Page 2 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

River’s phone. His car keys. And, of course, his own pavilion suite key.

For a moment, everything else fades away. He’s standing way too close, his hands still gripping my arms, his body heat searing through the thin fabric of my dress. River Hawthorne—second-born son, former Marine, and the kind of man who makes you forget how to breathe. He’s devastatingly handsome in his best man’s tux, the dark gray fabric hugging his broad shoulders and powerful frame like it was made just for him.

“Sorry about that,” he says, his voice a low rumble that sends a shiver down my spine. He lets me go reluctantly, his hazel eyes lingering on me as he crouches to gather our things.

I kneel down too, my fingers brushing against his as we both reach for my room key at the same time. The contact is electric, and I quickly pull my hand back, shoving the key into my clutch and making sure to close it properly this time.

River stands, slipping his phone and keys into his tux pockets, his gaze never leaving me. “Wow. You look gorgeous,” he says, a devilish smile stretching across his face.

My cheeks flush, and I force myself to meet his eyes. “You’re quite dashing yourself,” I reply, my voice steadier than I feel.

His dark brown hair is slightly longer than Cassius’s, his twin brother, and it falls in soft waves that make him look effortlessly sexy. The faint stubble along his jawline casts a seductive shadow, and the scar above his left eyebrow—a remnant from his time in the Marines—only adds to his rugged charm.

“How long have you been back, Christa?” River asks, his tone casual, but the intensity in his eyes tells a different story.

It’s as if the rest of the world has disappeared, leaving only the two of us. I used to call this the Hawthorne effect—the way they could make you feel like you were the only person in the room. “Just a couple of days,” I answer, my voice softer than I intended.

“How long are you staying?”

I raise an eyebrow, trying to play it cool. “Why? Did you miss me?”

He chuckles, the sound deep and warm. “Miss you? Nah, I never even thought of you once,” he teases, but the smoldering look he gives me says the opposite. It’s a look that speaks of things I used to dream about—forbidden desires and secret crushes that I thought I’d left behind.

Before I can respond, Cassius appears, stepping out of the chapel with a curious frown that quickly turns into a grin when he sees me. “Damn! You look beautiful, Christa.”

“Oh, look at that, the Hawthorne twins are laying on the charm. Surprise, surprise,” I joke, trying to mask the heat rising in my cheeks.

But then a hand settles on the small of my back, and I freeze. Nathan’s voice is low and intimate as he leans in, his breath brushing against my ear. “Don’t forget about me.”

“I could never forget about you,” I mumble, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nathan moves to stand between his older brothers, and the three of them together are a sight to behold. Tall, broad-shouldered, and radiating raw masculinity, they’re the kind of men who command attention without even trying. The Hawthorne genesare unmistakable—dark brown hair, hazel eyes that seem to see straight through you, and bodies that look like they were carved by the gods themselves.

The twins aren’t identical, but the similarities are striking. Cassius’s hair is shorter, his jawline clean-shaven, but the intensity in his gaze matches River’s perfectly. Nathan, the youngest, has a slightly softer edge, but there’s no mistaking the power in his presence.

As they stand there, surrounding me, I can feel the weight of their attention, the unspoken tension crackling in the air. It’s intoxicating and overwhelming, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

“So,” Cassius says, his voice breaking the spell, “where’s Teagan?”

“Upstairs, but she’ll be down in a minute,” I say, clearing my throat.

“Good, ‘cause the groom just pulled up,” Nathan replies, never taking his eyes off me. He’s bigger than his brothers; stockier.

“We should go in then,” Cassius tells his brothers, then gives me a playful wink. “I’ll see you inside. But remember, the first dance is mine. River and Nathan can wait their turn.”

“Had I known you’d all be so excited to see me again, I would’ve jumped on a plane a lot sooner,” I snort.

“Better late than never,” River adds. “We’ve got plenty of time to catch up.”

Once the doors shut behind them, an eerie silence takes over my little corner of the world. For a moment, I wonder if coming back here was the right thing to do. I covered my tracks, though.Nobody knows I’m in Portland. I kept a low profile and deleted all the information I had from the Perry-Sage system. This is the safest place for me.

My phone pings. The vibration startles me.

I take a deep breath and check the incoming message, silence the ringer, then slip the phone back into my bejeweled, shell-shaped clutch, just as Teagan graciously descends.

“Is my groom in there yet?” she asks.

“He just went in through the side door. River texted me, gave us two minutes to get this show on the road,” I say.

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