Page 58 of Beaten

“No man, it’s all good.” I hated keeping this from Chris, but now wasn’t the time or place to talk to him. I’d talk to Emily later, and we’d figure out a good time to do it together.

Chris and Vicky couldn’t stay long because they were taking advantage of a Zoe-free day and going to see a movie.Who can blame them?I wouldn’t want to spend my baby-free time with a group of people either.

Emily and I walked them to their car, hugged them goodbye, and sent them on their way. I refused to let the nagging guilt take up residence in my mind.We’d talk to him later, before our first date, because there was no way in hell I'd sneak behind his back.

Emily and I both relaxed after Chris left. Probably a little too much because it wasn’t long before I saw Ashley and Meg corner Emily, looking like expectant puppies waiting on a treat.

I barely had time to wonder if she’d tell them before AJ and Jack cornered me. Doug joined us a few minutes later. I could only assume Ashley put AJ up to this, and Meg probably encouraged Jack to help him.This is starting to feel more like a high school party instead of a business outing.

Doug crossed his arms but didn’t say anything as he watched Jack and AJ interrogate me, a grin on his face. I’d told Emily I wouldn’t tell anyone yet, but I wasn’t sure I couldkeep our secret without lying, so I feigned ignorance and did my best to avoid answering their questions.

Then I heard the giggles, and looked over at the girls, who were laughing and hugging. When I made eye contact with Emily, she shrugged and nodded. She’d told them. Which meant it was okay for me to tell the guys. When I begged them not to make a big deal out of it, they refused to make any promises.

Jack slapped my shoulder and congratulated me. “I’m happy for you, big brother.” He looked over his shoulder at the girls. “Meg is clearly thrilled. Don’t be surprised if she tackles you with a hug later.”

I laughed, knowing he was right. Which was fine by me, I never minded getting a hug from Meg.

After a few rounds of congratulations and more back slapping, we sat down around the unlit fire pit. Not long after, the girls joined us. Emily sat in the chair next to me, giving me the sweetish, shyest smile I’d ever seen. And my heart melted.

Turns out, it wasn’t so bad having everyone know about us. I doubted the guys would tease us too much, they liked Emily and wouldn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Of course, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t tease me when she wasn't around. They didn’t give two fucks about making me feel uncomfortable.The price of admission to the brotherhood.

As I stood up to grab a round of drinks, Meg ran over and tackled me in a bear hug. Good thing I saw her coming, so I could brace myself. All the congratulations and excitementseemed overkill for a simple date. I had to ask, “It’s just a date, why are you so excited?”

“Because you look so happy.”

“She’s right.” Jack agreed. I’d say he agreed to make Meg happy, but I knew he meant it. “I’ll help you with the drinks.”

I’d talked to Jack earlier this morning and told him I was thinking about asking Emily out but wanted to know what he thought about the potential conflict of interest if we started dating. When I asked if it’d been difficult to stay professional when Meg was in danger, he his raised eyebrows. He was kind enough to not ask me if I was blind, or stupid, or both. Because it'd been damn near impossible for him to keep his cool when Meg was in trouble.

Instead, he said he trusted me to remain professional unless she was in immediate danger. “Then you’ll lose it, like I did. It’s part of who we are. You won’t be able to distance yourself any more than I could. In fact, it may be harder for you because of what happened to Isabelle. But trust me, we’ll bench your ass if we think you can’t keep your head on straight.”

Seven months ago, I’d said the same thing to him. I replied the same way he had. “You’ll try.” Then we laughed.

Jack was right, my history with Isabelle could make this job a hell of a lot harder for me. And while they might try, they wouldn’t be able to bench me, anymore than we’d been able to bench Jack. We’d managed to help him hold his shit together, but I don’t think Death himself could have prevented Jack from going after Meg. And he wouldn’t be able to keep me from doing the same for Emily.

Jack snapped my attention back to the present.

“You know, if anything happens, we’ll have your back. And hers. Just like you had mine and Meg’s.” Jack paused, giving it time to sink in. “I know your worried, but she’s worth the risk. You haven’t so much as looked at a woman since Isabelle died, let alone shown interest. So this is a big deal.”

“Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

“Anytime, big brother.” He gave me a hug. “Now let’s get moving, our women are thirsty.”

Our women. My smile stretched from ear to ear.

Conversation ebbed and flowed as we hung out, waiting for the ribs to finish smoking. The rich sweet smell of BBQ sauce hung thick in the air, making us all hungry even though we’d stuffed our faces at lunch.

After a while, we teamed up and played bags, which quickly turned into a game of dodgeball when Doug and I faced off against Jack and AJ. The girls were watching but scattered once bags started flying. I couldn’t blame them for not wanting to get caught in the line of fire. We’d all be sporting some pretty ugly bruises tomorrow, the consequence of not moving fast enough. We were going at it hard when Ma’s voice cut through the chaos, “James Richard and Jackson Edward, what do you think you’re doing?”

Oh fuck! She used our middle names.

We all spun around and stood at attention, dropping any bags we were holding. Unfortunately, AJ had already let one fly, and I didn’t see it until after it hit my arm.

“Fuck.” His eyes opened wide as saucers as he realized he’d just sworn in from of my mom. “Sorry.”

Mom looked annoyed, but ignored him. Dad looked amused, and shockingly didn’t say anything. I didn’t understand why she was upset until I noticed a bag on the ground a couple of inches to her left.Shit, it must have just missed her.

“Sorry Mrs. Sheppard.” AJ and Doug said at the same time Jack and I said, “Sorry Ma.”

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