Free Way to Her Heart by Melanie Schuster

sure—she’d been denying herself for too long and that was a mistake she wasn’t going to make again.
    She opened the front door, and to her surprise there stood Alexis, her finger poised to push the doorbell. Sydney was standing next to her, holding Sookie’s and Honeybee’s leashes. All three of them were giving her big happy smiles and they looked totally adorable, like a greeting card.
    “Hello, ladies. I was just coming to get Sydney. Did you have fun yesterday? Were you a good girl?”
    “Yes, I was, Mommy. We had a lot of fun. We’re going outside,” she added as she and the dogs came in the front door and took off for the dining room to get out on the deck.
    Alexis also entered the condo, but she paused to give Sherri a pretty gift bag and a smug smile. “I think it’s time for a little girl talk, don’t you?”
    Sherri had to laugh as she bowed to the inevitable. “Come on in the kitchen and I’ll make you some coffee. I was wondering when you’d ferret your way all up in my business.”
    “And you know this,” Alexis said. “It’s a BFF prerogative.”

Chapter 8
    Lucas had to endure a Q&A from Jared the morning after his night with Sherri. He was in the back office at Seven-Seventeen going over invoices when his older brother came in and gave him a once-over before sitting down across from him.
    “I don’t have to ask if you had a good time with Sherri. I can see it all over your face.”
    “Yes, I did. She’s everything, Jared. She’s the one.”
    “That’s good to hear because Sydney is planning the wedding and I’d hate for her to be disappointed.”
    Lucas let out a shout of laughter. “She won’t be. She’s something else, isn’t she?”
    “She told us about her plan to get her mommy married off to you. That little girl has all the planning and precision of a corporate raider or something,” he said, shaking his head. “If I ever have a small country to invade or a government to overthrow, she’s the first one I’m going to consult. But she’s totally serious, Lucas. Are you ready for this?”
    Lucas leaned back in his big swivel chair and laced his fingers together behind his head. “Ready, willing and able, big brother. I’m not playing around with Sherri—I want to marry her. I haven’t asked her yet because I don’t want her to think I’m crazy, but as far as I’m concerned it’s a done deal. Meeting Sherri was like finding the other half of my soul, man. I don’t have to tell you—the same thing happened to you when you met Alexis so you know where I’m coming from.”
    “It’s a family characteristic.” Jared laughed. “It happened to Dad, it happened to me and now it’s your turn. And the next time it’ll be Damon, once he opens his mind to something other than being the perfect dad. So how does Sherri feel about all this?”
    Lucas sat up and put his arms on the desk. His face took on the unmistakable look of a man who was completely in charge of his destiny. “She’s going to love it, every bit of it. I’m trying to take my time so she won’t feel overwhelmed, but by the end of summer, it’ll be a done deal.”
    “Go for it, man. It’ll be nice to have her in the family. And Sydney might have a little cousin on the way by then, too,” he added with a grin.
    Lucas raised his eyebrows and lifted his hand to give Jared a high five. He repeated his brother’s words with a grin. “Go for it.”
    “Just think, next year this time it could be you getting ready for fatherhood. Can you handle that?” he asked in a teasing tone of voice.
    “Bring it on,” Lucas replied with a cocky grin. “I’m ready for anything and everything as long as I’ve got Sherri and Sydney.”
    * * *
    Alexis refused the coffee Sherri offered and asked for lemonade instead. Her eyes were lit up with mischief as Sherri opened the gift bag and took out three exquisite bras with matching panties. Her face turned a deep pink as Alexis burst into laughter.
    “These were