______________________________________________________
They were back in the car, driving again. Trish and Jeff exchanged glances in the backseat, the little blonde biting her lip in anticipation. The colorful-haired man gave her a knowing nod and cleared his throat.
"Guy, err... Trish and I were talking just before, and... Well, we think this is a bad idea."
From behind the wheel, Edge's brows rose quizzically. Glancing at the younger man through the rearview mirror, he posed the question.
"What?"
Lita turned as fully around as she could manage, meeting Jeff's eyes for a beat. What exactly was he getting at? There was a hint of suspicion in her mind as she shifted her gaze to Trish.
"We think you two are making a huge mistake." This time, it was the small Canadian diva who'd spoken.
Edge caught her brown eyes in the rearview mirror. Clearly, the two in the backseat had spoken in private about him and Lita, and he wasn't quite sure exactly how he felt about that fact just yet. But why would Trish call it "a huge mistake?"
"Yeah," Jeff agreed. "Listen to us, man. Please."
The blond man wore a look of surprise on his face as he finally turned to glance at Lita. The redhead wore a similar facial expression. This was crazy! However, it was also something he had to pull over for. And as soon as it was clear enough, that was exactly what Edge did.
On the shoulder of the road, he put the car in park and undid his seatbelt to better turn around to face the other two. Lita did the same and stared, open-mouthed at Jeff in particular. She couldn't believe he would betray her trust as he apparently had.
"What's this all about?" Edge asked, feigning naivete.
"Oh, come on, man," the younger Hardy said. "You know what it's about... We *all* do. It's about you two and you wanting to annul your marriage."
Lita felt a blush creep into her cheeks. She felt so mortified! So, Jeff *had* blabbed it all to Trish.
"Jeffrey Nero Hardy, you have the biggest mouth I ever-"
"Wait," Edge cut in, eyeing her. He gestured with his hands as he continued. "You obviously said something to him about this... What did you tell him, Lita?"
The redhead blushed, and she knew her face had to be about as red as her hair at that very moment. She was absolutely mortified! Damn that Jeff for opening his big mouth! And to think that she'd actually thought him capable of keeping a secret!
"I..." she stuttered, casting around in her brain for something to say - *anything* - but the actual truth. Lita glanced at Jeff and gave him a murderous look. "... Yes, I did say something to him."
Trish glanced from Edge to Lita and noticed how flustered the redhead appeared. She decided to try to jump in to her rescue when Edge spoke again.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Hey, you did the same thing, mister!" the blonde piped in, chastising the tall man. "What about our little heart-to-heart?"
Lita turned her head sharply to eye her husband... And she swallowed hard, the thought of that word relating him to her in that way taking her breath away. They were actually married! She still had trouble believing it.
This time, Edge blushed, and he turned his head as though hiding his face. He hated this... How humiliating it was going to be to admit his feelings for the redhead, only to have her let him down "easily."
He unlocked the driver's side door and opened it, swinging his long legs out.
"I need some air."
In a flash, the other three followed suit and stepped out of the car. They all stood on the grass, and Lita went right to Edge, her hand on his arm.
"What did you tell Trish?"
"Uh uh... Not until you tell me what you told Jeff."
"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" the colorful-haired Hardy exclaimed. "Neither of you want to go through with the annulment... and you both want to give this marriage a shot because the truth is, you're in love with each other!"
Trish grinned at him.
"You took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you!"
Jeff smiled and took her hand in his, kissing the back of it.
Edge and Lita stared at each other, incredulous, as though each were seeing the other for the very first time.
"Is that true?" Lita asked, her voice small and tentative.
The blond Canadian swallowed hard, a shyness suddenly creeping over him.
"Well, the part about me is," he said. "What... What about you?"
Lita stared at Edge with wonder and shocked surprise, her jaw hanging open for a beat at his admission. Then, she found her voice again and answered his question.
"I feel the same way, Edge," she admitted.
The tall blond man edged closer to her, gazing down into the beautiful hazel eyes with intensity. She felt the same way he did? It seemed like a dream.
Jeff and Trish watched them, the two all smiles.
"Aww, this is sweet!" the blonde diva quipped.
"Well?" Hardy said as Edge slowly wrapped his arms around the redhead. "Go ahead and kiss her!"
Lita couldn't help but laugh softly at her friend's instruction. And then, slowly, the tall blond man dipped his head and captured her lips with his own. She kissed him back ardently, her arms going up to encircle his neck, fingers twining into his long, soft locks.
Without a doubt, this was love, and they were going to make it happily ever after.
// END //