Page 89 of And Then There Was Us
“Don’t be sorry. You’ll be a Braden soon, and Bradens hug.” Hal pulled her into a quick embrace, then put an arm around her shoulder.
“I’ve been waiting to meet you.” He reached for Layla’s hand. Together they went to the couch and sat down. “So, tell me all about Layla and yourself.”
Watching his father envelop Brianna and Layla with the love he’d always bathed Hugh and his siblings in filled his heart with certainty. The next few hours couldn’t pass quickly enough.
Chapter Forty-Three
HUGH’S LEG BOUNCED nervously beneath the table. Brianna’s mother, Kat, and Mack’s family had already arrived, and he was ready to run down the aisle and marry Brianna. Out of respect for Savannah and Jack, he made no move to rush things along. Instead, he made small talk with Jack’s family, the Remingtons.
“Thanks for playing with Layla today,” Hugh said to Sage Remington, one of Jack’s younger brothers.
“She’s a great kid.” Sage’s eyes were as contemplative as Brianna’s and midnight blue like Jack’s. A tattoo snaked out from under his shirtsleeve. At twenty-eight, he was already a world-renowned artist with work in galleries throughout the world.
“Savannah tells me that you like the outdoors as much as Jack does. Do you spend much time in the mountains?” Hugh asked.
“Not as much as I’d like, but I’m hoping to make a few changes and carve out a little more downtime.”
“Downtime is overrated.” Dex, Jack’s youngest brother, sat on his other side next to his twin sister, Siena. All of the Remingtons had dark hair, but while Dex’s eyes were midnight blue, like Jack’s and Sage’s, Siena, a model, had electric-blue eyes like her mother.
“I don’t know. I like downtime these days.” Hugh squeezed Brianna’s hand.
“Dex doesn’t know what downtime is. His life is all about PC game addiction,” Sage teased.
“It’s his business,” Siena explained to Hugh.
“He made millions in his downtime,” Kurt Remington added. “But, there’s no harm in loving what you do.”
“Says my brother the writer, who makes up stories for a living,” Dex said.
“Listen here, son,” Hal began. “As long as you love what you do, then it’s a fine living indeed.”
After dinner, Treat stood to make a toast. “Jack, welcome to the family. We’re proud to have you as a brother.” He raised his glass. “To Savannah and Jack and a lifetime of love and happiness.” Everyone raised their glasses, and Treat remained standing. He reached for Max’s hand, and Max rose to her feet. “We have our own announcement to share.” He put his arm around Max and kissed the side of her forehead. “We’re going to have a baby.”
There was a collective gasp.
“A baby?” Savannah squealed. She ran around the table and hugged Max, then Treat. “You’re going to have a baby! I’m going to be Aunt Savannah. Oh, Max!” She threw her arms around Max again. “What a night. A new baby and a new sister-in-law.” She winked at Brianna.
Everyone congratulated Treat and Max, and Hugh thought about how fast life was moving for all of them. He could barely believe that before nightfall he’d be married and he’d be Layla’s father. Layla had asked Brianna if she could call Hugh Dad, and when Brianna told her she could, Hugh had been unable to hold back his tears.
Max threw her napkin on the table. “Okay, enough baby talk. Come on, girls. We have to help Bree and Layla get ready for their big night.” Lacy, Savannah, Riley, and Jade took Brianna by the arms and headed toward the house. Jean, Kat, and Layla followed on their heels.
Savannah stopped halfway to the door and hollered, “Siena, come on! We’re waiting on you. Joanie! We need another mother’s opinion.”
Siena and Joanie hurried toward the house.
“You’ve done it now,” Josh said. “You’ll get her back and she’ll look like a whole different woman.”
“A hen party,” Kurt said with a laugh.
Josh leaned across the table. “Hugh, do you need help dressing?”
Hugh rose to his feet. “Yeah, right. Not from you doofuses.”
AN HOUR LATER, as the sun set behind the mountains and the wedding march played softly in the background, Hugh stood beneath a white canopy lined with white lights, wearing Dane’s dark suit—which fit him quite well—with a nervous ache in his gut.
Layla walked down the makeshift aisle beside Kat, looking beautiful in the princess gown Hugh’d had delivered for her from a local shop. She and Kat tossed rose petals from a basket. Hugh felt tears pressing at his eyes as he took in the love on his family’s faces. His world had changed on a dime. One awful blind date. One look from Brianna’s gorgeous, smart brown eyes and a first date he’d never forget.
The doors to the house opened, and Brianna walked across the lawn, her arm wrapped around Mack’s. Hugh cleared his throat to loosen the lump that had lodged there. Brianna moved gracefully toward him, wearing a simple white wedding gown that cascaded over her curves and looked as if it were custom-made for her. The sweetheart neckline and short train were exactly what he’d pictured her in. Her hair hung loose and pretty, framing her face. Thanks to the owner of the local flower shop, Brianna carried a small bouquet of white roses, and as she joined Hugh under the canopy, his eyes filled with tears. He wished his mother could be there, but he felt, as his father always had, that she was with them in spirit, and as he looked at Layla sitting between her grandmother and Kat, he knew she’d have been proud of the man he’d become.
