Brandon

by Anne, Melody

  At what age did that change? At what age did they groan, saying they wanted to go hang out with their friends? Family stopped having as much meaning in this new world of technology. You were able to make your own family with anyone you pleased.

  So to truly love your family and your friends was a gift. To forgive when needed and to be there for those in your life who needed you was something not as many people were willing to do now that civilization was more dependent on technology than on each other.

  But it wasn’t the case for the Andersons. Sure, technology had made their lives much easier. But as Brandon looked at this table filled with family he hadn’t known he’d had a few years ago, he realized that even if they were sent back into the Dark Ages, they would stay together. And it wouldn’t be out of obligation. It truly would be done with love.

  “It’s hard to imagine this is all real, isn’t it?” Katherine said.

  Brandon was pulled from his trance as he looked at this regal woman who was the real head of the house in the Anderson empire. Sure, Joseph was loud, and he was the business mogul, but Katherine was the true heart of the family.

  “Yes, it’s still a bit overwhelming for me at times,” Brandon admitted.

  Just then Chloe laughed, her voice carrying to him as she leaned against Sarah, the two of them beaming as they animatedly spoke of something. Brooke pushed Finn aside as she moved closer, not wanting to miss out on whatever her two best friends were discussing.

  “I agree. My family has grown more and more each year. First my children married and gave Joseph and I grandchildren, and then my nieces and nephews have married. And as if we didn’t have enough blessings, we discovered Joseph had a triplet stolen at birth who we’ve gotten to know and love, and then you and your brothers have been brought to us. I can’t imagine asking for more. The holidays are a great time to celebrate how much we’ve been given.”

  “Do you ever blame my mother for not coming sooner?” Brandon asked.

  Katherine reached out and patted his arm. “Your mother was placed in impossible circumstances. As I see the incredible boys she raised, all I feel for her is respect. I wish I could’ve gotten to know her before she was taken from us too soon, but I would never blame her. She did the best she could with what she was given.”

  “I can’t believe she was able to be with my father as long as she was, but I’m grateful she did it, because I can’t imagine even one of my brothers not being here. The powers that be say there’s always a reason for everything, and I guess even in great suffering, beautiful results can be found.”

  “That’s very true, Brandon. There are sometimes great gifts beneath the rubble. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what your mother went through, and I wish she could’ve come to us when you were still young. But then again, you might not have turned out as good as you have if life hadn’t thrown challenges your way,” Katherine said.

  “There were times I wasn’t too happy about those challenges, but now I realize they truly have shaped me into who I am and who I want to be. It’s easy to get lost in this world and just want more and more. But at the end of the day, I like the journey I’ve taken in life, and I look forward to what comes next.”

  “I love that attitude,” Katherine said. “I don’t ever want to leave this world. I’m just so happy right where I am. But I also know that when I go, my family will be just fine. I expect all of you to miss me, but I don’t expect my passing to hold anyone back.”

  “There should never be talk about passing during the holidays,” Brandon told her. He couldn’t imagine this world without Katherine in it. He couldn’t imagine what Joseph would do without the love of his life. Joseph loved his family enormously, but his wife was truly his other half. Without her, he wouldn’t be whole.

  Brandon glanced across the table again and looked at Chloe. Would he feel that way about her in a year or ten years or fifty? Would she be as essential to him as the air he breathed or the food he ate? He hadn’t ever thought he’d want someone or something that badly.

  But seeing the pure love Joseph and Katherine shared made him want that. He wasn’t going to go so far as to say Chloe was his entire universe at this point in their relationship. But he would admit he could see them reaching that point.

  “She is different from any other woman I’ve ever known,” Brandon said.

  Katherine looked over at Chloe before meeting Brandon’s gaze again. “You are a match. That’s been clear from the first time you met.”

  That surprised Brandon. “Really? I thought she was cute and funny when I first met her, but I wouldn’t have thought we were a match,” he told Katherine.

  “That’s because you see with young eyes,” she said, chuckling. “I hate sounding like my husband, and I will deny it if you ever say I’ve said this, but I think he does have a gift,” she whispered. “He sees people’s souls. He can tell who should be together and who shouldn’t. Now, if he knew I was saying this, it would give him free rein to meddle as much as he wanted. But I’ve yet to see his meddling end in a bad way.”

  “You know he’s meddling?” Brandon asked in shock.

  Katherine laughed, the sound drawing Joseph’s attention. He gazed at his wife with that look that told Brandon he saw no one in that moment but his true love. She sent a kiss through the air before turning back to Brandon and talking in a hushed tone that couldn’t possibly be heard above the mayhem at the table.

  “Oh, Brandon, my husband doesn’t get away with nearly as much as he thinks he does. Of course I know he meddles. But since the results speak for themselves, I only pretend to put up a fight. It’s the same with his cigars. If I said it was perfectly okay, he might smoke himself into an early grave. But if I make it difficult for him, then he only has one once in a while. That’s all part of a good marriage.”

  Brandon laughed as he wrapped an arm around Katherine and gently squeezed. “I can only hope that I have half as good a marriage as you and Joseph,” he finally said.

  “Don’t you dare settle, Brandon Anderson. You reach for the sun, and don’t stop until it’s consumed you. Along that journey, you’ll sit upon stars and talk to the man in the moon. There will never be a dull moment, and there will never be anything you can’t achieve. How sad would it be to settle for half a marriage when you can have it all?”

  “I don’t think Chloe does anything in half measures. I think meeting her and never giving up has been one of the smarter choices I’ve made in life.”

  “I would have to agree with you on that. But at the same time, I’m pretty impressed with all of the choices you’ve made. You’re a very talented and successful businessman at a young age, and you love your family. The same can’t be said for too many people. Keep on making more and more goals, and when something doesn’t go the way you want it to go, then try another way. I see too many people give up when things don’t go in the direction they originally planned. It’s those who try again and again that rule the world.”

  “Is that how you and Joseph did it?” he asked with a laugh.

  “I think Joseph and I have done as well as we have because we’ve always put family first. And I think we’ve done so well because family doesn’t always mean blood. We surround ourselves with great people, and that makes us greater.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of amazing Christmas mornings, but this has to top the list. To be here with Chloe, my brothers, their spouses, my nieces and nephews, and all of my newest family members has made this day incredible. I’m going to hate to see it end.”

  Katherine gave him that serene smile again. “Never dread the ending to a day, Brandon, because that just means a new adventure is about to begin. If we spend too much time in the past, we don’t look ahead to the future.”

  “You know, you should’ve been a counselor,” he said.

  “I have enough family members to counsel. I don’t need to do it for a living,” she said with a laugh.

  “A
re you going to take up all of my beautiful wife’s attention?” Joseph said. He stood and moved over to them.

  “Now, Joseph, you know I love to move around the table and visit with everyone,” Katherine said after he’d leaned down and kissed her.

  “Yes, but you’ve been gone for too long. It’s not Christmas dinner without you by my side, your delicate hand on my leg.”

  “I love you, Joseph,” she said as she stood.

  He pulled her against him and kissed her again, making the table go silent as everyone looked at the couple who’d brought them all together. He leaned back the slightest bit, his eyes looking completely dazzled.

  “You are my world, Katherine,” he said as he cupped her cheek.

  “Merry Christmas, everyone,” someone called out, making Katherine blush.

  Brandon knew beyond a doubt when Joseph and Katherine placed their arms around each other and gazed into each other’s eyes the rest of the world fell away. They loved their family, but they still easily got lost in one another’s embrace. They were the ultimate example of true love.

  Katherine went hand in hand with her husband to the head of the table, and Brandon moved over to Chloe. Without a word, he kneeled down beside her and kissed her, making her blush as much as Katherine just had.

  “Thank you for sharing this day with me,” he whispered.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” she replied.

  The conversation around the table restarted, and Brandon sat next to Chloe, his hand entwined with hers for the rest of the meal. He hoped they were still doing that in another fifty years.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  It was always tough when reality set back in after the holidays. There was so much excitement leading up to them and then a great big crash after. She’d had a beautiful Christmas with Brandon and her friends and then a mellow New Year’s where she’d shared a kiss with Brandon at midnight.

  Now it was time to get back to work. Luckily things were always a lot calmer at the restaurant in January, as people were recovering from spending too much money in December. That gave her time to do changes there if she wanted and allowed her extra time on other projects.

  Right now she wanted to finish the veterans kitchen. She was no longer denying that she was in a relationship with Brandon, but she absolutely refused to use the boyfriend word. It drove her crazy.

  She wasn’t some high school girl with a crush. She was an independent woman who just so happened to be falling in love with a very strong, beautiful man. She wondered if she’d ever be able to admit that to him, to tell him she was in love with him. She wasn’t sure, since she was having a hard enough time admitting it to herself.

  But he didn’t get frustrated with her. That was a good thing. Her appliances had arrived today, and she’d been at the kitchen driving Noah slightly crazy with wanting everything to be perfect. Brandon was off running an errand because she wanted special lighting below the counters so when a person walked by, the lights automatically turned on. But he didn’t complain, just said he was on it. As a matter of fact, he didn’t complain about any of the extra little things she wanted to do there.

  She really did believe the kitchen was the heart of any home, and she wanted this one to be a great big beating heart. There were lights in cupboards and below. There were special slide-out drawers and hidden nooks and crannies. If a kitchen had all the bells and whistles, then it was a haven that was fun to explore. She wanted this place to be filled with volunteer chefs from around the world so the veterans wouldn’t just eat, but eat in style.

  They’d get all the help they deserved at the facility and would enjoy their time there. In this facility, they wouldn’t wait for hours on uncomfortable benches. They wouldn’t complain about any wait time, for that matter, because waiting would be a joy, as there were going to be so many activities for them to do.

  She might only be planning the kitchen for this facility, but now that she was on board with the project, she was learning about all of the things they were doing. The activities list kept growing and growing. And what was even more amazing was the endless line of volunteers. There might have to be a wait list for people to be able to volunteer. What a joy that was.

  And today was the best day of all because now she’d get to see the appliances installed and running, and soon she’d be able to do her first meal in the state-of-the-art kitchen. She couldn’t wait. She was going to make it a group event with all of them there. All of the Andersons, the community, and of course her besties had put a lot of time into the project. She’d barely done anything. She was just glad to have had even a small part in it at all.

  “Chloe, is this good?” Noah asked for the tenth time. He had all of the cabinets lined out and the counters sitting there ready to go. She walked around the kitchen, eyeing it from different angles. Noah’s men were standing there holding their breath as she took her time critically eying it all. Noah just smiled.

  He should have been scowling at her, but he was managing to keep it under control. She was sure that was why Sarah loved him so much. He truly was a good man, just like all of his siblings were.

  “It’s perfect, Noah. Thank you so much for doing it over and over again. I just have a vision, and I can only seem to see it one way,” she said with a shrug.

  “You’re the chef, so your wish is my command,” he assured her. “You heard her, boys. Let’s get this hammered into place before she changes her mind,” he shouted.

  The men moved fast. It was actually quite amusing. Maybe they hadn’t been as patient as Noah had been. They weren’t going to give her a chance to change her mind again. She’d actually lost count of how many times that had happened in the past week alone. Of course, she could be assured that she hadn’t been the only picky person on this project. Everyone wanted it to be just as perfect as she did.

  “We’ll have this all ready to go by tomorrow,” Noah said.

  She looked at the appliances, which were still in boxes, and sighed. “Not tonight?” she said.

  Noah laughed heartily while shaking his head. “You do realize Brandon and his crew will be here all night to get all the plugs finished up just so you can have them installed tomorrow?” he told her.

  “Oh,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize that. I could wait another day so they don’t have to do that.” Now she was feeling bad.

  “Not a chance of that happening. All of us love seeing how excited you are for this. And I don’t think there’s anything my brother won’t do for you,” Noah added with a wink.

  “It’s not like that,” she told him, hating that her cheeks were flushing.

  “Of course it’s like that,” Sarah said as she entered the huge room. “Brandon is head over heels for you. It’s good to make him sweat a little.” She walked over to her husband and gave him a kiss.

  “Did you make me sweat?” Noah asked.

  She laughed again. “You say that like it was in the past,” she told him with a laugh. “I still do it all the time. Have you forgotten so soon?”

  “All I can remember is how good you always make me feel,” he told her, making Chloe laugh this time.

  “I see being a smooth talker runs in your family,” Chloe said.

  “It’s not smooth when it’s true,” Noah said.

  “Oh my gosh, Brandon says the same thing. Do you guys have the same handbook?” Chloe asked.

  Noah laughed as he snaked an arm around his wife’s back. “We’re just very wise men who like to keep our women happy,” Noah insisted.

  “That is true, brother,” Brandon said as he joined them in the kitchen. “A happy wife means a happy life.”

  “You are wise men indeed,” Sarah said.

  Brandon’s arms were full of wire, but he moved over to Chloe and leaned down, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “I have everything we need to get this project done,” he assured her.

  “You really don’t have to work all night,” Chloe said, again feeling bad. But even feeling bad, she
didn’t want to protest too much. She was ready to see it all completed.

  “Are you kidding? My men love overtime. I can’t take it away from them now,” Brandon told her. “They’ve assured me they need the extra wages to pay off the credit cards from the holidays.” He was laughing as he said this. It seemed Brandon only hired the best of the best, and they were just as much of family men as he and his brothers were.

  “Joseph isn’t going to be happy. We’ve got to be way over budget by now,” she tried to reason.

  “We’ve been over budget from the start,” he said. “But in the end that’s not what anyone will be thinking about as they look at this phenomenal facility. They’ll just see how perfect it truly is.”

  “Okay, let’s have a grand kitchen opening on Friday. Everything will be installed, and I’ll make a meal for us all,” she said. “I can’t wait to test out the appliances.”

  “That sounds like a fantastic date,” he told her. “I’m going to have to insist you take your adorable booty out of here for the rest of the night, though.”

  Her feelings were hurt as she looked at him. “Am I already driving you crazy?” she asked, hoping her voice sounded teasing.

  He dropped everything in his arms and pulled her to him. “You drive me crazy whether I’m with you or not, and that’s in a very, very good way. But my men are sweating around you, because if something is off by even a centimeter, you are on it,” he added with a laugh before kissing her hard.

  “I guess I do get slightly controlling sometimes when it comes to the kitchen,” she admitted sheepishly.

  “Slightly?” Sarah gasped. “That’s slightly an understatement.” She laughed hard at her own joke.

  “That’s just mean,” Chloe said, but she wasn’t offended. She was a good chef because she was so picky. “Now I’m electing you and Brooke to help plan a menu. Let’s get lunch and decide.”