by Lexy Parker
“I’m so happy for you!” she squealed.
“Thank you. I think I’m in shock.” I giggled.
Sadie’s arms went around my waist. “I’m very happy too. This means you’re going to be my new mom. My second mom,” she clarified.
“Yes, I guess it does.”
I looked around the shop, surprised to see it decked out so prettily. I had been talking about decorating for the holidays, but things had been hectic, and I’d been more worried about spending time with Sadie and Philip than working in the shop.
“What do you think?” Philip asked.
“I think it’s gorgeous,” I said. “I hope you guys haven’t worn yourselves out. We still have my house to do.”
“We’re ready for that too,” Sadie said with a nod.
“Wow, I’m in shock, and I’m going to kill you for freaking me out,” I said to Dani.
She laughed. “It was the only way I could think of to get you down here in a hurry.”
“Well, it was very effective.”
“When do you want to get married?” Philip asked.
I laughed. “Uh, I don’t know. I’ve only been engaged for about two minutes.”
“Tomorrow!” Sadie shouted.
I looked at their dresses again. “What’s this about?” I asked, pointing to their outfits.
Dani laughed. “Sadie thought it would be a good idea to show you what we want our dresses to look like for the wedding. I’ll be your maid of honor, and Sadie is going to be the flower girl and a bridesmaid.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“And you love blue and silver, hence the tree,” Dani said, nodding toward the tree in the middle of my shop.
I turned to look at Philip. “What’s your guest list look like?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Clay?”
“I’ve only got her,” I said, an idea quickly forming.
His eyes were dancing. I realized it had been their plan all along.
“So, what do you think?” he asked, his voice low and serious.
I took a deep breath. “I think I’d like to ring in the new year as Mrs. Allen,” I whispered.
He nodded his head. “Okay, New Year’s?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Why wait that long? They have the dresses. I’m sure I can find something to wear at one of the secondhand stores. We can get married tomorrow.”
Sadie was jumping up and down, clapping her hands. “Tomorrow!”
“In all seriousness, how about the twenty-third?” I asked, looking from Philip to Dani.
Dani shrugged. “I’m free.”
I laughed. “Philip?”
“Count me in. Where?”
“Why not here?” I asked, the idea taking hold. “It’s already decorated. We can hire one of those dial-a-preachers.”
Philip was grinning. “I very much like the sound of that. One week. In one week, we’ll be married.”
I turned to look at Dani. She nodded her head, understanding my unspoken words.
“Let’s go find that bottle of champagne we brought to toast with,” Dani said to Sadie.
They headed for the back, leaving me and Philip alone. His arms went around me, his forearms resting on my hips as he stared into my eyes.
“Are you okay with all of this happening so fast?” I asked him.
“I am. Absolutely. It’s what I want.”
I believed him. I could see he was being honest. “Okay.”
“We don’t have to do this right away,” he said. “The girls thought it would be cute, and I didn’t mind. If you want to wait, I’m okay with that.”
“No, I’m not afraid of this,” I said with a grin. “I’m more afraid of not doing this. It isn’t all that fast. I love you. You love me. I love Sadie, and I’m going to venture out on a limb and say she likes me as well.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “She adores you. She thinks you walk on water. We’re going to do this. If either of us get scared, we talk about it. We don’t hide it away.”
I smiled, nodding. “Got it. And if we try, Dani won’t let us. She’s like having our own little marriage counselor.”
He laughed. “Even if we don’t want it.”
“Thank you for accepting her as one of ours,” I told him.
He grinned again. “We’re an odd kind of blended family, but it works. Now, let’s get in there before that bad influence you call family gets my daughter drunk.”
I burst into laughter. “I think Sadie is safe.”
We walked together over the rose petals strewn along the floor. Sadie was sipping from a glass that I assumed was one of the cheap plastic glasses from the dollar store. My eyes bulged when I saw her take a drink.
“Dani!” I exclaimed in horror.
“Relax, it’s apple cider,” she grumbled. “As if I’d give her champagne.”
I looked at her. “You gave me champagne.”
“You were sixteen,” she retorted.
“We’ll talk about this later,” I said, giving her a look that meant I was very serious.
I was an official mama bear, and I planned on taking my role seriously. I would love Sadie like my own and protect her as if she had come from my womb. She was going to be my daughter. I was going to be married with a family.
I took the glass Dani offered, sipping from it and thinking about where I’d been at a year ago at this same time. I’d been in the worst pain of my life after losing my brother. Now, a year later, I was the happiest I had ever been. A lot could change in the span of a year.
The End
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About the Author
Lexy Parker is the creation of two hopelessly romantic ladies who grew up loving any and every book they could read. They love their men handsome, strong, dead sexy, and with super-soft hearts.
While married to real-life amazing husbands—who secretly rolled their eyes and loudly cheered them on—they collaborated together to become Lexy Parker.
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Be Mine Forever
Copyright © 2019 by Lexy Timms & Ali Parker.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
Editor: Laura LaTulipe
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art
