Page 77 of Inked Devotion

“Seriously? Again?” Beckett asked, clearing his throat as he stood beside us.

I looked at my twin and shook my head. “You were just making out with Eliza in the corner.”

Eliza giggled from my twin’s side. “You caught us,” she teased.

“Brenna is my best friend. Just watch where you make out with her,” Beckett replied, a little bit of laughter in his gaze.

“I do think that this group is getting a little too close,” Lee announced as he walked into the room, staring between all of us. “I think I’m officially the last holdout.”

I looked at the only single person in the house and laughed. “Pretty much. Everybody is either married, having children, or in a serious relationship.”

Lee took a sip of his beer. “I’m never settling down. You do realize that, right? It’s a point of pride at this point.”

I met Brenna’s gaze, and she snorted. After all, I was pretty sure both of us had said that at one point or another in the past few months.

I looked around at my family and knew that things were going to change again soon. In a few months, there would be babies and then children laughing and jumping around. Weddings and birthday parties, and other events to bring us together.

We hadn’t always been good about speaking our thoughts or opening up to one another, not as much as our cousins were with their family. We were getting better at it, though.

Beckett and Eliza grinned at each other, whispering secrets that had nothing to do with us. We were only part of their little world. Annabelle was on the couch while her husband rubbed her ankles. Archer and Marc laughed with my parents, Marc smiling softly as he looked at Archer, while Archer waved his hands wildly as they made plans for their engagement party.

Paige and Colton were on the deck, both of them looking serious, but not like they were fighting, so I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t my place, at least for now. Of course, as I looked, Beckett also glanced over at the deck and narrowed his gaze.

It seemed that I wasn’t the only one ready to stand in and protect our little sister, even if she didn’t need any protection.

“Hey, pay attention to me,” Brenna said, grinning up at me.

I kissed her softly. “Yes?”

“Paige is fine. She’s hanging out with her boyfriend. Stop growling.”

“Fine, I’ll try. I can’t help it. She’s my baby sister.”

“And your baby sister can take care of herself,” Lee said from my other side, and I looked over at my friend.

“It is true, but I can’t help it. We’re going to get growly about her. It’s what we do.”

Lee sighed. “On that note, I’m going to go and get another drink. The commitment vibes are so strong here, it’s getting hard to breathe.”

I rolled my eyes as Lee walked away, and then I pulled Brenna closer.

“Did you ever think we’d be here?”

“Honestly, last month I didn’t think we’d be here, and here we are, heading into our second trimester, and you are about to be a daddy two times over.”

I snorted, knowing that while I wasn’t going to be called daddy, yes, my genes were about to make two people.

This wasn’t how I expected my future to be, but it was better than anything I could ever have wanted.

I held Brenna close, kissed her again, and ignored the laughter and warmth and everything else around us.

The Montgomerys would always be there, but for this moment, I just needed Brenna.

The woman I never expected, the friend I had always hidden away from myself.

And my other half.

And the woman I would be forever devoted to, to the end of my days.

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