Page 72 of My Brother's Best Friends

“Bryan wanted to take her back home, but you convinced him to let her come with us,” Kellan recalls. “I think Oscar was more afraid of that place than she was. Pretty sure that was the year he officially stopped celebrating Halloween.”

I pause to study our surroundings for a moment. We’re suspended high above the ground. The ski slopes carve a zigzag path up the mountain, bordered on each side by a quiet, ancient forest. The view is breathtaking, giving my mind room to wander. Lately, my thoughts keep drifting toward the future.

“So, a future with Kay,” Kellan says, circling back to my original question.

I know my life is forever entwined with my brothers, but maybe it’s time to bring a partner into our orbit. A woman meant for the three of us. The idea has never felt crazy to me.

“I just feel this intense connection to her, and the sex only amplifies it,” I say. “I want her on a deeper level, and I know I’m not the only one.”

“You’re not. But… slow down,” Kellan says. “Makayla is incredible—beautiful, funny, bold, enthusiastic—and, yes, we have history with her, but we’ve only just reconnected. It’s way too early to jump the gun.”

“I don’t want you to make sense,” I say, exhaling sharply. “Maybe I’m not explaining it right—it sounds logical in my head.”

“No, I get it. I feel the same way.”

“Feel,” I echo, tasting the word. “Yeah—feel. It feels right, Kel.”

I’ve never felt this way about any woman we’ve shared—or any I’ve dated solo.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, just that we need to tap the brakes,” he says.

“Remember back in high school when I dated a few girls on my own?” I ask. He nods. “Makayla was always the one I wanted to know better, but because she was Bryan’s little sister, I never made a move.”

“We all dated separately at one point or another.”

“You’re not hearing me—it’s like fate,” I insist. “We orbited each other for years, then drifted apart. Now we’ve crossed paths again—older, wiser.”

Kellan smiles broadly. “Or so we like to tell ourselves.”

“Fair enough. Even so—after all these years, that can’t be a coincidence.”

“Of course it’s not a coincidence,” Kellan scoffs. “Her brother is getting married.”

I draw a deep breath, realizing he’s not ready to follow me down this rabbit hole. Maybe he’s scared—maybe just cautious. Either way, it’s too soon for him.

“Speaking of Bryan, do we know when he’s going to propose?” I ask, veering off topic.

“He didn’t give me any specifics,” Kellan admits. “I hope he’s planning something soon, though. It would help to have at least one secret off our plates.”

“Right?” I agree. “That dinner last night was horrible.”

He lets out a dry chuckle. “We can agree it wasn’t Bryan’s secret proposal that made dinner so awful.”

“Melanie is going to be a problem if we’re not careful.”

“Don’t I know it…”

The chair lift reaches the top and drops us off. We ski over to the start of the slope and gaze down at the lodge in the distance below. This is the moment where I put everything out of my mind and focus solely on making it down smoothly and in one piece.

“See you at the bottom,” I call, then push off.

He shouts something, but I can’t hear him. The rush of the wind in my ears is exhilarating. I allow myself to concentrate only onthe physical exertion, carefully measuring my breaths. By the time I reach the bottom, my body’s humming. Sweat trickles down my back and dots my forehead, my blood pumping faster.

“Great run,” Kellan says, pulling to a stop right beside me. “Gotta be more careful on that sharp turn by the red jutting rock, though.”

“The red-marked one halfway down?”

“Yes. It’s a widow-maker if you can’t control your skis on a tight detour.”

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