Tyler made a soft sound against my shirt and I shifted him a little higher, my hand steady on his back. “One, or two, or maybe even five. There are a lot of bedrooms in this house. We might as well use ‘em.”
I looked back out the window, only a sliver of sun still visible across the fields. “You’ll always be the first, though. The one that made me a dad.”
Tyler yawned, his body stilling as I stood there with him, thinking back to the days when I’d been convinced that I’d be alone forever. I honestly hadn’t thought that love was waiting for me out there, and I definitely hadn’t expected to find it in the little sister of one of my best friends, but I had.
Somehow, thanks to Alex’s meddling that no one else seemed to appreciate as much as me, I’d found her. I owed the guy, and if he really wanted to start setting up the Thayers next, then I would have his back.
All the way down to Jane’s very last brother.
EPILOGUE
JESSE
Jacque and I had decided it was a great idea to travel to England in the final stages of her pregnancy. We were staying with Will and Eliza, spending time with Little J before our own baby came.
We hadn’t found out what we were having yet, wanting it to be a surprise. I wasn’t sure I was on board with that plan anymore, but I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut. Jacque was sold on the idea and I valued my balls too much to tell a woman in her third trimester that maybe we’d had enough surprises lately to last us a while.
She was currently lounging in the sunroom of Roderick Castle with a cup of tea the size of her head and a pillow wedged behind her back. I watched her through the windows from my perch outside, where I was playing some kind of lawn game with Little J and Will.
Or perhaps more accurately, Little J was playing the lawn game while his father berated me for continuing to live my life on the edge even though I apparently shouldn’t. “You’re not twenty-two anymore, Jess. You should’ve learned by now that you’re not indestructible.”
“Trust me,” I said. “I do know I’m not indestructible. I get hangovers now. Do you have any idea how much that sucks?”
“As it happens, I do.” He spun the bat, or club, or whatever this particular type of wooden sporting stick was called between his fingers. “I’m not talking about hangovers, though. I’m talking about the fact that you’re about to become a father and yet, you’re here.”
“Relax,” I said, waving him away. “Jacqueline wanted to see her sister and her folks too. Besides, it’s only a quick trip. We’re leaving back to the States tonight.”
“She’s thirty-seven weeks pregnant, Jesse.” He blew out an exasperated breath and looked out at what was, essentially, their backyard. It just wasn’t really the typical sort of backyard. Theirs had rolling green fields, hedges trimmed with surgical precision, woods, and the springtime tourists milling about on the public side of the gardens. “You should’ve just flown her family to Chicago if she wanted to see them.”
“Sure, but she’sfromhere,” I countered. “Who am I to argue if she wanted her feet back on home soil one last time before she becomes a mom?”
“Let me think about that,” he said slowly, then snapped his fingers and turned to squint at me. “Oh, I know. You’re her husband and the father of her unborn child. You’re also supposed to be the voice of reason right now.”
“She has a voice and she gave me plenty of reasons,” I said, shrugging. “You didn’t expect me to deny a pregnant woman, did you?”
He sighed. “All I’m saying is that you had the means to bring her family to her. I’m worried, is all.”
“Don’t be,” I said firmly, then changed the topic before he decided to drive us to the airport with five hours to spare. “Did you hear that Theo and Raquel have set a date?”
“Yeah, it looks like we’re all heading to Arizona soon.” There was a faint edge of disbelief in his voice. “Do you even know where Quartz Pass is?”
“Sure,” I said, flashing him a wide grin. “It’s in Arizona.”
He chuckled. “Alright, then. I suppose we’ll all find it together in a couple months. I still can’t believe he moved there and he’s marrying a mechanic.”
“Yeah, that whole situation definitely makes the rest of us look sane, and you pretended to be me for months.” I glanced at Little J, who was swiping his club—or bat—through a flowering plant near the path. “Our marriages might’ve been unorthodox, but it sounds like we had a walk in the park compared to him.”
Will snorted. “Speak for yourself. I spent those months pretending to be you, thinking I was going to have to watch my twin with the love of my life for the rest of my days.”
“I thought Jacque was ourcousin,” I said, dead pan. “I win. The only person who’s got me beat is Theo. He got lost in the desert and willingly decided to stay there.”
“He didn’t get lost. He broke down.” Will finally caught a glimpse of what Little J was up to and raced over to grab the club. “No. Bennet, no. Miriam is going to keep all her chocolate chip cookies for herself if you keep destroying her flowers.”
Immediately, the boy stiffened and started backing away from the plant, spinning as if turning his back on the damage meant it had never happened in the first place. I let out a soft laugh and shook my head at my brother when our eyes met.
“You’re going to have your hands full with that one.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s because we gave him your name.”
