“The ladies sound awesome, and I want an invite to meet them soon. However, that’s for another time. Let’s talk about this Marshall character.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes at my protective best friend. “He’s a good guy, Carrie.”
“I didn’t say he wasn’t. I think there’s more you’re not telling me.”
“What?” I protest a little too quickly.
“Spill it, Wren.”
“Fine.” I tell her about all the moments that felt… more than just two friends. I tell her how he almost kissed me then confessed to doing so, how he pulled me down on the chair with him, drove me home, walked me to the door, and kissed my forehead. She’s quiet, but I can see it written all over her face… she’s excited about this new information.
“He’s hot, Wren.”
“I know.”
“So are his brothers.”
“I know. They are and are blissfully in love with their wives.” Technically, Conrad and Aspen are not married yet, but they might as well be.
“When are you seeing him again?” she asks.
“Uh, well, I’m not. I mean, not that I know of. I didn’t know I was going to see him last night. I mean, I knew there was a possibility when we picked up Madeline, but I didn’t expect him to drive me home.”
“She really stops crying when he holds her?”
“She does,” I confirm. “You should see her when she hears his voice. She turns to find him, and if one of his brothers or his dad is holding her, she cries until Marshall takes her.”
“What about the women?”
“I’m not sure,” I confess. “The Riggins men are kind of baby hogs. And once Marshall gets her, he doesn’t let her go.”
“Oh my God. I think my ovaries just exploded,” she says, bouncing Madeline in her arms. “Do you like Marshall, Madeline?”
Carrie, even though she’s sworn off men until recently, is a romantic at heart. She’s all sunshine and roses when talking about love. She’s addicted to reading romance novels, and the girl has a DVR full of Hallmark movies. I expected this reaction from her.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” I admit. “She’s so comfortable with him. If I hadn’t seen her cry and then quiet down when he took her from his brothers, I wouldn’t have believed it. She’s never around men. Why him?”
“It’s fate.”
“That’s the romantic in you.”
She shrugs. “Regardless, I believe in fate.”
“And is it fate between you and Elijah?”
“I’m not sure. I know that he’s been asking me out for several months, and I’ve kept my ear to the ground. He’s not some sleaze who hits on all of the nurses. He even had one of the nurses ask him out, and he told her he was waiting on me.”
“What? You failed to mention that earlier when it was your turn to share,” I scold.
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just trying not to get too excited and let myself fall too hard or too fast.”
“It’s been years since Rick the dick. It’s time for you to open your heart again.”
“I will if you will,” she counters.
“We’re not talking about me.”
“Sure we are. We’re talking about both of us. Look, Wren, I know this is hard to hear, and we don’t talk about it often, but you settled. Travis was a great guy, and he was good to you, but you didn’t have that overwhelming passion for one another. I want you to have that.”
“Do you have that?”
“I did once.” She nods. “I hope to have it again someday. Yes, Rick broke my heart and my trust. It’s taken me time to get to a point where I feel as though I’m ready to let someone else in. However, I won’t settle for mediocre, not when I know that I can have the fairy tale. I’m in no rush, and if I never find my prince charming, so be it. But, if I do, and I have faith that I will, he will be the one that sets my soul on fire. I was young when I started dating Rick, and I still felt it. I can only hope that the feeling is ten times stronger as an adult. I’ve changed as a person. I should have seen the signs, but I ignored them. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Wow. That’s… more than I’ve heard you say about you and dating in a long time.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been thinking a lot about life and what comes next. I want the fairy tale, Wren. If that man turns out to be Elijah, then great. If not, I’ll keep looking.”
“I’m not sure if I believe in fairy tales.” It’s true. My dad lost the love of his life and I lost Travis. Both were taken from us way too soon.
“I have a feeling Marshall Riggins can help change your mind.”
“It’s not like that between us.”
“He was going to kiss you.”