A Wife For My Brother

CHAPTER 2 Ice Face

　　Daniel Crusher had been a widower for five years. His wife had died of a heart condition shortly after giving birth to their young son. She left him alone with three children and a deep sadness in a house that suddenly became very big.

　　He had no intention of remarrying, although he was one of the most coveted bachelors and was known to have had some fleeting relationships. He could raise his children alone, or at least he thought so.

　　And suddenly his younger brother arrived to put him between a rock and a hard place with a totally unthinkable proposal. When he found out why, he exploded in fury.

　　"How can you be so irresponsible?!"

　　But Daniel could not abandon his brother and Laura to their fate. Much less abandon the little one who was on the way. Inside the ice shell that he had created, there was still a man with a warm heart.

　　"Who is she?" he had asked him.

　　And he raised his voice again when Harry told him about Deanna.

　　"But if she goes to college with you, that means... she is your age?"

　　"Yes, she is 25, like Laura and I."

　　"Harry, are you insane? I am fifteen years older than her."

　　"She is the only one who can accept this, Daniel, I do not know anyone else who would agree to do it."

　　Not only did he have to marry a woman he did not know, but she was fifteen years younger than him. A university student he had never seen in his life before. This was going to be a disaster.

　　"Mom is going to have a heart attack, you know that."

　　"You can handle her, you have always imposed yourself when you want something, even if our parents object."

　　"This is different, Harry. Do you think they would accept me suddenly marrying a younger woman, whom no one knows and who studies with you?"

　　"At least you can tell them that I introduced you."

　　Daniel would not have too many problems imposing his will, but the story had to be believable. She was a very young woman for him, and that was not his style. Truly, his brother was putting him in a difficult position; there were too many things to justify.

　　He had only dated two women officially in all these years, and only at his mother's insistence, who wanted his grandchildren to have a maternal figure. One of them had not had problems with him having three children, but Daniel did not like her. He did not like the other one either, but she made it easy for him because she had no intention of becoming anyone's mother. The rest of the few women were occasional or fleeting things without relevance.

　　"I have to meet her at least. Have you talked to her yet?"

　　"Not yet, I will do it this afternoon. I am sure she will help us. Thank you, brother, thank you."

　　"You better become an exemplary father and start settling down."

　　"Of course I will, Laura and our baby only deserve the best."

　　"I am glad to hear that."

　　For him and his late wife, things had been very different. Although they got married while still young, like Harry and Laura, Daniel had already finished studying and started working in the family business.

　　He was, since childhood, very responsible and diligent. While other children his age practiced some sport or played, he learned languages. While his classmates traveled around the world, he took math and statistics classes. He had a very strong discipline for someone so young.

　　He always behaved like a gentleman. He was austere and reserved, and he followed family mandates to the letter. Thanks to that, his parents rarely forbade him anything, and he was able to marry his teenage sweetheart at a young age.

　　They were a happy family. His wife balanced Daniel's somewhat cold and strict character. They harmonized perfectly; they were an adorable couple. Then the children arrived, and with them, more happiness. That is why, when Emily died, his whole world fell apart.

　　Daniel had no choice but to devote himself to his three children and his job. He could not fall apart. He was now the only pillar left standing.

　　His sister helped him with the children the first year, but, as in everything in his life, Daniel proved capable of being a good single father. Perhaps a little strict and inflexible in some respects, but very loving.

　　"As soon as I talk to Deanna, I will let you know."

　　"Why are you so sure she will accept?"

　　"Because she is Deanna."

　　"And what does that mean?"

　　"That is just the way she is, she does not hesitate to give you support or be there when you need her. She is a great friend."

　　"I see..."

　　"Just... do you think you could be less like yourself?"

　　"What are you talking about?"

　　"You know, less... cold and serious. She is a great woman, Daniel, but you will scare her away with your expressions."

　　"That is ridiculous, Harry."

　　In reality, he was quite the gentleman, but he had a predisposition to be a bit... rude sometimes, without realizing it. It was simply his way of being. He had been given a nickname that no one dared to say in his presence: "Ice Face Crusher." And he had a reputation in the business world for being ruthless and upright. He was always serious, rarely smiled, and tended to say what he thought without caring if he would be disliked or not.

　　This had to work no matter what; they were running out of time. Harry arranged a meeting for the four of them in his apartment to finalize the details and invent a plausible story. Now that his friend was also on board, if he crossed his fingers and had a lot of faith, they would still have a chance.

　　"Does she know about the children?"

　　"Yes, I mentioned them to her more than once... I think. Anyway, she will not have problems because of that."

　　"We will have to set rules regarding the children as well."

　　None of them had any idea of everything that their little "play" would entail or how it would affect the lives of the "Mighty Dean" and "Ice Face." But the wheels were already in motion. The most complicated thing would be to get both sets of parents to accept the new daughter-in-law without many questions.

　　Deanna prepared herself as best as she could that night. She put on a black dress and low-heeled, but somewhat elegant, shoes. She did not have too many clothes that would make a good impression, but at least she had to try to be liked by Daniel. She was a little nervous. However, she brought out all her optimism from within and headed out for Harry's apartment.

　　For his part, Daniel also chose to wear something not very elegant, a bit conservative, but that would not betray his age too much. Unconsciously, he was trying to adjust to his new "partner." He felt a little... pressed by the fact that she was so young; perhaps she would see him as an old man and would not want to continue.

　　What had Harry meant by being less like himself? He did not see anything wrong with his way of being. He was a successful man, with well-educated children, and highly respected in his social circle. His image was clean, serious, and admired by many. He had a good position and was an excellent catch for any woman. Harry was very mistaken... wasn't he?

　　Before leaving, he went by little Jonathan's room, who was already asleep. He picked up some dolls that were on the floor and stood looking at him for a few minutes. He thought that Harry's son or daughter would have both parents together. Jonathan had already forgotten his mother's face and could barely communicate with him. He did not know what else to do for his son.