6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

About any of it.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - HARPER

I was sliding omelet after omelet onto plates while my brothers trickled into the kitchen. Everyone came filing in one by one, picking up a plate with a loaded omelet before they started dipping up massive helpings of roasted potatoes. By the time I was done cooking, brewing endless amounts of coffee, and filling my plate, everyone was sitting at the table except Chance.

“Anyone know if Chance is awake?” I asked.

“His truck’s gone,” Owen said. “He’s probably in town.”

“His loss,” I said, shrugging.

“I don’t think Kyra’s gonna go back to her douchebag fiancé,” Rowan said.

“And here we go,” I said, sighing.

“She might,” Owen said. “They have a history.”

“A history bigger than ours?” Ethan asked. “Not a fucking chance in hell.”

“She deserves someone better,” Blake said. “Someone who’ll cherish her and protect her.”

“But does she realize her ex won’t give that to her?” I asked. “I mean, honestly, the situation’s fucked either way.”

“Harsh language from the hermit,” Ethan said, grinning. “Must be riled up.”

“Shut up, Ethan,” Owen said. “Continue, Harper.”

“If Kyra goes back to what’s-his-face—do we even know his name?” I asked.

“I don’t think so,” Blake said.

“Fuck. Okay. If she goes back to this douchenozzle, then none of us end up with her. But if she doesn’t—if she turns down this proposal or whatever—then what happens? Are the six of us gonna share her? Or is only one of us going to get our dream life with her?”

Owen was nodding along and I could tell I had everyone else’s attention. For the first time in years, the topic of conversation trumped the food that was sitting in front of all our faces.

And, of course, that topic of conversation would be the woman we were all secretly in love with.

“This entire situation is idiotic,” I said. “We can’t make her choose but if she does choose, then what about the rest of us? We’ve all felt her. Seen her. Been with her. Kissed her. Held her close. Can the five of us she doesn’t choose sit back and watch her be happy with the one she does choose? Get married? Start a family? Show up with her children to family holidays? We all feel strongly about her but could we really watch her spend the rest of her life with another brother?”

Owen shoved his plate to the middle of the table and got up out of his chair. He scowled over everyone, his anger apparent on his face as he marched out of the kitchen. I knew what I’d said had pissed him off, but it was the reality of the situation. It was obvious we had all been in love with her at one point and it was glaringly obvious that we were all in love with her now.

Ethan was shaking his head while Blake raked his hand through his hair. Rowan sighed and leaned back, bringing his coffee mug to his face while he silently chugged the caffeine he needed to process what I’d just said.

“Can I just say something really weird?” Rowan asked.

“When do you not?” I asked.

“Enough,” Blake said, groaning. “What is it, Rowan?”

“What if she didn’t have to choose just one of us?”

“The fuck does that mean?” Ethan asked. “You want us to share her or something?”

“Yeah,” Rowan said. “I mean, trust me. I know how crazy it sounds. But what boundaries do we really have left at this point? We all screwed her that night. Naked. In the same fucking room. What, at this point, wouldn’t we do for Kyra?”

“Share her?” Ethan said. “We can’t even fucking be around her without one of us busting in to ruin the moment. We’d have to draw so many fucking lines with her that she’d feel trapped.”

“I mean, it’s an idea,” Rowan said. “We’d all get her and we could all make her happy. And then we’d know she wouldn’t end up with a douchebag like Max.”