Sunday morning was a flurry of activity. I went to Laura’s house at 10:00 to arrive at church in time for the 10:45 service. Laura greeted me with a light kiss and I noticed two pair of eyes taking it all in.

“Misser Ben! You kissed Mommy!” Mattie exclaimed somewhat loudly.

“Yes, I did, Mattie. I like your mommy! Is that okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled. That was enough for her.

Laura went to get her purse and keys since we were using her car. Hanna pulled me over and I expected to be given the third degree.

“Mr. Ben, what did you do to my mommy?”

“Whatta you mean, Hanna?” I wondered what a nine year old would think I would do to her mother. Did she think I was mean? Perhaps she knew enough about the birds and the bees to think I took advantage of Laura?

“She’s walking around all happy, singing all the time. And she keeps asking what I think of you and stuff. What’d you do?”

“I just did what you told me. I was nice to her.”

“Well keep it going, okay?” She smiled so sweetly. Again, I saw her mother in her.

“Okay! I can do that. So, what did you say when she asked what you think of me?” I teased her with a sly smile.

Her mouth twisted impishly. “I just said you were all right.”

“Oh… girl!” I clutched my chest with a grin of my own. “That’s the best I get?”

She ran over and jumped into a big hug and whispered loudly in my ear. “Actually, I said you’re awesome!” She gave me an extra squeeze and then took off with a little giggle.

We made it to church on time to get Mattie and Hanna settled in junior church activities when I saw Sarah and Bobby. Both greeted me with the usual hug and I introduced Laura. She hugged them both like they were old friends, and we wandered up to the sanctuary for worship.

Laura sat between Sarah and me and chatted before the service began. I was really pleased they were becoming fast friends. I couldn’t hear all they said, but I heard lots of giggles accompanied by looks my way. I expected they were going to gang up on me. No surprise – I looked forward to it!

At lunch, Hanna and Mattie both clung to Sarah and Bobby like favorite aunts and uncles. At the perfectly sized round table, Mattie insisted on sitting between Sarah and me, while Hanna sat between her mom and Bobby. She was a bit put-out that she didn’t get next to me, but Laura won that minor battle. It didn’t bother her too long. She and Bobby were having a great talk. Laura was beaming the whole time.

I had just finished paying the check when Bobby got everyone’s attention to give us some news.

“Laura,” he said. “I’m so glad we are getting to meet you and these two lovely girls… and that you’re here today. And Ben, you’re our closest friend and… there’s something we need to tell you all.” He smiled and started to choke up a bit.

Sarah rescued him. “Well, we’re officially expecting!

Laura and Sarah went into controlled scream mode and Laura ran over to hug Sarah. I did the same with Bobby but without the scream, and then gave Sarah a big hug while Laura explained to Mattie what expecting means. Hanna joined in hugging Sarah and Bobby.

As we were leaving, Laura asked Sarah and Bobby to come to her place for a little while to get to know each other better. Sarah agreed, but only for a little while. The strong friend she was, she knew I needed more time alone with Laura and the kids.

The weatherman was wrong, and it never really rained. So, the four adults sat out back in the Adirondack chairs while the girls played outside. Laura and I explained the events of the previous day for the first hour and Sarah and Bobby just grinned with approval and happiness for us both. They both said a lot of their prayers seemed like they’re being answered.

It was about 2:00. Mattie quietly walked up and climbed into my lap and was softly snoring within a minute. Sarah and Laura were talking with each other when Mattie came to me and they looked over at us with watery eyes and crooked smiles. I’m sure I looked the same, nobody was surprised. They knew me! But even Bobby was misting a bit although he would completely deny it.

We talked about another hour by which time Sarah and Bobby announced they needed to take off. Laura and Sarah shared contact information and made plans to get together, do baby preparation stuff, and just hang out. Something told me they would become inseparable friends.

Bobby walked in to help me lay Mattie down on the sofa. He normally knows exactly what to say, but all he could offer out of earshot from the woman was, “Dang, Bro! She and her girls are awesome! And right next door, too! Don’t screw it up!”

A few hours after they left, I ordered Chinese food for delivery thus giving Laura a break from cooking. We watched “Back to the Future” together and Hanna loved it. Then it was bedtime for two little girls and more alone time for Laura and me. We had no agenda tonight. We lightly discussed social topics, politics, and a host of other areas of interest. Again, we agreed on just about everything. We weren’t fully aligned on a few minor points, but we hit all the major ones.

The biggest difference between our two nights together was that this one had a much higher frequency of kissing. Every kiss, big or small, long or short, was packed with passion. I got up to leave around midnight and we shared another toe-curling, deep kiss while standing at the door. I hugged her while recovering from the intense passion and I whispered in her ear, “I really, really, extremely like you!”

She whispered in my ear, “Ditto, but we’re going to run out of adverbs at this rate!”