by Lisa Jackson
“I know.” Her voice shook. “I thought it was over with Brand, that I’d never see him, or you, again. I wanted to start over, to have a new life, but it didn’t work out.”
“’Cause you’re a loser!”
“Is that what you think?”
“Hell, I don’t know what to think, Dani!” he cried and Brandon’s heart nearly broke. “What about Brandon? What about him? Do you still love him?”
“Yes,” she said without a second’s hesitation.
“Are you gonna marry him?”
“If he asks me.” Again, she added silently.
“Why don’t you ask him?”
She hesitated. “To tell you the truth, I was thinking about it,” she admitted, and Brand sent up a silent prayer of thanks.
“So what about me?”
“I don’t know, Chris,” she said honestly. “I just found out about you today. But, of course, I would want you to live with me and Brand and your grandma.”
“This is way too heavy. Way too heavy.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want to believe it.”
“I don’t blame you, but I want you to know something. I love you now and I loved you before I knew you were my son. I also loved that little baby I gave up eleven years ago—differently, of course, but believe me, no one will ever love you more.”
“Bull!” Brand mounted the stairs, his boots ringing on the old wood. “That is bull,” he said as he climbed into the loft. “Because I love you, too. Every bit as much.”
“Brand, I didn’t know—” Dani flushed. “Do you know, did you hear—”
“That’s what Ma wanted to talk to me about.”
“She’s a liar!” Chris said, pointing an angry finger at Dani. “And Ma—she’s lying, too.”
“She just wanted to protect you.”
Chris wasn’t convinced and the glare he sent Brandon was pure hatred. Brand wouldn’t give up. He set the pup on the dusty floorboards and the poor little dog whimpered.
“Who’s this?” Dani asked.
“Our new dog.”
“Our?”
“This family needs a pet.”
“Family?” she repeated, her throat catching.
“Yes. I know I’ve asked you once before but I’m asking again. I want you to marry me, I want Ma to live with us and I want us to start raising our son.”
“No way!” Chris yelled. “You can’t just—”
“Listen to me, Chris. I never knew until a few days ago that I even had a son. Then today I find out you’re my son. Believe what you want, but here’s the way it is. I’d go through hell to claim you as my own.”
“Bull—”
“Don’t even say it,” Brandon warned. “I’ve lived all my life not knowing my dad’s identity and I’m not going to let it happen to my kid. Your mother and I . . . we made mistakes. Hell, we’re human, but I hope she’ll marry me and we can start fixing everything right away.”
“You can’t fix this!”
“It’ll take time.”
Chris sniffed, dashed the tears from his eyes and tried not to notice that the puppy, a golden bundle of fluff, was nosing his leg.
“And it’ll take counseling. We’ll all see a family counselor, including Ma.”
Chris shook his head. “I don’t know—”
“You want to talk to Al?”
Chris’s face curled in on itself. “No way. He hated me.”
“Well, I don’t. I love you, son,” Brand said, tears standing in his eyes. Dani felt hot trickles run down her cheeks.
“So do I,” she whispered.
Brand reached forward and offered Chris his hand. Hesitantly the boy stretched out his fingers. As their hands touched, Brand pulled hard, slamming Chris against him. “I’ll never leave,” he vowed, his voice husky. Then, with his free hand, he grabbed Dani in a fierce grip that promised he’d never let go. “And I won’t leave you ever. No matter what happens.” His gaze held hers and she believed him.
Openly sobbing, her arms surrounding Chris and Brand, Dani felt a surge of happiness well from deep inside her. They were together—a family. Finally. No more wondering, no more worrying, just a future filled with love. “Of course I’ll marry you,” she said, smiling through her tears. She tilted her face up and brushed a kiss across his lips. “It’s what I’ve wanted for twelve years.”
EPILOGUE
“So now it’s your turn,” Skye said, grinning widely while she cradled her new son, all of three months old, in her arms.
“Yeah.” Dani smiled and rubbed her abdomen. She and Brand would be parents again early in June. Chris would have a brother or sister.
“How about that?” Skye whispered to her son. “You’re going to have another cousin, Charlie.” The baby yawned, one little fist curled near his face. “And things are working out with Chris?”
“As well as can be expected,” Dani said, turning her attention to her son, who was braced against the lead rope as he tried to train a particularly stubborn black colt. The pup, half-grown and all legs, yipped at his heels and danced around the paddock. Together they were going to counseling sessions and Chris seemed to finally understand how much Brand and Dani loved him and why he’d been raised by his grandmother, and accept that he would always be with them.
Life had settled down. The McKee children and grandchildren were growing in number. Beth and Jenner were the proud parents of a daughter and Casey was pregnant with twins.
Now, leaves, dry and brittle, swept across the yard. Autumn was in the air.
“And Venitia?”
“She’s doing well,” Dani said. Venitia, after her treatment at the clinic, refused to move in with Brand and Dani, preferring her own house and cats. So far she was sober and, as she said, “taking one day at a time.”
Dani had never told her sister that Brand was Jonah’s bastard. She and Brand saw no point, at least not for a while.
The baby let out a squawk as he opened his eyes—blue McKee eyes—and squinted against the harsh sunlight.
“Gotta run,” Skye whispered, “before my milk lets down and I embarrass myself and Charlie all over the place.” She snapped the baby into his car seat and drove away, honking at Brand, who was just driving in.
Dani’s grin widened as she spied her husband and waved. He shot her a look that made her heart flutter. He stopped by the corral, talked to Chris for a few minutes, then strode up to her. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said, twirling her off her feet.
“My, my, my, aren’t you in a good mood?” she teased, straightening his tie.
“Always with you.”
“Not true, husband dear. Your black moods are legendary around here.”
He let out a laugh and his eyes twinkled. “I have something for you,” he whispered.
“Something naughty?” she teased.
“You’re a wicked woman.”
“Only with you, love.”
“Let’s keep it that way, okay?” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a letter. “Read it,” he said, yanking off his tie and tossing his jacket over the top rail of the fence.
“Now?”
“Now.” He climbed over the rails and hopped onto the ground in the paddock. “Hush!” he yelled to the pup, who barked wildly and jumped up on him.
Dani opened the letter and read. Tears of joy filled her eyes. Never would she have believed she could be so happy, but now, thanks to Brand and Chris, her life was complete, her destiny as shining as the sun that warmed this valley. She touched her abdomen again and swore she felt the baby kick as she reread the letter that touched her heart.
Dearest wife
On this, our two-month anniversary, I want to tell you how happy you’ve made me. How complete. After years of searching, I feel as if I’ve finally come home. To you. Chris. To our unborn child.
I can’t promise you that our life together will always be perfect, but I pledge that I’ll move heaven and earth to try to make it so.
Forever Your Loving Husband,
Brand.
