Page 99 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends
My brothers.
The thought of them makes my stomach twist nervously. They said such awful things to the guys back at the hospital. What if they scare offmyguys? The fathers of my child!
“I need to talk to Andrew and Ethan,” I tell her as we break free from each other. “I know they’re furious.”
“They’re not mad at you,” Mom says.
“I can’t have them hating the guys,” I reply with a shake of my head. “I need them to understand what they refuse to accept.”
Mom nods after a moment and pats my knee. “I’ll go get them for you.”
“Thank you,” I tell her with pure gratitude in my eyes. This conversation could’ve gone so much differently. She could’ve scolded me for my choices or been too disappointed to even look at me.
Instead, she chose to support me and love me. I need that now more than ever before because the road ahead is bumpy and full of twists and turns. I have no idea what’s around the corner.
“I’m going to be a grandma,” Mom says with a cheerful smile. “I can’t wait!”
A soft laugh breaks from me as I watch her stand and walk out of the room with a spring in her step. She’ll be the best grandma. I have no doubt about that.
After a few minutes pass by, the door to the bedroom opens again, and Andrew and Ethan walk inside.
“Heard you wanted to talk to us,” Ethan says as he shuts the door behind him.
“First, how are you feeling?” Andrew asks as he moves to my bedside to inspect me. He grabs my wrist and holds his fingertips over my pulse point. “Your heart is racing.”
“Because I need to talk to you guys,” I reply, knowing that they’re going to push back against what I say. “I need to see Josh, Max, and Ryan.”
Andrew shakes his head as he releases my wrist. “That’s not a good idea, Emma. They’re not good for you.”
“Why? Give me one good reason,” I question him, my words punching out more aggressively than I intend.
“They’re older than you, and they grew up with us. It’s inappropriate,” Ethan says.
I scoff at his weak excuse, my tears drying up on my cheeks. “The biggest age difference is seven years, and I’m an adult! I can decide what is and isn’t an appropriate relationship for me.”
Ethan’s jaw tenses. “I don’t believe you’re thinking about this clearly. This crush that you have on them is going to fade, and you’ll be left with the consequences of that all by yourself. Do you really think they’ll stick around?”
I blink at him. “You’re calling my baby a consequence?”
“You know what he meant,” Andrew sighs as he rubs his temple. “The baby was unplanned. This whole relationship you have with them was thrown together. None of this is built on a steady foundation. It’ll crumble, and we don’t want you to get hurt.”
My eyes dart back and forth between them. I can hear the genuine care and concern in their voices, but their logic and reasoning are all wrong. They don’t apply to the true situation that they refuse to accept.
“There is no stronger foundation than love and trust,” I tell them. “I love them, and I trust them. They will stick around for the baby. They will support me and care about me no matter what.”
“How are you so sure? You haven’t known them as long as we have,” Ethan points out.
“But I know them better. Deeper,” I reply. “They are not some rich playboys. They are complex, genuine men who want what I want. A happy family. A full life. I’ll only get those things with them. I’ll only be truly happy with them.”
Andrew frowns and looks away from me. “It’s risky, Emma. It would be easier if you found someone else.”
“I don’t want easier,” I tell him. “I want what’s right for me. This is right for me. You can’t stand there and say that they’re not good people. That they don’t care about those they love.”
Andrew glances at Ethan, who remains quiet. Both of their expressions are clouded with uncertainty. “We just want to protect you. We’ve dealt with your toxic ex-boyfriends. Ex-friends. Random punks who decided they wanted to be too touchy or too inappropriate.”
I give him a small smile and nod. “I know, but these guys have been friends with you for so long for a reason. They’re good. They’re kind and generous. They care about you, and they also care about me too.”
“They lied to us for weeks,” Ethan says.
