Page 71 of The Best Man Problem
Oh boy, he had some serious groveling to do.
A thought occurred to him, and a smile curved his lips. “Hey, can you two help me with something?”
Marie crossed her arms. “Depends on what it is.”
“Is it a plan to win back Lilly for whatever asinine thing you did to piss her off?” Kenneth asked, absently massaging his wife’s shoulders.
He stared at his friends, at the love they shared. They’d faced one of the absolute worst things life could throw at a relationship. Marie stared death in the face and told it to fuck off. Okay, she didn’t, because his sweet friend would never use that kind of language, but she did kick cancer’s ass. She also opened her heart to Kenneth, allowed him to take some of her load. Trusted him to be by her side no matter what the future brought. She placed her faith in the person she loved, and Lincoln wanted to do the same with Lilly.
If she’d still have him.
Good thing he had a kick-ass plan to help with that.
“Yes,” he answered. “I have a plan.”
“It better involve a lot of groveling,” Kenneth leaned over to not-so-silently whisper. “Women like it when you grovel.”
Marie elbowed her husband in the stomach. “We like it when you boneheads admit you’re wrong. The groveling is simply a perk.”
Kenneth leaned down to kiss his wife’s cheek.
“There will be groveling,” he assured them. “And a present.”
“Everybody likes presents,” Marie pointed out while Kenneth nodded. “How can we help?”
He had the best friends in the whole wide world. They were there for him when he needed support or a swift kick in the ass. How the hell did he get so lucky?
Maybe life would smile a bit more on him and allow him to win back the heart of the woman he knew owned his.
“Okay, here’s what I need.”
Lincoln laid out his idea while his friends listened avidly, nodding here and there, assuring him they could help secure the item he needed. When a customer came in, Kenneth moved behind the counter to take their order while Marie headed to the back to catch up on some paperwork. Knowing he needed to finish up his workday, Lincoln pulled out his computer again, but while his fingers worked code, his mind whirled with all the possibilities before him.
Lilly could say no to anything further happening between them. She could think he wasn’t worth the trouble or find his apology lacking. Or she could say yes, and they could start something amazing, which would either last a lifetime or burn out, leaving them both scarred. All the possibilities terrified him, but if he didn’t at least try, then he’d just be stuck where he was. Going through life without really living, without passion, without aiming for true happiness.
He had to try. And if he failed…at least he wouldn’t be left wondering.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Whose brilliant idea was it to walk to lunch?” Lilly complained as her sensible black leather pumps with two-inch heels slipped on yet another patch of icy sidewalk. “My toes are frozen. It can’t be over twenty-eight out here.”
“Hey.” Mo shrugged, sliding an arm through hers to help keep Lilly steady on the slippery walkway. “You’re the one who decided to wear heels today.”
“It’s a workday, Mo. I always wear heels.”
“Ooooh, I miss heels,” Pru lamented, taking Lilly’s other arm. “I haven’t worn heels since my fourth month of pregnancy. Even my wedding shoes were ballet flats. I swear I lost all ability to move in those things since the twins.”
As her friends walked beside her in their sensible—but completely not work appropriate—snow boots, Lilly huddled deeper into her warm down coat, resisting the urge to hide her frozen nose in the thick scarf wound around her neck. If she did, the exhalation of her breath would only fog up her glasses and make the trek back to the office all the more difficult.
Why had she let Mo and Pru talk her into having lunch three blocks away at Cherry’s Café? They should have just ordered something into the office. But her friends had been complaining lately that she’d been working too much. So what? Their busy season was coming up in a few months, and she wanted to be prepared.
Plus, she’d started to make arrangements for her mother and the latest fiancé to fly out to visit venues. She was actually looking forward to it. She knew she wouldn’t really get the quality mother-daughter time she craved, but she’d learned something recently.
You couldn’t change people. You could only change yourself.
Her mother was who she was, and Lilly could either accept and love her for it or carry on longing for a relationship that would never happen. Vanessa Walsh loved her daughter in her own way. It wasn’t the way Lilly wanted, but you didn’t get to control how people loved you or even if they did. You could only control your own emotions and actions. So Lilly was going to love her mother as always, help her with this wedding and most likely another one after, and focus on the relationships in her life that gave her as much love as she gave them.
Like her friends.
