Page 50 of Merrily Mine
Hunter snorted. “Don’t forget her staying up as late as possible, trying to catch Santa. Can’t forget all the years I carried you to bed, Em.”
I blushed, not wanting to elaborate on how I’d done the same last night. Only this time, my wish had come true. I hadn’t even needed Santa to show up. All I’d needed was my cowboy. “Well, you know what they say. Old habits die hard.” I stared down at my coffee, sipping it slowly. It needed more whipped cream and flavoring. Somehow, I’d already gotten used to how Mason made it.
“Are you happy?” Hunter nudged me with his elbow.
I blinked up at him. “Huh?
“Tell me, sis. With Mason. Does he make you happy?”
Blushing, I nodded. “The happiest. I never knew…” I trailed off, then shook my head. “I just never knew what it was like to feel this happy. To… love someone like this. To feel so much. He’s the love of my life, you know? And I know he was your best friend, but Mason really fought it, you know. He tried to stay away from me.”
“You don’t need my permission, you know,” Hunter told me.
I sighed. “I know. But I don’t want you to think it’s weird, either. It just sort of… happened. We ran into each other at the bar, and then when the snowstorm hit…” I looked down at my slippered feet. “He came to check on me. And then he kindagot snowed in with me for the next few days. One thing led to another and…”
Benjamin shook his head, interrupting me. “Don’t need any more details, Em. I’m begging you.”
I shot him a pointed glare. “Tell that to your wife.” There was no telling what Angelina would say at any given time. She was a black cat in every definition, but despite her and Ben fighting all the time, I knew how much they loved each other. Even if she had cursed him every day when she was pregnant with the twins.
“Oh, God. Please, no.” He hung his head.
Hunter laughed. “I think we can all agree we donotneed to share details of our sex lives.” He screwed up his face.
It was nice to be like this. For so long, my brothers had barely talked to each other, but over the last five years, they’d become best friends again. Considering their wives were also best friends, it made sense.
“You’re a doctor, Hunt.” Benjamin rolled his eyes.
“Apediatricdoctor. I work with kids.” He glared at our brother.
I shoved them both, and we all grew quiet.
“If you’re happy, Emily, that’s all we ever wanted for our baby sister.” Hunter squeezed my shoulder.
“Don’t make me cry,” I said, wiping underneath my eyes. “It’s too early in the morning for that.”
Benjamin chuckled. “We’ll always have your back. And if he hurts you, he’ll have to deal with both of us.”
I sniffled. “Thank you.”
“He’s a good guy, though,” Hunter said. “Sure, it might have been a shock at first, especially considering the age difference, but?—”
“I’m almost thirty,” I reminded him. “It’s not like I’m in such a different place in my life than he is.”
“Never thought I’d see the day our jet-setting sister settled down. For a while there, I thought you were content just fluttering around, leaving broken hearts in your wake.”
My cheeks warmed. “I don’t know if I’d saybroken…”
“I know what you mean, though,” Hunter told me. “For the longest time, I’d resigned myself that I was better off alone. Seeing what I did daily working in the hospital, I’d accepted being alone forever. And then…”
“And then, you fell in love with my wife’s best friend?”
He chuckled. “Something like that. But it’s just like you said. It just happened. Hit me like a million bricks, honestly. Suddenly, all I could think about was her. How to make her smile. What made her happy. What all of her favorite things were and how I could surprise her.” He ran his fingers through his brown hair, a few shades lighter than mine, but somehow already streaked with a bit of gray.
I’d always liked that I looked a little like both of my brothers, like I’d gotten the best of both of them.
“I knew from the first moment I’d met Angelina,” Benjamin said with a shrug. “I just had to convince her we’d be good together.” He grinned. “And look at us now.” He looked backwards into the kitchen, eyes filling with love, and I knew he was looking at his wife. “It’s hard work; there’s no doubt about it. But love is worth it.”
I threw my arms around them both. “I love you guys. You’re the best brothers I could have ever asked for.”
