Jack was confused. “How old were you?”
“Ten? I don’t know.”
Jack pulled on his white shirt and buttoned it, considering what to say. This was a delicate situation. Riley was clearly in an introspective mood and could tip if Jack didn’t say the right thing. But what was the right thing here? Taking his tie, a slightly darker shade of pink, to the mirror, he stood next to Riley.
“He was an asshole,” Jack finally offered.
Riley smiled at his reflection and concentrated on tying the knot. He frowned as he pulled it straight. “Why pink?” he muttered.
Jack chuckled as he finished knotting his own tie. “All princesses like pink.” Finally the two men stood, ready to go, and Jack inhaled the citrusy scent that he associated with Riley. His husband was gorgeous, clean shaven with his blond hair gelled just so and his beautiful hazel eyes clear and focused. Riley still had dreams about what happened to him, very often they included Jack and the kids, like he couldn’t save them, but they were few and far between now. Maybe this was Riley turning the corner.
“Come on, then,” Riley said with a grin. “Let’s go be princes.”
* * * * *
Riley didn’t know what to expect. He was wearing a pink tie, Hayley was in a pink dress, and Max was wearing a pink T-shirt with a picture of Thomas on the front. This was a serious amount of pale pink. He imagined the kind of dress Eden would wear. It would be classy, of course, but pink? He stood close to Jack as the photographer took shot after shot of him and Jack with the kids, alone, with the family, with Sean. Riley took the opportunity to shake Sean’s hand. He didn’t issue warnings or anything an older brother might typically do in this situation, because let’s face it, they’d done that part already.
Sean looked very handsome, all spit polished, his surfer hair neat and tidy, and the best thing of all? He looked happy.
When Sean left to take his place in the gazebo, ready for the ceremony, it was time for Eden to come down. Riley held his breath, then let it out in one long exhale as she came down the stairs. She looked beautiful. Her long hair was in some kind of twisted up-do, and she had a huge smile. Her dress was white, long, slim, simple, and she held a bouquet of scarlet and pink. Jim stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding out a hand, and when they turned to face everyone, Riley had to hold back his emotion.
He smiled so widely that he wondered if he’d ever be able to stop, and tears pricked his eyes. This was ridiculous. This was perfect, Eden was happy, yet emotions he couldn’t identify were flooding him with a need to sit in a corner and rock. Jack held his hand, gripped it tight, and he was talking, whispering under his breath a whole load of sentences about Eden and Riley and family, and Riley held tight to the words, until, in what was probably only seconds but what felt like hours, he found he could relax.
Eden took Jim’s arm, and together the small group made their way out for the photos. Riley murmured how beautiful she looked, and she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Thank you,” she said. “Is Sean okay?”
Riley nodded, but it was Jack that answered. “He’s so excited he’s gonna pass out.”
Together they moved back into the house. The giant gazebo, four times the size of the one at New Year’s, was festooned with scarlet and pink, and not even the sound of a distant helicopter in the skies above could dent Riley’s sudden uplift in mood.
The ceremony was beautiful. Sean and Eden looked so damn happy, and Riley knew nothing could spoil this day. Even the twins and Max were here with Carol next to them, and Max actually managed to sit through half the ceremony before simply standing up and walking off. Carol followed, and Riley relaxed. Max was fine. The twins were sleeping for most of it and woke just in time for more photos, and Hayley?
Hayley worked the little princess look like she was born to it. In the slim pale pink gown she wore as bridesmaid, she looked halfway between cute and super cute. She had not long turned thirteen, and he and Jack had agreed last night, as completely biased dads, that she would be a heartbreaker in a couple of years.
At that thought, Riley glanced at Logan, who was with his family, looking very grown-up in his suit. With Jack and Josh’s dark hair and blue eyes, he would be a heartbreaker in his own way.
Logan and Hayley? Give it ten years and who knew what would happen.
Epilogue
“Where do you want this, boss?” Liam asked from behind the two boxes he was juggling. Jack leaned back in his chair to see what Liam was asking about, even though he knew it wasn’t really anything to do with him. The label said Stationery. He was just relieved he didn’t have to handle any of the admin side anymore. He wanted to be out there in the fields with the kids and the horses or back with his own horses and the program that was expanding every month.
“In the back room,” Darren said from the floor. He was sitting with another pile of welcome packs that they were distributing to local clubs and schools with kids who might benefit from time with the horses. Darren had been a godsend. On the day the school officially opened, with only two hours before they finally got the all clear from the Department of State Health Services, Darren had been at loose ends and offered to help out. He had never left. As of yesterday, he was officially the part-time business manager, fitting in nicely with his fledgling accounting services. He and Vaughn seemed happy, and it was now Vaughn’s role to manage the project to get the hands a place to sleep.
Only last weekend Riley had suggested constructing some kind of office space for CH Consulting, cutting down on the transit time into the city. Jack’s head was buzzing with all the ideas, and he liked that Darren was so matter-of-fact about everything.
The clock showed it was four, which meant Max was home and it was time for Jack’s favorite part of the day.
“I’m outta here,” he announced and sketched a good-bye with his hand. Liam glanced at him, and Darren nodded. Jack went out to the stables, and Max was there, not with Carol as he’d expected, but with Riley and Hayley.
“Everything okay?”
“Lexie threw a fit, and I used it as an excuse to shut up shop about an hour back, did some math with Hayley.”
“Is Lexie okay?”
“She’s fine now, nothing worse than a sulk. So I told Carol I’d bring Max over and Hayley needed a break.”
Jack hugged Hayley quickly, then pressed a kiss to Riley’s lips before grasping Max’s hand. Together they went to the nearest stable, where Hatty waited patiently. Hayley and Max got Hatty ready while Riley watched them from a stool in a corner. Finally tacked, Max led Hatty out to the training space, and Jack opened the gate into the large area. He released his joint hold of Hatty, and Max, without hesitation, used the steps to mount his pony.” He had taken to sitting in front of Hayley on some of the bigger ponies here as well and he looked like a natural.
Very confidently he settled himself and took the reins from Jack.
“No help,” he said firmly.
This was the hardest part. It used to be that Jack could lead Max around, but their son was very determined and had taken it on himself to work with Hatty one on one. There was no fear there, and Jack had caught Max petting Hatty and telling her something about Thomas. Hatty, to her credit, stood silently and still and even tilted her head in an approximation of listening. Riley joined Jack at the fence, and they watched Max confidently work Hatty in loose circles at a slow pace with Hayley walking next to him.
“He’ll be working up to a trot soon,” Riley said. He sounded as scared as Jack felt about that idea. Quickly Jack pushed the thoughts of imminent danger down. Max was wearing a helmet, and the space was specially surfaced. And Hatty? Well, she was an old pro and took everything so carefully. There was a connection there between horse and boy. They were in synch.