Page 48 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

“Something solvable, I hope?”

He nods once. “Yeah, I just need to listen better. Teagan’s been dropping hints about having a baby but I’ve been busy focusing on getting a promotion. I just wasn’t paying attention. Anyway, honestly, it seems like nothing compared to whatever happened between the two of you.”

“She walked in on us last night,” I manage, trying to find the right words. “Me and…” I trail off because I’m not sure what Tony knows about the Hawthorne men’s particular relationship preferences.

He stares at me for a moment, as if his brain is trying to catch up with his ears. “Oh,” he finally says. “Right. Yeah, that’s bad. I know Teagan often worries about that.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

He shrugs, briefly averting his gaze. “From the moment you came back, Teagan expressed some concern about you and River. She mentioned the rule you had about not dating any of them, and that it had never been an issue before, but then she sounded worried, I guess.”

“It’s not like we planned it.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” he says. “And honestly? I get the rule made sense when you were kids, teenagers. But you’re both grown women. You’re consenting adults. You and River, I mean. I tried to explain that to her, but she just brushed me off, saying I didn’thave the full picture, and I’ve learned not to go against Teagan where her family is concerned.”

I nod slowly. “That’s noble and respectful of you,” I tell him. “Teagan is lucky to have found you, Tony. And I’m sure the quarrel you two had will be resolved sooner rather than later. The same, I’m afraid, cannot be said of ours.”

“Teagan will come around,” he says to reassure me. “She loves you like a sister. But she’s angry; she feels betrayed and hurt. Once this passes, once she stops to really analyze the situation and realize you weren’t doing anything to hurt her, I’m sure she’ll reach out.”

“I guess. Promise me one thing, though.”

“Sure.”

“Look after her,” I say. “Make sure she’s okay. And if you need me, I’m here. If she needs me, I’m here.”

He offers a soft smile. “Don’t beat yourself up too much about it. People change. Our lives change. I think, in a way, Teagan is still getting used to being in a relationship. Marriage was unfathomable to her when we first met.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t do so well with change in general,” I say, and chuckle lightly.

I wish I could talk to her. I wish I could explain. But maybe Tony is right. Maybe she just needs some space. River, Cassius, and Nathan are giving her precisely that. I should do the same and arm myself with all the patience I can muster. I’ve got plenty of issues on my plate. And speaking of plates, maybe I should eat something.

But the thought alone makes me want to throw up.

What the hell is wrong with me?

14

River

“Christa doesn’t know where we stand. She doesn’t know how this might work for us in the long term. And frankly, we weren’t too clear about it either,” Cassius says during a conversation regarding Christa’s refusal to tell us what’s really going on.

“Even so, we’ve been here for her. For anything. And she knows that. We deserve better than what she was about to pull.”

He gives me a wry smile. “You’re still mad.”

“A little hurt, maybe.”

“And then Teagan came in—”

“Oh, don’t get me started,” I groan and rub my face with both hands. “The timing that girl has is nothing short of catastrophic.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.”

“We’re partially responsible. We could’ve kept our distance.”

Cassius sighs deeply. “Come on, River. You know that wasn’t an option from the moment Christa walked into the chapel and we saw her again for the first time in seven years.”

“I guess. I don’t know, man, I feel bad about the whole thing, but I don’t want to put an end to it either.”

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