Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(67)

“Is he happy?”

“He’s giddy.”

“What about Lauren?”

Max pulled out of the parking space and followed the signs to the airport exit. “She’s at a conference for most of the day. From what Max said, they’d originally planned the wedding for today, until Lauren remembered she had obligations until late in the afternoon.”

Bethanne grinned. “Ah, young love.”

“Actually, the timing has worked out well. The extra day gives her parents the opportunity to fly in, along with her sister.”

“Wonderful.” They merged into the freeway traffic. At this point, Bethanne didn’t have a clue where Max had booked a room. Not that it mattered.

Max glanced in his side-view mirror before he changed lanes. “As I started to tell you, Rooster is beside himself. He’s already booked the chapel, found a minister, and made a reservation for the honeymoon suite.” He chuckled. “Want to make a guess which one of the three he took care of first?”

“Max!”

His smile grew bigger. “In addition to everything else, he’s dealing with jet lag and is punch-drunk with love.”

This was a sight Bethanne was eager to see.

“I’ve never seen him this happy,” Max said, turning serious. “He said you and I inspired him. He’d mostly given up on falling in love, I think. He had a bad experience in his early twenties. He’s dated over the years, but never seriously. Shortly after he came onboard with me my life fell apart. I’m grateful he was there when I needed a friend most.”

Bethanne pressed her hand over her husband’s thigh, knowing that he was referring to the death of his wife and daughter.

“I basically abandoned him and the business,” Max continued. “It hasn’t been until the last year or so since I’ve been back that I’ve come to realize how much responsibility Rooster took upon himself. Not that I would have been much help even if I had been around. He buried himself in work. By all that’s right, he deserves Lauren. I couldn’t ask for a better friend or partner.”

By the time Bethanne was in the room and had unpacked her suitcase, it was noon. She was about to join Max when there was a knock on the door.

When she answered, she found Lauren standing in the hallway.

“Lauren,” she cried, excited to see the other woman. “Congratulations.”

Her friend flew into the room. “I don’t have another meeting for an hour. Bethanne, I’m so grateful you came.” She started pacing the confined area. All at once she stopped. “Tell me, honestly, do you think Rooster and I are crazy?”

“No,” she responded thoughtfully. “I think you’re in love.”

“We are,” Lauren confirmed, “we really are. I’ve never felt like this, and Rooster says it’s the same with him.”

Walking about the room, Lauren couldn’t seem to hold still.

“Are you having second thoughts?” Bethanne asked, just to be certain.

“No,” she cried, as if this should be a major concern. “That’s just it. Shouldn’t I? I mean, we barely know each other, but we’ve talked every day, sometimes for hours and hours. I can’t believe we’re doing this, but it’s what I want, what Rooster wants, too.

“We promised ourselves that if either of us had a change of heart in the morning we’d call the whole thing off. We didn’t. If anything, we were more convinced than ever that we belong together.

“I’m overwhelmed with joy, practically squirming with it, and yet if two weeks ago you’d told me I’d seriously be considering marrying a man I barely knew, I wouldn’t have believed it possible.”

Bethanne understood all too well.

“Shouldn’t I be worried?” Lauren demanded. “Shouldn’t I be having second thoughts? A rational person would, don’t you think? Am I off my rocker?”

“Well …” Bethanne wasn’t allowed to finish.

“But I don’t,” Lauren said, and hugged her stomach as she continued on her rapid walk back and forth across the room. “Nothing has felt more right in my entire life.”

“Rooster is a good man.”

“I know. Do you know what he did?”

Again, Bethanne wasn’t given the opportunity to respond.

“Rooster insisted on talking to my father. He asked my dad if he’d be willing to let him marry his daughter … me. Really, who does that anymore? I’d mentioned Rooster to my mom and sister, but my dad hadn’t heard a word about him, and here was this man my dad didn’t know, asking to marry me.”

“What did your dad say?” Bethanne asked.

Lauren stopped walking and sighed expressively. “Dad was so taken with Rooster that he basically agreed, but he did mention that he was having a background check done on him.”

“I doubt there’s anything there that would be cause for alarm.” Although she didn’t know Rooster as well as Max did, Bethanne was confident she was right.

“Tell me, Bethanne, are we crazy?”

“No,” she said softly.

“I’m so grateful you’re here. It means the world to me.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too; it’s important to Max, and to Rooster, too. He’s told us often enough we’re his family, but now he has you, too.”