Page 24 of Just Bromantically Invested

And I think that’s what I need tonight.

When I can’t find any of them in the main areas, I fill my lungs and shout, “Bertha, assemble!”

The words echo through the hall, and a moment later,there are footsteps from above. It never fails to bring them all to me.

Molly appears first. Tall and slim, big eyes, and lots of brown curls. He went to college with me and Penn and only moved into the house last year. “You called, oh fearless leader?”

“Tell me you’re finished work for the day.”

“Yup. Seven should be home in the next hour as well.”

“Xander?”

“In his studio.”

“Rush and Christian?”

Molly’s lips twitch into a smile. “Do you really think I have tabs on everyone?”

“Don’t you?”

“Fine.” He passes me, heading toward the kitchen. “Christian will be home. Rush and Hunter are going out on a date.”

Well, that’s most of the gang, at least. It sucks Rush will be out since I’m probably the closest to him, and he’s the only one who actually knows how I feel about Penn, but since I need to talk this out, it won’t be long until they’re all in the know.

I’m forever grateful that I moved in here because these guys, this house, it’s my safe place. It’s a real home, and I worry about the day that something breaks and the group starts to split apart and go our own ways. In the last year, Christian, Seven, and Rush have all found themselves boyfriends, and considering Christian’s boyfriend is a fucking millionaire, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the first one to move out.

We’ve already lost Gabe, who was one of the original Bertha boys and moved to be closer to the firehouse. He’s got himself a partner now too, and while he still comes around, it’s not the same.

If we lost Christian as well, what then? A new roommate? A new face? A new risk to the balance of the house? When Molly moved in, I made sure to drill into him that Bertha works because we’re all there for each other. There’s nojudgment. Even while giving him that spiel, I knew he’d fit in perfectly anyway.

But finding someone okay with me being a nudist, and Rush being scattered, and Christian breaking shit, and Molly and Seven making out in any corner of the house, and Xander having his panic attacks—we’re a lot to take on. Roommates like that are hard to find, and I’m protective of my brothers.

“Got any new puzzles for us?” I ask Molly. We’ve been doing those constantly since he set the first one up, and I like the idea that we have one on the go for anyone to work on when they have a free minute. We finished the last one a few days ago, and normally, Molly replaces it right away.

“No, I was thinking Charades tonight.”

“Charades is cool.”

“Want a coffee?” He pulls out two mugs, both with little googly eyes that have been making an appearance around the house lately.

“Just a tea.”

He nods and busies himself in the kitchen.

“Hey, Mols?”

“Yeah?”

I suck in a deep breath. “I need to talk about something.”

“What’s up?”

Seven takes that moment to walk in. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Something’s up?” Xander asks, trailing in after him.

I guess I’m spilling the beans to everyone, then. Seven and Molly kiss hello, and even though it’s short and sweet, it brings my mood down. Casual romantic affection isn’t something I’ve ever had or wanted before, but more and more lately, I’ve been pining for it.

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