Love All Out - The Complete Series (A Stepbrother Romance) (45 page)

He helped me out of the carriage and kissed me on top of the head as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Willow, can you believe they did this?” Matt called to me from his carriage. He and Lucas joined us and we stepped over to the tables.

“At this point, nothing would surprise me,” I said as James pulled out my chair. I sat down while Matt took the chair next to me at the other table.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Lucas teased in his sing song voice.

Lucas and James took their seats as the waiter approached with another bottle of champagne.

“My name is Darnel and I’ll be taking care of you this evening,” he explained as he poured us each a glass. He pulled the silver domed lids off of the plates in front of us, revealing a huge selection of cheeses, cold cuts, fruit, and fancy crackers.

“We wanted to keep it simple,” Lucas explained, popping a piece of cheddar into his mouth.

“Yeah, simple is exactly what I’d call this,” I laughed. “This is the most elaborate, thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. Him too,” I added, nudging Matt.

“We’ve all been busting our asses for the last few months. James and I thought it would do everyone good to relax under the stars for a night,” Lucas beamed. “Now if you’ll excuse us for a few minutes, I’d like to have a celebratory dance with my boyfriend.”

“By all means,” I agreed after swallowing a bite of ham.

Lucas took Matt by the hand and led him closer to the quartet. They swayed under the stars while James and I dreamed out loud about our future. We didn’t mention Katelyn or our parents. We didn’t talk about the reporters or the bad press we’d inevitably be bombarded with. Instead, we debated the pros and cons of an east or west facing master suite and fantasized about the extended vacation we’d take with our Belmont prize money. Once we’d finished our food, James took my hand and led me towards Matt and Lucas.

We’d hardly begun dancing when the quartet stopped playing. The violin player explained that they were taking a break and pulled out a small MP3 player attached to a much larger speaker.

“This will keep you moving until we get back,” she explained with a smile. She tapped the screen and “Marry Me” flowed out of the speakers. My heart fluttered in my chest as James and Lucas simultaneously dropped to their knees. Tears immediately flowed from my eyes and I brought my hands to my face.

“What are you doing?” I gasped. It was a stupid question with an obvious answer, but the words escaped my lips anyway. I glanced to Matt and saw that his mouth was open and his eyes were as wet as mine.

“I love you, Willow,” James told me, taking my left hand into his.

“And I love you, Matt. More than I ever thought possible. More than words could ever express,” Lucas said.

James began again. “You are the most beautiful, amazing woman I’ve ever known. You made me want to be a better man, the kind of man who deserves you. And while I know I’ve fallen short at times, I’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life earning the love you’ve already given me so unconditionally.”

I smiled and opened my mouth to reply. He held a finger to his lips to shush me and nodded towards Lucas.

Right, it’s his turn to talk now. The logistics of a double proposal are a bit complicated, but they couldn’t have come up with a more perfect way to ask the question. I can’t believe this is happening.

Lucas cleared his throat and looked lovingly at Matt. “I know this may seem sudden. We’ve only known each other a few months. But those months have been the happiest, most wonderful days of my life. I wake up every day with a smile on my face. I go to bed every night fantasizing about new ways to make you happy. Because every time you smile, I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

Lucas gave James a quick nod and they each pulled small velvet boxes from their jacket pockets.

“Will you marry me?” they asked in unison as they opened the boxes.

“Of course I will,” I sobbed, pulling James to his feet. He slid a simple gold band onto my finger.

“The band is temporary,” he explained. “I didn’t have time to shop. When we get home, we’ll go to the jeweler’s together and you can have whichever ring you want.”

I grabbed his face and pulled it to mine, kissing him with more passion and love than I’d ever felt before. I didn’t care about the ring. All that mattered was the man who’d put it on my finger.  James picked me up and spun me in circles and I squealed with delight. When my feet hit the ground again, I turned and saw Matt and Lucas in a quiet, emotional embrace. Tears fell from Matt’s eyes and Lucas was stroking his back. My heart dropped as I studied them.

Oh my God, did Matt say no? I was so wrapped up in my own excitement, I didn’t hear his answer.

I approached them cautiously and put a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Is everything all right?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low and soothing.

“Everything’s perfect, Willow,” Matt said, pulling away from Lucas. He wiped the tears from his eyes and took Lucas’s hand. “I never thought this would happen to me, that’s all,” he explained. “I mean, a year ago we wouldn’t have even been
allowed
to get married. I’m just overwhelmed… in the best possible way.”

I held up my left hand and wiggled my ring finger. “I know exactly what you mean,” I gushed. “You know what I’m thinking?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.

Matt studied me for a moment and then his face lit up. “Double wedding!” he squealed. He grabbed me by the arms and jumped up and down. “This is so perfect! It’s just like we’ve always dreamed. Who’d have ever thought that it would actually happen?”

I turned to James with a guilty smile. “Would you mind a shared ceremony?”

He rolled his eyes at me and laughed. “Are you kidding me? We’ve been expecting it.”

Lucas nodded. “James and I both know that the two of you are a bit of a package deal. I think a double ceremony is perfect.”

Matt kissed Lucas again while I fell back into James’s arms. We lost ourselves in each other until Matt brought our attention back to the present.

“A Triple Crown win and a double engagement all on the same day. What did we ever do to deserve this life, Willow?” he asked.

“I don’t know. But we should figure it out, so we can keep doing it,” I replied with a huge smile.

***

“You know when we left this place on Friday, I had a feeling that our lives were about to change,” Matt said as he pulled onto the ranch. “But I had no idea just how much.”

“I had the exact same feeling,” I told him as I stretched and pulled on my shoes. “I just hope everyone’s as happy about it as we are.” As we neared the house, I felt more and more anxious. Daddy and Renee were barely tolerating James and me dating each other. I had no idea how they’d feel about our engagement.

“It’s strange. I think Lucas and I will have an easier time being accepted than you two will. I feel oddly guilty about that,” Matt continued as he slowed to a stop in front of the house.

“You shouldn’t feel guilty,” James assured him. “You and Lucas deserve to be happy as much as anyone else.”

“And if it makes you feel better, you’ll still get judged by strangers more than us,” I added with a teasing grin.

“Ha ha.” Matt rolled his eyes. He leaned into the back seat and gave me a half hug. “Good luck with Renee and Cole. If things don’t go as well as I hope, you’re welcome to come crash with us tonight.”

“Thank you, Matt. I love you guys,” I said as I slid out of the truck.

“Love you too,” they called after me.

James pulled our luggage out of the truck bed and stared up at the house. “Maybe we should have told them over the phone. The news could have sunk in a little while we were in the air.”

I shook my head. “We have to do this in person. Maybe we’ll get lucky and their excitement about Mondo will spill over onto our news.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” he sighed. We climbed the steps and I pushed open the front door.

“Surprise!” A crowd of people startled me and I stumbled backwards into James. As I recovered from the shock, I realized that everyone who lived on the ranch had gathered to welcome us home. The living room was covered in festive paper streamers and I smelled the intoxicating aroma of roast beef wafting through the house. Daddy and Renee crossed the room and wrapped me in a tight hug. Frost danced around my feet and James lifted him into his arms.

“I’m so proud of you, pumpkin,” Daddy said, kissing the top of my head.

“Willow, you looked just beautiful on television,” Renee added. “You all did. I can’t tell you how many people have sent me links to all of the best dressed lists you were on this morning.”

I cringed when she mentioned the magazines. While everyone had basically agreed that we looked fantastic, most of the reporters had had a field day with our personal story. Arm chair psychologists had crawled out of the wood work offering quotes on the level of dysfunction and perversion involved in stepsibling relationships. They failed to explain that our parents weren’t even married yet.

Two girls I’d gone to college with had sat down with a Colorado new station and explained in an on-air interview that they’d always expected I was a little “off”. I knew the attention was likely to get worse before it got better and I hated putting our family and friends through it.

“You know, I was with Rose when she bought that seersucker dress,” Mary said, taking her turn to hug me. “You wore it even better than she did.”

“Thank you, Mary,” I said, returning her hug. “It smells fantastic in here. Don’t tell me you’ve slacked off on your diet while I was gone,” I teased Daddy as I discreetly slipped the gold band off of my finger and slipped it into my pocket.

“I’ll be having chicken and vegetables,” he groaned. “But Renee wanted to make your favorite meal. It’ll be ready in about twenty minutes. Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” I admitted.

“We’ll get out of your hair so you can eat,” Harrison announced.

“You’re not eating with us?” I asked as the ranch hands moved for the door.

Mason shook his head and rubbed his belly. “We’re all still full from last night.”

“We’re all still a little hungover,” John corrected him. “We may have gone a little overboard celebrating your victory,” he explained with a grin, looking a little embarrassed.

“That’s understandable, man. We did the same,” James assured him. He sat Frost back on the floor and shook everyone’s hands.

We said goodbye to everyone and then Daddy, Renee, James, and I made our way to the kitchen. James, Daddy, and I took our seats while Renee grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet. She joined us at the table, uncorked the bottle, and poured it into the already waiting glasses. Frost wove between my ankles and I lifted him into my lap.

“To Mondo making history,” Renee said, raising her wine.

“To Mondo,” Daddy repeated as we touched our glasses together.

“I have to tell you, Willow, I can’t remember a time I felt this happy,” Daddy beamed, pride etched onto his face.

I swallowed a large gulp of wine and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I ran my fingers through Frost’s fur, trying to keep myself calm. “Thanks, Daddy. I know some of the articles have been kind of harsh. I’m sorry to bring that kind of attention to the family,” I said, my voice full of guilt.

“Don’t apologize for other people’s ignorance, Willow,” Daddy insisted firmly. “Reporters love a scandal. They thrive on it. Everyone who matters knows that there’s nothing wrong with your relationship. Hell, some people are downright thrilled about it.”

I smiled, thinking of Dallas. “I know Dallas and Mary are happy. But I think we should expect a certain amount of… disdain from most of the people we know. Link Jackson couldn’t get away from me fast enough after he found out. And several people in New York went mute in our presence.”

“I could tell you things about Link Jackson that would make your toes curl,” Renee said with a snort. “He’s the last person who should be placing morality judgments on anyone.”

That’s right. Renee worked with horses when she lived in Kentucky… I’m surprised she’s getting so defensive of us. That’s a good sign.

Daddy nodded. “People are going to talk, kids. Gossip is just human nature. But soon enough, a more interesting story will come along and they’ll forget all about you. I bet this time next year, people won’t think twice about you.”

I shifted again and James cleared his throat. “Actually, Cole, I’m afraid we might be the next more interesting story. I’ve asked Willow to marry me and she’s accepted. I apologize for not speaking to you about it first, but everything happened so fast.”

A look of shock crossed Renee’s face, but Daddy’s broke out in a wide, happy grin. He reached across the table and shook James’s hand.

“No apologies necessary,” he assured him. “Hell, come to think of it, I probably should have asked for your blessing. But I can’t think of anything more perfect than the two of you getting married.”

“Do you mean that, Daddy?” I asked with hesitant excitement.

“Absolutely, pumpkin,” he replied. He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek while James stared at Renee.