Brothers in Blue A Bryson Family Christmas - Jeanne St. James Page 0,71
that mattered.
Family.
Not money, not material things.
Family.
He couldn’t have a better one. He couldn’t have one more accepting than they were. None more loving or supportive.
And because of that, he was the richest man in the world.
Epilogue
Ron & Mary Ann
Mary Ann shuffled into the living room, wearing the new housecoat and slippers some of the grandchildren bought her for Christmas and carrying two mugs of chamomile tea. Her husband sat by the fire in his recliner, wearing new plaid pajama bottoms and a worn snug white T-shirt that showed off how fit he still was, even after all these years.
“Are the kids asleep?” she asked.
Hannah, Oliver and Greg were the only ones staying overnight, since Max and Amanda were leaving in the morning for their second honeymoon in Fiji. They decided it was easier to just let the kids stay tonight instead of dragging them back over in the early hours of the morning.
The house would be full for the next couple of weeks. Especially once Jet moved in. Mary Ann looked forward to having another woman in the house, even if it was only temporary.
“Totally wiped out. All sawing logs right now.”
“So is Chaos.” She glanced at the Border Collie stretched out in front of the low burning fire, his feet twitching with doggy dreams. The puppy, Havoc, was crashed in a crate in the corner.
These kids with their crazy dog names... She swore they did it just to give her heartburn.
She studied her husband as she approached him. Even in his sixties, the man was still something to look at. The best decision she ever made in her life was saying yes when Ron bugged her to go on a date all those years ago. She eventually agreed when he played her heartstrings by saying he was a Marine about to be shipped out. She didn’t think their couple of dates would go anywhere, but they sure ended up going somewhere.
Three sons, three daughters-in-law, Greg, and Teddy. And the grandchildren she always wanted once her sons had become responsible adults. A full life created with a loving, loyal husband who was completely dedicated to her and his family.
She couldn’t ask for more.
She held out one of the mugs, but he shook his head and said, “Put it down for a minute.”
“It’ll get cold.”
“You don’t need tea to keep you warm. Put it down.”
“Is my husband making demands?” she asked with a slight smile and a raised eyebrow.
“Tonight he is.”
The second she set down the mugs, Ron grabbed her arm, ordered, “C’mere, woman,” in a sexy growl and pulled her sideways into his lap.
She bit back her squeal as to not wake the kids or the puppy. “Ron, I’ll crush you.”
“No, you won’t. I’m tougher than that.”
She patted his chest. “You are a tough old bird.” She snaked an arm around his neck, pressing a kiss to his rough cheek, which now sported a shadow of stubble. Being a retired cop and Marine, her husband usually kept himself clean-shaven, but when he let his beard grow for a day or two, she had a hard time letting him out of bed.
Not that it was a struggle to keep him there. Ron had always been a passionate man and he passed that on to his sons. His sexual prowess, among other things, helped keep their marriage strong all these years.
However, they kept that fact from their children, since the boys didn’t like the truth about how they ended up on this Earth. They preferred to believe they were delivered by a stork.
She sighed softly as Ron dropped his head, a gleam in his crystal blue eyes, and brushed his lips against hers. He deepened the kiss and soon Mary Ann knew exactly what his growing intentions were.
“We have children in the house,” she breathed against his lips.
“And we perfected the art of being very quiet when the boys lived here.”
“Leah, too.”
He chuckled. “Yes, when Leah lived here, too. Marc’s head would probably spin right off his neck if he knew his parents were getting it on only two doors down from his future wife.”
She huffed. “Like the boys never had sex in this house. Or the barn.”
“Or boned in the Boneyard Bakery. I caught Marc and Leah in there once.”
Mary Ann grinned. “Hannah might have been conceived in there, too.” She pressed a hand to his chest. “What a perfect day. I thought my heart would burst being surrounded by the family we created and seeing how much they love each