Author's Note: I want to thank you all for all your reviews, and for reading this story. They are much appreciated, and I do read all my reviews. I love you guys! Please feel free to review again and tell me how you liked the ending! Your reviews make me wanna write more stories! :) Next up for me is a sequel to Collide. The title is pending, but look out for my pen name. Thanks again! -xoxo Rufly Girl
Need You Now
Epilogue: Some Things Will Always Stay the Same.
Lily grinned as she hung up the phone.
"What are you grinning about?" Rufus asked, coming into the kitchen, were Lily was standing there grinning. He grabbed her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Not that I'm complaining. I love seeing you happy." He kissed her neck.
Lily turned her face towards him, and smiled at him before kissing his lips. "It took two phone calls, but I finally was able to get Jenny's number!"
"Franklin?" Rufus asked.
Lily rolled her eyes. "No, Humphrey."
"Ha, ha, very funny, Smart ass!" Rufus said. He released his arms from around her, and sat down on one of the stools of the kitchen bar.
Lily stuck her tongue out at him.
Rufus chose to ignore that gesture. "So, who did you have to call? How did you have any idea how to find her?"
Lily sat down on the stool next to him, and faced him. "I remembered Jenny telling me how her mother planned to retire in Orlando one day. So, I called information and asked if they had a Melinda Franklin listed in Orlando, Florida. They did. So I called, and sure enough, it was Jenny's mother. I found out that Jenny now lives in Virginia Beach! She isn't married, but she has a daughter named Shelly. Can you believe it?"
Rufus smirked. "I never pictured Jenny as the type to have children."
Lily shook her head. "Me neither. Then again, I bet she would have said the same thing about me. Well, before I got pregnant with Scott anyway."
"So, her mother gave you her number I take it?" Rufus asked.
Lily nodded. "I'm going to call her now. Her mother said today is Jenny's day off, so she should be home, but she gave me her cell phone number too in case she doesn't answer her home number."
"Well, call her up! But, afterwards...." Rufus ran his hand up Lily's thigh and under her skirt. "I'm going to need you to come help me out with something in the bedroom."
Lily raised an eyebrow at him, trying to keep her expression serious. "Can't one of the kids just help you?"
Rufus shook his head. "This is something only you can help me with." He grinned, and ran his hand up a little further.
Lily licked her lips, then grabbed his arm, and gently pushed his hand away. "Oh! Now I catch your drift. Mm, just let me call her, then I'll be more than happy to accommodate you."
Rufus kissed her. "Take your time, but try not to make me wait too long."
Lily kissed him back, her arms around his neck. "Don't worry. I won't make it any longer than an hour."
Rufus groaned, but decided to let her take her hour since it had been so long since she had talked to her best friend.
Lily kissed him once more. "Don't worry. It will go by fast."
Rufus' eyes darkened. "It' better." He kissed her again, then watched as Lily picked up the phone and dialed Jenny's number.
After a brief pause, Lily smiled. "Jenny? Guess who this is?"
"Lily Rhodes?"
Lily grinned even wider. "Humphrey now."
"Congratulations! You finally married your prince. I knew you two would end up together one day! Oh my gosh, Lily! It has been too long! What the hell have you been up to?" Jenny sounded as excited as Lily was.
"She's been busy making love with me!" Rufus said with a grin, having picked up another line.
"Rufus Humphrey? I see you haven't changed a bit! I'm glad you finally dumped that skank." In loyalty to Lily, Jenny had never liked Allison either.
Rufus smirked. "I wised up and married the woman of my dreams. She married a loser too, so it wasn't all my fault, you know."
Lily shook her head, but smirked nonetheless. She found Rufus' jealousy over Billy funny. She always had. Well, except for the times when it used to annoy her. Now, she just found it funny.
"And I dated that idiot. I guess we all go a little insane sometimes," Jenny quipped.
"That we do," Rufus agreed. "Well, I'll let you two talk. It was good talking with you again, Jenny. By the way, I named my daughter after you since it was you who got Lily and I together in the first place."
"Aw! Really? I'm flattered! So, you and Lily have a little girl now?" Jenny asked.
Rufus shook his head, despite the motion being pointless. "No. Jenny is my daughter with Allison. Allison and I also had a son named Dan, who is nineteen. Jenny is seventeen."
"And Allison didn't have a problem with you naming your daughter after Lily's best friend, and for that reason nonetheless?" Jenny asked, sounding amused.
"I don't even think she remembered that your name was Jenny. And, of course I told her I just always liked the name. I didn't give her a reason why. She got to name Dan anyway, so it was my turn to name one," Rufus explained.
"Well, I'm touched. Thank you! I'll have to meet her sometime," Jenny said.
"Definitely," Rufus agreed. "Hope to see you soon!"
"Maybe in the summer for sure. Bye, Rufus!"
"I'd like that. Bye, Jenny!" Rufus hung up, then kissed Lily's cheek. Then, he nodded towards the stairs. "Don't be long," he mouthed.
Lily kissed him, then nodded with a smirk and a wink.
Once Rufus was up stairs, Lily went back to talking to her best friend.
"So, you and Rufus never had any more kids together? I take it he knows about Scott now?" Jenny asked.
"Yes," Lily answered. "My mother told him years later, and we went out to find him. He ended up showing up at our wedding. It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it when you come visit me!"
"Can't wait!" Jenny said. "So, what brought you and Rufus back together?" she then asked.
"Well, after having two kids with Billy, a nineteen-year-old girl named Serena, and a seventeen-year-old boy named Eric, I had two short marriages hardly worth mentioning. Then, I met a man named Bart, and shortly after we met, got engaged to him. I was engaged to him when Rufus and I started talking again. It didn't take long for Rufus and me to get close again. I actually slept with him the night before my wedding," Lily explained. "Rufus was divorced by then."
"Oh my gosh! Then why did you marry that other guy?" Jenny asked.
Lily sighed. "Oh, I don't know. It was complicated. Bart got into a car crash and died shortly after, so it wasn't a very long marriage either. I had planned on leaving him for Rufus before that, but fate stepped in before I got a chance to. I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but, we got back together practically before Bart was even cold. Looking for our son brought us back together."
"Aw! Well, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. You and Rufus had history. You never should have broken up to begin with," Jenny stated.
"I never should have married Bart to begin with," Lily corrected.
"Yeah, well, we all make mistakes," Jenny assured her. "What matters is that you and Rufus are together now. So, do you think you're going to have another baby together?"
Lily smiled at the thought, and placed her hand over her stomach. "Rufus wants to. I don't know. I might warm up to the idea."
"I think you guys should! It would be so cute!" Jenny cooed.
Lily, still smiling, rubbed her stomach. "Maybe. I do have another son yet. I adopted Bart's son, Chuck. He is nineteen as well. That's another long story."
Jenny whistled. "Dang, Woman! You have a lot of kids! What's one more though?"
Lily laughed. "We'll see! Man you're pushy!"
"Always have been!" Jenny said proudly.
Lily laughed. "That you have!"
Jenny chuckled. "So, how did you get my number, by the way? I'm glad you did. I'm just curious."
"I remembered you said your mother waned to retire in Orlando, so I had information look up her name in Orlando. Then I got ahold of her, and she gave me your number," Lily explained.
"Well, I'm glad she wasn't remarried. You might have never found her then!" Jenny said.
Lily nodded. "I know, right? So, I hear you have a daughter now. I never would have penned you as the type to have kids."
"Neither would I," Jenny quipped with a giggle. "I was dating this guy I met—Tad—at a club. He had a motorcycle, and was sexy as hell. We had a few beers, and he took me home. We had a one night stand. We were both so drunk that we didn't even think about protection. Needless to say, he turned out to be a jerk. He skipped town when he heard I was pregnant, and I never saw him again. Oh well. At least one good thing came out of it. I love Shelley more than I ever imagined I could love someone. I'm dating another guy now. His name is Michael, and he is hot as hell! He is so good to me! He treats me like a queen and Shelley like a princess. I really think he's going to propose soon."
Lily smiled. "It makes me happy that you're so happy."
"Right back at ya, Babe!" Jenny said.
"So, how old is Shelley now?" Lily asked.
"She's ten. She looks just like a little mini version of me. Everyone who sees us says so," Jenny said proudly.
"Well, then she must be smoking hot!" Lily said.
"She totally is!" Jenny agreed.
They both laughed.
"I really missed you, Lily," Jenny said. "I wanted to get ahold of you, but your mother was tight lipped—in more ways than one."
Lily burst out laughing. Jenny was the same old Jenny with her jokes. "You're disgusting."
"I'm grinning," Jenny told her.
"Me too," Lily said. "But, in all seriousness, I tried to call you, but by then, you and your mother had moved."
Jenny sighed. "Mom decided she wanted a new life for us. She had never done it before because she felt bad tearing me away from you. But, once you were gone, she felt now was the time. We moved to Virginia Beach. I loved it so much that I went to college here. Mom decided then that it was time for her to move to Orlando like she always wanted to."
"If I had it to do all over again, I never would have let my mother keep me from Rufus or you," Lily said, suddenly a little sad now that she thought of all the wasted time.
"But, if you hadn't done things the way you did, you wouldn't have your kids, and Rufus wouldn't have his," Jenny reminded her. "And I wouldn't have Shelley."
Lily nodded. "True. I guess everything happens for a reason."
"Indeed it does," Jenny agreed.
"So, do you think you'd ever move back to New York?" Lily asked.
"You know, I've actually been thinking about it! I'm kind of getting tired of Virginia Beach. Michael always said he'd be willing to move if he got a job somewhere else. Now that I have you in New York, I have a good incentive to move," Jenny said,
"That would be wonderful! You know, I don't have many friends now. I've just never been able to find a friend as good as you," Lily said truthfully.
"Well, what can I say? I am one of a kind!" Jenny said.
Lily smirked.
Jenny turned serious. "It's the same for me, Lily. I'm lonely without you."
"Aw! Right back at you, Jenny," Lily said.
"So, I'll definitely think about moving to New York. And, until then, I'll come for a visit. Maybe next month," Jenny promised.
Lily grinned. "I'll be looking forward to it! So, did you ever become a cosmetologist? I help Chuck run his father's business, but I really just sign papers and stuff. It's nothing too involved."
"I did, actually! I work in a salon, but my dream is to have my own salon in my house or something. Maybe when I move back to New York."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "So now it's 'when' you move back to New York?"
"Michael does what I tell him to do," Jenny said matter-of-factly.
"No wonder you love him—You're a match made in Heaven!" Lily stated.
"Exactly!" Jenny agreed.
They both laughed.
"Hey, remember that guy you used to date before Billy?" Lily asked. "Lars, was it?"
"The guy who thought his cat was an alien!" They both exclaimed in unison.
They burst into laughter.
"His pug looked like E.T. I could see him thinking the dog was an alien, but Mr. Fluffles? No way!" Jenny quipped.
They laughed even harder.
"E.T. phone home!" Lily said.
They laughed again.
The rest of their conversation lasted forty-five minuets, and they laughed and joked the whole time, reminiscing, and catching up on old times. Lily had really missed Jenny, and she knew that Jenny had missed her too. It was as if no time at all had passed. Lily could have kicked herself for letting so much time pass before looking Jenny up. But, what mattered was that she found her now, and was never going to lose touch with her again!
"Well, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I'm going to call you every day now that you gave me your umber you know," Jenny said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm going to call you if I don't hear from you," Lily warned.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Jenny said.
Lily smiled. "Goodbye for now, my friend."
"Goodbye Sexy Chick!" Jenny said in her trademark joking manner.
Lily smiled, then hung up the phone. She sighed, still smiling. Gosh she had missed that woman!
She headed up the stairs and into the bedroom. Rufus was sleeping.
She smirked, and stripped down to her lingerie. She then climbed into bed, straddled him, and gently blew into his ear.
This woke him up. He grinned at her. "You done talking?"
She nodded. "Now, I'm ready to play."
He grinned as she began kissing down the side of his neck.
He moaned, and tangled his fingers in her hair. He then moved in one swift motion so that he was the one on top of her.
He took her face between his hands, and softly kissed her lips before speaking. "We're married now, so this time we can do it right. I really meant it when I said I wanted to make Scott a baby sister. We never got the chance to enjoy your pregnancy together. What do you say we give it another shot?"
Lily only needed to think about it for a second. She wanted this. She wanted her and Rufus to be able to have the baby they both deserved. And, this time, they would do it right. She nodded. "Yes."
Rufus grinned. "Yes?"
Lily grinned as well. "Yes! Let's make another baby, Rufus. Though, I can't guarantee it will be a girl."
Rufus' eyes lowered and he kissed her. "Whatever it is, I'll love it almost as much as I love you."
Lily's eyes lowered as well, and she took her husband's face between her hands. "Likewise."
They kissed, and then went to work at making yet another one of their dreams come true, for their dreams had already started to come true the day they met each other. That and their love for each other was something that would never ever change.