Free Meet the Blakes by Rhonda Laurel Page A

haircut, an extra hug, or words of encouragement.
    “Let me get a good look at you.” He stood. “Ty. How does that shirt feel against your skin?”
    “I like this material much better. I don’t feel so itchy.” Tyler looked at himself in the mirror. “Do you think we should have gone with the cutaway coats?”
    “No, I think you made a fine choice,” John Jacob countered. “C.J., does the collar feel good?”
    “Much better. I don’t feel like I’m choking,” Channing replied.
    “Do they have anything sweat proof?” Tyler grumbled. “What if I start sweating buckets?”
    “If you didn’t break a sweat proposing to Michelle, I don’t think you’ll have a problem at the ceremony,” Channing mused.
    “He’s right, Ty. Every man gets nervous the day of the wedding. Just take a deep breath and focus on Michelle.” John Jacob grinned.
    “Can you help me with this tie, Daddy?” Channing held it up.
    “Sure. You know I was so nervous the day of my wedding, Bo had to tie mine for me.” John Jacob worked on the tie.
    “Really? I can’t imagine you anxious about anything, let alone marrying Mama.” Tyler laughed.
    “Giving the appearance of nerves of steel takes years of practice. I was praying she didn’t change her mind and become a runaway bride.”
    “Well, you’ve mastered the nerves of steel, that’s for sure.”
    “I was a wreck on my wedding day, but Bo was my rock. His pep talk before was what calmed me down.”
    Channing smiled. “Bo has always been there for you. Hasn’t he?”
    “Yes, he has.” He’d been particularly important to John Jacob on that day when he’d thought he’d never be good enough for his beautiful bride. Luckily Bo had been there to talk some sense into him.
    John Jacob had yanked the tie from around his neck and had thrown it on the dresser. He’d been trying to tie the thing for twenty minutes and it looked more mangled after each attempt. What was he so nervous about? It was the big day, and all his dreams were about to come true. He was marrying a certain beautiful, fierce redhead that made his heart beat wildly against his rib cage every time she walked into a room. He had a great surprise for her that he was sure she’d love. For months he’d kept silent, though he was bursting to tell her. This present was just the beginning of the life he had planned for them.
    The knock on the bedroom door was the perfect opportunity to give the poor tie a break. “Come in.”
    “How’s it going in here? I can hear you swearing all the way down the hall.” Bo smirked.
    “This is worse than doing a jigsaw puzzle.” John Jacob threw the mangled silk at him.
    “Let me try. They don’t call me Steady Hands Jamison down at the Bright Star for nothing.” Bo went to work on the bow tie.
    John Jacob raised an eyebrow. “I thought there was another reason the ladies called you that?”
    Bo laughed. “Maybe even a few.”
    “So why are you so calm today? I thought you said Bonnie had been giving you long, doe-eyed looks all week.”
    “I had a talk with Teri-Lyn. She made me feel better.”
    “She does have a way about her.”
    “She’s going to make a fine mother someday. She’s loving, kind, and has a way of bringing out the best in people. Look at the miracle she pulled off with you. You were a mess until she took pity on you and decided she loved you.”
    John Jacob scowled at him. “I wouldn’t say a mess, more like a handful.”
    “Well, after today the real adventure begins. It’s been a pleasure running around with you. Gabe would have been so proud of you.” Bo nodded.
    There wasn’t a day that went by when John Jacob didn’t think about his big brother Gabriel. A huge hole had been left in his heart when Gabriel died in combat, and it seemed like it would never be healed. Bo helped him keep it together.
    “Thanks. I never thought I’d be back in Texas for good. What are your plans?”
    Bo shrugged. “I thought I’d stick around for a