Page 12 of Simply Yours

“Jason…” Toni started, her voice tinged with exasperation and affection. She had said no because he wasn’t her father; he was her brother, and this was just a small ceremony, nothing formal.

“Please,” Derek said firmly, nodding. “I’m only getting married once in this life, and I want to do right by Toni.”

This simple gesture meant a lot to him—tobothof them.

Derek stepped away, giving Jason his silent approval. Jason turned to Toni, extending his arm with a crooked smile that barely hid his feelings. He was going to be a mess if he didn’t find a way to lighten the mood between all of them.

“I like your husband-to-be,” Jason whispered, his voice low and steady, a rare softness in his tone. Things were still tough sometimes between them, and he knew Toni bristled at being told what to do. He was trying to do better, to be abrotherinstead of aboss. “Good choice.”

Toni’s lips trembled for just a moment before she hooked her arm through his. She gave his bicep a firm squeeze, her silent way of sayingthank you.

The farm was a perfect place for his sister to be married. He’d rented folding chairs for the event and created a makeshift aisle that Becca insisted be scattered with petals – and they grabbed every wildflower and hit every florist shop in the area to make sure there were plenty. The makeshift aisle, lined with folding chairs and scattered petals, suddenly became something sacred. Jason guided Toni forward, step by step—a shared memory they would have always—carved into time.

It was perfect.

And yet, as he walked beside his sister, a strange sense of loneliness crept in. He could feel it. Something was missing, and during this time of joy, he felt a strange emptiness.

At the other end of the aisle, Derek waited, surrounded by a group of men—the staff at Flyboys. Their Air Force dress uniforms were pristine, their laughter easy, their presence commanding. These were former pilots who had seen the world, who carried each other through the worst of times, and came out the other side with unbreakable bonds. Jason recognized that kind of brotherhood, even if he’d never been a part of it.

He’d stayed for the farm. For the family. For a duty that felt just as heavy as any medal pinned to a uniform.

And yet…

Would it ever be enough?

Becca had married. Toni was getting married. Luke would marry someone someday. Matthew would never marry – but never lacked for female companionship, and Jason was thirty-three years old now. He didn’t want to be alone forever. He wanted something more, a person to share his life with just like his siblings.

At that thought, as he handed Toni’s hand in marriage to Derek, Jason caught himself looking around for the first time for a familiar face. And pinched his lips together.

There.

Caitlin Barnes was there at the back of the throng of chairs to celebrate Toni’s marriage with his family. Didn’t she have anyone? She was always coming around when she was a kid and then disappeared for what felt like the longest time, only to reappear again.

And Caitlin’s eyes turned away from Toni to meet his.

They widened—just barely—before they steeled, turning sharp as flint.

Interesting.

To his surprise, Caitlin looked away once again. His younger brother had somehow slipped from the front row, appearing beside Caitlin with an easy, mischievous grin.

Jason bit back a smirk as Caitlin scowled at his brother, rolling her eyes in exasperation before jerking her chin toward Toni—silently telling Matthew topay attention to the bride.

Good.

Jason exhaled, something settling in his chest. At least some things never changed.

And a small voice deep within him suddenly spoke up, asking a question he never thought to ponder on his own:

But what if they did?

* * *

The afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky, casting golden light over the gathering. Music played a steady, cheerful rhythm underscoring the murmur of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter. The celebration was in full swing—dancing, drinking, talking. It was a moment of joy, of life, of togetherness, and yet Jason felt like an outsider looking in.

A week ago, he had been in a shouting match with Toni. Both of them throwing words like weapons, neither willing to back down. They had been standing in the middle of the barn, voices echoing off the wooden walls, tension thick enough to choke on. He had been so darn stubborn, convinced that shouldering everything on his own was the only way to honor their parents' legacy.

Then, she had cut him down with a single sentence.

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