Forever (Always & Forever 2)

“Oh, Robert, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy.” Autumn’s voice trembled, making him concentrate to hear her words. “I knew it was going to happen. I knew it. Our fathers weren’t going to let you go without children.”

“I feel like they had a hand in this too.” Robert fought to stop crying, turning away from Landon as he wiped at his eyes. They stood in front of a little romantic restaurant in Italy, fresh flowers decorating the entrance on a quaint narrow street. This wasn’t the time or place for Robert to give in to his unexpectedly scattered feelings.

“Remember the story of when they found out there were two of us. Daddy said you were protecting me. That’s why you hid me for so long—you were protecting me from the world. It’s the way I’ve always felt about you. You were my protector. You always looked out for all of us. When Daddy was lonely in DC, when we first moved there, you cooked with him. When Dad was stressed out and couldn’t sleep, you’d take his calls and stay up all night, talking with him. You take care of everyone around you, even when we make it impossible for you to. You deserve to be happy, and I’m so glad you’ve found it. You’re going to be an excellent father, and I know Dad and Daddy are celebrating this moment with you just like I am. I love you, brother.”

Robert’s happiness outweighed his struggle for composure as a rush of tears slid down his cheeks to drop to the cobblestones at his feet. The wind picked up, the breeze sliding through his hair and over his skin as if someone tried to comfort him. He had tried to be everything he could for the people around him. He recognized he’d had more failures than successes, but he had tried to help any way possible.

His heart burst with joy, opening the floodgates of love and wonderment for his beautiful life. Yes, Robert knew with certainty his fathers were there with him tonight. They had to be. Robert looked around the street, hoping to see a feather.

Landon’s strong hand gripped his shoulder. “Mom wants to talk to you.” When he turned to Landon, his husband’s look of happiness morphed into one of grave concern. “What is it?”

“It’s Autumn.” Robert refocused on the call with Autumn, holding Landon’s worried stare. “I love you, sis. Here’s Landon.” They exchanged phones but stayed within a foot of each other, hovering close. Landon’s expressive face seemed focused on trying to understand what had happened to cause all his tears.

Robert had to focus and spoke quietly to all of Landon’s family, accepting their congratulations. They were loving and kind like they had always been, making him marvel at the size and scope of the people who loved him and the ones he loved in return. When both calls ended, Landon traded their phones back, still cautiously taking in everything about him.

“Baby, what happened?” Landon didn’t try to crowd him like he normally did when he tried to fix whatever problem Robert had. Instead, Landon gave him room, which spoke to the level of concern Landon must have.

“I don’t know. I got really happy.” Tears filled his eyes again. He had no control over them. They were tied to the overload of emotions charging through his system. Landon stepped forward, wrapping him in his arms, squeezing tightly. “I love the life we have. I guess I wouldn’t let my hopes run wild. It’s probably why I created such an unhealthy workload to keep me from overthinking and connecting…”

“I saw it. I tried to figure it out. You’re always so certain, driving us forward. I couldn’t understand.” The rawness of the moment and of their confessions eased when Landon squeezed him tighter, and thankfully, allowed those explanations to be enough. Robert probably needed some sort of therapy or maybe he just needed to allow himself to breathe every once in a while. Let fate handle the rest.

Instead of saying any of that, he chose to stick with his happiness. “We’re having a baby.”

“I have a feeling it’s twins,” Landon whispered against his ear.

“It’s my feeling too.” He smiled at Landon’s words but didn’t allow himself to go there—having two babies with Landon might just cause his heart to cease beating right there on the spot.

“Thank you, Robert. I’m the happiest man alive. I’ve loved this trip.” The loved part had him knowing exactly where Landon was headed next, and for some reason, Robert wholeheartedly agreed. “But I think we need to go home. I feel like we should be there right now and come back here during a summer vacation with our children.” Landon pushed back as far as Robert would let him to look him in the face. “I don’t like seeing you cry.”