Hold On (Page 187)

He thought I unbalanced it all the time with the way I gave.

He was wrong.

I didn’t even have to look at him with our son on his chest. I didn’t have to think back fifteen minutes ago to how I felt watching him walk my girl down the aisle with that look on his face. That look that said he didn’t want to be anywhere but there at the same time he wanted to pick her up and carry her the other way, taking her to a place where they never grew up and you never had to let them go.

No, I didn’t need any of that or any of the million other things Joe had done since that evening he shoveled the snow from our driveway.

I lived with the knowledge Joe had forever unbalanced our scales because I was sitting at my daughter’s wedding due to the fact that Joe had killed a man so I could.

He’d saved my life.

He’d given me his love.

He’d given my daughters his love.

He’d given my girls and me more babies, a big family.

There was no way I unbalanced our scale.

Which I supposed meant our scale actually stayed balanced, him thinking I sent it crashing, me knowing he did.

I snuggled closer in his arm.

He tightened it around me.

Balance.

I felt my lips tip up.

And I watched my beautiful girl get married to the man she loved, a man who reminded me a lot of her father.

And a lot of Joe.

A man Joe totally hated.

Because he took his girl away.

* * * * *

Layne

June, Four Years Later

“You did good all this time, managing not to knock Keirry up,” Tripp said to his brother.

Jasper looked to Tripp, grinning, but doing it also muttering, “Shut it, Tripp-o-matic.”

“I’ll second that, seein’ as that means you nor me got dead ’cause Joe Callahan lost his mind you put your hands on his girl,” Tanner Layne added.

“Cal wouldn’t lose his mind, Dad. He totally digs me,” Jasper told him.

Luckily, this was true.

“I can guaran-damn-tee you that Cal is in total denial about that whole part of you bein’ with Keira,” Tripp shared. “Even now, you have babies, you might wanna think of declaring them immaculate conceptions.”

“He can be in denial,” Jasper returned logically. “Means it was what it was and now I’m still breathin’ for it bein’ what it’s gonna be.”

“To that end…” Rocky’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

Layne aimed his eyes over his shoulder to see his wife look amongst them in the loft area, which used to be a workout/office space when Layne had lived there with his boys.

Now that his boys were gone and his house was filled with girls, Layne worked out at the gym and the loft was an alternate television area because Cecelia and Annabel could never agree on what they wanted to watch.

So now he and his boys weren’t lazing on workout equipment like they used to.

They were lounging on a massive sectional.

“I think we should probably go so we can get to the church on time,” Rocky finished.

And this meant they were lounging on a massive sectional while wearing tuxes since Jasper was marrying Keira that day.

“Shit,” Tripp muttered, planting a hand in the back of the couch and throwing his body over it, landing on his feet. “I gotta go pick up Giselle. Meet you there.”

He took off but didn’t pass Rocky without stopping and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

Rocky accepted it, and as Tripp bounded down the stairs, she looked to her husband folding out of the couch. Then she looked to his son who was doing the same.

After that, without a word, his wife walked down the stairs, leaving Layne with Jas.

He turned to his boy.

“You screwed me, bud,” he stated.

Jas’s head jerked and he abruptly stopped moving.

“What?” he asked.

“Knew what you wanted. Found what you wanted. Took care of her. Did right by her. Fell in love with her. Took your time to get to this place. You have your shit together. Keira has hers together. Now you’re movin’ on. That means I don’t get to do what fathers are supposed to do. Got no fatherly advice to give. Got no warnings. Got no guidance. Got nothin’.”

Jasper grinned at him.

“Nothin’ but love and pride,” Layne added.

Jasper’s grin faded and his gaze grew intense on his old man.

“You and your brother are the best sons a man could hope for, bud. Love you and so fuckin’ proud of you, it hurts,” Layne finished.

Jasper moved to him. Layne caught his son at the back of his neck and pulled him to his chest.

Jas wrapped his arms around his dad.

He gave Jasper’s neck a squeeze.

Jas pounded him on the back.

They let go.

They cleared their throats.

Then Layne said, “Let’s get you to the church.”

* * * * *

His woman leaned deep into his arm and he felt her lips at his ear.

“We have a problem,” she whispered.

Yeah, they had a problem.

The boys’ mother was sitting in their pew.

Due to her attitude, her relationship with both her sons was strained and had been for years. She was invited because Jasper was a good man. And no matter how strained things were with his mom, he was also a good son and he wanted her there.

But Gabby was not happy to be sitting in a pew with the ex-husband she hated and his wife, who she detested, and, being Gabby, she wasn’t hiding it.

Which pissed Layne off.

It also pissed off his mother, Vera, who was right then sitting in the pew behind Gabby, staring daggers at her.

Devin had Vera’s hand clamped tight in his, which indicated to Layne that Vera had said something that made Devin feel he needed to contain her.