Page 101 of Dare to Dance
“Raven, this is your grandma and grandpa.”
She stuck her finger in her mouth as she appraised the elder Maxwells. “Did you know Kody, Kelton, and my daddy are triplets?” she asked so innocently.
Everyone laughed, even Mr. Davenport, who I’d forgotten was standing next to Kelton.
I blew out a long, much-needed breath as I hooked my arm through Kross’s free one. We were a family, and I was getting married to the man of my dreams.
Epilogue
KROSS
With my handsin my pockets, I stared out over the lake as my stomach swirled with nerves. Wild flowers bloomed, the warm breeze caused the trees around the lake to sing, and the water glistened beneath the May sunshine. Five months had passed since Ruby and I brought Raven home. Since then, life had been a whirlwind of bliss. We settled in as a family with no awkwardness at all, which was surprising to me. Being a daddy came super easy to me for some reason. Before our court hearing, I’d lost countless hours of sleep, worrying if I would know what to do as a father. Surprisingly, I had slipped right into a routine easily, reading bedtime stories, wiping Raven’s nose when she’d gotten a cold, eating cereal with her in the morning, and watching cartoons. The only part of being a father I didn’t like was traveling. Several times in the last three months, I’d had boxing matches that had taken me to Vegas, LA, and Houston. The best part was coming home and walking into the arms of Ruby and Raven.
“Are you ready, Bro?” Kade asked as he sidled up on my right.
“Yeah, man,” Kody said on my left.
“We need to get this show on the road.” Kelton walked up and settled in front of me.
“I should ask if you guys are ready?” All three of them had gotten certified to marry Ruby and me. Ruby and I didn’t want a church wedding. When she’d first gotten a glimpse of the lake, she’d immediately gushed about how the area would be a perfect spot for a wedding. I couldn’t have agreed with her more.
The lake symbolized so much for our family. From the small, carved-out area across the lake, which honored my late sister, to parties, bonfires, the boathouse turned man-cave, turned funhouse, then back into Kody’s apartment, and finally to a place that brought our family together.
Kelton whipped out a small piece of paper from his black pants. The attire for the wedding was simple—no tuxedos or elegant dresses. For the men, black pants and a white button-down shirt. The women had decided on sundresses, although I had no idea what Ruby would be wearing. She’d mentioned that she didn’t want an elaborate wedding dress, but she did want something pretty.
“You didn’t memorize your lines?” I asked Kelton with a smirk.
“I did, but I just thought of something I wanted to add,” he said.
After our vows, we’d planned on a small dinner with everyone, then Ruby and I were off to spend two weeks in Turks and Caicos. I couldn’t wait to get her all to myself for two long weeks. Alone time with her was hard to come by with our schedules. But living in the same building as Kelton, Kade, and Lizzie meant that we practically had live-in babysitters. Lizzie always jumped at the chance to take Raven for the night.
I tossed a look over my shoulder. “Is Dillon here yet?” Since my brothers were marrying us, I’d asked Dillon to be my best man. Just as I was turning my head back, Dillon appeared from around the garage, decked out in the same style of clothes as the rest of us.
His hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and for once, he’d shaven the scruff from his jaw. He smiled as he came over to join us. “Man, wait until you see your bride. You’re one lucky bastard.”
Mom, Lacey, Lizzie, and Norma had kicked me out of the house, which was cool with me. I’d wanted some alone time anyway, mainly to quell the butterflies I had. Regardless, when Dillon said “bride,” those butterflies fluttered wildly inside of me.
Voices peppered the air as Lizzie, Lacey, and Norma made their way down to the lake. The ladies were dressed in sleeveless yellow sundresses. Yellow was Raven’s favorite color. I smirked when my gaze landed on their feet. They were all wearing flip-flops.
“Do you like our shoes?” Norma asked as her shoulder-length blond hair blew in the breeze. In the last five months, she’d grown out her pixie style and had gained about ten pounds, making her look curvier and healthier.
All of us men laughed.
Lizzie lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek before she pinned me with her gray eyes. “Make sure you don’t drool.”
I pinched my eyebrows together.
“Don’t listen to her,” Lacey said. “Your mouth better be hanging open when you see your bride.” She giggled, her green eyes sparkling in the afternoon sun. “I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for you. I always thought Kade and I would be the first ones to tie the knot, but I’m glad we’re not.”
Kade reached out to grab her hand.
I swung my gaze from Kade to Lacey. “Why is that?”
“Too much pressure,” Kade and Lacey said in unison then laughed.
“Bro,” Kade said. “I’ve been the older brother with the spotlight seemingly on me to do everything first. Marriage, grandbabies, blah, blah, blah. But with Raven, and now your nuptials, Lacey and I can breathe. We are so fucking happy for you.”
“You know that won’t last long,” Kody piped in. “Mom will be asking when you two will be tying the knot. Or even Kelton and Lizzie.”
