Page 17 of Protected By my Brothers Best Friend

I can see the shadow of a person moving toward us, but I can’t stop. I thrust harder and harder until I’ve filled her up and made my claim.

Iris leans forward and scoops up her robe, tugging it over her shoulders. I pull the edge of the blanket over my lap, but it’s too late. Bryan is standing in front of us and I’m pretty sure this time… he’s rested.

Epilogue

Iris

Two Months Later

“You ready for this?” My sister Collette stands by my side, holding a bouquet of flowers. Kenzie has already started the walk down the aisle and Collette’s next.

“Yeah,” I exhale slowly, calming my nerves, “I’m more than ready. A little nervous about the walk, but it’ll be fine. I’m just glad Mom is here and happy.”

Collette adjusts her shawl to cover her stomach. She’s carrying low, and while she’s doing a good job hiding it, I can’t fathom how people won’t notice in this dress. If that shawl moves an inch to the left, her baby bump is on display. “I have to say, everyone handled this much better than I thought they would.”

“That’s an understatement. How are you feeling? I’m thinking maybe my news could buffer yours?”

She laughs. “I doubt it. Max is even further out of the picture now.”

“Why’s that?”

She rolls her eyes. “I heard from someone in town that he’s the leader of some new biker gang in Rugged Mountain. I don’t know… but I can’t be messing with that stuff.”

“What do you mean? Rugged Mountain already has a biker gang. Max isn’t their president.”

“Yeah, this is a second gang. I guess he founded it. They’ve coined themselves the anti-heroes. I don’t know. It’s dumb. Either way, I can’t be messing with stuff like that. I have a baby to think about.”

“Okay, but could you talk to him and find out what the hell all of this is about? I mean, people talk. It’s a small town so the facts can get distorted quickly. There was a rumor going around that aliens were taking people off the ridge for a while. Big, blue ones… remember? Folks were scared to go up there in fear of getting probed with giant alien cocks.” I laugh. “Maybe this is all just hearsay.”

Kenzie takes her final few steps down the aisle.

“Call him. You miss him. I see it all over your face.”

“The math, though.” She grins and steps forward. “The math still adds up to heartbreak for everyone.”

I worry for her. Growing up, I admired her voice of reason. It was the anchor that held me in place. Lord knows I needed an anchor. I wish I could convince her that sometimes you’ve got to throw caution to the wind and go after what you want, even if the math doesn’t make sense.

My brother stands beside me at the start of the aisle. He wears jeans and a white button down with a rose tucked into the pocket. It’s a warm day, but the beach is quiet. The only sounds for miles are a few seagulls and the poetic hum of a guitar playing the wedding march.

“You know you’re a pain in the ass, right?” His tone is low and playful.

I glance toward him. “You are, too.”

“Not as bad as you.” We walk down the aisle slowly as my brother pokes fun at the awkward situation we’re in. “You know… you owe me free babysitting for life.”

“That’s fine. We have one on the way, so… we’ll be home anyway.” I smirk toward him when I speak. This is the wild in me that drives my brother bonkers.

He stops moving and stares toward me. “Are you serious?”

I nod, half expecting him to storm off. The last two months have been tough. That night at the beach, he walked away, and didn’t speak to me or Cooper until I needed my permit signed for the shop. Even then, he only signed the paper and left it on my doorstep. It wasn’t until we told him about the wedding that he finally reached out and talked things through. Cooper did a lot of apologizing, and I did a lot of explaining. At the end of the day, Bryan decided he couldn’t miss my wedding. I appreciate that. With Dad gone, I needed him here.

“You’re pregnant? Like right now?”

I nod, tears rolling down my face. “Six weeks.” My tone is low enough that I’m not sure anyone else can hear me, but they’re certainly confused. “We’ve already decided we’re naming the baby after dad. His name was Bobby, so I figure it works either way.”

“Holy fuck!” Bryan wraps his arms around me and hugs me close. “I’m happy for you.”

“Really? Like, actually happy?” We continue to walk arm in arm, the warm breeze gently rubbing my shoulders.

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