Mallory finds herself brokenhearted when she loses the love of her life in a tragic accident. She's left to pick up the pieces of her life with the help of her best friend, Kendall. Her job as a neonatal nurse helps to keep her mind off of her broke...
Kendall smiles. "Great. We're going to the Justice of the Peace on Saturday at 11:00, then having lunch at Ay! Jalisco Mexican Cafe. After Baby Boy comes, we'll have a large reception."
"I like it." I sincerely smile back, happy for my two best friends.
"I knew you would," she retorts, her chest puffed out with pride.
"Well, I have something I wanted to talk to you about, too," I confess, thrilled to reveal my idea to them.
Kendall and Scott put down their forks to give me their full attention.
"Would you two be interested in renting to own my house?" I ask with anticipation of their response.
Their jaws drop, and they look at each other.
They turn back to me, and Kendall says, "What exactly are you saying, Mallory?"
I take both of their hands into mine. "I have a house that I don't need or want. You need a house for your growing family. Your one-bedroom apartment isn't going to cut it."
Scott looks perplexed. "Okay. So what does renting to own mean?"
"I want you to take over my house payments. No money down, start making my payments. You can purchase it at any time, or when the loan's paid, it will be yours," I explain.
Tears are in Kendall's dark eyes. "That's too much, Mal."
"I want this. Consider it a wedding gift. I don't want to sell our house to strangers. I can't live there anymore, but I don't want it to be gone from my life either. Please, let me do this for you; let me do this for me," I plead, my eyes filling with unshed tears.
I can see that Scott is trying to hold in his emotions. "Thank you!" he chokes out.
Kendall gets up and hugs me tight. Scott joins, and we all cry. They're happy tears this time, and my heart swells with my love for these incredible friends. What matters most is that I know, without a doubt, Ben would want this for them, too.
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Saturday morning, I'm doing Kendall's hair and makeup in my childhood bedroom for her wedding. My parents insisted they have their wedding here, not some cold room in the city hall. They have a beautiful wooded backyard with gorgeous flower beds that my mother tends to use as a way to relax. At the end of the yard stands an arbor trellis that leads deeper into the wooded yard. It's beautiful.
My mom approaches Kendall. "Oh, sweet Kendall, you look stunning."
"You can thank your darling daughter for my transformation," she responds with a happy lilt.
"Well, look at her beautiful face. Even a five-year-old could not mess up this face." I laugh at my poor joke.
"Awe, you're too sweet. Please ignore my gagging at your ridiculous cheesiness." Kendall fakes gagging, and we crack up.
