Page 27 of Brides and Brothers
“Do some live close? How long do they plan to stay?” Camille wondered if Aiden had bothered to stock the fridge, but she didn’t feel comfortable asking. She would check when she got home and go grocery shopping first thing in the morning.
“Well...” Aiden began.
“You don’t know?”
“Camille, sweetie, my brothers all live in our house.”
Camille’s mouth went dry, and she felt a surge of panic. “Stop the car!”
Aiden slammed on the brakes and pulled over without hesitation. “What is it?”
After lunging out the jeep door, Camille leaned against it and took several deep breaths. How could she live in a house with strange men? She pushed away from the car. She didn’t even remember their names. She paced up and down the length of it, trying to take in what Aiden had told her.
After a minute, Aiden climbed out of the car too. “You okay, honey?”
Had she, or had she not, married someone who lived with six of his singleadultbrothers? She wasn’t getting her own house by a long shot. She wasn’t giving up playing mother hen either. If she cooked for one, she’d have to cook for them all. This wasn’t a marriage; it was a setup.
“Camille?” Aiden came up beside her and drew her into a side hug. “Honey, everything is going to be fine. There’ll be an adjustment period, but we can make it through this together.”
She didn’t want to adjust. She wanted a normal marriage in a normal situation. Was that too much to ask for? She’d worked so hard to get to this point in her life. An emotional tidal wave nearly knocked her off-balance. Tears flooded her face. Within minutes, she had reached her blubbering stage. She tried incoherently to tell him how she felt, but her words were buried in her sobs.
“I don’t understand you, but don’t worry, everything is going to work out.” He put his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder.
Seeing the wet mess of tears and snot on his sleeve made her feel a little better. That was, until the anger stole over her. She hit Aiden hard in the chest. “How did you neglect to tell me about six brothers who live at your house?”
Aiden rubbed the spot where she’d socked him. “Just five brothers, with Grant in Iraq. He’s a positive guy, but thanks to Amy, he’s more responsible and driven now.” She hit him again. “I’m sorry you’re mad. I mean, I’m glad you’re mad. You should be. I should have insisted you meet my brothers before this and avoided this whole misunderstanding.” His sheepish, pathetically guilty expression didn’t help anything. “At least you’re not crying anymore, right?”
The tears started afresh. How had she married someone who wasn’t comfortable with crying? That was something she had to get out of her system at least once a month.
After several minutes, she calmed down enough for Aiden to help her back into the car. “Sweetie?” he pressed. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”
Camille glared at him. “Why on earth would I want to go to the hospital?”
Aiden’s shoulders were pulled together in a tense position. “You aren’t feeling well. Maybe you ate something that disagreed with you or you need medicine to help with the stress.”
“Aiden, girls cry. They cry a lot. It’s something you’ll have toadjustto.”
His discomfort doubled before her eyes, and it made her feel a little more forgiving.
“I’ve never seen a girl crythishard,” Aiden replied cautiously.
Camille glared at him again to make her point.
Aiden nodded as if he understood, even though Camille knew he didn’t. He didn’t get the gravity of what had happened, but at least he was smart enough to stop talking. They had foolishly run across the finish line when they should’ve crawled. Dating had been like playing pretend—all sunshine and promises sealed with a kiss. Marriage was for real.
