AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“About damn time,” LJ hooted.
“For real?” Jackson nearly stumbled as he came back down the porch steps. His eyes wide and full of hope. “Do you mean it, Aspen? You’ll marry me?”
“Right here, right now,” he said with a nod. “Although, we’re technically already married, dumbass.”
“Doesn’t matter. That one didn’t count. This one does.” With a loud whoop that they could probably hear all the way over at Violet and Luca’s house, Jackson grabbed Aspen by the waist and twirled the two of them around. “Baby, you are my everything. Thank you for letting me finally tell the world.”
Fighting happy tears, I walked with Jenner into the house to give the other couple a little privacy. But no sooner did I cross the threshold than Mom was ushering me upstairs. “We’ll have to find a belt or something to take in the waist of the dress a little. You’re so much thinner than I was when I married your father. Brie, what do you think? A chunky belt, or can we do a quick sew to make some alterations?”
The next hour passed in a whirlwind, but suddenly, I found myself in front of the living room door, my dad standing between Jackson and me.
“This wasn’t exactly what I was expecting when Jenner asked for my blessing to marry my baby girl, but I’ll take it,” Dad said as he held out both his arms. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. That dress survived the test of time.” His gaze went to my brother. “And I’ve never been prouder of you, Jackson. I’m gaining two new sons tonight. You two did well in picking life partners.”
Jackson had trouble speaking for a moment, but he was finally able to croak out, “Thanks, Dad.”
Clearing his throat roughly, Dad nodded toward the living room. “I guess we should do this thing, huh?”
I offered him a small smile. “Yeah, Daddy. I think it’s time.”
Swallowing hard, he nodded again. “I love you both. So damn much. I hope neither of you ever doubts that.”
“I think you proved that tonight,” I assured him. “We’re ready. Are you?”
“Just give me another sec, okay, honey?” He inhaled slowly and then squared his shoulders. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Jackson and I shared a look, both of us fighting back a laugh—as well as tears—and let Dad walk us both down the aisle.
Epilogue
Wroth
I heard the siren outside the house and picked up my cup of coffee to watch as my son-in-law pulled over Old Man Dotson just as he left his driveway. Snickering, I watched as Jenner got out of his cruiser and then approached the old fucker with a mean swagger that had my neighbor sweating bullets.
Dotson got pulled over at least once a month, and every time, Jenner wrote him a ticket. Sometimes it was for failure to use a turn signal. Other times, it had been for bigger things—like DWI. Dotson didn’t pass a breathalyzer one night after having a couple beers with Mr. Cain at the bar a few blocks over. I might have let the chief of police know to expect the fuckers, and Jenner hadn’t let me down.
The boy kept things civil. He never raised his voice to the men who were part of the trash that had made Doe feel like less than she was, and he only messed with the men. Mrs. Dotson and Mrs. Cain were both left to my beautiful wife, who was more dangerous than the man in uniform currently asking to see Dotson’s driver’s license, registration, and insurance.
Marissa fucked with those two hags every day of the week—and twice on Sundays. She and Pixie didn’t give either of them a moment’s peace. I was honestly surprised neither of them had moved yet, because Mari and our honorary daughter were terrors to those old ladies.
And then there was Raiden.
“Grandpa, I’m going to play in the yard!”
“Sure thing, kid,” I told my grandson as he skipped out of the house. Raiden was four and spent the weekends with us more often than not. It gave his dads a little break from him. After my sons retired from baseball five years ago, Jackson and Aspen had decided to start growing their family. They’d used a surrogate and a donor egg. Raiden was technically Aspen’s biological son, but we didn’t see any difference between him or Elizabeth, Doe and Jenner’s daughter, who was nearly twelve now.
As soon as Raiden was in the yard, he noticed his uncle and called a hello.
Jenner waved back before tearing off the ticket and handing it to Mr. Dotson. “See ya, buddy,” Jenner told Raiden as he got back into his cruiser. “Be good.”
“Aw, Unc. Where’s the fun in that?” he crowed as he picked up a stick and started digging at the same trench he’d been constructing every weekend for the past few months. It made the water run out of our yard and flood Mrs. Cain’s flower bed when it rained. I may have talked my grandson into the little demolition of my own backyard to be petty.
Seeing me standing at the window, Jenner saluted me and then went on about his day. Saturdays were a half day for Jenner. At lunchtime, he’d go home and eat with Doe and their daughter before going to dinner at Pixie and her husband’s house. Sundays, however, were when all the kids came to us. Marissa made a big meal, and the small house was overfilled with laughter as my grandchildren played in the yard and my grown children—both biological and honorary—told us about their week. When I saw Marissa smiling on Sundays, the love shining so brightly out of her pretty blue eyes, I knew that life couldn’t get more perfect.
“Raiden?” Marissa called as she stepped out onto the front porch. “How about we walk down to the ice cream shop and get a treat after lunch?”
“Yay!” Raiden cheered.
“But only if you can get that trench in tip-top shape.”
