“Did you lose again,” Joseph turned his attention towards Alex.
“Ah Dad, you know they cheated because I’m the only one who can cook worth a lick,” Alex said.
They had a laugh and walked comfortably up towards the house. They could hear people laughing and talking, even from the barn. Mark loved having his family and friends at the ranch. He was a lucky man. There was no need for a woman in his life, he thought. He was surprised by the slight pang that struck his gut. He decided to push it right out of his mind.
“So Mark, when are you gonna settle down like your brothers and give your poor mama some grandbabies. You know she’s not getting any younger and she cries at night from the heartbreak of a son intent on living alone,” Joseph said.
Mark sighed before he spoke. “You know none of that’s true, Dad. You’re the one who wants all those grandbabies running around. I think Lucas and Alex are doing just fine at giving you a bunch of little Andersons,” he said. “And if Mom heard you say she was old, you’d be in for a world of hurt,” he added with a wicked grin.
“Now don’t talk back boy. Of course it’s your mama who’s worried about you,” he repeated. “And if you dare tell your mom what I said, you’ll be the one in a world of hurt,” he threatened.
“Ok Dad, you can let her know I’m staying a confirmed bachelor. There are far too many hearts that would be broken if I decided to tie the knot. I don’t want to be responsible for all that heartbreak,” he said with a chuckle.
“You know he’ll fall just like we did,” Lucas added his two cents.
“You stay out of this Lucas,” Mark said with a bit of a grumble.
“Don’t worry about it bro, married life isn’t all that bad and its way cool to be a father. Speaking of fatherhood, where’s my boy?” Alex asked his dad.
“He was playing with his cousin when I headed down here,” Joseph smiled fondly, while speaking about his grandkids.
Alex and Lucas both picked up their pace so they could see their kids. Mark shook his head, thinking his brothers had it bad. At least he liked their wives and those kids were pretty dang adorable.
Jessica stalled at the sight of Alex walking around the corner of the house. The man was stunning every day but in skin tight wranglers, boots and a worn hat he was the sexiest thing she’d every laid eyes on.
As if Alex felt her eyes on him, he looked up and they stared across the yard at each other. She forgot there was anyone else even there as he neared her. He smelled like a hard working man and she was practically drooling.
Without saying a word, he pulled her into his arms and crushed her lips to his. Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him even closer. Her heart was racing and fireworks were shooting off, all over her body. His hands started rubbing up and down her back and she was ready to start taking off his clothes.
“Uh um, Alex those steaks should get started,” Mark interrupted them.
Jessica jumped back like lightening had just struck them both. She’d been so focused on Alex she’d forgotten anyone else was there. She could feel her face turning many dark shades of red.
Alex looked at Mark and growled. Jessica did a double take at her husband. She couldn’t believe he’d actually growled. Her mouth was gaping open in shock.
Mark laughed and pulled Alex away. “Come on bro, you have all night to be with your beautiful bride,” he said. Mark turned and gave Jessica a wink, which made her blush even more.
“Woo girl, that was enough steam I’m surprised my water didn’t burst right then.” Amy was laughing as she walked up to Jessica.
Unbelievably Jessica’s blush deepened even more. “I’m a bit mortified right now,” she managed to say.
“Don’t ever be embarrassed for desiring your husband. He’s a sexy, vibrant man and you guys are newlyweds. I can’t wait for this beautiful baby to make his entrance into the world so I can rub up against my husband again. Right now he has to try and make his way around my whale like body,” she smiled sheepishly.
“You’re the most beautiful pregnant woman I’ve ever been around,” Jessica said, meaning what she spoke.
“Thank you but I feel like I not only swallowed one watermelon but about ten of them.” She spoke the words, while rubbing her stomach. There was real pride in her eyes and voice. She may have been complaining about her baby bump but she obviously already loved her unborn child.
“I know I did a lot of moaning and groaning in the last month of my pregnancy but all the bloating and aching was well worth it when I held my baby boy in my arms. I don’t get to hold him much when this family is around though. He’s definitely a celebrity here,” she finished with a smile.
“It’s the same way with Jasmine. They adore her. I love how much this family values each of their own. I also love how much they love the adopted family members like you and I. Once you’re a part of this family, it’s for life,” Amy added with a smile.
“I’m so nervous around everyone though,” Jessica admitted. “You and Lucas obviously love each other with such a deep passion. Alex was forced to marry me because of Jacob,” she said with a sad quiver at those last words.
Amy immediately wrapped an arm around Jessica. “I love Lucas heart and soul but trust me when I say it didn’t start out strong. We seemed to have an instant dislike for each other. I wasn’t willing to marry him. I felt how you do. I felt like I was trapping him. I’d wanted a baby so badly for so long and I’d wanted to belong to a real family and I felt like I’d somehow made the pregnancy happen. We were both fighting our attraction like crazy. I thought I wasn’t good enough for him.” She said with tears in her eyes.
“I was so, so very wrong. I want to really emphasize that point to you. We fought our attraction, which was stupid, because I see that now as wasted time. We love each other and it only grows stronger. This family loves me and my daughter with a passion as well. They love you too and so do I. You will one day wake up and wonder what took you so long to see how much you’re meant to be together,” she finished.
The two women finished by giving each other a hug, even though it was a little bit difficult with Amy’s belly protruding between the two of them. Amy giggled, “See I told you this thing is always in the way.”
“Well, I repeat you’re absolutely beautiful,” Jessica said.
“There’s my pregnant wife. How are you feeling? Shouldn’t you be sitting down? Can I get you anything?” Lucas walked up, fired a bunch of questions at his wife and then placed his arm around her like he was going to pick her up and carry her off to bed.
Amy laughed at her worried husband and reached up to place her hand on his face. It was such an intimate moment Jessica felt like an intruder.
“I’m fine, hunny. You need to quit worrying so much. I told you if there was anything at all wrong, you’d be the first to know,” she reassured him. Lucas then bent down and kissed Amy with such a tender passion, it brought tears to Jessica’s eyes. She wanted that same love with Alex. She knew her heart was going to get broken into a million pieces because she fell for him more each day.
They finally broke apart and now Amy’s face was the one flushed instead of Jessica’s. “Now you go and help your brother cook while I waddle over to that comfy lounge chair and continue chatting with my favorite sister-in-law. No wait, scratch that, just my sister,” she finished smiling fondly at Jessica.
The words choked Jessica up even more. She was grateful she’d decided to put her worries aside and join the family gathering. Her son was getting all kinds of love and she knew she and Amy were going to be true friends. She needed one in her life.
“I would listen to her Lucas; pregnant women tend to change moods faster than a speeding bullet.” Both girls giggled and then Amy took Jessica’s arm and they walked towards the lounge chairs and warm fire.
“But Alex lost fair and square, which means I can hang with you,” Lucas said, sounding like a little boy. Amy gave him a look and he conceded defeat.
Lucas walked up to his brother, offering his help. “Ha, looks like you were annoying your wife as much as you were annoying us today with all your worrying,” Alex goaded him.
“I wasn’t annoying her, she was just having girl talk with your wife about you,” Lucas said with a wicked smile.
Alex’s head whipped around, as his confident smirk fell. “What were they saying?” he asked.
“You know, its girl talk. No boys allowed in that conversation,” he said, liking having the upper hand again. His smirk faded though as he sought out his wife. He wanted to take her home and keep her safe. He was worried with all the walking she was doing. He wouldn’t survive it if something happened to her or the baby.
“Yeah kinda sucks being over here huh?” Alex mocked him good naturedly as he noticed his brother staring at his wife.
“I love her so much Alex. I really can’t remember life without her,” he said with real passion. “I know you love Jessica and I know you’re confused right now and I know things aren’t perfect but they didn’t start perfect for us either. I promise you it will get better,” he finished with sincerity.
“It’s all good. Why don’t you quit talking like a girl and help me grill,” Alex said, changing the subject.
“Okay, I don’t want you running to Amy and telling her you did all the work. Then I’ll get in trouble,” he said as he grabbed some tongs and started flipping the juicy steaks over. The smell reminded him he hadn’t eaten in hours and he’d worked his butt off all day. “Let’s get this done before I die of hunger. Man, Mark worked us hard today.”
“No kidding. I think little brother was trying to kill us,” Alex laughed.
“Did I just hear you tough boys whining?” Mark suddenly popped through the doorway.
“Not whining Mark, just discussing how sore I’m going to be tomorrow,” Alex said with a chuckle. “I guess I should try and get out here a little more often. I’m getting a little too used to that desk,” He finished.
“Hey, speak for yourself. I chase around an almost two year old daily. Let me tell you it’s a workout that rivals rustling up cows.” Lucas immediately looked around until he spotted his daughter. She was, of course, being coddled by her grandfather.
“Notice how Dad’s always telling us we need to give Mom grandkids but he’s the one who’s hogging them,” Lucas said.
“I know. Dad’s all bark and no bite. We all know he wants those grandkids for himself but man, have you noticed how good he looks. I’m really glad he has those two babies in his life. It’s brought a whole new youthfulness to his entire appearance,” Alex said.
Mark stood beside his brothers feeling a bit left out. He hadn’t felt that way since they were all young kids and they would sometimes run off ahead of him. He’d been too young to keep up but they’d eventually always come back for him.