Page 59 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends
Two blue lines.
I’m pregnant.
My heartbeat echoes in my ears as I stare at the lines, making sure they’re real and not a figment of my imagination. How is this happening?
I drag my fingers through my hair as I turn away from the test, trying to collect my thoughts as they race around in my head. On one hand, there’s a flicker of excitement in my chest at the thought of having a family of my own. A possible mini me. A smiling child to teach art to when they’re old enough.
But then I remember how this happened.
A heated night in the middle of a snowstorm with three men who are completely off limits. The baby is one of theirs, and I don’t even know which one. How the hell do I explain that to my parents and my brothers?
They’ll be furious. Disappointed.
I’m pretty sure my brothers will kill the guys if they find out.
I release an unstable exhale, holding my stomach as I fight the urge to throw up again. I don’t know what to do. The only way to avoid any confrontation with my family and any possible pain and confusion with the guys is to keep the baby’s father a secret and raise them elsewhere.
Maybe I should take the job in San Francisco and raise the baby there.
Or maybe I should stay and tell the guys the truth. We’ll have to come clean to my family, but we’ll be together. Maybe even in a relationship if that’s something they want.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
None of my scenarios paint me a clear picture of what the hell I should do.
Unable to be trapped in this tiny, brightly lit bathroom any longer, I toss the pregnancy test in the trash and hurry out of the pharmacy, letting the cold night air wash over me. My apartment is streets away, and it’s getting late, but I think a walk in the fresh air might help soothe my nerves.
Hopefully.
I walk in the direction of my apartment, pulling my coat around me tighter as the cold tries to break through to me. It barely fazes me, though. I’m too focused on what is now my unexpected reality.
I have a baby on the way.
My hand gently touches my stomach as I stop on the sidewalk to wait for the walk signal, my heart fluttering in my chest. Ifthey look like any one of the guys, they’ll be gorgeous. They’ll be perfect.
“Emma!”
I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of Ryan’s voice. My eyes snap to the left where Ryan is sitting in his car at the light, his passenger’s side window rolled down. “Ryan? What are you doing here?”
“I was taking a night drive and spotted you,” Ryan replies before leaning over and opening the passenger’s side door. “Get in. It’s too cold for you to be walking around. Too dark too.”
I eye him suspiciously. “So, you just happened to come across me?”
A sheepish grin tugs at his lips. “Maybe Josh called me and told me that he was worried about you. Now, would you get in?”
The thought of being stuck in a small space with him after what I just found out makes my stomach clench with anxiety. I don’t think it’s the best idea, but my feet also ache and my nose stings from the cold. I’ll be even more exhausted if I walk the rest of the way.
“Fine,” I sigh as I get into his car and shut the door behind me, welcoming the warmth of the heated seat.
“I’ll take you home,” Ryan says as he starts forward. His eyes stray to me for a second. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I reply, keeping my eyes forward. I can’t look at him. It’s torture even smelling his cologne.
“No, you’re not,” Ryan tells me. “Talk to me.”
My throat tightens. I want to. I want to fall into him and forget everything for one night.But I can’t.I’m carrying a secret that could change all our lives.
“I’m just... under the weather,” I say, forcing my tone to stay neutral, casual, distant.Like I’m not quietly falling apart.
