Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,87

family together. You three are the glue, and we are grateful for you.”

Joseph felt a stinging in his eyes as he looked at what a fine man his son had turned into. He was too choked up to say anything. There was always a first for everything. “I love you guys,” Lucas finished before he left.

“Yes, Joseph, we are truly blessed,” George said with a sigh.

“More than words could ever express,” Joseph said.

They sat back and looked over the room, truly happier than anyone had a right to be. And it would just continue to get better and better over time. Joseph had no doubt about that. He loved big, and that love showed in each one of his family members.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Brandon looked around the crowded Anderson dinner table. The noise level was enough to wake up a city block. But that wasn’t all he noticed. No. What he saw were smiles and laughter, people eating and visiting and celebrating Christmas with those they loved. It went beyond love, though.

Some would say love was almost mandatory. When you heard of a child saying they didn’t love their parent or a parent not loving their child, you wondered what was wrong with them. But it went beyond even that. When children were very little and you said you were going to Nana and Papa’s house, their faces would light up, and they would grab their coats and boots.

At what age did that change? At what age did they groan, saying they wanted to go hang out with their friends? Family stopped having as much meaning in this new world of technology. You were able to make your own family with anyone you pleased.

So to truly love your family and your friends was a gift. To forgive when needed and to be there for those in your life who needed you was something not as many people were willing to do now that civilization was more dependent on technology than on each other.

But it wasn’t the case for the Andersons. Sure, technology had made their lives much easier. But as Brandon looked at this table filled with family he hadn’t known he’d had a few years ago, he realized that even if they were sent back into the Dark Ages, they would stay together. And it wouldn’t be out of obligation. It truly would be done with love.

“It’s hard to imagine this is all real, isn’t it?” Katherine said.

Brandon was pulled from his trance as he looked at this regal woman who was the real head of the house in the Anderson empire. Sure, Joseph was loud, and he was the business mogul, but Katherine was the true heart of the family.

“Yes, it’s still a bit overwhelming for me at times,” Brandon admitted.

Just then Chloe laughed, her voice carrying to him as she leaned against Sarah, the two of them beaming as they animatedly spoke of something. Brooke pushed Finn aside as she moved closer, not wanting to miss out on whatever her two best friends were discussing.

“I agree. My family has grown more and more each year. First my children married and gave Joseph and I grandchildren, and then my nieces and nephews have married. And as if we didn’t have enough blessings, we discovered Joseph had a triplet stolen at birth who we’ve gotten to know and love, and then you and your brothers have been brought to us. I can’t imagine asking for more. The holidays are a great time to celebrate how much we’ve been given.”

“Do you ever blame my mother for not coming sooner?” Brandon asked.

Katherine reached out and patted his arm. “Your mother was placed in impossible circumstances. As I see the incredible boys she raised, all I feel for her is respect. I wish I could’ve gotten to know her before she was taken from us too soon, but I would never blame her. She did the best she could with what she was given.”

“I can’t believe she was able to be with my father as long as she was, but I’m grateful she did it, because I can’t imagine even one of my brothers not being here. The powers that be say there’s always a reason for everything, and I guess even in great suffering, beautiful results can be found.”

“That’s very true, Brandon. There are sometimes great gifts beneath the rubble. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what your mother went through, and I wish she could’ve come to us when you were