Page 68 of Family Forever
Deciding to let Aric think for a moment, Dylan swung his gaze to Nate and Braden. Perhaps one of them were ready to speak. "What do you think, Nate?"
"I think you should, I like her." He shot Braden a quick look and then zoned back in on him. "And Braden isn't as mean to me when Marissa's here."
Braden's mouth flew open, but he clamped it shut before any words escaped. Perhaps it was Cole's quick squeeze to the boy's shoulder that let him know now wasn’t the time. Braden's gaze landed on the floor. Dylan assumed a couple different emotions were passing through Braden at present. First and foremost, how to deal with his crush on Marissa and the fact his older brother was the one who may swoop in and steal her. Dylan did feel bad about that, and he hoped his brother would come to understand.
"Do you need a minute yet, Braden, or are you ready to let me know what you think?" Dylan worked to keep his voice soft and compassionate.
Braden looked up. "I like her too, and I think you should." His eyes were as serious as his tone, and unfortunately, both held a tinge of sadness.
"I think it's an awesome idea, she really knows how to cook now, not like when she first moved in," Aric said with a grin.
Even though he knew his brother was kidding, he cocked his head to the side and flashed him a scowl to remind him of the seriousness of the matter.
Aric's cocky smile softened and he nodded. "I'm on board. I think she's great.”
Dylan glanced at Cole.
Cole grinned. "Do you really need me to answer that after all that's gone on the past couple of months?"
"I do. I would like the rest of the family to know what you think. It's important they hear you say it."
"You should ask Marissa to marry you. She's been a godsend to this entire family, you in particular." Cole's grin turned sly. "And if you don't, I'm going to."
"Hey, get in line," Braden blurted with a smile.
"I am, pal, I'm second. Don't make me wrestle you for it because I will."
They all shared a laugh.
Luke slid off the bed and walked toward him.
Dylan leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his thighs. "What do you think, buddy?"
His brother's big brown gaze met his from only inches away.
"So, Marissa will be my mom?"
Tears instantly flooded Dylan's eyes. There had been a few times in the past when Luke made reference to him being his dad but Dylan always made light of it, not really correcting him, because he wasn't fully sure how to respond or react. On one hand, it broke his heart that Luke had to resort to him for that figure, rather than their real dad, but on the other hand, the boy's sincerity gave him a feeling of complete satisfaction. Now again, here he sat, not quite sure what to say.
He pulled Luke onto his lap and hugged him.
There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Every one of them still mourned their parents. Dylan remembered the horrific call informing him of his parent's death as if it happened a minute ago. He imagined his brothers did as well, especially the older ones.
"When are you going to ask her?" Cole asked.
"Right now."
"Right now," Cole repeated. "Don't you need a ring?"
"I have one … that is if you guys approve."
Cole pulled a frown. "I'm confused, didn't we all just give our blessings?"
"Yeah, but not about this," he replied as he yanked open the top desk drawer.
Panic ripped through him at the sight of the empty spot where the little blue velvet bag containing his parent's wedding bands and his mom's engagement ring had once been. He pulled the other items out of the drawer, tossing them on the desktop. He'd removed less than half the items before Cole dangled the bag in front of his face.
"Looking for this?"
