Page 76 of Resisting the Running Back

I narrow my eyes at him. “I may be two inches shorter than you, but I more than make up for it everywhere else.”

We both get a good laugh out of that, and the rest of our brothers show up to the room at the Bellagio where we’re hanging out until the ceremony.

“Okay, all four of you are married,” Tanner says. “So hit me with your best marriage advice.”

Lincoln goes first, and his words are very much in line with his personality as a leader and a coach. “You’ve got a teammate for life, and as long as you put in the work and adjust your strategies when you need to, you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, man,” Tanner says, and Grayson slaps him on the back next.

“Keep her happy, man. That’s all that you need to know for a successful marriage. And if you fuck up, which you will since you’re a dude, fight your ass off to make it up to her.”

Spencer just laughs at Grayson and says, “What he said. Or, you know…don’t fuck up in the first place.”

And Asher is last with advice that’s right in line with what I’d expect from him, too. “Keep her on her toes so she doesn’t get bored with you.”

I laugh at all four of them and think how incredible it is that we’re all one big family now.

I hear a knock at the door, and I open it to find our mom and dad standing there.

“We’ll head out to give you all some time. Good luck out there, man,” Lincoln says to Tanner, and the four Nash brothers head out to the courtyard with the fountains where the ceremony is set to begin in about twenty minutes.

Mom walks over and grabs Tanner into a tight embrace. “I’m so proud of you, my boy. It feels like just yesterday I was holding you for those twelve minutes before your brother came along, and I remember thinking that no woman would ever be good enough for my sweet boys. But then Cassie came along, and I saw how she healed the things in you that were broken right from the start. You always deserved the very best, and I think you found her with that woman.”

I feel emotional with her words, and those words weren’t even directed toward me.

Of the two of us, I’ve always been the more emotional twin. Tanner always lived by the theory that emotions just get in the way—until he met Cassie, anyway. As for me, I always found emotions to be the very things that direct our lives. They help us survive, they motivate us, and they connect us. Without them, we’d be reduced to robots.

It’s easy to say that now since I’m happy where I’m at with Sophie. But for a long time, they were a nuisance that did nothing but cause me pain and distress.

Still, I channeled that into motivation, and look where I am now.

Okay…fine. It’s not thebestplace to be considering she still doesn’t know about how deeply my feelings for her actually run, but we’ll get there. Someday. Definitely.

“Thanks, Mom,” Tanner says softly.

Dad claps me on the back, and I’m glad we’re back to where we always were. It was a long road getting here considering the fact that both Tanner and I felt lied to when we found out that our biological dad was Eddie Nash, not Charles Banks, but part of learning that life is short is also acknowledging the fact that sometimes people act in ways that protect the ones they love.

Like me not telling Sophie about how long I’ve been in love with her.

Our parents head out first, and then it’s just Tanner and me—much like it has been our whole lives despite always having people surrounding us, rooting for us, and wishing the best for us.

“You got this, bro,” I say to him, and he nods.

“So do you, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I think I’ll probably admit the truth on the cruise. Depends how drunk we get.” I duck my head a little as if I’m joking. I’m not.

He chuckles, but it’s meaningless small talk. We stare at each other for a beat, and then he says, “You know this doesn’t change anything.”

I nod. “I know. It’s you and me. We’re just adding someone into the mix. And some kids to keep you on your toes. They’ll come first now, as they should, but I know you’re there if I need you.”

He presses his lips together. “Always.” He holds out his hand so we can do our secret handshake, and I slap his hand with mine. We move back to slap hands backward, grab hands, shake, fist bump, and hug.

It’s the last time we’ll do this as two single men. A year and a half ago, I’m not sure either of us could possibly have seen that this is where we’d be today.

Tanner getting married to a woman seven years older than him with two kids. Our four new half-brothers present at thewedding. Sophie here as my date. The two of us living and playing in San Diego. Gaining and losing a biological father.

What a change a mere eighteen months has brought. It kind of makes me wonder what sorts of changes the next eighteen months will bring.

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