The Dance Part 2

Chapter 278 Stand by Our Girl

"Hey babe. You on the ferry back home?" Matt asked noticing the lateness of Jill's afternoon call.

"Not exactly." Jill answered.

"Did you miss the ferry?"

"Mattie, remember when you said there is nothing I could ask of you that you would not do?"

"I think I said that in the heat of passion." Matt chuckled his devilish little laugh over the phone.

"Just answer my next question with a yes or no. Is Bam with you?"

Matt looked in Bam's direction and answered yes. "Mattie, can you step outside away from him?"

"Why?" He asked as he headed outside. "Is everything okay with Lila?"

Jill handed the phone to Lila. "Matt, it's Lila. Everything is fine but I need you to come to Juneau tomorrow. Don't ask me to explain over the phone. I will do that when you get here. And I need you to not tell Bam I asked you to come."

"Okay. But you need to call him and tell him that the two of you are staying overnight in Juneau. You know how he worries especially since..."

"I will call him after I get off the phone with you. I promise."

"Lila, I don't like keeping secrets from my brother especially where you are concerned."

"If you ever cared for me Matt, I need you to come without asking any questions and without saying anything to Bam."

Matt fell silent on the phone as Lila pleaded to him. He finally spoke when she finished.
"For you and Jill, I would do anything."

Lila handed the phone back to Jill. "Jillian, what have you gotten me into?"

"Well, if you play your cards right, hopefully into bed when you come tomorrow."

Matt's face broke into his Peter Pan smile. "The things you say to me that fuel my imagination. I miss you, Mrs. Brown."

"Back at you, Mr. Brown. Call me when you get to Juneau and we will meet you at the ferry station.

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"I just got a call from Lila. She and Jill are staying overnight in Juneau. You okay with that?" Bam always had an air of curiousity about him.

"Yea, Jill called and said they had some extra shopping to do. Jill wants me to come to Juneau to help her pick out a new couch for our family room."

Bam raised an eyebrow. "You know nothing about couches except how to sleep on them."

"You think you can handle things alone."

"No worries man. I got Gabe to help out tomorrow. Make sure you bring me back a cake from the Pie in the Sky Bakery. Something chocolate."

"Sure. I think I can handle that job."

Bam returned to his work as Matt breathed a sigh of relief over how easy that went. He hoped whatever Jill and Lila were doing was important enough for him to not disclose the truth to his brother.

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Matt took the earliest ferry out of Hoonah the next morning. Once he reached Juneau, Jill and Lila met him at the dock. "You two owe me an explanation. What was so urgent that you needed me here today?"

Jill pulled her husband to the side. "Whatever Lila says to you, you remember that we are all family here and family takes care of their own." Jill found a seat on a bench as Lila asked Matt to walk with her. "Matt, you know how much I love your brother. "

"Yes, m'am, I do."

"And you know I would never do anything to purposefully hurt him."

"Now you are starting to make me nervous, Lila."

"I am going to be blunt because there is no easy way to ask this favor. I need a DNA sample from you."

Matt looked perplexed. "What? Why do you need my DNA?"

Lila stopped midstep and turned to look Matt in the eyes. She saw so much of Bam in him. To say the words to him would almost be as difficult as saying them to her husband. "Sweet Matthew." She stroked his cheek. "I am pregnant and I need to know who the father is."

"What do you mean who the father is?" Matt stood in stunned silence. Lila could see the wheels turning in his mind trying to make sense of what she just said. After a few minutes, everything clicked.

"Are you kidding me? How is that possible?"

Lila frowned at him. Matt removed his hat and fanned himself. "Don't answer the question. I already know the answer." Matt grabbed Lila and hugged her tightly. He felt his own heart breaking. A wave of sorrow washed over him as he whispered over and over how sorry he was.

"And that's why I can't tell Bam I'm pregnant. Not until I know who the father is. And I need you to keep my secret until we get the results back from the DNA test."

"Will you help me? Will you consent to the test?" Lila began to tear up. "I ask much of you today, Matt, but I also trust you as equally as I do Bam."

No wasn't an option for Matt. Although he and Bam were usually at odds when they were younger, their relationship as brothers had matured and deepened. He also wanted to protect his brother and aid Lila in her search for an answer. "Whatever you need, Lila, whatever you need. Jill and I will stand by you for whatever you need for how ever long you need us."

Stand by Me by Ben E King