Page 238 of Broken Brothers

She laughed, and I laughed. I couldn’t fucking believe I was in Pennsylvania trying to win Layla’s heart!But boy, does it feel right. Does it feel so, so right.

“You’re serious?”

“Hell, I rented a fucking Prius and drove across Pennsylvania to catch up to you!” I said with a laugh. “How much more serious can I be?”

“I don’t know,” she said. Her eyes were watering. “But I know it’s serious enough.”

She collapsed into me, her face into my chest, as she burst into tears of joy. I couldn’t even begin to describe how relieved I felt when that happened; I’m not sure how I could have moved forward if she had rejected me. But now, it seemed like I wouldn’t have to ever worry about that.

“Oh, Chance,” she said. “Yes, I accept you. I’ll be with you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said, squeezing her so tightly she had to tap and ask me to pull back.

I kissed her over and over again, holding her as her tears streamed down her cheeks. It was just so perfect; we’d gonethrough so much hell, so much temptation, that in some ways, I wondered if I even deserved to have her.

But I did have her, and I wasn’t about to question it again.

“I promise to never abandon you,” I said. “I will always be by your side.”

“And I, yours,” she said. “I will never let you go through this life alone.”

I again kissed her, and as I held her close to me, it was like our souls merged across our bodies.

I had the woman of my dreams. I regretted that it took me until now to realize who the actual woman of my dreams was, but I was just grateful to have realized it before it was too late.

I had Layla, and thus I had everything I ever needed. All of the money in the world could never buy what Layla gave me.

Peace, happiness, and love.

EPILOGUE

ONE YEAR LATER

It was a sunny day in our home in Evanston, about an hour north of Chicago, and it was as perfect a day as you could ask for.

The sky was blue, the waters were calm, and inside, my wife—finally, my wife!—Layla sat on the couch while I stood on the balcony, overlooking the great lake.

We had just come back from our honeymoon in Greece. It had come on the heels of what had been the absolute perfect wedding. I had everyone there I had ever loved in my life—my mother, my brother, and my birth mother. Layla had brought her own family members, though she excluded Craig for obvious reasons. Our ceremony was relatively small, but we treated our guests well.

The funny thing about being with Layla, though, was that despite all our combined wealth, I no longer cared about spending money. I was no Edwin Hunt, but I didn’t spend my days thinking about Edwin. I spent my days trying to plan how to best take care of orphans, how to raise awareness, and howto effectively use my money for it. That I had billions of dollars in the bank was a luxury, not something that I felt necessary to broadcast every single day.

And so, that actual wedding had taken place not out in the Hamptons, not somewhere within New York City, not in Chicago, but right near where my birth parents lived, a place where Layla also had relatives. It was quiet, tranquil, and peaceful—just how we liked it now.

I sat drinking a glass of water, peering out in the distance. We really had come a long, long way. We still had our ups and downs, but those ups and downs were resolved in a manner so peaceful I think both of us wondered at first why we had never managed to resolve arguments so peacefully.

Perhaps no matter proved this more than when Sarah came back to New York City. I communicated this to Layla, who not only was understanding, she asked to come. I had to admit, it was a little weird having all three of us hanging out, but everyone got along better than I could have ever anticipated. That, I realized, was the peace I had long sought in my mind with Sarah—not the thrill of sex or the desire of making her the false dream girl, but being someone whom I could be around and whose company I could enjoy without outside circumstances affecting how we interacted.

Today, though, was a great day. It was emblematic of all days, and—

“Oh my God!”

I heard Layla scream with excitement from what sounded like the bathroom. I hurried over, finding her smiling as she stared at…

A pregnancy test.

“Layla…”

She didn’t have to say anything else. I knew already.