My Brother’s Best Friends

They surrounded me, their hands stroking and soothing as I sobbed. Theo made comforting sounds until I quieted enough to hear him. “The baby is going to be fine. We’ll go to Dr. Sarah when we get home so she can tell you that for sure, but people a lot dumber than us have had children and done it perfectly fine.”

“Like Jenny.” I sniffled into his shirt and pouted. “That was rude. I’m sorry.”

August snorted. “Don’t be. You’ve earned several hundred shots at Jenny.”

“Never in front of Iris, though. I would never do that.” I scrunched up my nose as my stomach turned. “I have to go.”

Theo moved like an Olympian as he rushed me to the bathroom and got me over the toilet just in time. “We’re going to have a long drive home, baby. And we’re leaving as soon as possible. Let me tell you. When you’re feeling better and we’ve managed to convince you of how much we love you and that we’re never leaving, we’re going to have a long talk about you leaving us to hide with your ex.”

“Kara said something about spanking.” Charlie laughed at the way I stiffened, even with my head in the toilet. “Your friends were all too happy to help us set you up, baby. And encouraged us to show you why you should never run from us again. I think Kara might be a sex addict.”

“Pregnant.” Theo smoothed a hand down my back. “You’ll see.”

I slapped his leg, thinking of how he knew that.

“Yep, spankings seem like the answer.”

August coughed and then grunted. “Maybe we keep the conversation PG for a while. Until we’re home and Rea can keep her head out of the toilet for more than thirty minutes.”

I took the rag he held out as I lifted my head. I thanked Theo for flushing and then tried to smile at August. “I can do plenty in thirty—”

Theo chuckled and continued rubbing my back. “Sure you can, baby.”

Somewhere else in the house, I heard Hunter bark. August swore. “In here, asshole!”

“Jeremy didn’t learn any bad habits while Rea stayed with us. That’s all I’m saying.” Charlie sounded smug until Hunter came running into the too-small bathroom. “Oh, god, Hunter. Come on, man.”

I finished up and managed to move to sit on the closed toilet seat after rinsing with mouthwash. Hunter wedged himself against my legs and stared up at me. I scratched his ears absently and looked around at them, settling on August, who was scowling at his dog. “What’d he do?”

“He’s not even pretending to be a guard dog anymore. He’s just a crappy search dog. Only he only searches for you. He’s perfectly the mournful howl of a bloodhound over the last two weeks.”

More tears filled my eyes and I wrapped my arms around the big dog’s neck. “I might love him the most.”

Theo growled. “Let’s pack your bags while you’re feeling okay. I’m ready to get you home.”

August ran his hands through my sweat-dampened hair. “Our home, by the way, will be my house until we can build something bigger on Charlie’s land.”

“Really?”

Charlie knelt in front of me, fighting Hunter to get closer. “Really. This is it for us. You’re our world.”

“You all want this? And…a baby?”

They all looked at each other and shared some silent communication between themselves before Charlie pulled a box out of his pocket. My lungs stopped working as he held it out in front of him and looked up at me. Then, with a silly smile on his handsome face, he opened the box and showed me a plastic potato chip ring from the souvenir shop in Lunar.

“Be our little potato chip, Reagan.” He started to laugh and then straightened his face. “Play your cards right and there’s more where this came from.”

I laughed and tried to grab the ring, but it shifted and I saw another ring under it. My eyes went wide as I watched Charlie pull out the real ring, a beautiful, vintage band with diamonds encircling it.

“Sure, it’s fast, baby, but we know. You, this baby, we want it all. Be ours.”

August knelt next to Charlie, followed by Theo, and they wedged themselves in with Hunter and the toilet. “We’re never leaving without you. And if you go, we’ll always follow, Rea.”

Theo grinned. “Come home with us and make us the happiest fucking men ever.”

I squeaked. “I just threw up! We’re in a bathroom!”

Charlie pretended to pull the ring away and laughed when I grabbed his hand.