The M Word Read Free

meant well.
    “Brenda!” Frank Rawlings bellowed, as he wove
his way through the crowd. He gave her an enthusiastic hug.
    Brenda laughed. Kelly’s father was heavy set
man with a big heart. He was a entrepreneur who had built his lamp
and chandelier business into a multimillion dollar company.
    He beamed at her. “Can you believe it? My
baby girl is getting married.”
    She nodded, knowing from past experience that
he could carry a conversation easily by himself. “You must be very
happy.”
    “Now that she’s gotten rid of Nigel, I’m
ecstatic.”
    Brenda had to agree with him. Lars was a vast
improvement over Kelly’s initial fiancé.
    “But what about you, hmm?” he asked. “Are you
going to be next one to tie the knot?”
    Brenda’s breath caught. “I don’t think so,”
she managed to say finally.
    “What’s wrong with the men in this town?”
Frank said. “They must be blind.”
    Brenda didn’t say anything, because she
couldn’t think of an appropriate response without sounding vain or
bitter. With her height and her long naturally blonde hair, she
didn’t have any trouble getting a high quantity of male attention.
Her problem was the quality of that attention. Fortunately, she saw
Kelly motioning to her, and made her escape.
    Brenda gave Kelly a hug. “How are you
doing?”
    Kelly made a so-so motion with her hand and
laughed ruefully. “So far, so good.”
    “Well, you look marvelous,” Brenda said.
Kelly was a pretty girl, with a slim athletic build and long, wavy
brown hair. She rarely wore make-up, but tonight her face was model
perfect -- no doubt her mother’s influence.
    Kelly put a hand on her stomach. “I don’t
look fat?” she asked in a whisper.
    “No,” Brenda reassured her. “No one will
guess.” As improbable as it seemed, Kelly was several months
pregnant and didn’t want anyone -- especially her mother -- to
know.
    Kelly sighed with relief. “Good.”
    “Are you getting nervous?” Brenda asked.
    “A little,” Kelly admitted. She glanced at
Lars who was standing twenty feet away with some of their
friends.
    “Don’t worry,” Brenda said. “You’ll be
fine.”
    Lars must have thought Kelly was summoning
him, because he quickly approached. He slid a comfortable hand
around Kelly’s waist and drew her closer to his side.
    Kelly visibly relaxed and smiled up at him.
Brenda smiled at the two of them. Although their courtship had been
unconventional, they were good together.
    “Hello, Brenda,” he said coolly.
    “Hello.” Brenda liked Lars, but she sensed
that the feeling wasn’t mutual. Sometimes she got the impression
that he thought she was a bad influence on Kelly. And maybe she
was.
    Kelly was the nicest person Brenda had ever
known. She was kind -- to a fault. She liked to socialize, but she
didn’t party; she didn’t even swear. With all her family’s money,
she could have been a snob, but instead, she was down-to-earth and
generous.
    She’d make a good mother, a good wife.
    Suddenly Brenda felt very tired. It must be
all the smiling she’d done today: first at work, and then tonight.
It was exhausting to pretend to be happy, when she felt dead
inside.
    She was glad Kelly hadn’t asked about
Steven.
    “See you tomorrow,” she said quickly. The
sooner she was away from all the wedding celebration, the
better.
    “You’re leaving?” Kelly asked, surprised. “I
think the band is going to play for another hour.”
    Brenda said, “I’ve got to get my beauty
sleep. And you do, too. Remember: Photos tomorrow.” She pointed her
finger at Lars. “Don’t keep her up too late.”
    “I won’t,” he said seriously, and Brenda
laughed.
    He was too good to be true.
    Brenda drove home, deep in thought. She
wasn’t drunk, she’d had only one drink, but she still felt sad. She
knew that her friendship with Kelly would change now that she was
getting married. Lars would be a bigger, more important part of
Kelly’s life. And once the baby was born,