“Depends on what he’s packin’,” Shirleen whispered to Daisy and Daisy audibly stifled another giggle.

I kept my gaze on Martha.

Then I announced, “I’m in love with him.”

At that, her torso jerked back and she added her eyes getting big. The rest of the women shuffled their feet but kept silent.

I kept talking.

“I’ve shared this with him and Brock has shared he feels the same about me.”

“Oh God,” Martha whispered, sounding slightly horrified.

“I’m happy,” I told her. “Happier than I’ve ever been in my life which makes it suck that his wife is playing games and using her sons as pawns to do it, filling their heads with crap about Brock being with me meaning they can’t ever have a family again and making plays to get Brock back when he hates her only slightly more than I do.”

“Oh God,” Martha whispered, sounding definitely horrified.

I nodded. “She’s a piece of work and a pain in the ass and the kids are totally confused because they like me but she’s pretty much telling them they can’t because if they do, that means they don’t love her.”

“Oh God,” Martha repeated on a whisper, staring at me.

“And, if that wasn’t enough, Brock’s Dad has cancer and might be dying from it. There’s history there that’s unpleasant and his possible future demise is stirring up stuff that has long since been buried and Brock’s dealing with his own emotions with all that as well as his Mom’s, his sisters’ and his brother’s.”

“Oh Tess, I didn’t know.” Martha was still whispering.

“I did,” Elvira mumbled to Daisy and Shirleen. “I had Thanksgiving with them and we’ll just say his people are not The Waltons ‘cause, far’s I know, The Waltons never dropped the f-bomb repeatedly.”

I ignored Elvira’s commentary and replied to Martha.

“No, you’re right, you didn’t because I haven’t had time to tell you because all that’s happening on top of the bakery being busy and if that wasn’t enough, when Brock came back into my life, Damian came over for reasons only Damian understands.”

Martha’s torso shot back again but this time her eyes got wide and she sucked in a breath.

“That’s her ex, he’s cornered the market on ass**le,” Elvira explained on a mutter to Shirleen and Daisy.

“Lotsa those,” Shirleen muttered back.

“No, sister, I mean he’s cornered the market on ass**le, ” Elvira stated firmly and Daisy and Shirleen stared at her with dawning understanding then they looked at me.

“Why did he come over?” Martha asked softly.

“I don’t know, Brock answered the door and wouldn’t let him in. Then he threatened that if he ever saw Damian anywhere near me, he’d deal with him. Then he shut the door in Damian’s face. Then he called his law enforcement buddy and told him to tell the DA to tell Damian’s attorneys that he wouldn’t only be facing drug charges but also harassment, assault and sexual assault charges.”

More air being sucked in all around as understanding fully dawned.

“This Damian Heller we’re talkin’ about?” Shirleen asked and I nodded to her. “Shit,” she muttered.

“Unh-hunh,” I agreed.

“Tess, I had no –” Martha started and I looked to her and cut her off.

“I know you didn’t and you wouldn’t because I didn’t have time to tell you. But now I hope you understand why I didn’t have time to tell you. And that’s just that. I didn’t get into the fact that Damian is poking around in Brock’s life to find some way to make him miserable.”

“Holy crap,” Martha mumbled.

“No joke,” I replied.

“Girl, I’m so sorry. This all sucks,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, it does. Because he’s a good guy, Martha. The best. I didn’t even know they made guys like him but I can tell you I’m not only happy to know I’m beside myself with glee that he’s mine.”

She held my eyes.

Then she whispered, “You do love him.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “He thinks I’m beautiful and told me so. He thinks I’m funny because I make him laugh all the time. He’s fantastic in bed and when I say that not once, not even once have we been together where he hasn’t taken care of me and it’s not unheard of he takes care of me twice in one go.”

“Oh boy, TMI,” Elvira muttered.

“Yowza,” Daisy muttered.

“Holy crap,” Martha muttered.

“Hold onto that one, girl,” Shirleen muttered.

My voice dropped quiet when I kept laying it out for Martha. “He gets close to me anytime I’m near. And his Dad says he does it like he thinks there’s a lion that’s going to come charging into the room and Brock wants to be close enough to protect me. And he wasn’t wrong, Martha, you know with Damian back, and Brock knows, that lion is prowling out there and Brock…” I swallowed as I felt tears sting my nose, “Even with all this stuff going down, Brock’s positioning to make sure that lion doesn’t get anywhere near me.”

“Oo lawdy,” Elvira whispered.

Martha continued to hold my eyes. Then tears filled hers.

Then she whispered, “You love him.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“You love him,” she repeated.

I grinned. “Yeah.”

Then she threw both arms straight in the air and shouted, “My best friend’s in love with a bad boy hot guy!”

Elvira rolled her eyes. Shirleen stared at Martha like she had a screw loose. Daisy giggled her pretty bell laugh.

I smiled at Martha.

There you go. That was Martha. One drama fed into the next and all of them weren’t bad.

I sighed a relieved sigh and a knock came at the door.

Well, relief didn’t last long.

I looked toward the door and stared at it like on the other side was a dirty bomb.

“You two kiss and make up, I’ll get the door,” Elvira offered and I opened my mouth to stop her when I felt Martha’s arms close around me.

And what did you do when your best friend since fifth grade’s arms closed around you?

Yours closed right back.

“I’m so happy for you honey,” she whispered.

“I am too,” I whispered back then added, “Outside the sinister threat of impending doom delivered by one, the other or both of our exes and the cloud of possible terminal disease.”