Page 30 of Wes
Epilogue
Wes
“You going to talk to him today?” Reece asks.
“Huh?” I mutter, my unseeing eyes on the TV.
Reece sighs. “Don’t be lame, Dad. I told you it’s going to be cool.” I nod, and he slaps my knee before pushing to his feet. “Jeremy!”
My heart pounds against my chest. I’m nervous as hell. If I’m this bad with Jeremy, how the hell will I do this with Natalia?
Jeremy appears in the entryway to the living room, and my thoughts disperse. “Where’s Reece? I thought he just called for me.”
“You got a minute, bud?” I clear my throat. “I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Yeah, sure. Where’s Mom?” he asks, looking toward the kitchen.
“She ran to the store.”
Jeremy nods and sits to my right. “What’s up?”
“I need—” I stop and rub my hands down my jeans. “Well, I want your opinion on something.”
“Go ahead and shoot,” he says with an easygoing smile. This kid is so much like his mother. He’s not stupid, and I’m sure he sees something is weighing heavily on me.
“Your mom and I have been together for a couple years now, and there’s something I’ve been wanting to do but haven’t.”
Jeremy nods and gives me time to continue.
“I wanted to know if you’d be okay if I asked her to marry me.”
His grin lights the room, and the knot around my chest loosens. “About damn time.”
“Yeah?”
“Hell yeah! Coach, you’ve made her so happy. If she wants to marry you, then I’m in too.”
Pulling him in, we share a weird side hug. Getting another son out of this will be a blessing, not that I don’t already view Jeremy as mine.
“Told you,” Reece calls. We both look up and find him leaning against the doorframe, a proud smirk on his face. “Dad’s been stalling for a few months now.”
Jeremy chuckles. “I figured something was up when you asked me if I thought they’d ever marry.”
“Oh?” Reece asks.
“Dude, we talked about this shit a year ago.” Jeremy’s face becomes red with a blush.
“You did?” I ask and put an arm around his shoulder.
“Yeah… told Reece I’d love us to be real brothers.”
I grin, my heart expanding in my chest. “You guys are brothers. Baseball brought you together, but the love between Natalia and me will seal this if she’ll have me.”
“You figure out how you’re going to ask her?” Reece asks. “She’s not a very showy person, so it should be low-key.”
I share with them my idea, and they help me smooth some details. The conversation is natural and easy. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have them. “I love you two,” I blurt. “So damn proud of you guys.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
