AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Forty-One
He was enjoying himself immensely, enjoying having the woman he wanted next to him and their five kids running around enjoying themselves, too.
Nova was with her cousins, running around like a lunatic now. Noah had found Patton and the two boys were just watching the crowd. Neither one of them were into crowds; they’d found a place near the edge of the group to sit down and talk about video games.
A few minutes after everyone took their seats and before the ceremony was to start, Robin turned to him. She grabbed the hand he had on her shoulder firmly and moved it to his own lap, with a pointed look.
She had the girls on her left, blending with two of Phil’s new little daughters and her pal Rory. The boys were all on his right, with Parker, Pete, and Patton mixed in.
Phil and Glenna sat directly in front of them. Phil’s older kids and their families spread out behind Nick and Robin—and to the sides of Phil and Glenna.
Tylers took up a lot of space on the bride’s side of the tent, that was for sure.
“What exactly do you think you are doing?” she asked bluntly. But quietly. “These fingers seem to have a life of their own today.”
“I can’t control them.” He shot her a grin. “It’s this wicked dress. It tempts them far too much.”
He’d been copping a feel. They both knew that.
Robin had the softest, smoothest, creamiest skin. Of course, a man like him wanted to touch.
He wanted her just as much now as he had twenty years ago. He thought he’d been doing remarkably well at controlling himself, actually.
“You are old enough to behave yourself.”
“But why? I think I am old enough to go after what I want.” He leaned closer. “And I want you. We just have to figure out how to make it work.”
“And what about what I want?”
There was a world of memories in that simple question. “You tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen, Robin Marie Patton. No matter what I have to do. I’d move mountains for you. Without hesitation. I always will. Remember that. You’re the kind of woman a man would slay dragons for.”
He slipped his hand around hers.
He held her hand while his beautiful niece Nikki came down the aisle on her eldest brother Gilbert’s arm. Nikki had grown into a beautiful, wonderful, happy woman. Her parents would be proud of the woman she had become, if they’d been lucky enough to live to this day.
Grief was still a sharp-edged sword, and always would be, for the ones he’d lost before.
Someone tugged on his suitcoat. He looked down into a face that was very much like Nikki’s, right down to the new little purple glasses she’d been prescribed the first week he’d had her. “Daddy, I can’t see my cousin. She’s the princess today. She’s marrying Prince Rufus, but Wonkus McBubbles is up there, too! Prince Rufus better do something before Wonkus does something!”
He had no clue what she was talking about.
Robin laughed quietly. “It’s a popular children’s movie—Hunter Clark and Quade Davis were both in it. They play it on the Barratt Family Network all the time. Becky loves it. The boys, too, even though they won’t admit it. I’ll loan you our copy.”
“I see.”
He scooped his daughter up in one arm, and pulled Robin closer with the hand he still held. Becky climbed into the chair next to her mother. Robin hooked an arm around her daughter and held her safe while they watched.
The boys couldn’t care less, but at Nick’s look they stood politely.
Phil’s younger batch of kids were as wiggly as Nick’s little crew. Phil dealt with them quickly, calmly, lovingly.
Being a husband and father came so effortlessly to Phil. Seemed so right when he looked at his older brother.
Nick hadn’t realized how much he’d envied Phil the life he’d built with an actual family until this very moment.
Then again, maybe he hadn’t known that he should envy it until this very moment.
Life just seemed brighter with a family around a man. Why hadn’t he ever noticed that before? Or maybe it had everything to do with the woman and kids next to him instead of some vague idea of what it should look like?
