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and look at us. Not only are we married but fathers as well. Your day is coming, Alex grinned at his
younger brother.
No way man, I m a confirmed bachelor and that s how I would like to keep it. I have my hands full
with all of these animals. I don t have any time for women or babies in my life, he added.
Lucas and Alex just looked at each other and smiled. They knew their younger brother would fall and
it would be their pleasure to watch it happen. I thought you said there was some work to be done,
Alex goaded him.
You ll be begging me to stop by the end of the day. I bet you fall over and embarrass yourself in
front of your bride, he said with a hopeful wink.
Bring it on little brother, Alex replied, accepting the challenge.
If an outsider was looking at the trio of men they d think they belonged on a ranch. No one would be
able to tell Lucas and Alex both worked in offices and flew around the world on Jets. Mark, of course
was a full time rancher but it was by choice. He d decided early on in his life office work wasn t
what he wanted to do.
Their father, Joseph loved his boys intensely and supported their decisions. When Mark decided to
ranch he supported him one hundred percent.
Lucas, Alex and Mark looked dashing in their worn Stetson hats and boots and painted on jeans. They
rode the horses around like rodeo champions and literally stopped women in their tracks when they
went by.
The brothers spent the afternoon bringing the cattle in and branding them. Mid afternoon they stopped
by the lake for some lunch and basked in the summer heat.
Any time you boys are ready to trade in your suits and run the ranch with me, you know you re
welcome, Mark said with a cheeky grin.
You know I love the land and helping you out here is a little slice of heaven but it wouldn t take long
before the appeal of travel and a nice clean suit would be calling my name, Alex said.
You know dad would lasso you up for trying to take me away from the office. He s retired and
doesn t want to go back, Lucas added.
I m just saying& Mark left the sentence unfinished.
Lucas and Alex both sighed in unison.
Ok last one in has to do the grilling, Mark said while stripping down to his boxers in record time
and diving into the lake.
Ah crap, Alex yelled while trying to yank his boots off. He glanced over and saw Lucas had the
lead. Lucas dived in about two seconds before he did.
I think you guys cheated again, Alex laughed. You know you just want me grilling because I m the
best one at it. You guys always burn that beautiful Angus Meat, he added.
Hey, when you re right, you re right, Mark said before sending a slew of water right into Alex s
face.
Now the war s on, Alex stated before a massive water fight erupted. When the brothers all got
together, it was like they were teenagers once again. They had a bond stronger than most siblings and
all three of them would take a bullet for one another. They knew they were so close due to being
raised by phenomenal parents.
Ok, ok, I call a truce, Lucas finally said, while dragging himself out of the water. Mark and Alex
followed. The three of them settled down on the soft grass and enjoyed the sounds of nature all around
them.
So how are things with your wife and amazing son going? Lucas asked Alex.
Things are great. Jacob is growing like a weed. I can t believe how important he is to me. I can even
imagine having about ten more of him running around, Alex said with true fondness for his son.
And what about Jessica? Mark asked.
Alex hesitated for a moment. He didn t really know how to describe his relationship with his wife.
He knew if he told his brothers it was none of their business they d back off and leave him alone but
it would feel good to talk about his conflicted emotions.
Honestly, it s really complicated. We married because basically I didn t give her any choice. She
had my son, which she kept from me, he said with an edge to his voice. He was still unhappy she
hadn t told him about the pregnancy. Somewhere along the line though, in the last few months I ve
found I m excited to see her. I look forward to coming home, knowing she ll be there. He didn t add
anything else. He didn t want to even mention the Love word.
Neither brother spoke for a few moments. They seemed to understand he was trying to figure things
out in his own head.
You know things didn t start out so well for Amy and me either, little brother, Lucas finally said. I
fought hard against my attraction to her. I, in no way wanted to be in a relationship. On the other hand
I d never wanted a woman like I wanted her. She would walk into the room and I was on instant alert.
I tried to tell myself it was just some weird hormonal imbalance but even though I was fighting it I
knew it was a losing battle, he finished.
Everyone can see you and Amy were meant to be together. Things may have started out rocky for you
but you re disgustingly in love now. There isn t a woman out there who could love you like she does.
It s the only reason she puts up with your ugly hide, Alex finished and punched Lucas in the arm.
Yeah, it sounds to me as if the both of you are just love sick. Thank the Lord it will never happen to
me, Mark added with a cocky smile.
Lucas and Alex looked at each other and smiled. They knew their brother would go down kicking and
screaming but they knew he would go down. It would be immensely pleasurable for them both to
watch.
I may not be in love like Lucas but it s nice to have something to come home too, Alex said. He felt
a twinge of pain as he said the words. He figured he was lying to himself, saying he wasn t in love
but it was better than the alternative of being vulnerable.
Yeah, I think you re fooling yourself little bro. I ve seen the way you look at Jessica. It s more than
just lust. You look at her the way I look at Amy. The sooner you accept that fact and enjoy being
married, the sooner you can stop hurting all the time. Man, when I finally just let myself open up, my
whole world changed. Seriously, if something were to ever happen to Amy, I couldn t survive it,
Lucas finished.
He then pulled his phone out for the millionth and one time to see if he d missed a call from his very
pregnant wife.
Give it a break bro; your wife will call you if she goes into labor. Your phone will not miraculously
miss a call and if one or either of these things did happen, someone would come running to find you
and rush you into the hospital, Mark said.
I know, I know but wait until you re the one in my position. There s nothing greater than your wife
giving birth. It s amazing and beautiful and at the same time terrifying. I d gladly take her every pain
if I could. It kills me to just stand by, only holding her hand. But then there s this beautiful child
resting in her arms and she s smiling at you with this radiant joy showing on her face. There s nothing
like it in the world, Lucas finished.
Alex sat there quietly, listening to Lucas talk. He was jealous of his brother, which was very unusual.
He wished so much he could ve been there for the birth of his son. He was still angry Jessica had
taken that from him. He should ve been there for his son s first cry. He should ve been there to be
able to protect them both.
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