Chapter Fifteen #2
“Grammy,” he announced as she lifted him up in her arms. “I have to go find Shane. It might be time soon for the three-legged race, and we want to be in it.”
“Well, all right then, young man. Come back and see me later.”
“Yes, I will!” He wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek with a loud smacking sound. “You can come watch me and Shane race,” he said as she set him back on his feet. “You, too, Miles!”
Miles was nodding. “I saw them setting up the games. They’re in the open space by the horseshoe pits.”
“We’ll be there,” Annette promised.
Dillon grabbed Riley’s hand again. “C’mon, Mom! Let’s go find Shane…”
Finding Shane didn’t take long. The Bravo clan had gathered not far from the improvised bandstand and portable dance floor. Riley spotted Macy right away. They waved at each other. She saw Josh’s mom, Abby, and his brother, Ty, too. They were all smiling.
Which eased her mind a little. Somehow she’d pictured them avoiding her, the family treating her coolly because she’d broken things off with Josh.
But her fears had been unfounded. They were good people who wouldn’t judge her for making what she knew now was a sad, self-destructive choice.
Not that they were necessarily even aware of what went on between her and Josh.
He wasn’t the kind of guy to put his private business on the street.
Or even to mope around about his problems in front of his family.
If he’d said anything about things not working out the way he’d hoped with her, it would have been said privately, one-on-one.
No. It wasn’t other people who judged her. She judged herself because she’d been too terrified of loving him to work out her issues before taking a wrecking ball to what they had together.
The boys caught sight of each other simultaneously.
“Shane!”
“Dillon!”
Dillon let go of Riley’s hand and took off. He and Shane met in the middle and put their heads together. They seemed very intense.
“Apparently, the three-legged race is a serious subject,” said a low, teasing voice from directly behind her.
Josh.
She turned—slowly, so as not to trip over her own two feet in her sudden, extreme nervousness. “Hi!” It came out both slightly squeaky and more than a little too loud.
He just looked at her. That was all it seemed to take. And suddenly, his beautiful smile got even brighter. “So…how’ve you been?”
She drew a slow, shaky breath and leaned a little closer. “Missing you. A lot.”
He leaned close, too. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You changed your mind.”
“Oh, Josh. Yes. I changed my mind. Am I…too late?”
“Riley Jane, you know me better than that. There is no such thing as too late, not for you and me.”
“You really mean that?”
“I do.” He took her hand. The world righted itself as she laced her fingers with his.
And then the boys were running toward them. “We got to go!” shouted Dillon.
“The three-legged race is starting real soon!” yelled Shane. “And kids our age go first!”
“Well then, we’d better get moving,” said Josh. “You know where you’re going?”
Shane pointed in the general direction of the horseshoe pits. “Over there!”
“All right, you two. Lead the way…”
Annette and Miles were there already. Riley thought her mother-in-law looked way too smug when she saw Riley and Josh strolling toward her holding hands.
The boys took second place in their age group. They each won a plastic golden eagle medallion on a shiny red neck ribbon. Lenore was there to congratulate them. She’d come with some of her friends from Buffalo.
Next, Shane and Dillon entered the sack race, then the stars-and-stripes relay race and finally the American flag scavenger hunt. Josh held her hand the whole time, and Riley loved every minute of it.
Once the games concluded, Lenore hugged Shane and left with her friends. Josh convinced Annette and Miles to join the Bravos for barbecue.
After dinner, the celebration continued with dancing under the darkening sky. Josh held Riley close, and they swayed to covers of “I’m Gonna Love You” and “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Forever After All.”
At full dark, they sat on a plaid blanket with their boys between them. Fireworks lit up the night sky—and Riley suddenly remembered Roger. “Where’s Roger? Has he been alone in the house all this time?”
“He’s outside,” Shane replied.
Josh explained, “I fenced the backyard for him and built him a house. It’s great for any time it’s impractical to bring him along.”
It wasn’t much later that the kids started drooping. They were both asleep as the last bottle rocket exploded high in the sky.
“Follow us home?” Josh whispered, leaning over the sleeping boys.
“Yes.” She was smiling as he kissed her—a light, tender brush of his lips to hers.
They woke up the kids, rolled up the blanket and said good-night to their friends and relatives.
Dillon fell asleep in his booster seat as Riley followed Josh’s taillights to his place. Halfway there, she thought of TJ suddenly, of how much she had loved him, of how good their life was until that day in the mountains.
The tears came. They streamed down her face—but in a good way.
The best way. She rolled down her window, and the night air tossed her hair around.
She was smiling and sobbing as she accepted the truth.
She wouldn’t give up the few years she’d had with TJ, not even if she’d known the outcome in advance.
You couldn’t cheat fate. There would always be loss and endings. The whole point was to live well and love deeply in the meantime. How else could you hope to make the losses bearable?
They turned off the highway, and she followed Josh along the narrow, twisting road to his place. When they got there, she eased to a stop behind the crew cab and turned off her engine and lights.
Josh emerged from the pickup door. His boots crunched on gravel as he came back to her and leaned in her still-open window. “Hey…” He was smiling at first, but the moon must have shown him the tear tracks on her cheeks. “What happened?”
“Just got a little emotional, that’s all.”
“So…you’re okay, then?”
“Never better.” And she kissed him.
“All right, then,” he said when she pulled back enough to meet his eyes. “Let’s get these kids inside.”
“I’ll get mine,” she replied. “You get yours.” When he looked at her doubtfully, she wrinkled her nose at him. “What? Just say it.”
“You’re not going to try to carry him, are you?”
“Uh, yeah. I kind of was.”
“Forget it. Not good for you—or the baby.”
So they woke the boys, who grumbled as they trudged up the stairs. Dillon had a toothbrush waiting in the kids’ bathroom, and he’d left more than one pair of pajamas in Shane’s dresser drawers.
Riley tucked the boys in. They were asleep when she turned off the light.
Josh and Roger were waiting for her at the top of the stairs.
The dog wagged his tail and gave her a happy whine of greeting. She knelt to give him lots of scritches and to tell him what a good boy he was.
“He’s missed you.” Josh stood above her, his hazel eyes gleaming. “I’ve missed you. So damn much…”
“I’m here now,” she said.
“Are you staying?”
“For as long as you want me.”
“Good. You’ll be staying forever.”
“Deal.” She rose.
He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. That kiss… It curled her toes and lit a fire inside her.
“Is this really happening?” he asked when he lifted his head.
She nodded. “I love you, Josh Bravo. I want to make a life with you and our children. I have so much to tell you, I hardly know where to start…”
“Riley Jane, I love you,” he replied in a low, thrilling growl. And then he kissed her again.
She smiled against his parted lips and kissed him back as he scooped her up high in his arms and carried her off down the hallway, Roger following close behind.
In Josh’s room, Roger went straight to his bed in the corner. Josh locked the door.
“Talk,” he said. “Tell me what changed.”
And she did, she told him everything—what Macy had said. What Annette had advised. All the true things she’d figured out for herself. Finally, she offered, “I’m ready now, Josh Bravo. To love you. To be with you. For… How do the vows go? As long as we both shall live…”
He was nodding. “Riley Jane, be my wife.”
“Yes, Josh. I will.”
“I love you, Riley. Always.”
“Forever,” she replied.
And then he scooped her high in his strong arms and carried her to his bed.
* * *
They were married three weeks later in the backyard of the main house out at the Rising Sun.
All the Bravos were there. Joe stood up as Josh’s best man.
Riley had Ana for her lone bridesmaid and both Macy and Annette for her matrons of honor.
Dillon and Shane were ring bearers. The minister from Grace Community Church officiated.
Josh’s voice shook a little when he said his vows.
But Riley spoke up clear and strong. She knew what she wanted now—this man for her husband, their children to raise. She would treasure every year, every day, every moment they might be granted.
To love and to cherish. To have and to hold.
That night, she and Dillon went home with Josh and Shane. Over the next couple of weeks, they moved in. Right away, Josh began making plans to add another wing onto the house. After all, they had a baby coming.
On a cold fall day at the end of September, Riley woke up to a very strong contraction. Four hours later, at the hospital in Sheridan, Eliana Annette Bravo arrived. She had Riley’s red hair and Josh’s hazel eyes, and she emerged yowling in outrage at being ejected into the big, bright world.
But Josh was right there to catch her. He gathered her wet, squirming body close and kissed her gooey cheek. She fell silent with a long, sweet sigh.
“Already, she adores her daddy,” said Riley.
Josh looked up from their daughter and into her eyes. “I might be the happiest man alive at this moment.”
“I love you,” she replied.
“Mr. Bravo.” The nurse had stepped close. “The doctor will check her over now.”
Riley said, “Let me hold her first.”
“Of course.” The nurse moved back.
Carefully, Josh transferred the squirming baby into Riley’s arms. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Gorgeous,” Riley agreed.
Josh bent close to her. “You and me, Riley Jane.”
“And Shane and Dillon and now Ellie, too,” she reminded him.
He nodded. “We’ve got it all.” And then he whispered, “I love you, Riley Bravo,” as he pressed his lips to hers.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Veteran Dad by Carrie Nichols.