Way to Her Heart. Melanie Schuster

she’d ever been to in her entire life. Since Sydney Stratton was just six going on seven years old, she hadn’t been to very many, but this one was absolutely wonderful. Her mommy’s best friend, Auntie Alexis, had married Jared VanBuren and Sydney was a flower girl, a responsibility she took seriously. She and Courtney, the other flower girl, got to wear beautiful dresses and carry pretty baskets full of rose petals that they sprinkled on the white runner. They had their hair done in Alexis’s spa, and they even got to wear nail polish to match the red lace appliqués on their dresses and the red wreaths of rosebuds in their hair. After the wedding they had the honor of walking Alexis’s little dogs at the reception, and it was a lot of fun.

      Marriage was a pretty awesome thing from what Sydney could see. Her mommy’s other best friend, Auntie Emily, was the first of them to get married. She had married a really nice man named Todd. He was a doctor and he was tall and handsome and Auntie Emily smiled all the time now. She and Todd had two babies, twin boys, which Sydney thought was just wonderful. Auntie Alexis’s new husband was handsome, too, and he was a chef, an important chef who’d been on TV. He gave Alexis the nicest things, especially Sookie and Honeybee, two cute little Welsh Corgi puppies.

      He also had a lot of family, including twin brothers named Lucas and Damon. They were both very nice, but Lucas was especially nice because he knew how much Sydney liked to try different foods. He always had something special for her to taste at the new restaurant he and Jared owned. He liked to laugh and he could do magic tricks. He could dance really well, too. He had danced with her mother all night at the reception. He always made pretty eyes at her mother, Sherri. He looked at her a lot and he was always smiling when he did. He also made her laugh a lot, which was very good. Sydney’s mother was a busy doctor and she needed someone around to help her relax and have fun, even though Sydney did those things pretty well, too.

      Sydney was having a good time at the reception, playing with Courtney and making sure that Sookie and Honeybee behaved themselves. Lucas came over to their table with his twin brother, Damon, and he did another trick for them before he asked Damon to watch the little dogs while he danced with Sydney. He took her out on the dance floor and they danced with great gusto until the music changed. When it slowed down, he had her stand on his feet while they danced to the slow music. It was so much fun that she couldn’t stop smiling. This was definitely the most fun she’d ever had and she didn’t want it to end. After the music stopped, Lucas picked her up and swung her around in his strong arms before giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

      “Let’s see what your mom is up to, shall we?”

      As they walked through the crowd to the table where her mommy was laughing and talking with the other bridesmaids, Sydney got a brilliant idea. She was a smart little girl and she was always thinking, but she’d never had an idea that was this wonderful. She decided that her mommy was going to get married next—to Lucas. Then they could have a wonderful time forever. All she had to do was make a really good plan and everything would work out perfectly.

      Chapter 1

      Sherri Stratton yawned as she stretched lazily on the comfortable chaise lounge. “This is the best Mother’s Day I’ve had since the day Sydney was born,” she said with a happy little sigh.

      She was relaxing on the deck of the new home of the VanBurens, the in-laws of her BFF, Alexis Sharp VanBuren. Alexis was next to her on another chaise and she agreed wholeheartedly. “I’m not a mom yet, but it’s not for lacking of trying. I still can’t believe that the VanBuren men thought up this weekend of pampering all by themselves, but if this is the treatment I can look forward to as a mommy, I can’t wait to have a baby of my own.”

      “There’s no rush, is there? You and Jared have only been married since February and you’re already trying for a little one?” Sherri adjusted the sunny yellow tank top that matched the bright floral shorts and reached for the iced tea that was on a small table between the two chaises.

      Alexis took a sip of tea before answering. “I’m not racing to the maternity ward or anything, but we both want children. And, honey, the process of baby making is so much fun that it’s a win-win situation for me,” she said with a sexy laugh.

      Sherri almost choked on her sweet tea as she sat up and lifted her oversize sunglasses to stare at her friend. “Alexis! You act like we’re alone out here. Too much information, girl.”

      Her new mother-in-law, Vanessa Lomax VanBuren, was also on the deck with Vanessa’s mother, Delilah Peters, and Alexis’s mother, Aretha Sharp. All the women laughed at Sherri’s embarrassment.

      “Remember, I’m married to Jared’s father so I know what she’s talking about. How do you think I ended up with all those children?” Vanessa’s smile was identical to the one on Alexis’s face. Vanessa’s mother, Delilah, chimed in.

      “There’s nothing wrong with appreciating the romantic aspects of marriage. It’s been a long time since Vanessa’s father passed away, but I have a lifetime of wonderful memories to recall,” she said.

      Sherri’s face was still pink when Aretha had her say. “Sherri, darlin’, you’re a doctor. A pediatrician, at that. You know how babies get here, and you’re blushing like a schoolgirl. You know what I think?”

      Alexis rolled her eyes as she took another sip of tea. “I’m sure you’re going to tell us, Mama. It’s not like you can keep anything to yourself.”

      Aretha ignored her daughter’s little barb and kept on rolling. “I think that it’s way past time for you to get married. Or at least take a lover. You haven’t dated anyone since Sydney was born, and she’s about to turn seven. You’re beautiful, smart, accomplished and it’s a crying shame that you’re keeping all that wonderfulness to yourself. What in the world are you waiting for?”

      A healthy spray of tea from her mouth was Sherri’s reaction to Aretha’s remark. She was closer to Aretha than to her own mother and she was used to the older woman speaking her mind on any and every topic, but she was surprised by her frankness in front of the other ladies. They didn’t seem to think anything was amiss. Delilah was more than happy to join in the conversation.

      “You don’t have a young man? Honey, that doesn’t make any sense at all. Do you prefer women, dear? I’m not judging—I’m just curious,” she admitted.

      “Mother! That’s rather personal, don’t you think?” Vanessa shook her head as she chided her outspoken mother.

      Aretha and Alexis were trying hard not to laugh while Sherri blotted the tea off her face and chest. She was totally accustomed to being around older women who spoke their minds, so she wasn’t insulted, but she did feel the need to explain herself.

      “Well, Ms. Delilah, it’s not that I prefer the company of women or anything like that. It’s just that being a single mother is something I take very seriously. I made a decision not to date until Sydney is out of high school. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a bunch of random men parading in and out of her life.”

      Delilah raised a delicately arched eyebrow. “Well, honey, nobody wants you to be a hoochie. There’s no need for a whole parade. If you get the right soloist, you’ll have all the music you need,” she said with a wicked grin.

      Sherri had to laugh. Ms. Delilah had a point, even if it didn’t really apply to Sherri’s situation.

      * * *

      The sounds of laughter floated into the kitchen, where Lucas VanBuren was making more iced tea for the ladies while Sydney, his self-appointed sous chef, was seated at the work island arranging his freshly baked tea cakes in a flat wicker basket lined with a big cloth napkin. She looked completely absorbed in her task, but her mind was focused on something else. She looked just like her mother; she was tall for her age, slender and fair-skinned with a light dusting of freckles across her nose. Her hair was the same reddish-brown as her mother’s, but unlike Sherri’s, it wasn’t in a short, fashionable bob. Sydney wore her hair parted in the middle with two long braids that were currently covered with a bandanna so she could look like Lucas, her idol. Her round