by Renea Porter
“Do you believe he’s been clean?”
“He sounded different. Like my brother. I’m willing to at least give him one more chance. But I don’t know if I’m ready for him to be around our boys yet.”
“I get that. And it’s up to you. I’d love to meet him. Maybe we can meet him somewhere for lunch and you can gauge how he seems.”
“That’s a good idea. It would be nice to see him,” I suggested.
“Everything is turning out the way it’s supposed to. I’m happy he called you.”
“My mom mentioned it a few times to me, but I brushed it off. But if he’s calling me personally after all this time, things might be different.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
LEVI
It had been six weeks since Rylee gave birth. My mom had been a god-send helping us out and was almost overbearing at times. Mom was at home with Rylee helping with the babies while I agreed to finally meet my brother. I had to meet him by myself before I brought him around my family. I couldn’t risk it if he wasn’t clean. I had to see for myself.
Granted, I was nervous. I hadn’t seen him in two years or so. Seeing him the way he was made me sick to my stomach, so I just distanced myself from him.
We agreed to meet at a local coffee shop. Once inside, I looked around and spotted him cupping a mug of joe while looking out the window. He was almost unrecognizable. He looked clean, and gained some weight. He looked better, and hope flared in my chest. I missed my brother.
“Lucas,” I said to get his attention since he hadn’t noticed me walk in.
“Levi!” Pushing his chair back, he stood and gave me a tight hug. I was almost in tears because I felt this overly joyful feeling wash over me. And I could tell he felt the same way.
After we hugged, I stood there, looking at him and I could tell he was clean and had been for quite some time. “It’s so good to see you, Luc.”
He smiled wide. “You, too, big brother.” He squeezed my shoulder before I moved to sit across from him.
“How have you been? Where are you staying?” I asked, curiously.
“I’m staying at a little efficiency apartment right now. I don’t need much. I got a job doing construction, and I’m trying to go back to school. I want to get my business degree.”
“Lucas, that is amazing. You seem like you are doing well.”
“I go to work and come back home. But at the same time, I try to keep myself busy.”
“I’m happy for you,” I told him.
“Thank you. And congratulations to you. Mom filled me in that you are a father of two and you’re engaged. Sounds like you have your life in order, too.”
“Yeah. Rylee is a wonderful woman. She’s already the best mom. I’m so lucky.”
“How did you meet?” he asked.
I had to chuckle. “We had a one-night-stand. Then I left early in the morning, and my car broke down at the gas station and my phone was dead so I couldn’t call anyone. And who do I run into? Rylee. After talking to her, we discovered we were headed to the same place, so I hitched a ride with her.”
Lucas laughed. “That is funny.”
“Yeah. She tried to say we were never gonna happen. She had this hang up on age.”
“On age?” Lucas questioned.
“She’s older than me and she thought it would never work. But I never gave up and eventually, she gave in.”
“She sounds cool. And age is just a number. As long as you guys are happy that’s all that matters.”
“Thanks, man.”
“How are the babies?”
“They are great. We named them Liam and Tanner.”
“Two Bateman boys. That just sounds like trouble,” Lucas teased.
“Yeah. We are in trouble.”
After talking for a while, it felt like I had my brother back. And he’d been clean a long time. He was continuing on that path, so I felt comfortable asking, “Do you want to meet the family?”
He beamed with excitement. “I would love to.”
I smiled. “It’s good to have my brother back.”
“Ditto.” I could see tears welling up in his eyes.
“Mom moved close, too. She helps us out a lot with the boys and I couldn’t be more thankful. Have you met James?”
He nodded. “I have. He seems great. Mom deserves to be happy after all she’s been through.”
“Yeah, he seems nice. So, you are a proud uncle of two.”
He smiled again. “Dude, that’s wild.”
“It is crazy. I also have a bed and breakfast that I run as well. Life in general is crazy.”
“I would love to see it.”
“You will. We live in the apartment out back of the place so it’s convenient. And Rylee plans on helping out when she feels comfortable enough to.”
It was awesome catching up with my brother. It felt like old times. We continued talking for thirty more minutes, though it felt like hours.
“Look, I gotta go. But I’m so glad you called and we got to meet up. Would it be okay to call you and set up a day and time to come over to our place?”
“Absolutely. Don’t be a stranger. We can talk anytime.”
“I’d like that.” I stood to hug my brother. If someone deserved a second chance, it was Lucas. And he was blood. He was a Bateman. And Batemans stuck together.
“I’ll see ya.” I offered a wave before heading out the door.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
LEVI
ONE YEAR LATER.
At the Cotton House Hotel, I stood outside at the arch covered in an array of flowers while I waited for Rylee to come walking down the aisle. My mom and James walked to their seat with my boys in tow. Tanner and Liam had just learned to walk, and it was amazing to watch them continue to grow. Even though they were identical twins, their personalities couldn’t be more different from one another. I loved that they had their own identities.
My brother stood next to me as my best man. He’d done everything he could to stay clean and to continue on that path. He’d been a bigger part of our family. He was always around to help us with the bed and breakfast or with the boys. They adored him. I couldn’t be happier to have my own brother here to witness this day.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, bro?”
“I’ve been ready since the day I met her.”
“She’s a good one,” he said with a smile.
“Here comes your bride, mate,” Chance said with a smile as he stood next to my brother as my groomsman.
The wedding march started, and I anxiously waited for Rylee to round the corner. My breath hitched when I caught sight of her. Her brown hair was pulled back into a sleek bun, she wore diamond drop earrings, her gown was fitted at the top and flowed out toward the bottom. She looked like the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. Her smile was so wide as her brothers walked her down the aisle. My eyes watered; I had to blink a few times to stop the tears. Why was this so emotional for me?
She reached me and stood across from me. “You look so handsome,” she told me.
“You look so beautiful.”
She passed her bouquet to Aubrey, who stood as her maid of honor and both of her brothers stood next to Aubrey. We joined hands and her eyes captivated me. It was like she could see my soul.
Turning her head, she quickly glanced at our boys and smiled before we started our vows. Even though we went the traditional route with the vows and repeated what the officiant told us to say, we couldn’t be more sincere in our words as we looked in each other’s eyes. Taking her hand, I slipped the wedding band on her finger and she followed suit.
After the officiant said, “You may kiss your bride,” I planted a big kiss on her lips and took her hand as we walked down the aisle. We veered off to a little room so we could get a minute alone before greeting our guests at the reception.
“I love you so much, Conceited.”
“You haven’t called me that in a while.�
� I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close.
“I know. I was reminded how we met and fell in love. We’ve been through a lot.”
“We have. And today you made me the luckiest man alive.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m about to make you even luckier.”
I smiled wide. “Oh yeah.”
She nodded and smiled wide. “I’m pregnant.”
My mouth fell open. “Oh my god.” I hugged her tight. “That does make me happy. So very happy. How far along?”
“Six weeks.”
I couldn’t stop smiling.
“I couldn’t believe I was able to get pregnant again.”
“Are you happy about it?”
“Hell yes.”
I lifted her up and spun her around as we celebrated this moment.
“I hope it’s not twins this time.” She laughed. “I love our boys but two newborns at one time was hard.”
“I know.”
“Let’s keep this between us until I get through the first trimester.”
“Deal. Let’s go dance,” I suggested, taking her hand in mine.
Stepping out of the room and making our way toward the reception hall, we stopped right before stepping into the room. Rylee looked at me. “Have I told you how much I love you and how lucky I am?”
“You have. But you can tell me again.”
“I love you. I’m so lucky to call you my husband.”
“I love you, too, wife.”
THE END
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BIOGRAPHY
Renea Porter is best known for writing realistic stories with realistic characters. Her stories may even cause you to shed a tear or two. She mainly writes New Adult and Contemporary Romance. However, she’s not afraid to venture into other genres, like Paranormal Romance.
She enjoys spending time with her husband of twenty years, and step son. She calls Pennsylvania home, but loves to travel and try new things. In her free time, you can catch her reading books, crafting for the holidays, watching reality television, and baking.
Her other works include:
- Coming Back to You
- Sheltered Hearts
- Mirror Mirror (A Novella)
- Driving Layne
- Switching Lanes
- Outbound Lane
- The Truth of Us
- The Butterfly Effect
- Stripping it Down
- The Year I Met August
- Pinkie Promises
- Keeping Promises
- Criminal Attraction
- With Every Goodbye
- The Games We Play
All of her books can be found at major retailers.
Click here to join her Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReneasRomanceReaders/
Author Website: https://kiss04bam.wixsite.com/reneapporter