A Forever Family

“Yep. I sure did, but you knew they were going to react like that.”

  He shifted in his chair. “I know, but I had a tiny piece of hope that they would welcome our marriage with open arms without calling me stupid.”

  “They didn’t mean it, Collin. They’re upset. Hopefully, they calmed down and had a chance to think about it last night.”

  “After I fired Cara, Dad came to my office and said we needed to talk.”

  “What did he say?”

  “I didn’t give him the chance. I told him I had a meeting to go to and I left the office.”

  I got up from my desk and walked over to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re going to have to face him at some point. Your office is right next to his.” I smiled. “I have to get these designs down to the print department. Wanna come?”

  He gave me a small smile. “No. I better get back to my office. Thanks, Julia, for sticking up for me and Amelia.”

  After dropping off the designs to the print department, I stopped by my dad’s office. When I opened the door, I saw him sitting, facing out the window. He turned around.

  “Good morning, princess. Are you here to yell at me some more?”

  “No, Daddy.” I walked over and kissed his cheek. “I wanted to know how you and Mom are doing.”

  He threw the pen down on his desk and shook his head. “We had a long talk last night. Your mom is still really upset, but she’ll be okay.”

  “And you?” I asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee and took a seat.

  “I understand to some extent and I don’t blame him. I just wish he would have waited.”

  “We can wish till the cows come home, but it won’t change anything.”

  “Till the cows come home, Julia?” He chuckled.

  I shrugged.

  “We’ll make this right, princess. Don’t worry. Are you still bringing Brayden over for the night?”

  “Yes, Daddy. You and Mom can have your grandson all to yourselves tonight.” I got up from my chair. “By the way, Collin told me he fired Cara. What are you going to do for a secretary? Are you calling the temp agency?”

  He sighed. “No. I’m stealing Collin’s secretary for the time being.”

  “Maybe Mom can come fill in for a while.”

  “That’s not a good idea. I wouldn’t get any work done if she was here. She’d spend more time in my office and on my desk than at her desk.” He winked.

  “Ugh. Why do you say those things? If you need me, I’ll be in my office wiping what you just said from my mind.”

  “Bye, princess. Have a good day.” He laughed.

  I secretly smiled because I loved the way my parents still felt about each other after all these years and I hoped that Jake and I would be the same way.

  Chapter 6

  Connor

  As I sat at my desk, I couldn’t take the silence between me and my son anymore. I walked to the closet, grabbed my gym bag, and went to Collin’s office.

  “Grab your gym bag and let’s go. We’re hitting the gym.”

  He looked up at me and then looked back at his computer. “I can’t. I’m busy.”

  “Bullshit. You’re busy if I say you’re busy. Work can wait. I can’t, and we need to talk. Now get your bag and let’s go. Ralph is waiting for us.”

  He sighed as he got up from his desk and grabbed his bag. The ride to the gym was silent. After changing into our workout clothes, we hit the treadmill.

  “I’m sorry, son, and I want you to know that I fully understand why you married Amelia in Vegas.”

  “Somehow, I don’t believe you, Dad. You and Mom said some really hurtful things.”

  “I know and we’re sorry. We just need you to understand how hurt we are. Do you understand that?”

  “Yeah, I do. But you need to understand how much I love Amelia and I didn’t want to wait. I don’t see what the big deal is. You and Mom can throw us a wedding reception if you want and we can celebrate.”

  “That’s not the point. We weren’t there to watch you and Amelia say your vows. We didn’t get to witness one of the most important things you’ll ever do in your life. We’ve been there for you, helped and watched you grow into a man and it’s something we planned on and couldn’t wait for. We couldn’t wait to watch our only son marry the woman of his dreams. To witness the union of you two becoming one. I guess your mom and I are being very selfish people right now.”

  “You are, but so am I. I’m sorry, Dad, that I hurt you both, but I’m not sorry I married Amelia the way I did. I will never apologize for that.”

  “I know and I wouldn’t either. You were right; I would have married your mom right on the spot when I proposed to her without giving my family a second thought. You’re a lot like your old man whether you want to be or not.” I gave him a small smile.

  He smiled back. “I know I am and, to be honest, that’s not a bad thing. I look up to you, Dad. I always have. How was Mom this morning?”

  “She’s still upset. I wiped a couple of tears from her eyes before I left for the office, but she’ll be okay.”

  “Umm, Dad.” Collin looked straight ahead.

  “Oh shit. How did she know we were here?”

  “Dad, she’s got that look on her face. I’m scared,” Collin expressed.

  “So am I, son. Just keep running.”

  Ellery headed straight for us with a mad-as-hell look on her face. “So. I see you’re having a talk with our son without me, Connor.” She stood there with her hand on her hip.

  I swallowed hard. “Ellery. How did you know we were here?”

  “Collin’s secretary, Laurinda, told me. I went to the office to talk to both of you, hoping we could get this resolved, and I find out you’re having a gym session with him?”

  Collin and I got off the treadmill and wiped our faces with towels. “Let’s go into the locker room, Ellery. People are staring.”

  “I don’t care if they’re staring. This is my gym and if I want to yell in it, I will.”

  Collin walked over to her and hooked his arm around her, kissing her cheek. “Hey, Mom. Let’s go and talk.”

  I let out a sigh of relief as she placed her arm around his waist and we headed to the locker room.

  ****

  Ellery

  I stood there and stared at my son as sweat dripped down his face. He was my boy and nothing he could ever do would change how much I loved him. Even though I was hurt by his decision to get married without his family, I needed to accept the fact that he was happy and that was all that mattered. Seeing him after his break up with Hailey was, at times, too much to bear. When he found Amelia, I saw something in him that I never had before. It was the same something that I had when I met Connor. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I understood.

  “Go clean yourself up and we’ll talk after.”

  “Okay, Mom.”

  Connor walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

  “You’re all sweaty, Connor.” I broke our embrace.

  “I thought you liked it when I’m all sweaty.” He winked.

  “I do. Just not gym sweat.” I reached up and kissed his lips. “Go change.”

  He slapped me on the ass with his towel before walking away and I took a seat on the bench. A few moments later, both my handsome men walked towards me in their tailored business suits. As they stood there in front of me, I stared at them with a tear in my eye. Not only did they look so much alike, they acted alike and Amelia was the luckiest girl in the world to be loved by my son. Just as I was by Connor. I stood up and wrapped my arms around my son.

  “I am truly happy for you, Collin, and I want you to know how much I love you. I’m sorry for yelling at you last night.”

  “It’s okay, Mom, and I know how much you love me. I love you too and so does Amelia. We just want you to be happy for us.”

  “I am. I’m very happy for both of you. Please come to dinner with us tonight so I can apologize to Ameli
a and welcome her properly to the family. We can also discuss a date for the wedding reception your dad and I are giving you.”

  “Amelia and I would love to have dinner with you and Dad tonight. What time?”

  “I figured you’d say yes, so I already made reservations at Per Se for seven o’clock.” I smiled as I placed my hand on his cheek.

  “Seven it is.”

  “Now that we have this settled, Collin and I need to get back to the office. What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Connor asked as we left the locker room.

  “I’m going to stay here and get in a workout and then go over some things with Bobby. I’ll see my two sweet men later.” I gave Collin a kiss on the cheek and Connor a kiss on the lips and watched with contentment as they walked out of the gym.

  I pulled out my phone and called Julia.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, sweetheart. Your dad and I are taking Collin and Amelia to dinner tonight. Would you and Jake like to join us?”

  “So you’ve made up?”

  “Yes. I came to my senses and had a talk with Collin. We’d love for you to join us tonight.”

  “That’s okay. Jake isn’t getting home until six o’clock and then he’ll want to spend some time with Brayden before I ship him off to you and Dad tonight.”

  “Okay. Then we’ll pick Brayden up after dinner. Thanks, Julia, for letting him spend the night with us tonight.”

  “You’re welcome, Mom. I know tomorrow is Denny’s birthday and it’s going to be hard on Daddy. Using time alone with Jake was a good excuse. I think having Brayden there tomorrow with you and Dad, at least in the morning, will help him feel a little better.”

  “I think so too, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  I sighed as I ended the call. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day for us, but mostly for Connor. He was still mourning Denny’s death and it had been emotionally difficult for him. I was hoping that he’d take the day off of work tomorrow and spend it with me and Brayden. He never read the letter that Denny wrote him. He said that he wasn’t ready and some day he would be. I had a feeling that day would be tomorrow.

  ****

  When Amelia and Collin walked through the doors at Per Se, I stood up and gave Amelia a big hug.

  “I’m so sorry, Amelia, for my behavior last night.”

  “It’s okay, Ellery. I totally understand. My parents would have been upset too.”

  I broke our embrace as I took her hands before sitting down. “I would love it if you’d call me ‘Mom,’ and I’m thrilled to have you as my daughter in-law. Collin couldn’t have picked a better girl in the world to marry. Congratulations and officially welcome to our family, Mrs. Amelia Black.”

  “Thank you so much, Mom.” She gave a tender smile.

  “Excuse me, Elle; it’s my turn.” Connor smirked.

  I stepped out of the way as he hugged her and welcomed her to the family.

  “What about me?” Collin asked as he held out his arms.

  “We already hugged you earlier.” I winked.

  He chuckled and we sat down and ordered a drink. We spent the next couple of hours talking about the wedding reception and how we were going to tell the rest of the family that Collin was already married.

  Chapter 7

  Connor

  I awoke to the sound of Brayden crying. Ellery got up to get him and she brought him back to the bed and handed him to me.

  “Say good morning to your grandpa.” She smiled.

  I took him from her and gave him a kiss. He was happy and full of smiles now that he was out of his crib.

  “I’m going to get his bottle. I’ll be right back.” She leaned over and kissed my lips.

  As I held him in my arms, I smiled as I thought of Denny. Today was his birthday and I missed him. I missed our talks, his smart-ass comments, but mostly, I missed his lectures. Ellery walked back in the room and handed me Brayden’s bottle.

  “Are you okay, baby?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I’m okay. I miss him, Elle.”

  She reached over and put her arm around me as she stroked Brayden’s head while I fed him his bottle.

  “I know you do. I miss him too. But you know, he wouldn’t want you to be sad. He already made that very clear after he died.”

  “I still can’t believe he’s gone. God, I would love to know what he would have thought about Collin getting married in Vegas.” I gave Ellery a small smile.

  “I know exactly what he would have said. ‘Connor, that boy of yours is exactly like you. Get your head out of your ass and be happy for him. Embrace his marriage and happiness because you know damn well you can’t blame him.’”

  I laughed. “You’re right. I can hear those exact words.”

  She gave me a squeeze as she laid her head on my shoulder. “I love you more and more every day, Connor Black.”

  I turned and kissed her forehead. “I love you too, baby.”

  Once Brayden was fed, Ellery took him downstairs so I could take a shower. We were going to spend the day together; just the three of us. Like it was when we just had Julia. After my shower, I wrapped the towel around me and walked over to the armoire and opened the top drawer where I had kept Denny’s letter all these months. I slid my finger under the flap and took out the folded white paper. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I slowly opened it.

  Dear Connor,

  My son and my best friend. As you’re reading this, I don’t want you to feel any sadness. I’m in a good place and I’ve been called home to reunite with my beautiful wife, Dana. Your journey to becoming a man was something that I treasured my whole life. You know Dana and I could never have kids, but we felt like our life was full because you were like our son. I know things with your own father hadn’t been easy for you, but as he gets older, you need to forgive him. People make mistakes and you of all people should know that. You’ve made your fair share throughout the years and you were forgiven more times than I could count. Life is all about family and accepting things we can’t control. You need to see the beauty in all things that happen because even the biggest mistakes can turn out to be the best gifts in life. Acceptance, forgiveness, and love prevail over anything that life throws your way. I love you, Connor Black, more than words can say and I think I did a damn good job of guiding you and loving you through the years. You’ve made me extremely proud and I couldn’t imagine a better man who deserved a wife and family as perfect as yours. Take care of Ellery, Julia, and Collin, and do right by them. So far, you’ve done an amazing job and I’ll be watching over you from afar to make sure you continue to do so. Remember, my son, that I will always love you and one day we’ll be reunited in the big sky. Now, toss this letter and be happy. Be happy for me that I’m back home and stop being selfish because you’re sad. Give Ellery a big kiss from me and don’t forget, I’m always around. If you need to talk about anything, just give me a shout. You’ll feel better, I promise.”

  Love always,

  Denny

  Ellery walked in the room and stopped when she saw the letter in my hands.

  “Is that—”

  “Yeah.” I looked up at her.

  She walked over to me, set Brayden in the middle of the bed, and wrapped her arms around me.

  “I’m confused, Elle. Some of the things he says in this letter about my father don’t make sense.” I handed her the letter. “Denny knew that my relationship with my father was on the mend over the last few years, so I don’t understand what he meant.”

  “I don’t know, Connor. Don’t read too much into it. It’s Denny. He’s probably just making sure you stay on the right track with your dad.”

  “I don’t know. But something about what he said bothers me. Especially the part about acceptance. Almost as if he knew something I don’t.”

  “Sweetheart, seriously, you’re reading too much into his words. Come on and get dressed. Go spend some time with your grandso
n while I get ready and we can start the day off by going to breakfast.” She kissed my cheek.

  “You’re right. Let me throw on some clothes.” I took the letter from her and folded it back up. I slipped it back in the drawer and closed the armoire. Still, something about that letter seemed off to me.

  Chapter 8

  Collin

  As I sat at my desk, my phone rang and it was Diana calling. I had called her yesterday to tell her about me and Amelia, but she didn’t answer.

  “Hello, Diana.”

  “Hi, Collin. I’m so sorry that I didn’t get a chance to call you back yesterday. Joel and I were having dinner with some friends and by time I got home and with the time difference, it was too late.”

  “That’s okay, Diana. I just wanted to tell you some news.”

  “What’s going on?”

  I took in a deep breath. “Amelia and I got married in Vegas last week.”

  There was silence on the other end. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  “Sorry just to spring it on you like that.”

  “God, Collin. Congratulations. I’m so happy for both of you. Wait until I tell Jacob. He’ll be thrilled. Your parents must have been so happy. But I am a bit surprised that you did it in Vegas.”

  “Well, we eloped. My parents weren’t there and they didn’t know until I came back to New York.”

  “Oh. How did they take the news?”

  “Not good at all. There was some tension and hurt for a couple of days, but we talked and everything’s cool now. My mom is planning a wedding reception and I want you and Jacob to come celebrate with us.”

  “We wouldn’t miss it for the world. When is it?”

  “We haven’t set the date yet. But as soon as we do I’ll let you know. How’s Jacob doing?”

  “He’s doing really good, Collin. His attacks are few and far between now and he hasn’t been hospitalized once since we moved here.”

  “That’s great, Diana. I’m so happy for you both. Amelia and I are going to come and visit you guys next month. We talked about it last night.”

  “That’s wonderful. We can’t wait to see you.”

  “So.” I paused for a moment. “How’s it going with Joel?”