Page 108 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

Mira and Brett entered the room, giving Duncan a hug and wishing him a Merry Christmas. They said hello to Aiden and congratulated Duncan on his fatherhood.

Duncan finally turned his attention to me. His expression turned dark, proving that yes, indeed, he could look lethal. "Welcome to the family, boy. I suppose it goes without saying that if you—"

I held up my hand to stop him. "If I hurt them, I will hunt you down and you can make me pay."

Duncan laughed and thrust his hand forward to shake mine. "I like you."

The day wore on, and we enjoyed each other's company. At dinner, we sat around the table enjoying delicious food, and I couldn't remember ever feeling so much love existing in a single place.

It made me think of Liam and how he could have had this.

“Let’s go outside for a minute,” Lindsay said to me.

I looked at the others around the table.

“Just us.”

I stood and followed Lindsay out the back. There was a large deck and a hot tub.

“It’s cold out here. Is something wrong?” I asked, pulling her close to keep her warm.

“No. I got the feeling you were thinking about Liam."

I nodded. "I wish he could've experienced something like this."

She smiled up at me. “I hate that he didn’t get a chance, but maybe we need to consider that if not for Liam, we wouldn’t be here. The girls wouldn’t be here.”

I hadn’t thought of it like that. If Liam were alive, I wouldn’t have ever told her how I felt and I definitely wouldn’t have slept with her. That meant the girls wouldn’t exist. That thought was unfathomable.

“It’s hard to think that my brother had to die for me to have this—”

“It’s not that—”

I pressed my fingers to her lips. “My point is, a wise person once told me that I had to take the bull by the horns and live my life. I loved Liam. I miss him so much. But I’m going to live, Lindsay. However we got here, I’m going to savor it.”

Her smile was brilliant. It shone brighter than the moon and stars that glittered above us. I reached into my pocket to pull out the ring I’d been carrying around all day.

“You already said yes, and I’m going to hold you to it.” I held it out for her, hoping she liked it.

It didn’t seem possible, but the wattage on her smile increased. “I was wondering when you would give it to me. I was about to tell you that I was going to hold you to it.”

I slid the ring on her finger. We looked at each other. Our grins widened. Together, we said, “Cheers to beers.”

“Thank you, Liam,” I said as I leaned forward and kissed the woman who’d brought love and laughter and three little angels into my life.

EPILOGUE II

Duncan

I sat at the Christmas dinner table, feeling grateful and a little in awe at all the love. Love I hoped to fill my new foster son, Aiden’s, life with. The boy was quiet, and I worried sometimes that he was afraid of me. Many kids were. Even some adults. I couldn’t help that I was 6’ 5” and nearly two hundred and fifty pounds of mostly muscle. Perhaps being bald didn’t help. But deep down, I was a man who made love, not war.

“You know, Brett, it wasn’t that long ago that it was just you, me, and Lindsay at Christmas dinner.”

Brett laughed. “I can’t remember that.”

“That’s because you’re old, Dad,” Lindsay joked.

Brett was my best friend and business partner. More than that, he was like a brother. He’d invited me to Christmas dinner the first year he had custody of Lindsay, and I’d been coming ever since. Five years ago, Brett added a new wife and son. Was it weird that his wife was twenty years younger? A little. It was weirder that she’d been Lindsay’s best friend.

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