She shook her head. "On the contrary. It sounds extremely sane and sensible to me. And wonderful. I'm so glad you want me to be a part of it."
"A part? You are the whole of it. I would never have understood any of this if you hadn't appeared in my life. I love you so much, Brandi. It scares me to think that we might have missed meeting each other."
Brandi leaned over and hugged him. "It was only a question of time, love. I don't know how we managed not to meet before now, but we would have found each other somehow, someway. You are the other half of me. Didn't you know?"
Greg kissed her and reluctantly pulled away. "I'll be glad when I can get out of here. I seemed to have been laid up during my honeymoon. When I thought about spending the time in bed, I didn't plan on being alone!"
"We might have a slight problem, love. Tim feels that we should have another ceremony."
"Why?"
"Well, it seems that Tim was incensed that we went through a ceremony without him. He said this was the only occasion he'd ever have the opportunity in some wedding not only to give the bride away but to be the best man, as well." She grinned. "He also said that you owed the town of Pay ton a splashy wedding, and he for one was going to insist that you pay up."
"And how do you feel about it?"
"I don't care, so long as I'm with you. I'd repeat my vows every day of my life if necessary."
"It would be nice to have a church wedding, don't you think?"
She smiled. "I'd like that."
"So once again, Tim gets his own way." Greg shook his head and began to laugh. A less likely-looking guardian angel he'd never seen, but he had a hunch that Tim had recently earned his wings.
Epilogue
"Daddy, Daddy, he's here!" Becky cried, racing into the house and letting the screen door slam behind her. "Uncle Tim's here!"
Greg had just walked into the kitchen to see if Brandi needed any help with the lemonade and cookies she was preparing for the boys who had been helping Greg in the woodworking shop.
They turned around and looked at their five-year-old daughter, whose flyaway hair was the same color as her father's.
Greg knelt beside his oldest daughter and drew her into his arms. "Well, honey, did you invite him in, or is he still standing out on the porch?"
Becky giggled. "No. I saw his car coming, so I came to tell you."
Greg stood and took Becky's hand. "How very wise of you. Why don't we go meet him?" He glanced over his shoulder at Brandi. "He made good time, didn't he?"
Brandi grinned. "I'm not surprised. He loves my chocolate-chip cookies. I bet he locked in on them from a hundred miles out of town." She finished removing the last batch of cookies from the oven and turned. "Come on, let's go say hello, okay?"
So when Tim stepped out of his late-model sports car, he saw Greg, Brandi and Becky waiting for him at the top of the steps.
"Uncle Tim!" Becky cried, and hurled herself into his arms.
"I can't believe it," he said, catching her and hugging her to his chest. "I think you must grow an inch a week and add a pound a month! Where's the baby girl I used to bounce on my knee?"
Becky chuckled. "I'm almost ready for school now, Uncle Tim. But you can bounce Cindy if you want. She likes it, too. And she isn't so heavy."
Tim grinned at Greg and Brandi, who waited patiently for him to join them on the porch.
"I see. How heavy is she?"
Becky shrugged. "I dunno. She's still little," she said, and she held out her hands to show him.
He put her down on the porch and took Brandi in his arms. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, Mouse. But it sounds like you handled everything just fine without me."
Brandi hugged him back. "I'm just glad you made it to see us, Tim. You're looking good."
Greg threw his arm around Tim's shoulders as soon as Tim released Brandi» "Whatever you've been doing certainly seems to agree with you. I've never seen you look so rested."
They all walked into the house and, by unspoken agreement, headed for the warm, country-style kitchen.
"I decided to learn from your example, counselor. After my last assignment I decided to take some time off and just rest." He slanted a glance at Brandi. "Of course, I didn't know that Mrs. Duncan was going to get in a hurry and have the latest edition early. I wanted to be around in case you needed help with the other two." Sinking onto one of the kitchen chairs, he asked, "By the way, where are the other two members of the family?"
"Derek's taking his nap," Becky told him. "He has to take a nap because he's only three. When he's big like me he won't have to."
"I see," Tim replied with a solemn nod.
"Cindy's asleep, too. She sleeps all of the time," Becky added.
"Don't we wish," Greg said with a laughing glance at Brandi. "I'm afraid that Miss Cindy has her days and nights turned around. After her two-o'clock feeding each morning she thinks it's her place to entertain her very sleepy parents."
Tim studied Greg for a moment, then grinned. "I don't know. Fatherhood certainly does something for you. You look ten years younger than you did ten years ago."
Greg laughed. "If anyone would have told me ten years ago that I'd have three preschoolers to keep me occupied at home I would have laughed in his face."
Brandi set glasses of lemonade in front of each of them and looked at Greg. "Why don't you have Tom and Larry join us?"
Tim's brow lifted. "Tom and Larry? How did you manage to produce two more that I didn't know about?"
"They aren't ours," Brandi explained. "Well, not full-time, anyway." She looked over at Greg.
"Tom and Larry belong to my gang here in town," Greg said with a smile.
"Your gang? Like in motorcycle?"
"We're not quite that mobile, but we have a clubhouse and a charter, sweatshirts and jackets with our emblem emblazoned on the back."
"Aren't you a little old for that sort of thing, Greg?" Tim asked quizzically.
"I guess not. You see, it was my idea, and I found some young teenagers who wanted to become a part of a group. They allow me to participate because I keep the adults off their backs. In other words, I'm their token adult." He rumpled Becky's already-tousled hair and said, "And Becky's our mascot."
Greg stood and added, "I don't think the guys will want to take the time to come in right now. They've got a woodworking project they're trying to finish before the craft show next week." He picked up the second pitcher of lemonade and a plate of cookies. "I'll deliver this and be back in a minute. I'm eager to catch up on all your news, Tim."
Becky followed her father out the door, carefully carrying two glasses to hold the lemonade for Tom and Larry. Tim looked around the kitchen with a sense of satisfaction, then smiled at Brandi.
"The place feels like home, doesn't it, Mouse?"
"It should, Tim. There's so much love in this place, I'm surprised the walls haven't burst their seams."
"I wasn't kidding earlier. Greg looks so much younger, I'm amazed."
"I know. Do you know how wonderful it is to see him so happy, so content with his life?"
"How's his law practice?"
"Busy, but he's hired two associates to help with the work load. He keeps very set hours. He has the other men do the legwork, the depositions and any investigative research that's necessary. Greg is doing more consultation work, outlining the areas that need to be dealt with and allowing the others to handle the time-consuming details."
"I don't have to ask if you're happy. You're positively glowing. I can't believe you had your third child just a few weeks ago."
She grinned. "I'm afraid I'm not glowing much in the middle of the night. I don't know what I'd do without Greg. He's so good about getting up and checking on Cindy. Once I've fed her and she's in the mood to visit, he lets me go back to sleep. He's such a loving father, Tim. It's beautiful to watch him."
"I know. There's very little resemblance to the cold and aloof man I met overseas all those years ago. Whatever the demons he was
fighting, he's successfully overcome them."
Brandi heard a sound at the doorway and looked around to see Derek staring at her out of his wide silver-gray eyes.
"Where's Daddy?"
"He's out in the shop with Tom and Larry, darling. Would you like a cookie and some lemonade?"
Derek nodded and wandered into the room.
"Do you remember Uncle Tim?"
Derek's smile reminded Tim so much of Brandi's that a lump suddenly formed in his throat. He was looking at the same hair color and shape of eyes. Only the color of the eyes was different.
"Come here, sport," Tim offered, holding out his arms. Derek immediately clambered into his lap and settled there contentedly.
"You look rather natural with a child in your arms yourself, you know," Brandi pointed out with a mischievous grin.
Greg walked back into the house and paused in the doorway. Tim and Brandi had not seen him, so he had a chance to observe the scene without being noticed.
The love and affection between Tim and Brandi was apparent. Tim looked contented sitting there with Brandi's son on his lap. For a flickering of time, Greg was reminded of his fears from the past. He'd learned something very important: he didn't need to be concerned about the long-term relationship these two shared.
They had each come into his life and touched it in a very special, meaningful way. They had shown him what love was all about—how to share and become even more than who he had thought he was.
Greg remembered the years he had spent watching Brandi with their children, watching as her loving patience had spilled over to include him. They had both been so afraid at first, trying to create a marriage that would be long-lasting.
Tim had encouraged them every step of the way. And Brandi's belief in Greg when he had doubted himself at tunes had kept him going, even through the uncharted areas of sharing with her all that he was feeling—about himself as a man, as a father, as a guide to the young boys with whom he came into contact, as a person worthy of being loved.
Brandi had steadfastly reflected to him that he was indeed worthy.
She glanced up and saw him standing there. "Come on in, darling. We were just talking about you.''
Greg forgot about the years he'd spent alone and allowed himself to rejom their circle of love.
2. Come Be My Love Page 14
