Page 38 of From Our First

My puppy, Daisy, Arden’s dog, Jasper, and the two puppies Macon had adopted were around our feet, trying to get food but well-behaved enough not to jump on the table to grab a bite for themselves. Only Jasper could reach easily, but Arden’s Husky was well-trained and doing his best to look regal and proper, showing the younger pups exactly how to act when it came to human food. I didn’t feed Daisy scraps, but she whined sometimes for treats. Hopefully, being around Jasper would help her not do that anymore.

Arden sighed. “Aw, that boy is so cute.”

“Yeah, he is,” Macon said, flashing her a dopey smile.

If Myra and I had made it and hadn’t walked away from each other, would we have a child around Joshua’s age? I wondered why the thought of that didn’t fill me with trepidation. Instead, all I felt was a dull ache. Grief for what was lost and would never be found again.

We had lost our chance. Hadn’t we? The fact that I didn’t have a concrete answer to that worried me. But before I could talk with Myra and find a way to grovel and tell her exactly how sorry I was, I had to open up to my family.

And that was far easier said than done.

Cross cleared his throat. “Okay, let’s get some food in us before Nate tells us why he gathered us here today.”

I met Arden’s gaze, and her eyes widened.

She knew exactly why we were here, even if I hadn’t told her ahead of time. I probably should have warned her, but I’d been so deep in my head, as well as focused on my deadline, that I had invited everybody over to Arden’s for dinner, and nobody had said a word about it. We all did that. Arden and Liam had the best house. Now that we were here, we would have our family meeting, and hopefully, they wouldn’t disown me by the end of it. Unfortunately, I’d been so focused on what to say, even if I had come up with nothing, that I hadn’t told Arden ahead of time.

But now she knew. She must.

Everybody ate ribs and salad and beans as I picked at my food, and Arden gave me a weird look.

“Okay, you need to get on with it,” Prior said, setting his plate down as he looked over his shoulder. I followed his gaze to where the dogs were behind a gate, all looking innocent but clearly craving ribs.

We were still working on training, and that meant even Jasper wasn’t allowed near us during mealtimes. I hated that we had to do it, but it was better for everybody. Soon, the puppies would be big enough, and we wouldn’t have to worry. But for now, they had to be separated. Even though all I wanted to do was feed them ribs and pretend that I hadn’t fucked up my life—numerous times.

“Hey. Come on, talk to us,” Cross ordered.

I set my uneaten plate on the table and put my hands over my face. “I fucked up.”

“Normally, I’d ask if you got someone pregnant, but I don’t think you’ve been seeing anybody recently.” Cross paused. “Except for Myra.”

My gaze shot to his. “Myra’s not pregnant,” I said quickly. She hadn’t been when we were together, either.

“You need to tell them, Nate,” Arden said softly.

Everyone’s gaze moved to her.

“You know why we’re here?” Macon asked.

“Yes, I do. And I know you’re probably going to yell at me but give us a moment.” Arden raised her chin. “Be kind and let him speak. We’ll deal with what happens next.”

I sighed, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy.

“What is she talking about?” Cross asked, looking at me.

“Myra is my ex-wife…” I began again.

Prior choked on his beer and then began laughing. “Really? That’s what you’re going with? Okay. Whatever you say.”

Macon blinked at me before shaking his head. “Did you lose all your money gambling or something? Is it the concussion? Because it’s not that.”

Cross looked between Arden and me and then let out a curse under his breath. “I think you’re going to need to explain. Slowly.”

I looked up at my big brother and nodded. My other brothers quieted, their eyes now comically wide.

“Jesus Christ, you’re serious,” Prior said.

“When did you have time to get married to Myra? And how the hell did you already get a divorce? And how didn’t we know? It’s not like we’ve known her for long.”

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