“Justin, Blake asked me to marry him. I’m going to be his wife, and we’re going to live in his house on the other side of the property. You’ll live with us.”
She looked at her grandparents and hoped they weren’t too disappointed. Their smiles told her they weren’t. They were happy. They’d all still see each other every day.
“Blake asked me if he could marry you. I told him it was okay,” Justin said.
Gillian stared at Blake, tears shimmering in her eyes. So sweet he’d ask for her brother’s permission.
“So, Blake will be my dad?”
“No, honey. He’s going to be your brother. But he’ll be like a father to you. We’ll raise you. You’ll always have the both of us. Soon, Blake and I will have children of our own. You’ll be an uncle to them.”
“I’ll show them how to pet the horses and feed them apples.”
“That’ll be great, buddy. They’ll have to learn the rules of the ranch, and you’re just the man to show them.” Blake ruffled Justin’s hair and kissed him on the head.
“So, I can tell people you’re my big brother?”
Blake smiled and held the boy close. “You sure can.”
“Cool! And Gabe, and Caleb, and Dane, too.”
“Yes,” Blake said on a laugh. “All of them. Though I don’t know why you’d want them, when you’ve got me.”
“I’m glad I got you. I’m glad we came here and didn’t have to leave.”
Since Justin was happy with the situation, she looked to her grandparents.
“Grandpa, Grandma, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to be married here at the ranch.” Their eyes lit up and their smiles broadened. “Grandpa, if you’ll give me away, I’d be honored.”
“Ah, Gillian, I love you. It would be my honor to give you away.”
They spent the rest of the morning sitting around the breakfast table talking about wedding plans. Gillian finally had everything she’d ever wanted. A safe and loving home for Justin. A family who cared about them. And she had Blake, a good and decent man who loved her above all else. He would spend the rest of his life making her happy.
Epilogue
Eager to start the rest of their lives together, they were married two weeks later, the second Saturday in June. She wore a white gown that she and her grandmother picked out together. She carried a bouquet of red roses and lilacs, like the flowers Blake had left for her the morning of her birthday party. He looked so handsome in his tux, with Justin standing beside him in his own little tux as Blake’s best man. Justin’s new brothers, Gabe, Caleb, and Dane, stood beside them as well. Her new sisters, Ella and Summer, stood beside her in pretty purple gowns they picked out to complement each other. Summer had grown even rounder and more beautiful with her pregnancy. In a few short months, they’d welcome their little girl.
Gillian’s grandfather walked her down the stairs to Blake. They were married by candlelight and firelight in the living room. Blake’s parents looked so proud of their son and his bride. Her grandmother cried as the vows were said. Gillian even caught a glimpse of her grandfather wiping a tear away. Justin proudly handed over the rings he’d kept guard over all morning. When Blake slid her diamond wedding band onto her finger, he sealed it in place with a kiss. When the preacher pronounced them man and wife, everyone cheered, and Blake cupped her face in his hands and kissed her so achingly tenderly that the tears she’d tried to keep from shedding all morning slid down her cheeks.
Justin was excited about moving into Blake’s house with them. They wanted him to have something special, so after the ceremony and a lovely dinner, Justin got the surprise he’d been wanting for a long time. Blake disappeared and came back and met Justin in the living room, a chocolate lab puppy biting at his heels. Justin went nuts. The two were inseparable from that day forward. Wherever Justin went, Charlie chased after him.
The first weekend in October, Boots won the first of several races. A champion again. As Gillian and Blake celebrated with everyone in the winner’s circle, he picked her up and kissed her soundly to congratulate her.
“Hey, you’re squishing us,” she said playfully and kissed him again.
Blake held her close with her feet off the ground. He stared up at her as she smiled like a maniac down at him. “Us?”
“Us,” she confirmed.
He boosted her up higher and kissed her belly and laid his forehead against her as she held onto his head with her fingers in his hair. He let her slide down his body until they were eye to eye. “You’re sure? We’re going to have a baby?”