Family Forever

by Valerie J. Clarizio

  “I have to go. I need to make a call,” Dylan informed his aunt.

  “I suppose you could call her, or you could just go talk to her.”

  “I’d better call and talk to her now, waiting may pose a problem for me.” He knew he might lose his nerve if he had too much time to think about it.

  “There’s no waiting. She’s in your kitchen. I talked to her right before I talked to you. Let me know how it goes.”

  His aunt disconnected the call before he could respond.

  Staring into the bathroom mirror, Dylan attempted to rehearse his spiel. Every line running through his head seemed inappropriate. What was he going to say to her?

  He flipped the light off and exited the bathroom, then took a seat at the desk in the corner of his bedroom and fired up his computer so he could look at the slideshow Cole had made from their family photos. He needed to see his parents. Maybe that would help him come up with the right words for Marissa.

  Cole had made the slideshow, loading the photos in chronological order, starting with photos of his parents when they were dating. They looked so young, but then again they were still in college back then. The slideshow continued until Dylan stopped it on a picture of his mom holding him. Her cheeks were flush, and her long dark hair was fastened in a ponytail. He was wrapped tightly in a white blanket, probably just hours old. His mother's warm smile radiated love.

  The next photo was of his dad holding him. His dad was about the age he was now. No doubt he was his father's son looks wise, same dark hair, eyes, and skin tone. Same features, chiseled jaw, thick build, just the right kind needed for the physical labor of farm work. Though his aunt and many others told him he was like his father in other ways than looks, he couldn't help but feel he'd never ever be as wise or together as his dad was, and his behavior over the past several hours substantiated his own assessment.

  He flipped to the next photo. It was one of the three of them. A brand new family. Dylan pressed his fingers to the screen. His chest constricted. I miss you both so much, and there's so much you are missing with the boys. They deserve to have you here, they deserve better than what I am able to give them. It's so unfair. I'd give my right arm for just one more minute of time with you. I so need your advice, I can't seem to get anything right. Dylan stared at the photo, silently praying for some sort of sign, or newfound insight to help him figure out what to say to Marissa. He pulled his hand from the screen. He was really losing it, talking to a photo.

  The slideshow resumed, only it flipped back in time to his parents’ wedding photos and stopped at a picture of just their hands. His mom's small hand rested on top of his dad's. Even in the old photo her diamond ring sparkled. It wasn't a very large diamond but he was sure the thought behind the ring meant far more to her than the size of the stone. The accompanying plain gold band matched the ring on his father's hand.

  He stared at the screen. Why had the photo show flipped back in time? Was this a sign? It didn't matter if it was, he'd known all along what he should do, but he'd been too scared to do it. Too scared to take the chance and risk his heart to a potential loss as great as the loss of his parents. He now realized how much he'd been pushing Marissa away, trying to get her to reject him or his brothers so he didn't actually have to make the decision to risk his heart with her. Cole was right, he was hiding behind his brothers, shielding his shattered heart from any future pain.

  Yep, he knew what he needed to do. Marissa was a keeper and he needed to do something about it before someone else did.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Marissa sat quietly with Dylan's brothers as they ate their breakfast and chatted about everything from school to sports, to the farm. It was the usual banter she had come to love over the past ten months. But not once did Dylan’s name come out of their mouths after Cole returned from talking with him in the bedroom. It was like they all knew a brother code or something. Yet, she was sure Cole hadn't told his younger siblings about the falling-out between her and Dylan. Though it wasn't really a falling-out, she wasn't mad at him, and she hoped she'd get the opportunity to explain her actions to him.

  She forked a piece of sausage from her plate and stared at it. With as much as her stomach was swirling, she would likely throw up if she actually ate the greasy, sage-smelling meat.

  Her body trembled, then her fork clinked loudly against her plate, reverberating off the kitchen walls. The room went silent as all heads turned in her direction.

  "Sorry, it slipped out of my hand," she whispered, afraid speaking in a normal tone would give her uneasiness away.

  Judging from the concerned looks on all the Jacobs brothers’ faces, her whisper failed her. Tears filled her eyes.

  Cole offered a crooked, reassuring smile.

  Luke, bless his little heart, rose from his chair, climbed onto her lap and hugged her. "It's okay, you just dropped your fork. You didn't break anything."

  Oh, if only the little boy knew how she'd broken his big brother's heart, and equally as important, the bond of trust they had between them. How was she ever going to regain his trust and love? Doubt shadowed over her, maybe Dylan was right, maybe she was too young for this kind of relationship.

  Luke's tiny, warm body felt comforting to her. At least this Jacobs brother still loved her, but for how long? Oh God! What if she messed things up so badly Dylan wouldn't let her see the boys anymore? That thought hadn’t occurred to her before. She would die, absolutely die, if she could no longer be a part of this house full of love. Her chest tightened, and she couldn't breathe. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Luke gripped her more firmly. Aric, Braden, and Nate stared at her with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

  Cole stood and reached for her but halted on a dime. All gazes drifted to something—someone behind her. Dylan's woodsy scent gave him away, though who else could it be?

  Luke slid off her lap.

  She wanted to spin and face Dylan, yet she couldn’t seem to do so.

  "Marissa." Dylan's voice was soft, with a tinge of edginess.

  The warmth of his body drew closer to her. She swiped her moist cheeks with her sleeve, drew in a deep breath, stood, and spun to face him. His dark gaze grabbed hold of hers. The wounded look in his eyes caused her heart to ache even more. Her breath hitched. What had she done?

  Within seconds, compassion softened his gaze. He reached up and cupped her cheeks in his large hands, and he swiped away the remaining teardrops from her molten skin.

  "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

  "Me too."

  His soft lips pressed lightly to hers, and he lingered for just a moment before Luke's chuckle drew everyone's attention.

  Dylan looked down at his little brother. "What's so funny, buddy?"

  "You just kissed Marissa," the young boy responded as if he was informing Dylan of information he didn't know.

  Dylan shot her a quick, satisfied look and dropped his hands to his sides. "I sure did."

  Marissa risked a glance around the room. Cole smiled. Braden and Nate looked shocked. Aric, well as usual, she wasn't really sure what Aric may be thinking.

  She glanced back at Dylan and smiled.

  More relief whipped through her when he smiled in return but a hint of panic soon followed in light of the seriousness transitioning in his gaze.

  "We need to talk." His sober tone added to her panic level.

  The tingling of her lips reassured her he had actually kissed her a moment ago, but what was with all the somberness now?

  She swallowed hard. "Yes, we do."

  "First, I need to talk with my brothers. So can you please just wait in here for a few minutes? Then we'll talk."

  Unable to speak, she nodded. What was this all about?

  He motioned for the boys to follow him, and he quickly turned away from her.

  Cole gave her arm a reassuring squeeze as he walked by her.

  Aric shrugged. "Got me."

  She watched from the kitchen doorway as they filed into Dylan's bedroom. Nate
and Braden exchanged a few whispers before one of them shut the door. The normally loud house was eerily quiet, yet she couldn't hear a word they said. What on earth were they talking about that needed such privacy? They'd never excluded her like that before.

  * * * *

  Dylan slid his office chair out from under his desk, sat, and then rotated to face his brothers. He gestured toward the bed. "Why don't you guys sit? I have something very important to talk to you about."

  Maybe it was the seriousness in his tone, but for once nobody gave him any grief, though they eyed him momentarily before all but Cole took a seat on the edge of the bed. He stood at the corner of the bed.

  Dylan was sure Cole knew what was about to happen.

  He took a few moments to put his thoughts in order. He'd thought he was ready when he went into the kitchen to get them, but now that they all sat there staring at him, he wasn’t quite sure how to go about broaching the subject.

  "You're not sick are you, Dylan?" Nate asked. His voice carried a higher pitch than usual and cracked half way through saying his name.

  "No." Why on earth would his brother ask him that?

  Nate elbowed Braden. "See, I told you."

  Dylan leaned forward in his chair. "Braden, why did you think I was sick?"

  His brother's sheepish gaze landed on the floor and he chewed on his bottom lip before returning his gaze to him. "Well, you've looked like crap lately and at least up until a few days ago, you haven't been eating and you look thin. And now you've called us all together to talk to us. What was I supposed to think?"

  He really needed to give the boys more credit. They were a lot more perceptive than he thought. What else were they aware of?

  "You'd better get on with it before they draw more crazy conclusions," Cole prodded, a teasing grin spanning his face.

  "Get on with what? What's going on?" Aric asked.

  "I have something important to ask you guys and I want you to think about it for a while before you answer. Can you do that for me?"

  The younger boys nodded and Cole and Aric answered verbally.

  Dylan's pulse pounded and hands shook. Why was he so nervous? He knew darn well why because his happiness and the rest of his life would soon be determined by his brothers, a six-year-old, a ten-year-old, two teenagers, and a young adult. Without their support, he wouldn’t go forward with what he wanted to do more than anything.

  How had he come to be here, staring at his brothers who over the past three years had become more like his children rather than his brothers? One minute he'd been having the time of his life in college, and in one split second, one phone call, everything changed. Life as he'd known it had been totally altered beyond anything he'd ever imagined. Reality and responsibility crashed into him, flipping his world upside down. Like a thousand times before, he wondered where he'd be if his parents were still alive. Would he be home working on the family farm? Would he have settled elsewhere with some fancy job using his business degree? Deep down, he knew the answer. He'd be working the family farm which was exactly what he was destined to do, though he wouldn't be serving in a parental role to his brothers.

  Memories of the past three years sifted through his mind and realization sunk in. Yeah, he'd seen his share of bad times, but overall he'd been blessed with more good times. He loved his brothers, and they loved him, and if not for them he wouldn't have been molded into the man he was today. A man exactly where he wanted to be, in the midst of a loving family, about to claim a kind, sweet, loving woman. And the icing on the cake, doing exactly as he always wanted—working the family farm. How many men can say they have it all? Truth be told, he had a little work to do yet, but he was almost there, he needed to secure the 'Marissa' piece.

  "We can't answer what we haven't been asked," Aric stated, knocking Dylan out of his daydream.

  Dylan cleared his throat. "Guys, I'd like to ask Marissa to marry me, but I want to know how you feel about that, and I want your blessings."

  There, done, he asked, now all he had to do was wait for their responses. He hoped for the best and shot off a quick little silent prayer as they all just sat there staring at him.

  The silence was excruciating. "Well?"

  "Well, what?" Aric asked.

  Dylan sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "What are your thoughts on the matter?" Dylan was sure Aric had something to say, he always did.

  Aric shrugged. "You told us not to answer you right away. You said to think about it for a while. I'm thinking."

  Cole laughed. Dylan couldn’t blame him, for the first time in three years his smart-mouth brother actually listened to him, the one time he didn't really want him to.

  Deciding to let Aric think for a moment, Dylan swung his gaze to Nate and Braden. Perhaps one of them were ready to speak. "What do you think, Nate?"

  "I think you should, I like her." He shot Braden a quick look and then zoned back in on him. "And Braden isn't as mean to me when Marissa's here."

  Braden's mouth flew open, but he clamped it shut before any words escaped. Perhaps it was Cole's quick squeeze to the boy's shoulder that let him know now wasn’t the time. Braden's gaze landed on the floor. Dylan assumed a couple different emotions were passing through Braden at present. First and foremost, how to deal with his crush on Marissa and the fact his older brother was the one who may swoop in and steal her. Dylan did feel bad about that, and he hoped his brother would come to understand.

  "Do you need a minute yet, Braden, or are you ready to let me know what you think?" Dylan worked to keep his voice soft and compassionate.

  Braden looked up. "I like her too, and I think you should." His eyes were as serious as his tone, and unfortunately, both held a tinge of sadness.

  "I think it's an awesome idea, she really knows how to cook now, not like when she first moved in," Aric said with a grin.

  Even though he knew his brother was kidding, he cocked his head to the side and flashed him a scowl to remind him of the seriousness of the matter.

  Aric's cocky smile softened and he nodded. "I'm on board. I think she's great.”

  Dylan glanced at Cole.

  Cole grinned. "Do you really need me to answer that after all that's gone on the past couple of months?"

  "I do. I would like the rest of the family to know what you think. It's important they hear you say it."

  "You should ask Marissa to marry you. She's been a godsend to this entire family, you in particular." Cole's grin turned sly. "And if you don't, I'm going to."

  "Hey, get in line," Braden blurted with a smile.

  "I am, pal, I'm second. Don't make me wrestle you for it because I will."

  They all shared a laugh.

  Luke slid off the bed and walked toward him.

  Dylan leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his thighs. "What do you think, buddy?"

  His brother's big brown gaze met his from only inches away.

  "So, Marissa will be my mom?"

  Tears instantly flooded Dylan's eyes. There had been a few times in the past when Luke made reference to him being his dad but Dylan always made light of it, not really correcting him, because he wasn't fully sure how to respond or react. On one hand, it broke his heart that Luke had to resort to him for that figure, rather than their real dad, but on the other hand, the boy's sincerity gave him a feeling of complete satisfaction. Now again, here he sat, not quite sure what to say.

  He pulled Luke onto his lap and hugged him.

  There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Every one of them still mourned their parents. Dylan remembered the horrific call informing him of his parent's death as if it happened a minute ago. He imagined his brothers did as well, especially the older ones.

  "When are you going to ask her?" Cole asked.

  "Right now."

  "Right now," Cole repeated. "Don't you need a ring?"

  "I have one … that is if you guys approve."

  Cole pulled a frown. "I'm confused, didn't we all just give our
blessings?"

  "Yeah, but not about this," he replied as he yanked open the top desk drawer.

  Panic ripped through him at the sight of the empty spot where the little blue velvet bag containing his parent's wedding bands and his mom's engagement ring had once been. He pulled the other items out of the drawer, tossing them on the desktop. He'd removed less than half the items before Cole dangled the bag in front of his face.

  "Looking for this?"

  Dylan snatched the bag from his hand. "Why do you have that?"

  Cole stepped back, a tinge of alarm and regret flashed in his gaze. "I swiped it last night so I could shine up the engagement ring for you, for Marissa."

  His brother knew him all too well.

  "Oh."

  Dylan pulled the ring from the bag. The small diamond sparkled. He returned his gaze to Cole. "Thank you."

  He held the ring up for all the boys to see. "One more thing, if it's okay with you guys, I'd like to give Marissa Mom's ring, and I'd like to wear Dad's."

  The younger boys nodded in approval.

  "Do you want us to wait in here while you ask her?" Cole asked.

  "No, I'd like you all with me. We're a package deal."

  * * * *

  Marissa sprang to her feet when Dylan and his brothers entered the kitchen. She'd been so deep in thought contemplating their topic of discussion she hadn't heard Dylan's bedroom door open or them walk through the living room.

  Their serious faces sent a rush of alarm through her veins. The whites of their eyes were splashed with redness. Had they been crying? All of them?

  "Is everything okay?" she asked, unable to wait for one of them to speak.

  Her gaze zoned in on Dylan.

  "Everything's fine. In fact, it's great, I think."

  Her heart pounded in her chest. What did he mean? It's great, I think. Is it, or isn't it?

  Dylan stepped toward her but stopped directly in front of her about an arm's-length away. His brothers filled the space at his sides, facing her, making a semi-circle. They were quiet, too quiet.

  The vulnerable look in Dylan's dark eyes faded the longer he looked at her. "I'd like to ask you a question."