain in my ass. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, pest.”
Bridgette moves on to Lawrence, embracing her the same way as me. It’s her way. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“The pleasure was all mine. Early congratulations on your upcoming arrival.”
“Thank you.”
I lift Ava into my arms and squeeze her lightly while rubbing my beard against her face. “Love you, Bebelle. Be a sweet girl for Mama.”
As per usual, she strokes my beard with the palm of her hand as we say goodbye. “Love you, Unky Bou.”
When Ava finishes with me, she skips over to Lawrence and throws herself into her arms.
“Bye, Wren.” Wren.
“I very much enjoyed meeting you, little missy. I know you’re going to make an excellent big sister when your baby brother arrives.”
“Best eva.”
I look at Lawrence when Bridgette, Warren, and Ava are gone. Her elbow is propped on the table, her head tilted so her hand can fidget with the knot on top of her head. Her eyes are wide and intently focused on me. I think she’s trying to figure out what just went down.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Enlighten me. I’d love to know what you believe is in my head right now.”
“You’re trying to make sense of what you just saw.”
“Maybe.”
Maybe, my ass. “You wouldn’t be the first to be confused by us.”
“No one understands your relationship, and you’re okay with that. I get it and I think it’s great.”
I can’t recall ever hearing that kind of response from anyone. I almost think she’s fucking with me. “Really?”
“Yeah. The dynamics of your relationship are fascinating.”
“Fascinating? I guess. Hard as hell? Definitely.”
People love to judge. Many haven’t been kind to Bridgette but I could never sit back and allow anyone to hurt her. She was my best friend. And I wasn’t the only one forced into a marriage I didn’t want.
“I would love to hear more but what do you say we grab some dinner first? I’m starving.”
“I could go for some food.” This girl is way more than I expected. Annoying, incessant texter she is not. Beautiful, insightful, and sexy she is. Yeah, definitely want some more Wren time.
Lawrence Thorn
Lucas Broussard, the world’s most interesting man, just became a little more intriguing. I would not have guessed in a million years my brother’s business partner would be so riveting.
I’ve never been married so I don’t understand the dynamics between a husband and wife. I certainly don’t understand the relationships between a divorcé and divorcée. But I don’t have to in order to realize Lucas and Bridgette are the exception to every rule.
This isn’t just kindness toward his ex-wife and the best friend who married her. It’s clear he truly loves them and their daughter. And their son, who will be arriving in a couple months from the looks of things. What drives this man to be like that? “I want to hear more.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Anything. Everything.”
Lucas laughs at my response. “Long or short version?”
“Long.” I think I’ll need it to understand.
“Bridgette was my best friend in high school. We did everything together, which helped make the move from Louisiana easier, that’s for sure.” I try to picture younger versions of Lucas and Bridgette hanging out the way I did with Ivy and Kelsey but I can’t quite conjure an image of him without that beard.
“‘I don’t know why you guys don’t date. You’d be perfect together.’ It’s all we ever heard from the other kids, teachers, parents. Everyone.”
“I can see where you’d begin to question the validity in it. A kid is impressionable.”
“Exactly. So I started wondering if I was wearing a blinder because I didn’t want to see how perfect we’d be together.”
“You obviously decided to listen to what everyone was saying.” It’s always a mistake to listen to others instead of your heart.
“I asked Bridgette if she wanted to give us a try, to see if everyone knew what they were talking about.”
“And she was willing.”
“No. She told me to never mention it again or she’d punch me in the nuts.” That’s a little unexpected. And funny. “I didn’t bring it up again but she did a couple of years later after we went to college. A couple of months in, we decided to give sex a try. Huge mistake. I don’t think we even had our clothes back on when we agreed it should never happen again.”
But it must have. “You married her.”
“We had sex that one time and she got pregnant.”
“Oh, God.” Worst-case scenario.
“We decided the best thing for our child was to marry and co-parent him together.” Amazing. Even as teenagers, Lucas and Bridgette chose to do what they thought was best for the welfare of their child over their own happiness. Far more than our grown parents ever did for Ollie and me.
Ava and the new baby were the only children mentioned today. I have that awful feeling in my gut that something bad must have happened.
“Bridgette was about halfway through the pregnancy when we found out our son had bilateral renal agenesis. His kidneys failed to develop, which means a death sentence within hours of being born.”
“I’m so very sorry.” I don’t know what else to say to that.
“Bridgette got really sick and developed eclampsia when she was almost eight months pregnant.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“A condition pregnant women get. All I really remember is how badly Br
idg was swollen. She told me she had a terrible headache and blurry vision. I was a kid. I didn’t know what to do so I took her to the hospital. When we got there, her blood pressure was sky high. One minute she’s talking to me, the next she’s having a seizure. Scared the shit out of me. I thought she was dying.”
“How do you treat something like that?”
“They gave her medicine to stop the seizure and took her to surgery for a C-section. Eli died before she made it out of the recovery room.”
“Oh, no. She didn’t get to hold him.”
“Not while he was alive. But I did. And that’s where he died. In my arms instead of hooked up to machines that wouldn’t save him anyway.”
“That’s heartbreaking.”
“The doctor told us any children we conceived together had an increased risk of developing the same disorder.”
“So it’s genetic?”
“From what I understand, we both carry the gene for renal agenesis. It usually presents with one kidney missing, which is okay. People can live with one. But because Bridgette and I both carry the gene, our son inherited the bilateral version. Both were missing.”
That must have been terrible to lose a child and then be told any others they had would likely suffer the same fate. “That’s a tough thing to hear at any age.”
“There we were . . . nineteen and stuck. And no baby, the only glue holding us together. We talked about trying to make our marriage real but that required sex. Even if I could have looked at her as anything other than a sister, neither of us were willing to risk another pregnancy, birth control or not.”
Shit. I guess that means they never had sex with each other again. But they were married. Did they just go without or screw around on each other? I’m surprised by the sickening feeling in my stomach when I think of Lucas taking a lover.
“How long were you married?”
“Six years by the time our divorce was final. But I guess we were about three years in when we agreed to an open marriage.”
Fuck. An open marriage? “You were married six years and dating during three of them?”
“No. I stopped wearing my wedding band after we made the decision to see other people but it took me a year to ease into the idea. We might not have been in love but she was still my wife. Having a relationship outside the boundaries of our marriage felt . . . wrong.” Knowing he didn’t jump at the first chance to fuck around just earned him a few points in my book.
“Why not divorce? It makes so much more sense.”
“I think it’s something we both thought we’d pursue once we were in a better place. But Eli’s death caused Bridgette to have severe depression. It was a year before she even resembled the person she once was. I was afraid of causing a setback if I asked for a divorce. So I adjusted to the idea of being married but not a couple.”
This doesn’t make sense to me. “She became well enough to suggest you have an open marriage but not divorce?”
“We decided it made better financial sense to stay together a couple more years. We had every intention of ending the marriage after we graduated from college and got on our feet.”
I was once a young adult on my own for the first time. I understand how having someone to absorb half the expenses would be beneficial.
“Bridg and I actually had an appointment with a divorce lawyer when my grandfather passed away, and I inherited his business.”
“Another delay.”
“We refer to our marriage as a series of unfortunate events.” It does seem fate was trying to force them to stay together. “But I’m happy I had Bridgette by my side. She was my rock when I stepped into my grandfather’s role at the company.”
Until she became Warren’s rock. “Bridgette and Warren never had a thing for each other before they worked together?”
“Warren was my best friend from Louisiana, but we kept up after I moved. They didn’t know each other until he came to work for me.” I noticed Warren had a Cajun twang but not like Lucas. Or maybe I noticed his more because he’s so damn sexy.
“They met and the sparks flew?”
A smile spreads as he chews. “Something like that.”
I think I would feel like I’d lost some of the best years of my life if I were married to a man I didn’t love.
“I’ve seen that look before.”
“What look would that be?”
“Confusion.”
He’s reading me like a book. He’s right, though. I am highly confused by the things he’s told me. “I can’t deny I’m bewildered by the decisions you made.”
“I know it’s difficult to understand. It must sound ridiculous when you hear the story of those six years over a five-minute span. But it’s like a car accident when you try to recall the way things happened. It played out so fast I can hardly remember it now. Hell, the whole thing doesn’t even make sense to me as I sit here telling you. One thing’s for sure. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Lessons were learned. I would do things much differently if I had it to do over again.”
Being so engrossed in his story, I haven’t eaten a bite of my dinner, so I cut a slit down the middle of my sweet potato. “I thought I was the nonconformist but I believe you’ve beat me out of that title.”
He watches me dress my potato with fresh, organic butter and brown sugar. “I bet you’re still plenty unconventional.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m feeling a little inferior next to you.”
“Tell me about Wren Thorn. I bet she has plenty of interesting facets to her life.” Wren. It was adorable when Ava said it, and strangely enough, it sounds right coming from Lucas. Weird.
Lucas has been so open about his personal life. I feel like I owe him the same in return, but I have no idea where to begin. “What do you want to know about me?”
“Ever been married?”
“No.” I tell everyone I’m content with single life but that’s not the whole truth. I’d love to start a family.
“Ever been in love?”
I was never a dreamy teenage girl who fancied herself in love with every boy she met. “Not that I’m aware.”
“Me either. But I know you’ve been in lust at some point.”
“Not really.” I sound like a total prude.
“Come on. You’ve never been with a man you wanted so badly you thought you’d go crazy if you didn’t have him right then and there?”
“I’m not like that.” What does that even mean?
“Not like what? Sexual?” His eyes roam from my face down my body and he licks his lips. Shit. “I find that impossible to believe.”
“I don’t mean I’m not sexual or I don’t like sex. I just don’t need a man to feel fulfilled.” But I think that would change with the right one.
“Maybe not but you need one to be filled.” He laughs huskily.
“Well, not exactly.” I guess that can be taken more than one way.
“Oh. You prefer women?”
I can see where he might have gathered that. “No, I’m attracted to men. What I mean is that I don’t need a man to feel whole. I’m happy being single . . . until I’m not.” I want to be married, but at the same time, I have no intention of wasting my time with a man who isn’t my future.
“You’re an asexual?” I’m not being very clear here.
“I’m very open to falling in love. I would jump headfirst for the right man if he came along. But he hasn’t. I’m not half a person looking for someone to complete me. I’m whole on my own.” It took years of therapy to recognize my self-worth. “I have friends, a wonderful family, and a successful business.”
Lucas pops a French fry into his mouth. “Right. You told me you were a business owner. Tell me about it.” Good. Thank goodness we’re abandoning the relationship issue.
“It’s a retail shop called Law’s Attraction Boutique. Named for the law of attraction and because my friend’s call me Law.”
“Clever name.”
I wonder if he even knows wh
at the law of attraction is. Or anything about the type person I am. “Has Ollie told you much about me?”
“A little.” Figures. Ollie isn’t known for spilling much.
“I’m not exactly your typical kind of girl.”
Lucas laughs. “No, you’re definitely not. And it’s one of the things I like about you.” He likes that about me? I believe Mr. Broussard is back to flirting.
“Have you ever been to River Street?”
“Never even been to Savannah.”
“That’s a shame. My hometown is beautiful. You have to come when you have the chance. Consider this your official invitation.” Did I just invite Lucas Broussard to come to my town? Yes, I did.
“I hear it’s a beautiful city.”
“It is and I love it. My shop faces the Savannah River. Best view in the city if you ask me.”
“Sounds much better than the one we have of the parking lot at the brewery.” Yeah. That would be depressing.
“Tell me more about your boutique.”
“I sell a wide variety of things. Of course there’s the usual stuff like clothing, jewelry, bags, and aromatherapy supplies.”
“And then there’s stuff people don’t consider usual?” I think Ollie may have told him more than he lets on.
“Essential oils. Healing crystals. Herbs for herbalism. I’m fascinated by holistic healing. But that doesn’t mean I think one shouldn’t seek medical attention if needed. I’m not a quack. Nor am I into witchcraft.” Might as well put it out there now.
“Why would anyone think you’re a witch?”
“Many of the items I carry in the store are used in spells. Some people think that means I practice witchcraft or voodoo. All idiots. I guess it’s more interesting to say I sell rose oil for love spells rather than for its all natural medicinal properties.”
“I don’t know anything about that kind of stuff.”
Most people don’t. “It’s intriguing.”
“Give me an example.”
“Okay. I used to have trouble sleeping. A few drops of lavender oil on my pillow fixed that. I sleep like a baby, and I’m energized when I wake. A few drops in my cleanser help my skin stay clear and healthy. Peppermint oil is great for congestion, nausea, and headaches. That’s just a few uses. There’re so many I could go on and on.”