Hold On

by Kristen Ashley

  Cher kissed and hugged her mom. She did the same with Ethan.

  Merry came forward and kissed and hugged Grace. He offered to shake Ethan’s hand, but Ethan decided he wanted something else and he hugged Merry’s middle.

  Merry hugged him back.

  Vi made a choked noise.

  I cleared my throat.

  Ethan grabbed his mom’s hand and offered it to Merry.

  Merry accepted.

  They turned to the preacher.

  After that, Garrett Merrick and Cher Rivers got married.

  * * * * *

  Colt

  He stood with his wife’s front tucked close to his side, his arm curled around her shoulders, her arms wrapped around his middle, watching.

  And not getting it.

  He bent to Feb’s ear.

  “Why are they laughing?” he asked.

  She caught his eyes.

  Her brown ones were dancing.

  “I have no clue,” she answered.

  They both turned back to the front porch of Merry and Cher’s lake house where the new husband and wife were having their first dance, Merry swaying Cher, both of them held close in each other’s arms, both of them straight up busting a gut laughing, doing all this to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”

  No, Colt didn’t get it.

  But watching two people he cared about so fucking happy…

  He didn’t need to.

  * * * * *

  Cal

  July, Three Years Later

  Cal stood at the back of the church.

  Tony’s bud had just escorted Vi down the aisle.

  It was time.

  Fuck, where was Kate?

  He caught movement at the corner of his eye and turned to watch Keirry rushing up to him as fast as she could, considering she was wearing her long bridesmaid gown and she had her little sister’s hand in hers.

  Angie was rushing right alongside Keira. Then again, his baby girl would follow his big girl right to the mouth of hell.

  Fact.

  He just had to hope Keira didn’t lead her there. Keirry was a magnet for trouble and Cal thanked God she hooked her shit to Jasper Layne, who’d die for her.

  He watched them come his way and he did it feeling his jaw get hard.

  He’d put his foot down about those fucking bridesmaids dresses.

  And, as usual, his girls had rolled right over him.

  It showed too much cleavage.

  And it was too fucking tight.

  It was also too late.

  The other bridesmaids started filing out behind her.

  So this shit was going to happen.

  Fuck.

  “Daddy!” Angie shouted, breaking free from Keira and rushing to him, looking pretty in her flower girl dress.

  He bent and caught her.

  Swinging her up in his arms, he murmured, “Hey, baby.”

  “Hey, Daddy,” she replied on a big grin and an assessing look that reminded Cal of her mother. “You look handsome.”

  He kissed her neck. “And you look even more beautiful than your normal beautiful.”

  Her smile got bigger.

  Keirry made it to him and grabbed his arm.

  “Joe, Kate wants to talk to you.”

  He looked down at her. “Come again?”

  “Kate wants to talk to you,” she repeated.

  He looked to the doors of the church that had been closed after Vi was escorted down. They were supposed to open so Kate’s friends and sisters could walk down the aisle before Kate marched down it to get married way too young to a Chicago cop who Vi, Keira, Angie, Sam, and Ben all adored but Cal fucking hated.

  He looked back to his girl. “Keirry, now’s not the time for a chat.”

  She reached to Angie and pulled her sister out of his arms. “Then you better hurry.”

  Jesus, maybe she was having cold feet.

  That would be the best news he had all day.

  Though it would make her mother lose her mind.

  He growled.

  No words came out, he just growled.

  Then he prowled through the vestibule and around the corner where the girls got ready.

  He stopped dead when he saw Kate standing in the hall there.

  He also stopped breathing.

  “Hey, Joe,” she whispered.

  Fuck, his girl was beautiful.

  Not his girl.

  But still.

  His girl.

  She moved to him.

  She hadn’t gone big, not Kate. No humongous skirt. No humongous price tag.

  He and Vi would’ve given her a wedding on the moon if she’d wanted it.

  She wanted what she was getting.

  Easy. Elegant.

  Kate.

  Now, Keira’s was gonna mean selling a kidney, and Cal could say that even being loaded.

  Juggling her bouquet, Kate reached for his hand.

  The instant she touched him, his fingers curled around hers.

  “I gotta say something, Joe,” she whispered.

  Oh no.

  They weren’t gonna do this.

  He could barely handle what was happening that day.

  They sure as fuck weren’t gonna do this.

  “You don’t gotta say it,” he whispered back.

  Her fingers tightened in his. “I gotta say it.”

  “Katy—”

  “Joe.”

  He shut up and held on to her hand and her gaze, giving in.

  As usual, with his girls.

  She spoke.

  “No one on earth I’d wanna be right here, right now, but you.”

  Christ.

  “Baby…” His voice was so rough, that word grated his throat coming out.

  “No one, Joe.”

  Cal swallowed and pulled her closer.

  “He’s with me. He’s always with me,” she told him. “So I’m glad I get to be with you too.”

  “He’d be proud of you, Kate.”

  She nodded, her eyes getting bright. “I know.”

  “So fuckin’ proud, honey.”

  “I know, Joe.”

  “You’re so beautiful, baby, it hurts lookin’ at you,” he told her.

  Katy pressed her lips together.

  He wasn’t done.

  “And it is no lie that this is the proudest moment of my life, gettin’ to walk you down that aisle.”

  She made a noise.

  He yanked her in his arms.

  He held on. He did it tight.

  Because it was the last chance he’d get.

  After a while, Kate tipped her head back. “I probably should go get married.”

  Cal grinned at her. “Yeah.”

  He took her arm and turned her around.

  They both stopped.

  Keira was there, close, Angie to her hip.

  Her eyes were bright too.

  “Get over here, dork,” Kate ordered.

  Keira rushed to them.

  And Cal walked down the hall and through the vestibule, Kate on one arm, his other arm around Keira’s shoulders, Keira’s arm full of her sister.

  He had to let two of his girls go so he could walk one of them down the aisle to give her away to the man she loved.

  Five minutes later, he did that.

  He didn’t lie.

  It was the proudest moment of his life.

  And it hurt like a bitch.

  * * * * *

  Violet

  I held Ben in my lap.

  Sam was in a little boy tux up at the altar, leaning against Tony’s best man’s legs, swinging his ring bearer pillow, his father’s son, totally bored out of his skull.

  Angie was standing by Keira, Keira’s mini-me with her father’s eyes, staring with rapt attention at her big sister getting married.

  My husband had his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

  He gave me a squeeze.

  I turned to look up at him.

  He dipped down and t
ouched his forehead to mine, his nose resting along mine.

  I held my breath.

  Then he pulled away just as Ben shifted, jerked, pushing out of my arm and launching himself at his dad.

  With ease, Joe caught him and settled him against his chest.

  I watched.

  Our little guy had this thing. It was weird and it was wonderful.

  Any time he hit his dad’s chest, he just calmed. Even when he’d been teething. Even when he’d fall and scrape something. Like all he needed was evidence of his father’s solidness, his strength, and he could just let go.

  I knew how that felt.

  This was what he did then, curling in, cheek to his dad’s chest as Joe tucked him close, Ben resting his hand light against his father’s lapel, his eyes shifting sideways so he could keep them on one of his big sisters, all of whom adored him, all of whom my baby boy adored right back.

  Joe’s eyes were on Kate.

  I returned mine to my daughter.

  I knew what the forehead touch was. I didn’t need to ask. Joe didn’t need to explain.

  It was his way of saying I’d unbalanced our scale…again. The scale of our life, where he gave and I gave, and it was supposed to go back and forth, staying balanced.

  He thought I unbalanced it all the time with the way I gave.

  He was wrong.

  I didn’t even have to look at him with our son on his chest. I didn’t have to think back fifteen minutes ago to how I felt watching him walk my girl down the aisle with that look on his face. That look that said he didn’t want to be anywhere but there at the same time he wanted to pick her up and carry her the other way, taking her to a place where they never grew up and you never had to let them go.

  No, I didn’t need any of that or any of the million other things Joe had done since that evening he shoveled the snow from our driveway.

  I lived with the knowledge Joe had forever unbalanced our scales because I was sitting at my daughter’s wedding due to the fact that Joe had killed a man so I could.

  He’d saved my life.

  He’d given me his love.

  He’d given my daughters his love.

  He’d given my girls and me more babies, a big family.

  There was no way I unbalanced our scale.

  Which I supposed meant our scale actually stayed balanced, him thinking I sent it crashing, me knowing he did.

  I snuggled closer in his arm.

  He tightened it around me.

  Balance.

  I felt my lips tip up.

  And I watched my beautiful girl get married to the man she loved, a man who reminded me a lot of her father.

  And a lot of Joe.

  A man Joe totally hated.

  Because he took his girl away.

  * * * * *

  Layne

  June, Four Years Later

  “You did good all this time, managing not to knock Keirry up,” Tripp said to his brother.

  Jasper looked to Tripp, grinning, but doing it also muttering, “Shut it, Tripp-o-matic.”

  “I’ll second that, seein’ as that means you nor me got dead ’cause Joe Callahan lost his mind you put your hands on his girl,” Tanner Layne added.

  “Cal wouldn’t lose his mind, Dad. He totally digs me,” Jasper told him.

  Luckily, this was true.

  “I can guaran-damn-tee you that Cal is in total denial about that whole part of you bein’ with Keira,” Tripp shared. “Even now, you have babies, you might wanna think of declaring them immaculate conceptions.”

  “He can be in denial,” Jasper returned logically. “Means it was what it was and now I’m still breathin’ for it bein’ what it’s gonna be.”

  “To that end…” Rocky’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

  Layne aimed his eyes over his shoulder to see his wife look amongst them in the loft area, which used to be a workout/office space when Layne had lived there with his boys.

  Now that his boys were gone and his house was filled with girls, Layne worked out at the gym and the loft was an alternate television area because Cecelia and Annabel could never agree on what they wanted to watch.

  So now he and his boys weren’t lazing on workout equipment like they used to.

  They were lounging on a massive sectional.

  “I think we should probably go so we can get to the church on time,” Rocky finished.

  And this meant they were lounging on a massive sectional while wearing tuxes since Jasper was marrying Keira that day.

  “Shit,” Tripp muttered, planting a hand in the back of the couch and throwing his body over it, landing on his feet. “I gotta go pick up Giselle. Meet you there.”

  He took off but didn’t pass Rocky without stopping and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

  Rocky accepted it, and as Tripp bounded down the stairs, she looked to her husband folding out of the couch. Then she looked to his son who was doing the same.

  After that, without a word, his wife walked down the stairs, leaving Layne with Jas.

  He turned to his boy.

  “You screwed me, bud,” he stated.

  Jas’s head jerked and he abruptly stopped moving.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Knew what you wanted. Found what you wanted. Took care of her. Did right by her. Fell in love with her. Took your time to get to this place. You have your shit together. Keira has hers together. Now you’re movin’ on. That means I don’t get to do what fathers are supposed to do. Got no fatherly advice to give. Got no warnings. Got no guidance. Got nothin’.”

  Jasper grinned at him.

  “Nothin’ but love and pride,” Layne added.

  Jasper’s grin faded and his gaze grew intense on his old man.

  “You and your brother are the best sons a man could hope for, bud. Love you and so fuckin’ proud of you, it hurts,” Layne finished.

  Jasper moved to him. Layne caught his son at the back of his neck and pulled him to his chest.

  Jas wrapped his arms around his dad.

  He gave Jasper’s neck a squeeze.

  Jas pounded him on the back.

  They let go.

  They cleared their throats.

  Then Layne said, “Let’s get you to the church.”

  * * * * *

  His woman leaned deep into his arm and he felt her lips at his ear.

  “We have a problem,” she whispered.

  Yeah, they had a problem.

  The boys’ mother was sitting in their pew.

  Due to her attitude, her relationship with both her sons was strained and had been for years. She was invited because Jasper was a good man. And no matter how strained things were with his mom, he was also a good son and he wanted her there.

  But Gabby was not happy to be sitting in a pew with the ex-husband she hated and his wife, who she detested, and, being Gabby, she wasn’t hiding it.

  Which pissed Layne off.

  It also pissed off his mother, Vera, who was right then sitting in the pew behind Gabby, staring daggers at her.

  Devin had Vera’s hand clamped tight in his, which indicated to Layne that Vera had said something that made Devin feel he needed to contain her.

  And Layne did not want a catfight at his son’s wedding.

  He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Devin was containing her.

  Devin gave him a look, then he used his free hand to reach into his tux pocket to pull out a flask.

  He unscrewed it one-handed and took a hefty tug.

  Vera turned while he was doing it and snapped quietly, “Devin!”

  His mentor, best friend, and now stepfather turned to his mother. “You don’t act up, I won’t feel the need to get liquored up.”

  Vera huffed and sat back in her seat, resuming her glare at the back of Gabby’s head.

  Devin returned the flask to his pocket.

  Layne caught only a glance at a tight-faced Gabby, who was completely ignoring them (luckily), when he looked to hi
s wife.

  “Kinda get that, sweetcheeks,” he muttered.

  “I’m not talking about Gabby,” she whispered back. “We’re all used to Gabby. I’m talking about the fact that both CeeCee and Bel have a crush on Jack Colton.”

  Layne looked beyond his woman to his two daughters sitting in the pew next to her.

  Right then, neither of his babies cared about Jack Colton. Both CeeCee and Bel had their eyes glued to the door at the side of the church where they knew their brothers were going to walk out very soon.

  They were getting along for Jasper’s big day.

  This wasn’t unusual and not just his girls being good for their beloved big brother. If they weren’t fighting, they were doing each other’s hair, giving equal time to both endeavors.

  Layne didn’t get it.

  He didn’t try.

  Rocky got it.

  Layne got to spoil two daddy’s girls.

  Rocky got to raise two daughters and share all the goodness she had with them.

  So it worked.

  “None of them but Jack are in double digits, Roc. I’m not sure we gotta be worried about that yet,” Layne replied, casting his gaze to the altar.

  “Okay, well, if you don’t think so, then you don’t know Angie Callahan also has a crush on him,” she returned.

  Shit.

  He looked to his wife. When she caught his eyes, she lifted her brows in her nonverbal, See?

  “How ’bout we get Jasper tied to Keira before we worry about another love tangle with the Callahans?” he suggested.

  Rocky grinned.

  The side door to the church opened and Jasper, followed by Tripp and then several of Jas’s buds, stepped out.

  A few minutes later, Layne stood in a church, watching his son watching Keira Winters walk down the aisle.

  Rocky was watching something else and he knew it when she leaned deep into his back and again found his ear. “Every time Cal walks one of his girls down the aisle, why do I take one look at his face and wanna burst into tears?”

  Layne tore his gaze off his boy to glance at Cal.

  Then he looked back at Jasper and he saw something that was different but all the same on his son’s face.

  So he pointed out the obvious.

  “’Cause that’s the look of love, sweetcheeks,” he whispered back.

  She found his hand. “Yeah.”

  He curled his fingers around hers.

  Cal gave Keira away.

  Jasper accepted her.

  Layne’s throat hurt through it all.

  But when he watched his son kiss his bride, the pain released.