It had been.
Preston hadn’t been Ethan, but he’d given him what he’d needed.
A chance to heal.
“What I remember most is when Preston died, and we reached you, there was only one person you needed. It wasn’t us, but instead, it was the man you had always loved. You called Ethan and he came in hours. He arrived, and he stayed with you.”
Oh, he remembered.
Ethan had never left his side.
“We are so happy that you’ve found your place, Gene, and while we miss you terribly, we’re glad you found your world. We’re happy for you, and know it’ll only get better.”
From Dakota’s mouth to God’s ears.
That was his hope.
Callen went next.
“I remember my brother getting the call. He always had your name in his phone, and it was always under one thing—a fifty. You didn’t have a name in his phone. It was always thatone single number. Later, when you came into our world, I asked him why fifty, and not Gene.”
Gene knew.
“Because half of one hundred is fifty, and I was his other half.”
Callen nodded.
“When he left to see you, we knew things were changing,” he admitted. “We just didn’t know what was to come. For a good two years, my brother changed, and we all saw that evolution happening. Whenever he’d go toNew Orleans, he’d come back with less of his heart. As a family, we knew it was only a matter of time.”
Gene faced Ethan.
That’s when Elizabeth finished.
“We knew that there would be change, and all we could hope and pray was that we all survived it. When you have a marriage that’s open, like ours, you have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. We believed we lost Ethan, but instead, we gained Gene. When you broke up with the rebound guy, and we brought you to DC, there was the possibility of losing him to you, but there was also the possibility of gaining you. We loved you, and took a chance.”
And Ethan finished.
“And it paid off,” he admitted. “Out of loss and lesson, there was a moment where I felt the tides change. It was the day I told you that you had to move out of the house because I couldn’t destroy my family. As soon as I said those words, I did something far worse. I destroyed me. Losing you has always been a fate worse than death.”
And it was true.
Gene felt that too.
Blackhawk continued.
“Thanks to the people I love, and how much faith they have always had in me, we were able to find a path. It’s a new one where instead of two, there’s five. This is our journey, and I want you to be by my side for the rest of it. Come good, or bad. Come scary, or traumatic. I want you, Gene Cantrell, to be with us because you’re part of us and always have been.”
Gene wiped his eyes again.
“So today, in front of our family, I want to make a vow to not only you, but to them. We are the Blackhawks, and no matter what happens, the core isn’t just me and Elizabeth, but all five of us. This relationship is built on a foundation of love, faith, and strength. Be part of us until death do us all part.”
A man began rolling a cart out, and on it, there were five boxes.
It was clear that Ethan had planned for this.
“We’ve got more rings than we know what to do with, so I wanted something special. I wanted something permanent. So, in each box is a bracelet. It screws on, and never comes off. It’s a symbol like a ring—round, and endless. What I’d love more than anything is for you to make the choice to wear one and put the rest of them on the people who are also ours.”
Gene didn’t hesitate.
