My mother would walk me down the aisle and she would hand me off to Asher and Alex, giving her blessing for the betrothal.
We didn’t hire anybody to lead the ceremony. In the place of a stranger leading the ceremony and vows, I decided that the ceremony would be natural and laid back. I’d explain to the audience that this was the union of two men and one woman and I’d lead the three of us into our vows.
Soft music seeped into the hall, the violin and cello blending flawlessly as they announced the arrival of the bride.
The doors opened and I glanced at my mom one last time before stepping out where every person could see me. The audience rose to their feet as I walked down the aisle, but regardless of all the familiar faces, my eyes were locked to the two men who stood on either side of the aisle – a wall of red roses positioned behind them.
They looked identical, both of their faces shaved smooth, their green eyes sparkling with the admiration and love they were feeling as they stared back at me. The only thing that set them apart in their black tuxedos with white shirts and mandarin collars was their hair – whereas Alex’ hair was cut short, Asher’s wavy, shoulder length locks were pulled back into a neat cue at the back of his neck.
My entire body felt weak at the sight of them. Memories of the night I went with them to homecoming began to resurface, my mind’s eye seeing clearly how beautiful they both looked when I’d come down the staircase to find that they both would be my dates.
I’d hated the thought of being near them then and I would have never imagined that one day I’d be walking down the aisle to become their wife.
Now, I couldn’t move fast enough to be by their side. My mother playfully pulled at my arm as my feet sped up and I turned to look at her. A sweet smile curled her lips and she whispered, “Slow down, Kelly. We’re almost there.”
I laughed. In the middle of the wedding as all eyes were on me – I laughed. Happiness consumed me, love embraced me and I was fast on my way to a future I’d never dreamed I would have.
When we finally reached the twins, my mother shed a small tear as she kissed me on the cheek and let go of my arm. Asher stepped forward and took his place as Alex moved up to take my other arm.
My mother took her seat in the front row and I glanced around at the room. Sunlight filtered in softly through the large picture windows, red and white roses filling the space with beauty and a delicate smell that I would forever associate with the day I became a wife to the twins.
Finally looking over the audience, I built up to courage to speak in front of our family and friends, admitting that the three of us were here today to become one – to make our unique relationship as official as possible. I didn’t get into the details of legalities because they didn’t matter. In our hearts and minds, we were married – regardless of whether there was a piece of paper that said so.
Nothing mattered except for our commitment to one another, a commitment that nothing or no person would ever come between.
Looking between the twins, I admired the sharp cut of their cheekbones that cast shadows over their handsome faces in the filtered light of the room. Their eyes held so much emotion, the depth of which struck me and stole the breath from my lungs. Fighting back the tears that threatened my eyes, I looked at them and saw my future – a life filled with happiness and compassion, with strength and success. They were everything to me and I’d reached the point in this moment where I could tell them exactly how I felt.
“Asher and Alex. When I first met you as a small child, I couldn’t stand either of you…”
Whereas the audience was quiet in response to my words, Asher and Alex chuckled, they knew this story well because they had always been part of it.
“You teased me relentlessly and never let a day go by where you didn’t remind me that you existed and that you had noticed me. For years, I swore that you both hated me, but on one night all of that changed when I learned that you only pestered me because you didn’t know another way to gain my attention. You were boys back then, but I had a front row seat to watch both of you grow up and become the men that you are now – the men I would eventually love and learn that I could not live without.”
I glanced between them and damn near lost my composure when I saw unshed tears glimmer in their eyes. I paused, gaining control of my body and my voice so I could finish what I’d come here to say.
“I love both of you more than you’ll ever know and I’m asking you both to be my husband, to spend the rest of your lives with me, through the good and the bad. I want you both to be my strength when I feel weak, and to celebrate with me when I feel strong. I want you to guide me when I can’t see, and to trust me enough to guide you in times when you feel blinded by the circumstances of life. I want a union between the three of us that will last an eternity, not ending at death, but continuing on into the unknown. Will you both be my husband from this moment forward?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
A small pouch hung from my wrist and from it I pulled two rings. After placing one on each of their fingers, I reached up to wipe away the tear that finally escaped my eye.
Alex took my hand and said, “Kelly, I can’t live another day without you by my side. I look to the days ahead and all I see is you. No matter what life brings us, I will always look to you for guidance and love. You are my partner and my love, my heart and my life. Will you be my wife?”
“Yes,” I answered.
Finally Asher cleared his throat and said, “I’m not as well versed or poetic as either of you in what I have to say, so I’ll make it simple, because that’s what this love is between us – it’s simple, it’s enduring and it’s true. I’ve loved you since I was small, Kelly. I’ve wanted you to see me and to feel for me exactly the way I felt for you. I might not have known how to show it back then, but I know how to show it now. I want you to be my wife – to be my everything. I want to laugh with you and cry with you. I want the ups and the downs as long as you are there to experience them with me. My life didn’t begin with you, but it will end with you if you will do me the honor of being with me forever. Will you be my wife?”
The tears began to fall and I let them go, realizing that holding them in was no longer a possibility. Nodding my head, I swallowed down the lump of emotion in my throat and said, “Yes.”
Taking the ring that Alex had pulled from his pocket, Asher and Alex both pushed it onto my finger. I kissed each twin before each one hooked an arm through mine. Together – as a threesome – we walked down the aisle, announcing the end of the ceremony and not caring what anybody thought about what we’d done. The moment had been perfect because it had been our moment. I no longer cared what people thought. All that mattered was how I felt to be a wife to both Alex and Asher.
Nothing could have been more perfect.
* * *
The door to the honeymoon suite swung open so fast that it slammed against the back wall of the room. I was in shock that Asher and Alex had been able to not only arrange the honeymoon details without my help, but had done so without breathing a word of it to me.
On the night before our wedding, they’d slipped a note to my mother to give to me. It instructed me to pack several bathing suits and not much else, giving the illusion that wherever they were taking me would be warm and tropical, days filled with lounging on a beautiful sandy beach in front of a pristine ocean.
However, on their own, they packed another suitcase with the clothes I would actually need for this trip and they’d stowed it away until the moment we’d arrived at the airport and I learned that instead of going to Hawaii or Fiji or even the Bahamas…I was going much – MUCH – farther away.
“I cannot believe we’re in Ireland,” I said as soon as Asher set me down on my feet inside the large, luxurious room of the castle where we would be staying for the next week. Turning in circles, I looked over the room with awe and wonder, completely thrilled that they’d remembered the times I mentioned Ireland being one of the top p
laces I wanted to see.
A grin teased at both of their mouths, their eyes locked to me as I ran about the room looking at all the paintings and statues that graced the walls and mantle over the large fireplace.
Finally spinning back to look at them, I asked, “How were you two able to keep me from knowing about this? This isn’t some small thing. I’m in complete shock.”
Stepping forward, Asher crossed the room to take me into his arms as Alex dragged in the rest of our bags.
“It wasn’t easy, but we did everything we could to throw you off track.”
I laughed, “Which is why I now have a suitcase full of useless bathing suits and suntan lotion?”
He laughed. “Yeah, you won’t be needing that.”
Warm arms came up from behind me, sandwiching me between the twins – Alex at my back and Asher in front.
“Yeah,” Alex gloated. “We fooled you pretty good. It’s a good thing you’re just a little woman who isn’t cunning enough to pull the truth from your two, big strong men,” he teased.
The corner of my lip curled up as Alex’s hands playfully cupped and squeezed my breasts from over my shirt. As soon as Asher looked down at my expression, a single eyebrow cocked on his forehead.
“Wait a second, Alex. She has that look on her face. You know the one where she knows something we don’t know.”
Asher pulled away and playfully gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger. Angling my face to look up at him, he asked, “Did you already know about this and not tell us you knew?”
“No,” I answered honestly as I attempted to hold back soft laughter. “But I have a surprise for both of you as well.”
Alex released me and stepped around to stand next to Asher. “What is it?”
Shrugging my shoulder innocently, I suggested, “Why don’t the two of you take a seat on the couch and I’ll get your surprise out of my suitcase?”
Both of them smiled, but didn’t hesitate to go sit down like I’d said. I chuckled because I knew how much they loved surprises.
Taking a deep breath, I crossed the room and opened my suitcase, pulling out a box that was tied shut with a simple white ribbon. Turning back to them, I held up the box and smiled.
“Here it is.”
They both angled their heads in confusion, but waited patiently for me to walk back over to stand in front of them.
Handing it to Asher, I said, “It’s for both of you, so it doesn’t really matter who opens it.”
They exchanged a quick glance before Asher pulled the ribbon off and opened the box – both of them falling into stunned silence as they looked at what was inside.
After a few tense seconds, Alex finally asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
I nodded my head, too excited to be able to vocalize my response.
Asher looked up at me in stunned silence before dropping the box into Alex’ lap and taking me into his arms. Alex continued to look at what was inside the box, a huge smile breaking out over his lips as the knowledge of what I’d given them sunk in.
Once Asher released me, I laughed and placed my hands over my belly, looking between both of them as I said, “I found out the night before the wedding, but wanted to make this a surprise.”
Pausing, I held back the tears in my eyes and looked between them one more time.
“Congratulations, boys. It looks like you’re going to be fathers. We’re having a baby!”
The End.
Dearest Stepbrother: Double Trouble – Baby Makes Four – books 1 – 4 are currently available individually on Amazon.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
DOUBLE TROUBLE – BOOK 2
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
DOUBLE TROUBLE – BOOK 3
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
DOUBLE TROUBLE – BOOK 4
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
DOUBLE TROUBLE: AFTER COLLEGE – BOOK 1
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
DOUBLE TROUBLE: AFTER COLLEGE – BOOK 2
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
DOUBLE TROUBLE: AFTER COLLEGE – BOOK 3
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
DOUBLE TROUBLE: AFTER COLLEGE – BOOK 4
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Dearest Stepbrother: Double Trouble - Ultimate Bundle Page 18
