AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The room stood on bated breath. Alex turned to Stone. The shake of his head was subtle. But definite.
Why is this so hard? AJ—or Xander, rather—should know the truth. He deserved the truth.“Here’s the thing,” Alex started, meeting Xander’s gaze. “I’m your brother. Your older, wiser, marginally better looking brother.”
Xander smirked. “Debatable.”
“And I love you. With all my heart. Madison does, too. We’d love you to live with us.”
Xander’s expression dropped, his attention drifting to his feet. “Oh.”
“Oh?” Alex expected a little more excitement than that. Confused, he shot a glance at all the eyes staring back. Clueless faces met his.
He ruffled his younger brother’s thick, wavy hair. “What do you mean,oh?”
“It’s just…” Xander stammered through his words, smoothing his hair back in place. “Well, it’s just that…there’s this school…near Bishop Mountain.” He holds up a finger, making a point. “That’s where the Donovan’s live.”
Alex laughed through a breath. “I know where Bishop Mountain is.”
“Anyway, all my new friends are going there next year, and they have a computer lab, and chess, and martial arts…”
Interest piqued, Alex tapped the cigar to his nose. “Will Ashlyn be at that school?”
Xander’s shoulder raised with casual indifference. “I guess.”
“I see.” Alex’s smile grew a little more. He already knew Mark and Jess were crazy about Xander. Crazy enough to give him the access code to their home, wifi, and Netflix account. They were, in fact, the little birdies that mentioned his preference for the name Xander, though Stone had mentioned it too.
Still, Alex asked the question, as if he had no clue. “What do Jess and Mark say?”
Hopefully, Xander’s face lifted with the first real smile in days, thepretty pleasewritten all over his brow. “They said it was up to you.”
This time, when Alex silently checked in with Stone, all doubts faded. Stone, too, smiled wide, nodding his approval.
Alex played it off. “I guess.”
Xander jumped to his feet. “Really?”
Alex stood, and took his brother in. One normal life on a silver platter, coming up. “Really,” he said with a hug.
Stone’s eyes darted to the small tag on the baby, his face easing into a gentle smile as realization dawned on him. “You named her Jordan.” It was a surprise Madison and Alex held back until now.
Alex offered a casual shrug, but the pride in his eyes was hard to hide. Jordan swiped a tear and turned her back, an emotional moment, swallowed in silence.
He watched his baby girl’s peaceful slumber, her soft, rhythmic breathing a melody to his heart. “Jordan Anastasia Drake,” Alex declared, his voice echoing in the quiet room, his eyes a touch more glassy than they had been a moment earlier.
“They’re both perfect,” Jordan whispered softly, the slightest tremor to her voice.
“Jack and Jordan,” Stassi’s voice held a soft, motherly coo as she wrapped her arms around Alex, her emotions filling the room. “You know, I was named after my great aunt.”
A knowing glance passed between Alex and Stone, their shared history turning into a cherished secret. “The Grand Duchess Anastasia, correct?” Alex posed, his words edged with a hint of a smile.
Stassi’s emerald eyes twinkled with a vibrancy that filled the room, her nod carrying an undertone of gratitude. “Yes. You remembered.”
Alex planted a warm, loving kiss on her forehead, his voice a tender whisper, “That I do.” It was the first time he’d truly felt the love that tied them together. Oddly, he felt an unexpected depth of affection for Stone, too—even if Stone wasn’t his father.
Just days after the ordeal, an unexpected report had appeared on his desk—a detailed autopsy report of a beloved, tragically ill three-year-old Irish Setter named Theo.
All these years, his mother had told the truth. And without Stone, he would’ve never known.
Xander angled his phone for a selfie, the slumbering twins forming a heart-warming backdrop. “When can I hold them?” he questioned with an eager grin.
