Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Echo whispers at the room in general.
Ransom and Ayana turn the laptop with the video chat, and Azalea and Alden wave from the screen. Maya giggles on Lennox’s knee since he’s doing his duty as an uncle and entertaining her at the moment, and Cass giggles right back, charmed as ever by her adorable niece. Atlas and Victoria grasp each other’s hands, and my brother looks in my direction with what I think is supposed to be a look of encouragement but just ends up looking like hopeful lovesickness. I probably look the same way even though I never thought I’d have that dopey expression on my face. Ever.
Ginger rushes forward and wraps her arms around Echo, and when she steps back, Granny takes a turn.
“I’m sorry,” Echo says without preamble when the hugs are done. Her voice is so rough and filled with such raw honesty that it tugs at my heart painfully. “I made the wrong choice.”
“Choosing to give family a chance is never the wrong choice,” Granny says sympathetically.
I can almost feel the love in the room surrounding us. It’s almost like a palpable thing, such that I can probably hold out my hands, let it pour into them, and hang onto it forever. The love of Granny, my brothers, the women they’ve found to share their lives, and Ginger, another grandmother we never expected and are so, so lucky to have found. We’re a family. We’re a family of our own choosing—and also legally, yes, on Granny’s end because she did legally adopt all of us boys—but we chose to stay as a family. We chose to stick together. Our bonds have been forged through the fires of our past and smelted over the years we’ve supported each other, each one of us moving forward from our own pain and destruction to become transformed together into something beautiful.
Out of all of us, Ginger probably knows Echo best, and when she speaks up, it makes my eyes feel hot and wet. “You didn’t make the wrong choice other than not giving elastic pants a try yet. I keep telling you that they’re much more comfortable than any pair of jeans.” Ginger snaps the waistband of her bright cherry-red pants, and the seriousness and heaviness and maybe even some of the tension in the room dispel as we all laugh.
Even Echo breaks into a watery grin. “If you can convince the guys to wear them, then I’m in.”
“Be careful what you wish for. Just yesterday, I signed up to join the elastic plants club,” Atlas informs her. “You get one pair a month for the rest of the year, each in a different color and pattern. I ordered Orion a few pairs as well. Hot pink, lemon yellow, and pickle green. I think he’ll look adorable in them.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” I groan.
“If he were serious, that would be awesome,” Lennox says. He wraps his hands around Cass’ waist and tickles her as she’s obviously about to refute that statement. She giggles and squirms on the couch next to him.
“Lennox!” she shrieks. “You’re horrible! Stop that! Ahhhh!”
Atlas shakes his head at the two of them, then turns back to Ginger and shrugs. Victoria laughs as she elbows him in the ribs. “I don’t know. I think it’s kind of hot. The pants, I mean. I would love to have a pair of orange ones with yellow flowers.”
“Can I get a bright green one with red plaid teddy bears?” Ransom asks. “And a pair of bright red suspenders?”
“Oohhhh, that’s naughty. You should save the dirty talk for later, babe. Not in front of your family,” Ayana quips.
Lennox pretends to gag. “I think I just threw up a whole lot in my mouth.”
Echo clasps her hands together and looks around the room at each one of us. As her gaze lingers on my brothers and their amazing women like an unspoken apology and a thank you all wrapped up in one, my own eyeballs keep up with the stinging.
“You waited here for me,” she says hoarsely. “You waited to make sure I was okay.” She’s talking to everyone, but it feels like she’s just speaking to me.
“We had some business,” Granny says. “Family business.”
“Which meant you waited,” Echo insists.
Granny shrugs. “Maybe we waited.”
Echo raises her hands and presses them to her eyes for a second, getting herself under control. I have the urge to do the same thing as hot pressure rises there. My nose feels like it’s been jammed full of salty water, and the lump in my throat is now the size of a small house. My heart, though? It’s even bigger. It’s swelling up, likely to dangerous proportions. I had no idea that getting close to someone would feel like this. That it would hurt so much and feel so good at the same time.