Page 1 of Forgotten Desires

one

BRYNLEE

“Inow pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the reverend says as all the guests erupt in applause. The youngest of my older brothers is now officially married and I can barely contain myself.

Rowan and Charlotte—once his mortal enemy, now his wife—turn to face us, lifting their entwined hands and then heading down the aisle of the beautiful barn with white gossamer lining the rows.

The wedding party follows them. I’m paired up with Micah, Rowan’s very handsome ranch manager, and together we move outside where I hug and kiss my new sister and my brother.

“Congrats, you guys,” I say, feeling so much joy for them that I can barely contain myself.

“Thanks, Brynn. We couldn’t have done this without your help,” Charlotte says with a smile.

I scoff. “It was nothing. I love weddings and we had fun planning.”

Addison, my brother Grady’s fiancée, myself, and Faye, who is Charlotte’s best friend, worked tirelessly to get this wedding planned in a month. Since Asher and Phoebe are getting married next month, they were super preoccupied and couldn’t help much. Not to mention they have a baby and she’s in grad school.

It’s been nonstop with the Whitlock men finding women who were kind enough to take on their ridiculousness. As much as I joke, I love my brothers. They have been more like father figures to me than anything, since I’m so much younger than them.

Asher is the oldest, he’s the one who dropped everything in his life to come move to Sugarloaf after our mom died. He took custody of me, raised me, and has been my rock. “You did good, kid,” Asher says, moving to my side and grinning down at me.

I exhale and smile up at him. “I’m really not a kid anymore.”

“You’ll always be a kid to me.”

I glance over at his fiancée, who is younger than me. “What do you call Phoebe then? Infant?” He grumbles under his breath and I fight back a laugh. “I’m kidding. I’m glad you approve.”

“When have I ever disapproved of you?” he asks.

“When have I ever done anything to make you?”

He grins. “Never.”

And that’s because I’m a genuinely happy person. I love. I laugh. I forgive. I live my life with a cautious but open optimism. Bad things happen to good people and it’s up to each of us how we handle it. Lord knows I’ve had enough bad to last me a lifetime, but I choose not to let it define me.

I thank my brothers for that.

Each of them has shown what strength in the face of turmoil looks like.

“I learned from you fools what not to do,” I tell Asher, and he chuckles.

Where Asher was more of a parent, Grady was already enlisted in the navy, so he couldn’t be here as much, but he was always checking in. He lost his wife almost four years ago and found love again, despite initially refusing to even consider it.

Rowan was the opposite of them. He is my fun brother. The one who snuck me alcohol, took me to parties that I definitely shouldn’t have gone to, and encouraged me to make bad choices whenever I could get away with them.

Lord knows he made enough bad choices.

However, Charlotte was not a bad choice. She was the right one, and they were dealing with so many changes to their businesses, it was just easier to have a quick and small wedding.

“Pelt him in the face,” Grady says as he hands me the bag of birdseed.

“Or not,” I warn. “Because neither of you have good aim and you’ll end up hitting Charlotte.”

Seriously, what is wrong with men?

Grady gives me the stink eye. “You’re no fun.”

I swear, it doesn’t matter how old they are, they’re all still immature.

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