“Sounds just like Kyra,” I said.
“Look, I know this plan’s been hard on you but I wanted to let you know that I got the deal closed.”
“Wait, you did?” I asked.
“Yep. Just got off the phone with Melinda. Harper did his job, you did yours, and I was able to wrap things up.”
“So, this is happening,” I said as I stood.
“It appears so.”
The two of us stared at one another for quite some time before Rowan broke the silence.
“I miss them, too,” he said.
“Why don’t we ever talk about it?” I asked.
“Because it’s too painful, I guess.”
“Do you think Mom and Dad would’ve approved?” I asked.
“I think the bigger question is, will Mark approve?”
I chuckled and shook my head before I drew in a deep breath through my nose.
“You think Kyra will go for it?” I asked.
“I honestly don’t know. She seems to be in high spirits. She’s getting ready to head back to the hospital now. I wanted to come tell you the news, then tell you to get cleaned up. She’ll probably be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
“One thing you can’t accuse her of is being high maintenance,” I said.
“Trust me, it’s a blessing in disguise,” Rowan said.
“That a reference to Melinda?” I asked, chuckling.
“Sure. That’s what we’ll go with.”
I wrapped my arms around my brother and clapped him on the back. This was it. The moment was almost here. All we had to do was ask for Mark’s permission and then we could introduce Kyra to our idea.
Our massive Christmas idea.
“Merry Christmas, brother,” I said.
“Merry Christmas, Owen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - ROWAN
I actually couldn’t believe we did it. Chance and Ethan were both taking Kyra back to the hospital while the rest of us were putting the finishing touches on everything. Melinda called to confirm that everything had gone through and I was able to get on the computer and electronically sign everything. All of us were high-fiving one another and hugging each other and it was then I realized something.
We still had a few hours before we presented this to Kyra.
“You guys,” I said. “I have an idea.”
“Fuck, Rowan, don’t you think we’ve pulled off enough ideas?” Owen asked.
“Let the man speak,” Harper said. “What is it?”
“Well, Chance and Ethan are taking Kyra to the hospital, so they’ll be a while. Why don’t we put a few finishing touches on the gift? You know, to make it special?”