“My illegitimate brother? Yes, but Lewis Greene isn’t his real name. It’s Joel. Joel Townsend, and, as usual, he’s fucking late,” Robert growled.
“Sorry, Robert, the boys and I ran into some trouble on the way into town. No big deal.”
“Boys?” I questioned, looking at Lewis. It’d been over a decade since I’d last seen him.
“Deborah,” he waved, “good to see you again. You remember your nephews, right? Micah, Ace, and Gabriel.”
His three sons emerged from behind their father.
“Townsend’s the last name, as you might’ve guessed.”
There was a gasp. “There’s more of them?” Michelle queried.
Turning to her, Joel tipped his head as if wearing a cowboy hat. “The Townsends of Texas. The pleasure is all ours.”
Epilogue
Deborah
Eight Months Later …
“It’s okay, baby girl.” I bounced my second youngest granddaughter on my hip to quiet her cries. At just five months old, little Miss Anastasia liked to make her presence known when she wasn’t happy.
“I’ve got her bottle,” Aaron said loudly as he charged into the room, practically ripping her from my hands. She quieted as soon as she was in her father’s arms.
I shook my head. “It’s such a shame her mother isn’t here to see this,” I mumbled. She was adorable in the outfit her father had dressed her in.
Aaron gave me a look before returning his attention to his youngest daughter.
I smiled at the pastel pink dress she wore for today’s occasion.
“Are they almost ready out there?” Destiny asked as she straightened out the bow she wore in her hair, which matched her plum-colored dress.
“I think so, Robert just went to go check with Joel.”
“Can you believe how far we’ve come in eight months?” Kayla asked, moving over to us.
Aaron grunted and moved for the doorway, cradling Anastasia in his arms.
“Some things will never change, however,” I stated as I watched Aaron walk away.
“But some things do change.”
I laughed as I took Michelle and Carter’s two-month-old daughter, Taylor, from Michelle’s arms. Our family just kept growing and I couldn’t be happier about it.
“Like the fact that they all grew up not knowing their cousins, and now, today, we’re preparing to watch one of them get married,” Destiny added.
I pushed out a breath. That was an interesting turn of events indeed. Books could be written about all of the twists and turns that led to this moment. The boys had been pissed about why Robert had kept his brother, Joel, and his sons a secret. But that wasn’t Robert’s story to tell. It was Joel’s. One he’d get around to sharing … one day.
“They’re ready,” Robert stated as he entered the dressing room of the chapel we were in.
I watched as Kayla, Michelle, and Destiny all took their places, falling in line. One by one, Joshua, Carter, and Tyler moved next to them, holding out their arms for their wives to take. Robert and I walked behind our family to the entranceway of the chapel.
Leaning over, I whispered, “Do you think Aaron’s going to be okay with all of the kids by himself?”
Robert looked down at me, a slightly worried expression covering his face. “Let’s just hope Patience can make it through this ceremony quickly without him pulling her down from the pulpit.”
I giggled into his arm. I could see Aaron doing just that.
