Page 18 of Rolling with my Best Friend's Brothers

“Yeah.”

“That’s how Avery’s life has been with all three of you.”

“Having a relationship with us won’t mean you can’t be her friend.” Wyatt’s on his own since Mammoth is focused on the road and Gabriel seems to enjoy watching him squirm.

“I can’t do that to her. Don’t get in the way of her happiness.”

“We won’t. What better could happen than to all of us be one big happy family together?”

“Aren’t you glad I—” Gabriel stops his comment abruptly.

“You what?” I ask.

The tires on the dirt road and rain pelting the car become the only sounds as an uncomfortable silence falls between us. After a few tense glances, Gabriel says, “I told him he should have sex with you.”

The guilt on Wyatt’s face hints that he’s not telling the full story. I don’t want to know. It’s time to blow the whole thing off anyway. “Wyatt, we had sex. That’s it. It’s not like we’re going to get married.”

Those words squeeze the last bit of joy from my insides. Being part of Avery’s family kept me grounded growing up.

“Is that what you tell your non-boyfriend Gabriel heard you on the phone with?” Wyatt’s tone goes dark.

Taking on the strong, parental roll as always, I push my personal pain aside and bring a clarifying end to the conversation. “I’m a camgirl. Guys pay me to get them off with no fear of commitment. You should try it.”

Tears would threaten if I didn’t have so much experience choking them out. I lean toward the window, staring into the darkness. “Let’s just get to the hospital so I can tell Avery how annoying all of you are.”

Thirteen

Mammoth

Beatrix shut us down with her bold statements in the car. She’s ashamed of herself for letting lust crowd her judgment. I’ve known her too long not to see through her façade. It’s the same thing I’m dealing with. We have a deep connection we should have never given in to.

The camgirl thing came as a surprise though. The way Gabriel caught her on the call makes me think it’s for real. She doesn’t have a boyfriend. I’ve been keenly on top of her dating life, or lack thereof.

She leads the charge silently through the hospital to the maternity ward. We’re all nervous at the thought of our sister going through labor, passing a baby out of her body. And I think it’s hitting home for all of us that it’s happening a couple of weeks early. It could mean trouble.

But Beatrix has a fierce determination about her. Like always. Her confidence is uncanny, but now that we’ve seen underneath her exterior, I want to scoop her up, hold her, and give her all the comfort that she could ever need so she can let the façade down.

The nurse warns us that we need to respect Avery’s wishes, and of course, we will. The next thing we know, we’re in her room. The hospital has tried to make the accommodations look homey, but I can’t wait to have Avery back at our house where we can protect her and help her take care of this baby. She’s not having a contraction, so everything seems normal.

“I’m so glad you made it. I thought the road was blocked.”

“It wasn’t ideal, but we cut the tree up enough to move it out of the way. We’ll always be here for you, Avery.”

Something catches my attention. Gabriel has stepped next to Beatrix, too close. And he’s staring at her, letting the back of his fingers brush hers. What the fuck is he thinking? I grab Avery’s hand and pat it to keep her looking my direction.

“We’re all excited to meet this little niece or nephew. You’re going to be the best mom ever. Beatrix finished getting the room ready, so you have nothing to worry about. She’s the most loyal friend you could ever ask for.” I wish I could shut up, but I had to make sure I drew her attention.

Thankfully, Beatrix has stepped away from Gabriel. I smile at her. We share some small talk and I notice Avery keeps looking past me. When I glance where she’d looked, there’s nothing. She explains, “I’m going to have another contraction in a minute, so unless you’re ready to deal with it, you might want to go. I’ll need total focus.”

Beatrix steps in. “Okay, guys, why don’t you take a breather?”

Avery adds, “The doc said it will be several more hours. Why don’t you guys run to the diner and pass some time, get some food? I’m in good hands with Beatrix.”

I squeeze Avery’s hand, then motion for my brothers to leave. “We’ll be back, and if anything changes, call us. We’ll be here in a heartbeat.”

“Will do,” Beatrix says.

We phone our order ahead to the diner so it will be ready when we get there. And even though Beatrix didn’t say what to order for her, I know she likes the burrito and apple pie.

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