Chapter 8
Ronan
My brothers mill around my old bedroom joking about things from our childhood as I try to calm my nerves. Kate and I have hundreds of guests downstairs waiting for us to get married in ten minutes, and between my cottonmouth and stomach that won’t stop doing flips, I’m a nervous wreck.
“Do you remember the time we hung you and Kellen out this window to force you to promise not to tell Mom and Dad that we were sneaking out every night?” Marius asks with a hearty laugh.
I smile and turn back to look at him and Matthias. Kellen rolls his eyes like it wasn’t a big deal, but I know he remembers as well as I do how terrified we were that night.
“You guys were dicks,” Kellen says with a grimace. “We just wanted to hang out with you, and you nearly killed us.”
Their conversation breaks through my nerves, and I walk over to look out the window.
“You know they would have killed you right then and there if either Mom or Dad saw you hanging me upside down twenty-five feet off the ground, right? I think if Mom heard about it later, she would have retroactively punished you guys when she found out.”
All three of my brothers chuckle, even though they know I’m right. “She would have hung us out the attic window,” Matthias says with a smile. “You were her baby. Dad would have just screamed and then walked around mumbling why he had to have sons who think doing stupid things is a good idea.”
“And now the baby is getting married,” Marius says, slapping me on the back. “Who would have thought you’d be the first of us?”
We all stare at him, wondering what he’s talking about. “I’m not the first. Remember? You and Eden got married already,” I say, correcting him.
He opens his mouth and then closes it, realizing he has no good answer for forgetting.
Never one to miss an opportunity to joke around, he laughs and says, “Sure, but that wasn’t a real wedding.
At least that’s what Eden’s mother seems to think.
” Turning toward Matthias, he adds, “By the way, she’s got around a hundred people to add to the guest list that’s already sitting at nearly three hundred.
Tell the gardener he needs to clean up the back half of the estate because Eden’s family is going to descend on this place like a swarm. ”
I sense either fear or disgust in his words, so I ask, “Everything okay with you guys? You sound like you’re having second thoughts.”
Like usual, Marius waves off any concern. “I’ll be fine. I like the idea of a small get-together with you guys, your girlfriends and kids, and some friends. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law thinks that her daughter getting married is something along the lines of a coronation.”
“How does Eden feel about it?” Kellen asks.
“She’s like a different person when it comes to her family, so she seems fine with it. I guess it’s just a matter of being used to the circus.”
I definitely get the feeling Marius isn’t thrilled with his in-laws and what they want for his and Eden’s official wedding, which is what he told me they’re calling it now. Thank God he’s in love with her, or I know my brother. He’d run as fast as he could at the first chance he got.
Matthias clearly has the same feeling, so he quickly changes the subject. “Well, you may not be the first, but you’re still the first one to have their wedding here. Hey, I’ve got a surprise for you. Hang on.”
He hurries out of the room while the three of us look around at each other to find out if anyone knows what Matthias is referring to. None of us have a clue, though.
As we wait, Marius fusses with his bowtie. “The next time one of us has a wedding, can I suggest a beach ceremony with no tuxes? These things drive me nuts!”
Kellen walks over to where he’s standing and adjusts the tie so it’s correct. “I’d agree, but I’ve actually gotten used to this get-up now that I have to attend so many functions for the company. It just takes some patience.”
I stare at Kellen in disbelief and mutter, “Yeah, since you’re the king of patience. Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?”
He looks back at me and laughs. “I had to grow up sometime, right? Not that I’m in an all-fire hurry to do what you’re doing today. That’s going to take a level of maturity I may never reach.”
Matthias walks back into the room and hands me a white envelope with my name written on it. It’s been a long time, but I instantly recognize the handwriting. It’s my mother’s.
“What’s this?” I ask.
He smiles and says, “Eleanor gave me a bunch of things Mom asked her to hold. I found that envelope in the pile. I don’t know what it says, though.”
From across the room, Kellen asks, “Are you going to open it?”
I shrug, unsure what could be inside. “I guess. It can’t be anything important. We already each got a letter from Mom when she died.”
Marius joins Kellen in egging me on to open the envelope. “Then let’s see what it is!”
While I’m not sure it’s going to be much of anything, our mother did have a habit of making keepsakes for each of us, so maybe it’s a nice poem or something like that. “Okay. Let’s see what Mom had to say.”
I rip open the end and let the piece of paper inside fall out. As I unfold it, I feel suddenly nervous. It’s silly, but even after all these years, just a word from my mother would thrill me.
My eyes drift over the words on the paper, and I smile while all my memories of the times I spent with my mother as the youngest come rushing back. I thought maybe this might be just a general letter she left for when I grew up, but it’s so much more.
Clearing my voice, I start to read as my voice trembles with emotion.
“Dear Ronan,
I so wish I could be there today to see you get married.
Even though I can’t be, I know it’s a day you deserve to be perfect.
One of the first regrets I had when I found out about my diagnosis was knowing I wouldn’t make it to see this day.
I don’t know if I saw your brothers get married, but I knew there wouldn’t be enough time to be here to celebrate with you. ”
As emotion nearly overwhelms me, I look up to see my brothers waiting to hear the rest of the letter.
As the youngest King, I got so much less time with our mother.
Matthias had nearly sixteen years with her, but I barely got ten before she was taken away from us.
Because of that, I’ve always felt like I missed so much more than they did.
“It’s so like Mom to write you a letter for today,” Matthias says with a smile.
“Is there any more?” Kellen asks, himself like me in that he didn’t get enough time with her either.
Nodding, I continue. “When I think of my little boy being all grown up, pride fills my heart more than you can ever know. I loved you from the moment I learned I was pregnant, and even though I can’t be there with you today, please know wherever I am, I love you and miss you.
Ronan, I know you’ll be the kind of man who loves honestly and truly. I wish you and your new wife all the happiness a mother could hope for. Until we see each other again, know I love you, sweetheart.
Always,
Mom.”
I slowly fold the letter again and slide it back into the envelope. My mother always knew how to make me feel loved. Even today, she found a way to show me.
Kellen, of course, has to make a joke to lighten the mood. “You know she didn’t write one of those for me. Mom knew who I was.”
The three of us look at him and shake our heads. “You know our mother. Hope always sprang eternal. I bet she thought even you’d find a woman who wanted to spend time with you, Kellen,” Marius says.
“Hey, we better get downstairs. It’s just about time,” Matthias says. “Ready?”
I nod, stuffing the envelope and my mother’s letter into my tux inside pocket. “Ready.”
As he passes me on his way out of my room, Kellen pats me on the shoulder. “Let’s do this, right? Don’t want to keep Kate waiting.”
Smiling, I nod as the two of them leave just Marius and me standing together. He seems oddly quiet, which makes me wonder if something’s wrong. Maybe he’s worried about how his wedding day is going to go, especially considering what he told us earlier.
“You nervous? You’re not usually this somber.”
With a shrug, he answers, “Just thinking about Mom. She would have loved to see you get married. You were her baby, so today would have been a huge day for her.”
“Yeah, I know. I wish she was here. I wish Dad was here. Thanks for being my best man, Marius.”
He smiles and straightens the lapel on my tux. “I’m just glad you’re here to have this day happen. I didn’t know if you would be that day I found you.”
I think back to that day sometimes and can’t remember feeling so bad that I didn’t want to live anymore. I can’t imagine thinking that way now. I’ve got Kate, the Hope Forward Foundation with Marius, a new right hand, and a future I’m looking forward to.
And I owe it all to the man standing in front of me.
“This couldn’t happen if it weren’t for you saving me, Marius. I owe you my life. Thank you. I don’t think I can ever repay you for what you did for me.”
Tears fills his eyes as he smiles. “Just go and have a happy marriage. Kate’s a great woman. Even better, you like her parents and she only has one sister, which is great even though she’s not.”
Again with the slam on Kelly? Now I can’t stop myself from asking why he doesn’t like her.
We begin walking toward the door as I ask, “What is your problem with Kate’s sister? I get why she can’t stand you, but why don’t you like her?”
Marius gives me an odd look. “She can’t stand me? A lot of thanks I get for rocking her world for an entire week one summer. If anyone has a reason to dislike someone, it’s me. She’s the one who did the ghosting act and ruined what was shaping up to be a good time for both of us.”
He walks away as I watch him move out into the hallway, stunned to find out Marius and Kelly were together at one point. There’s no way Kate knows about this.
I’ll save that for after we get to Aruba.