Page 64 of Theirs

She laughs, and shakes her head. “It’s a term of endearment between us, hubs. Right, Laaaaav?”

I freeze when she uses the nickname Ben accidentally called me in front of them. She was listening. She’s been listening this whole time. I stop in my tracks, and glare at her.

One of the boys clears his throat. “Well, I guess congratulations are in order.”

It’s Mac who speaks. I glance at him, and he nods to my seat. Silently urging me to sit down and behave. I plop down in the seat and put my elbows on the table.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “Congrats. Looks like I’m going to be an aunt.”

“And Ben an uncle?” Kristen asks, smirking at me.

Kane laughs, not at all catching up with the family drama unfolding in front of him. “I mean, I guess you could call Ben our unborn baby’s uncle. He is like a brother to me. All of you guys are like brothers to me.”

“Well that’s good, hubby,” Kristen says, reaching over to play with his collar. “Because Colin’s going to be the uncle too. Right, Tea?”

“Shut. Up.” I say through gritted teeth.

“Kitten,” Mac whispers, trying to get me to relax and unclench my jaw.

Kane hears it though. “Kitten?” he asks, arching an eyebrow. I look to my brother as all the pieces fall into place, and he finally catches up. “Wait... the fuck?”

“Kane, I can explain,” I say. “It’s not a big deal. And you’re the one who basically pushed me into this...”

“Do not blame me for pushing you into this,” Kane says, standing from the table. His chair scratches across the floor. “I didn’t tell you to fuck all my friends.”

“Kane!” Mac and Kristen both say at the same time. Kristen says it soothingly, reaching for her husband’s hand. Mac, however, says it like he just slapped him.

“I think it’s time to call an end to this lunch,” Kane says.

“Kane, it’s not what you think it is,” I say, trying to diffuse the situation. “I care for them. They care for me. What we have is special.”

Kane scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You think you’re special? I’ve seen these guys fuck woman after woman, I’ve seen them destroy women emotionally.”

“Buddy, it’s not like that anymore,” Colin says, standing up next to me. “Tea is different. She is special.”

Kane stares at me, ignoring his friend. “Are you doing this to punish me?”

“What?” I ask softly, my throat drying up.

“Are you doing this to punish me?” he asks again, pushing one of his hands through his hair. “Is this because you resent me for not being here to help you when Mom and Dad let your rapist get away...”

Kristen gasps, and covers her mouth. “What’s he talking about, Tea?”

I stand from the table, and Colin reaches down to grab my hand. I feel myself go numb.

“No, this is not to punish you, Kane,” I say clearly. “I love them. I love all four of them, they protect me, they take care of me. I’ve basically fought them tooth and nail along the way, but I’m not fighting them anymore.”

Colin gives my hand a squeeze, and the numbness quickly goes away, suddenly everything is clear. These guys are the family I wish I had had when I was seventeen, they’ve taken care of me unconditionally in three months, way more than my parents had in eighteen years. And I do love them. I don’t need to explain that to anyone, because no one is going to understand what we mean to each other.

“You will not ruin what I have with these men,” I tell Kane, suddenly on the verge of tears. “They are the best thing to have happened to me. I’m sorry that it came out like this, and I ruined your baby announcement, but I will not apologize for falling in love with four of your friends.”

Ben stands up and reaches for my other hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

“I think it’s time to go,” I whisper, looking up at Ben who responds by giving me a sad smile.

I don’t look at my brother again as I push my chair in, instead, I look at my best friend who should be having the time of her life right now after telling me she’s pregnant. I know she’s been dreaming about this moment for most of her life; becoming a mother.

“I’m sorry, Kristen,” I say, gripping the back of the wooden chair. “Congrats on the baby though. You’ll be a great mother.”

Colin and Ben follow directly behind me out the door, I expect my brother or Kristen to try and stop me from leaving, but neither of them makes a peep. I’m crying as I get outside, trying to open the back door to the car, but it’s locked. I keep yanking and yanking until finally Mac comes out and unlocks it. I climb into the back seat, and Ben and Colin follow in, squeezing up against me, both of them trying to soothe me as the tears fall. I vaguely hear Alex and Mac have a conversation in the front as we back out of the driveway. Ben lets me cry on his shoulder, the tears falling to his t-shirt, soaking through. Colin holds my left hand in both of his, and occasionally lifts it to his mouth to press a kiss.

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