The next week flew by, Bridgette had been buried at work but still managed to meet up with Harper for her bootcamp classes and get in a run with Luke. Work had been more manageable this week, she had finally hired a jr. editor to help her get through a lot of the busy work so she was able to enjoy her recent promotion more. Taking on more responsibility had been daunting at first but with help she was able to delegate more now and she had been able to make more important decisions for the publishing house.

It had seemed strange how the transition from best friend to boyfriend had gone so seamlessly…or maybe it wasn’t that strange. They had been best friends for a decade, they knew each other better than the other so I guess it would be natural for things to progress well. Bridgette had an uncanny knack for overthinking things to a fault…something she was working on changing about herself but it was still a daily struggle.

She was lost in thought going over a manuscript when there was a slight knock on her door. Her admin stuck her head in the door with a huge grin on her face, “Hey Bridge sorry to bother you but Luke is here.”

Bridgette also broke out in a huge grin and scampered around her desk. She stopped just before she got to the door and asked her admin if she looked ok, smoothing down her pencil skirt and fluffing her hair. “Heeeey, what brings you by?” She had barely finished the question when he scooped her in his arms and pulled her in for dramatic kiss. The ladies near by all swooned and giggled with delight. When she came back up for air she buried her very red face in her hands.

“I came to take you out to lunch baby. I wanted to surprise you, is that ok?”

“Yeah of course, let me just grab my purse.” She walked back over to Luke as he made small talk with her admin, her eyes glowing with every word he spoke. She linked her arm in his and they made their way to the elevators. She looked back over her shoulder to see her coworkers giving her a giant thumbs up and smile.

She dunked her tortilla chip into the salsa bowl on the table, “Hey do you think it’s weird how things have been going so well between us?”

Luke’s face said it all, “Uhh weird that it IS going well?”

“Yeah I hear it now.” She laughed. “No what I mean is…well, maybe I don’t know what I mean. I guess because it’s never gone this well with someone it made me nervous. Has it gone this well for you before? Or is this not going as well as I thought it was?”

Luke reached out and grabbed her hand before she spiraled. “Sweetheart it’s going beyond well. This is the best relationship I’ve ever been in and it’s only been two weeks. I know we haven’t talked a lot about my past relationships and truthfully there isn’t much to talk about. I think it’s perfectly normal to be scared, god knows it kept me from confessing my love to you for years. I also think things have progressed so well for us because we are best friends. We have an established relationship of trust and mutual respect, we have clearly found each other insanely attractive for years and we have been emotionally invested in one another’s lives for years…just do me a favor Bridge. Just love me and enjoy what we have, you deserve to be happy.’

She sighed and squeezed his hand, “Gladly. So should we talk about that blind date Harper’s setting me up on.” They both laughed as they talked about their night out with Grant and Harper. “I don’t know why Harper is so insistent I get back out there so soon. If I can’t shake this I may have to just tell her I’m sleeping with my best friend.” She gave him a little wink.

“So speaking of awkward questions, when are we going to break the news to my parents?” Bridgette felt a bit of panic stir up in her chest.

“Break the news? That we’re dating?” She could hear her voice getting a little high pitched.

“Yes, unless you’re pregnant?” Luke was teasing but it caused her to spit her drink out of her mouth.

“No, no. No most definitely not pregnant!”

Luke cocked his head a little, “Would it be that bad if you were? Seems like a pretty severe reaction.”

“A severe reaction to being pregnant? Yeah it would be a HUGE deal if I got pregnant. I’m not looking to completely mess up my life right now.” The words were out of her mouth before she could see the disappointment registering on his face.

“So where do you see this going then? Do you not want a family?”

Bridgette did not expect lunch time conversations to take this turn. “Yes, I want a family. I just would prefer to be married and have it planned out rather than an unexpected surprise at this time in my life. I don’t have a specific timeline as to when I see myself having children I just know it’s not right now.”

“Well I want you to know that you’re the woman I want a family with. You’re the person that I see as the mother of my children. I don’t have it all planned out yet either but just know that that is my endgame. I also want you to not feel like you have to hide us from anyone. If Harper is pressuring you about this other guy just tell her, she loves you Bridge she’d be ecstatic for you.”

“I know she would Luke but that’s not the point. I just want to bask in this bubble of course for just a while longer. I don’t want it ruined by everyone knowing and asking us 15 million questions.” The truth was she was terrified that somehow it would all come tumbling down. That if everyone knew then the illusion would be shattered.

She could see the tinge of frustration on Luke’s face as he glanced at his face. “We should probably get going, I have a meeting in about 15 minutes that I need to be prepared for.” He walked her outside and they strolled the two blocks to her office building. “Look Bridge, I’m not trying to pressure you to tell your friends or even my parents but just remember that this relationship has two people in it. You may have your reasons for not wanting to tell them but don’t let your fear isolate yourself from me. I love you more than anything and I have faith in us. Just give us a chance ok?” He reached down and poked her gently on the nose causing a smile to spread across her face.

“Thank you babe and thank you for lunch. It really was a lovely surprise.” She gave him a kiss and wished him well on the rest of his day. She had plans to meet Harper for kickboxing after work and then head to his place after. She’d give his comments some thought, she needed to stop fearing that Luke was going to be like every other guy she ever dated…getting her hopes up only to break her heart a few weeks later. He was the one she had always wanted, she had waited TEN years to finally have a chance with him and now that she had him she didn’t have the first clue how to handle it.

“Lets go Windy City!!!” The girls cheered on the guys as they played their championship softball game. They had a two run lead going into the bottom of the 8th inning. It had been a very close game, it seemed like every time they scored one run the other team would score two. They had been neck and neck until the bases were loaded and Luke got up to bat, knocking it out of the park and securing their lead.

“Oh hey I may have taken the liberty to invite Chad to the bar tonight. Please don’t hate me!” She put her hands on her cheeks as she flashed a huge cheesy grin. Just then the guys got another run and the crowd burst into a loud cheer. She couldn’t register what exactly what happening but she grabbed her friends hand and pulled her back down on the bleacher while the rest of the fans continued yelling.

“Who is Chad, Harper?”

Harper looked confused, “He’s the trainer at my gym I’ve been telling you about. I thought this would a neutral environment since it’s not a one on one date. With everyone here it just seems like a casual hangout. I told him to just meet us at the bar.”

“What the hell Harper?! I never agreed to meet him! I told you I’m fine. I don’t need a a rebound or a distraction.” She was frustrated, she wanted to just be happy in her relationship but she felt petrified by fear. The last inning went by in a blur, the Windy City Mavericks clenched the championship title. Bridgette and Harper were standing up with the rest of the crowd now clapping. The guys were still out on the field, talking to the other team and celebrating with chest bumps and spraying one another with champagne. The girls couldn’t help but laugh at them living out their glory days like they just wont he world series.

Harper turned toward her friend and placed her hand on hers and pulled her back down on the bench. “Bridge I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought it might be the push you need is all. I’ll stop meddling I promise. I just want you to be happy…I hate how many guys have broken your heart, I just want you to meet that one guy who changes it all for you. Who sweeps you off your feet and treats you like the amazing woman you are.”

Bridgette couldn’t help but get misty, she put her hand on top of Harper’s, “I have.” It’s all she said before slipping through the remaining crowd and running out on the field. Luke saw her coming and a huge grin spread across his face. He opened his arms as she ran right into them and wrapped her legs around his waist. She threw her arms around her neck and pulled his lips to his. She was too busy kissing and congratulating him to notice Grant and Harper standing behind them.

Bridgette slid down Luke’s body and grabbed his hand, turning to see her friends standing there with smiles on their faces. Harper ran over to her friend and pulled her in for a long tight hug. “It’s about time.” The girls giggled as Bridgette wiped away a stray tear. “We have a LOT of catching up to do…at the bar?” Bridgette just smiled and hugged her friend again.

The group walked off the field together making their way over to their cars to head for a celebratory drink. “WAIT! Harper!” Bridgette stopped suddenly in the parking lot remembering that Chad was supposed to be waiting for her at the bar!

Harper didn’t even stop, she knew what Bridgette was freaking out about. “Oh he’s not coming, I just said that to get you to admit to me that you were in love with Luke.” She winked at her friend as she slipped into Grant’s car leaving Bridgette standing there with her mouth hanging open.