AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The brown eyes in front of me reflect the orange glow of the flames from the fireplace. My brother gazes into my face as iftrying to discern how serious I am about my feelings for Leslie. He knows the answer to that question. I finally understand what it feels like to love something or someone so much that you can’t live without them.
I stare back at him, reading the emotions flitting across his face. Memories of past pain are evident in his eyes, making my chest tighten with remorse for being such a jerk to him when we were younger. I think about how my brother has always been there for me when no one else was, like when we were on a family trip, and I almost drowned swimming in Lake Erie, and he came running down the beach, pulling me out of the water by my ankle. What an idiot I had been trying to impress some girls. It didn’t matter, though; he still saved me.
This is what it means to have a big brother. To know that he would always love you, even when you did the wrong thing—or thought you did. With that feeling comes a sense of freedom that allows you to make mistakes and take chances without fear of abandonment or repercussion. Maybe family really is everything – at least to everyone except for Terrance and Jeremiah who didn’t inherit any siblings at all.
I stare into my brother’s brown eyes and say, “Without a doubt, I’m ready to spend my life with Leslie. I’m ready to have it all with her, trust, communication, and I’ll protect her with my life.”
“Then, you have my blessing. Well, you’ve always had it. I just want you to know that I am here for you, though we’ve not always seen eye to eye. Brothers?”
I pull him in for a hug. “Brothers!”
A chorus of approving words from the fellas like “That’s what’s up” or “That’s love” erupts around the room.
“Aw, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m starting to want a love like that, too,” Jeremiah concedes.
“You got to get your parents to give you a brother if you want a love like Eddie and Wayne’s,” Rich states jokingly.
Jeremiah shakes his head, his expression serious. “No, I mean a woman to marry. I’m starting to want that special someone to share the rest of my life with."
Mark raises an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You're bitten by the wedding bug. You'll get over it after the wedding."
Eddie chimes in, his tone slightly mocking. "Yeah, he'll get over it."
But Jeremiah's resolve is unwavering. "I don't know if I will this time. This one is special," he asserts firmly.
Eddie grabs his beer and points it toward Jeremiah. His forehead vein throbs with frustration as he growls, "To get married, you need to find your own girl first."
A palpable awkwardness settles over the room, and everyone, except for me, seems puzzled by Eddie's comment. The unspoken implications linger in the air, leaving a tension that's difficult to ignore. I glance around the room, sensing the discomfort and realizing the need to intervene.
As the silence lingers, I choose my words carefully, trying to break the tension. "Well, whoever the lucky woman is, she'll be getting a wonderful partner in Jeremiah."
The atmosphere eases slightly, and Mark offers a nod of agreement. "That's for sure. Jeremiah's a great guy."
The conversation takes a turn, but I can't shake the feeling that there's more beneath the surface that’s just waiting to shake like an earthquake.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Leslie
The Queen is Home
“He still has to find a woman first,” Eddie says in a growl.
“Actually, I think I’ve found the one,” Jeremiah growls back.
Eddie chuckles menacingly and asks, “Is that right?”
“Damn right,” Jeremiah retorts.
I hear this exchange as I approach the den, and when I enter the room, I can feel the tension in the air. Eddie and Jeremiah are both seething hot. I send up a silent prayer that they are not bickering about my sister again.Goodness.
Wayne doesn’t notice me initially, but his gaze meets mine.
I break the growing tension with, “Hello, everyone. How are you all tonight?”
Wayne’s teammates’ worried gazes meet mine as they say hello. Appearing satisfied with the distraction, they return their attention to the TV or their cigars. Wayne quickly walks towards me, his face a mask of confusion. "Hey baby, I didn’t know you were coming home so early.”
“It’s not exactly early. It’s 11:00,” I tell him after glancing at the time on my phone.
