by Lee Wardlow
“If you want. I don’t think there is anything that is traditional about this wedding except maybe the vows.”
Ewan got out of his chair. “My turn,” he shouted. The girls had stopped crying and turned to him.
“So, my brother, my twin, he made the best decision for me that he ever could. It was a selfless act on his part because I know that it hurt him as much as it hurt me when he talked Greer into pushing me to move to Detroit.”
My head snapped up and I frowned. “She told you.”
He shook his head no. “Georgie never could keep a secret. It eventually got back to me.”
“Hey,” Georgie shouted from where she was sitting. “Greer was taking a lot of flak for talking him into leaving.”
I shook my head and rubbed my eyes wearily. My wedding was turning into a night of confessions. When I glanced up, I looked for Greer and Finlay. She was upset by this revelation at my wedding and I couldn’t blame her.
“Everyone can relax. It was the best move I ever made. It gave me a chance to find myself. I became the man I wanted to be without worrying who I might disappoint. I figured out me.
“Thank you, Davy for always supporting and loving me unconditionally. I value that more than you know.” He gripped my shoulder.
“When I got home the other night, I told Davy I might live with Dad and Lorna when I move back home. He showed me to my room. I went back downstairs to grab a glass of water. He was talking to Caz. Telling her that I might move back home, and she said, did you tell him that he could stay here?” Ewan’s voice cracked a little. He cleared his throat. “That’s when I knew that Davy had the right woman for him. She understood us.”
I nodded. She was never jealous if I slipped away because I needed to talk to Ewan. She never said, why can’t you talk to me. She never questioned my relationship with my brother. That was the one area, where Caz was secure. She knew what he meant to me because Lacey meant that much to her.
“So, Caz, I might take you up on that offer.”
“We would love to have you,” she told him. He stepped around me and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
“Take care of him. He means the world to me.”
“I will,” she promised.
“To Caz and Davy. May they have long years ahead of them that are happy and full of many girls because that seems to be all this brood can produce except Brodie.”
My other brothers shook their head. “Cheers,” Ewan said.
Everyone raised their glasses and shouted, “Cheers.”
I sat with Caz while the afternoon wound down. Everyone danced and listened to music. The leftover food was packed up and sent to a homeless shelter in downtown, courtesy of Shawn. That made Caz and I happy.
We watched our guests talking and having fun. We were having fun just being together.
“So, you decided to make me a litter?” She asked watching the crowd surrounding us.
“Because you’re my princess?”
She was amused at least.
“I couldn’t think of any other way to get you to the gazebo except your uncle’s way.
“Oh hell no.”
“He told you?” I gazed at her while my hand traced soft circles over her shoulder.
“Wagon or wheelbarrow? He told me.” She laughed. “I’m a lucky girl to have a clan now to watch over me.”
“Liked my speech?”
She kissed my cheek. “Who knew there was such an eloquent man behind that nerdy front you present.”
“I’m not nerdy.”
“You’re nerdy,” Georgie agreed.
She sat down beside us. “So, are you mad at me?”
“For what?” She was genuinely confused by that question.
“For spilling the beans on who was actually responsible for sending him to Detroit?”
How could I be mad when he wasn’t? “No, I’m not mad at you.”
“Good. I’m glad we’re friends again. I like your wife a lot. I told you that you would find her.”
“Did you see her in a vision?” I asked.
“I actually did.”
“She told me that she did,” Caz agreed.
Ewan returned to his seat which Georgie was occupying. He had been talking with Greer and Finlay for a while. I thought he had to break away for a bit. Georgie looked up at him. “I’m glad you’re coming home. Life isn’t the same when you two are apart.”
He laughed at her. “One of us isn’t enough to torment with your visions, Georgie?”
She rolled her eyes and got out of his chair. She tugged him down to her level. “I love you, Ewan.” Then she kissed his cheek.
“Love you too, Georgina.”
She kissed me and then Caz. “We’re heading home. Fox needs his bed.” She rolled her eyes. “Boy does he need his bed. I wish he was more like Gage who goes with the flow.”
We laughed.
Brodie and Lacey were mingling so it was just the three of us. “Are you sure, being newlyweds that you wouldn’t mind me living with you for a little while?” Ewan asked.
Caz leaned around me. “Honey, you aren’t looking at typical newlyweds. She knocked on her cast. This marriage isn’t getting consummated for at least eight more weeks when this comes off and who knows then what kind of shape my leg will be in.”
I laughed at her. Ewan shook his head. “So, I guess I won’t be intruding then?”
“No,” I agreed with my brother. “You won’t be intruding.”
“Then, I’ll stay with you guys.”
“Thanks, we’d like that.”
“Just long enough to find a place. I think this time, I’ll buy a home.”
“Putting down roots?” I asked.
“I think it’s about time.”
“I agree,” he said but he was looking at Finlay and Greer. “I want a family of my own someday.”
Then he turned and smiled at me. I thought my brother was going to be all right.
Chapter 13
My brothers were standing around talking. My girl was getting very tired. Shawn had gone home. Most of our guests had gone home but family.
Brodie and Lacey were next to leave. Lacey was as tired as Caz was. The sisters hugged and kissed and promised to talk tomorrow.
Then Dad and Lorna went home. Helen had come with them and she was tired now too. I got out of my chair and hugged Lorna and Helen before they left.
Soon, Helen would have to retire. No matter what she wanted. The grind of daily life was wearing on her but in the little cottage on Dad’s property, she would remain part of our family.
Slowly, one by one, my brothers and step-sisters and their spouses left. “Now what?” I asked Caz. I wasn’t sure how they had gotten her to and from the car.
“I have a wheelchair in the house.”
“I’ll get it,” Eddie told us.
He had been hovering waiting for this moment. He had been with the girls all day, so he knew just what to do. We helped her in the chair. He showed me that by leaning her backwards she moved easily enough on the grass. I chuckled at her.
“So, you could have used the wheelchair to come down the aisle?”
She scowled at me. “If I wanted to look like I was popping wheelies down the aisle, sure it would have worked.”
Ricky patted my shoulder. “You did good with the litter, kid.”
“Thank you.”
“Had a rough, time getting her in it, but you did good.”
Caz laughed as Eddie backed her through the grass to the sidewalk where we could roll her to the parking lot. I walked facing my new wife. Ewan followed behind me.
She used her crutches to maneuver into Eddie’s van. Then Caz glanced up at me. “Ride with Ewan. I’ll see you at home.”
“Come on bro,” Ewan said to me.
We followed them to the house in Ewan’s truck. There I helped her out of her wedding gown. Then handed it to Eddie who was standing outside of the dining room waiting for me to pass it to him. He took it upstairs for m
e and hung it in the closet. I helped her into her usual attire these days. Georgie and Greer had each found four more sets of these pajamas that she liked.
When she was settled in the bed I leaned over and kissed her. “Will you sleep with me tonight?” She asked.
“Yeah, I will. Just let me go change out of these clothes. I’ll be right back.”
I met Eddie and Ricky coming downstairs. They were going to have a beer with Ewan on the back deck. He was still changing. They offered for me to join them, but I had a date with my wife in her hospital bed. I declined. They understood.
“Are you guys going to move here?” I asked.
“We’re going to start by letting our new manager run the place for us,” Eddie replied. “I’m putting the house on the market though. If we need to be in the Keys, we’ll stay in the apartment that Ricky owns.”
“The ladies will love that.”
The two men exchanged glances. “So, will we,” Ricky told me. “We’re going to look for somewhere to live while we’re here.”
Eddie clapped me on the back then headed downstairs. I went to my room and changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Not how I had expected to spend my wedding night but at least we were married now.
I met Ewan coming out of his room as I came out of mine. “I’m having a beer on the patio with Eddie and Ricky.”
“They told me.”
We walked down the stairs together. “Are you joining us?” He asked.
“Nope, I will be snuggling my woman in her hospital bed. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it?”
Ewan laughed at me. “Very.”
“Enjoy. There’s more beer in the fridge in the garage but you’ll have to dodge the dining room table.”
“I don’t think we need that much,” Ewan replied.
“See you in the morning,” I told my brother before he disappeared down the hall.
I went to the dining room where my bride was looking at pictures from our wedding that people had sent to her. She handed me her phone when I got to the bedside. I laid it on the table. “Scoot over,” I told her.
She wiggled around until she was up against the railing on the other side. Then I slid in beside her. Caz laid her head on my chest. Her cast was down against the mattress, left leg resting on top of it. I don’t know how comfortable she was, but she didn’t complain.
I held her not saying anything but that was me. I just wanted to reflect on today; how happy this woman made me. She was singularly responsible for making me a nut at times, but I did love her.
Her short blonde, hair tickled my face, but I didn’t want her to move. We might not be able to make love tonight, but we could have this intimacy of holding each other close.
Caz traced her fingers across my chest absently. When she was this tired, this is what she did. It soothed her. I captured her hand. I didn’t want to get excited. She glanced up at me and read the expression on my face.
“Sorry, I wish we could make love. I was thinking about that.”
“Me too. We’ll have plenty of time for that.” All day, I watched my brothers with their kids. It was something I wanted but I thought I wanted time with Caz first. “Do you want to try for a baby when you’re stronger?” I asked her. That would be at least two more months until her cast came off then another month or two of rehab. So, it would be at least four months before we started to try to have a child?
She propped herself up on her arm and looked at me. “What changed your mind?”
I didn’t know. “Maybe watching my brothers with their kids today. Wanting that for us too. It will be at least four months probably by the time you get your cast off. We talked about six months to a year.
“I’m guessing you won’t get pregnant right away, so you could be pregnant in four to six months?” I suggested.
She nodded. “Let’s take it one day at a time. Maybe I’ll go off my birth control pills about the time I get my cast off if that is what we decide.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Davy, I am very happy even with this heavy, cast on my leg.”
I chuckled at her. “Me too, babe.”
That’s how we fell asleep in the tiny hospital bed, cramped for space but in each other’s arms. Content and in love.
Epilogue
Eddie, Ricky, Lacey, Brodie and Ewan were waiting on us at home to celebrate the removal of Caz’s cast. The scar from her surgery was purple and bothered her but the surgeon reassured her that eventually it would be nothing more than a faint line, not as noticeable.
Her leg was weak, so she would still be using the crutches for a while. The surgeon’s hope was with therapy she could bear weight on the leg within a month but probably still have a limp for a few more months.
They had dinner ready when we arrived home. They cheered for her making Caz blush when she walked into the kitchen on her crutches. She laughed self-consciously.
Lacey hugged her first. Then her uncle followed by Ricky. Ewan gave her a quick, kiss on the cheek. They were getting closer which made me happy. Then Brodie approached.
“You ready for the pain?” He asked. He was being serious. He took her hand and held it.
She nodded.
“I’ll go with you,” he told her.
“Thank you, Brodie.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Anytime. The next two months or so are going to be hard.”
“I know.”
They moved us into the dining room. The table was moved back into place. The hospital bed was gone. Caz breathed a sigh of relief. I laid my hands on her shoulders. She looked at me.
“I’m so glad I can start sleeping in our room again.”
“Me too.”
They had prepared a feast for Caz. Her celebratory meal. There was laughter and story-telling by Ricky and Eddie about the two women. They both rolled their eyes at their uncle and his partner.
Ewan and I were removing dishes to the kitchen when Lacey made a funny noise. We both returned to the dining room. “What’s wrong?”
“My water broke,” she replied. “Time to go.”
Everyone started hurrying except for Caz. She got her crutches and calmed Lacey down. Brodie ran out to his truck and started it up. Caz, my usually nervous Nelly, was the epitome of peace and tranquility.
Ewan drove us in his truck. I sent a group text to everyone that Lacey was on her way to the hospital.
In the waiting room of the maternity wing, Eddie and Ricky waited with me. Caz went into the delivery room with Lacey and Brodie.
Dad and Lorna showed up about a half hour after we arrived. One by one, my brothers arrived to support Brodie and Lacey while their wives stayed at home with their kids.
This was the hard part. Waiting to be sure that Lacey and the baby were okay. We talked. We drank coffee. We made jokes about our oldest brother becoming a father, finally and whether he was passed out on the delivery room floor.
Then Brodie came to the waiting room. A smile was plastered across his face. “He’s here. You can come back with me.”
Our large group followed Brodie to the suite where Lacey had given birth to Ian Edward Steward. Our father was beaming at having his grandson named after him. Her uncle was pretty, proud too.
Dad held him first, a big grin on his face when he looked between the baby in his arms and my brother. He was like this with every baby that came into our family. He was a proud grandpa.
I scooted around everyone to Caz and put my arm around her shoulders. I kissed her temple and held her close.
“He’s a little over ten pounds,” she told me.
“Not as big as Brodie,” I replied. “Lacey looks amazing for just giving birth.”
“She does, doesn’t she. How big were you?”
“I was a runt, remember I was a twin?”
She nodded. “How big were the rest of your brothers?” She asked.
I didn’t want to tell her. She looked up at me waiting for my response. “Bet
ween nine and eleven pounds.”
“Oh no,” she said.
Yep, we were big boys at birth. Our nieces had been a good eight to nine pounds. She was guaranteed to have a good, sized baby when we decided to have one. Caz was still deciding whether she wanted to go off her birth control pills. She might decide to stay on them for a while now.
Dad carried Ian to me. “Looks like Caz should go home soon. Why don’t you hold him next?”
He transferred Ian to me. His head was covered in dark hair just like all of us but Hugh who had inherited our mother’s auburn hair. His face was round and chubby, and his cheeks were pink. He reminded me a lot of Brodie. I glanced at Caz who was looking at him too.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” She asked.
“I think so.”
This is what family is about. Supporting each other when things were tough and enjoying these special moments like the birth of a niece or nephew.
We had been through a lot this last year. Ewan slipped in beside me. “My turn,” he said. “If you need to take Caz home, I have to leave too.”
I handed our nephew to Ewan who cradled him as carefully as I had. I helped Caz sit in a chair near her sister. They held hands for a moment. Then Brodie distracted Lacey. I had never seen him happier than he was right now.
Things were falling into place. My brothers were all happy and so was I. We just needed to see what would happen with Ewan.
The End
About the Author
I’m a small-town girl who has always loved to read and write stories. I’ve been in the Information Technology field for a long time (translation Computer Geek/Project Manager). While laid off several years ago, I dusted off my manuscripts and self-published one of them.
My first book was Welcome to Hell: Rediscovering First Love about small town in Michigan known as Hell. It is a real town with my own special fictional twist. I wrote it in 1997-98.
Then I wrote another novel, You Were Born for Me and I just kept writing. I absolutely love the Pointe Royal Series. I had a hard, time quitting them. Adam and Joy were my favorite couple and I’ve grown and gotten better as I’ve written more.
