The 'Burg: Hold On Part 110

"I know, Joe."

"You're so beautiful, baby, it hurts lookin' at you," he told her.

Katy pressed her lips together.

He wasn't done.

"And it is no lie that this is the proudest moment of my life, gettin' to walk you down that aisle."

She made a noise.

He yanked her in his arms.

He held on. He did it tight.

Because it was the last chance he'd get.

After a while, Kate tipped her head back. "I probably should go get married."

Cal grinned at her. "Yeah."

He took her arm and turned her around.

They both stopped.

Keira was there, close, Angie to her hip.

Her eyes were bright too.

"Get over here, dork," Kate ordered.

Keira rushed to them.

And Cal walked down the hall and through the vestibule, Kate on one arm, his other arm around Keira's shoulders, Keira's arm full of her sister.

He had to let two of his girls go so he could walk one of them down the aisle to give her away to the man she loved.

Five minutes later, he did that.

He didn't lie.

It was the proudest moment of his life.

And it hurt like a b.i.t.c.h.

Violet I held Ben in my lap.

Sam was in a little boy tux up at the altar, leaning against Tony's best man's legs, swinging his ring bearer pillow, his father's son, totally bored out of his skull.

Angie was standing by Keira, Keira's mini-me with her father's eyes, staring with rapt attention at her big sister getting married.

My husband had his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

He gave me a squeeze.

I turned to look up at him.

He dipped down and touched his forehead to mine, his nose resting along mine.

I held my breath.

Then he pulled away just as Ben shifted, jerked, pushing out of my arm and launching himself at his dad.

With ease, Joe caught him and settled him against his chest.

I watched.

Our little guy had this thing. It was weird and it was wonderful.

Any time he hit his dad's chest, he just calmed. Even when he'd been teething. Even when he'd fall and sc.r.a.pe something. Like all he needed was evidence of his father's solidness, his strength, and he could just let go.

I knew how that felt.

This was what he did then, curling in, cheek to his dad's chest as Joe tucked him close, Ben resting his hand light against his father's lapel, his eyes shifting sideways so he could keep them on one of his big sisters, all of whom adored him, all of whom my baby boy adored right back.

Joe's eyes were on Kate.

I returned mine to my daughter.

I knew what the forehead touch was. I didn't need to ask. Joe didn't need to explain.

It was his way of saying I'd unbalanced our scale...again. The scale of our life, where he gave and I gave, and it was supposed to go back and forth, staying balanced.

He thought I unbalanced it all the time with the way I gave.

He was wrong.

I didn't even have to look at him with our son on his chest. I didn't have to think back fifteen minutes ago to how I felt watching him walk my girl down the aisle with that look on his face. That look that said he didn't want to be anywhere but there at the same time he wanted to pick her up and carry her the other way, taking her to a place where they never grew up and you never had to let them go.

No, I didn't need any of that or any of the million other things Joe had done since that evening he shoveled the snow from our driveway.

I lived with the knowledge Joe had forever unbalanced our scales because I was sitting at my daughter's wedding due to the fact that Joe had killed a man so I could.

He'd saved my life.

He'd given me his love.

He'd given my daughters his love.

He'd given my girls and me more babies, a big family.

There was no way I unbalanced our scale.

Which I supposed meant our scale actually stayed balanced, him thinking I sent it crashing, me knowing he did.

I snuggled closer in his arm.

He tightened it around me.

Balance.

I felt my lips tip up.

And I watched my beautiful girl get married to the man she loved, a man who reminded me a lot of her father.

And a lot of Joe.

A man Joe totally hated.

Because he took his girl away.

Layne June, Four Years Later "You did good all this time, managing not to knock Keirry up," Tripp said to his brother.

Jasper looked to Tripp, grinning, but doing it also muttering, "Shut it, Tripp-o-matic."

"I'll second that, seein' as that means you nor me got dead 'cause Joe Callahan lost his mind you put your hands on his girl," Tanner Layne added.

"Cal wouldn't lose his mind, Dad. He totally digs me," Jasper told him.

Luckily, this was true.

"I can guaran-d.a.m.n-tee you that Cal is in total denial about that whole part of you bein' with Keira," Tripp shared. "Even now, you have babies, you might wanna think of declaring them immaculate conceptions."

"He can be in denial," Jasper returned logically. "Means it was what it was and now I'm still breathin' for it bein' what it's gonna be."

"To that end..." Rocky's voice came from the top of the stairs.

Layne aimed his eyes over his shoulder to see his wife look amongst them in the loft area, which used to be a workout/office s.p.a.ce when Layne had lived there with his boys.

Now that his boys were gone and his house was filled with girls, Layne worked out at the gym and the loft was an alternate television area because Cecelia and Annabel could never agree on what they wanted to watch.

So now he and his boys weren't lazing on workout equipment like they used to.

They were lounging on a ma.s.sive sectional.

"I think we should probably go so we can get to the church on time," Rocky finished.

And this meant they were lounging on a ma.s.sive sectional while wearing tuxes since Jasper was marrying Keira that day.

"s.h.i.t," Tripp muttered, planting a hand in the back of the couch and throwing his body over it, landing on his feet. "I gotta go pick up Giselle. Meet you there."

He took off but didn't pa.s.s Rocky without stopping and giving her a kiss on her cheek.

Rocky accepted it, and as Tripp bounded down the stairs, she looked to her husband folding out of the couch. Then she looked to his son who was doing the same.

After that, without a word, his wife walked down the stairs, leaving Layne with Jas.

He turned to his boy.

"You screwed me, bud," he stated.

Jas's head jerked and he abruptly stopped moving.

"What?" he asked.

"Knew what you wanted. Found what you wanted. Took care of her. Did right by her. Fell in love with her. Took your time to get to this place. You have your s.h.i.t together. Keira has hers together. Now you're movin' on. That means I don't get to do what fathers are supposed to do. Got no fatherly advice to give. Got no warnings. Got no guidance. Got nothin'."

Jasper grinned at him.

"Nothin' but love and pride," Layne added.

Jasper's grin faded and his gaze grew intense on his old man.

"You and your brother are the best sons a man could hope for, bud. Love you and so f.u.c.kin' proud of you, it hurts," Layne finished.

Jasper moved to him. Layne caught his son at the back of his neck and pulled him to his chest.

Jas wrapped his arms around his dad.

He gave Jasper's neck a squeeze.

Jas pounded him on the back.

They let go.

They cleared their throats.

Then Layne said, "Let's get you to the church."

His woman leaned deep into his arm and he felt her lips at his ear.

"We have a problem," she whispered.