Your Inescapable Love (The Bennett Family 4)

“Pippa shouldn’t go anywhere. She’s doing too much stuff as it is,” I reply. Her belly is round and huge even though she has a few months until she’s due, and it can’t be comfortable to carry around.

Alice smirks. “You know, I’m getting tired of you guys acting like clueless alphas, and so is Pippa.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Christopher asks.

“That you have no clue about pregnancies, but you like to talk a lot. Oh, she shouldn’t do this, she shouldn’t do that.” Alice glares at both of us. “Pippa has plenty of books about pregnancies. You can always do some reading on the subject before opening your big mouths.”

Christopher and I grimace at the same time. No way.

“You think your balls will fall off if you read a pregnancy book?” Her glare becomes more pronounced. “Men.”

“Sisters…,” Christopher mutters. “You worry about them, and all they do is give you shit.”

I’m smart and keep my mouth shut, but I’m in complete agreement with him. We return to watching the game, and during the break, Alice asks, “You didn’t answer. Can either of you join me tomorrow? I’m not actually going to buy anything, but I need inspiration and would love your opinion too. Blake is coming too, but the more the merrier.”

“I’ll go,” Christopher says, at the same time I reply, “Can’t.”

They both look at me.

“Care to share your plans?” Alice asks.

“I’m having breakfast with Jonesie.” I try to sound casual. Alice nods, taking her phone out of her bag and typing on it.

“How is she holding up with her grandmother’s illness?” she asks.

“She doesn’t speak about it much, but I know it’s hard.”

“You’re dating Jonesie?” Christopher asks abruptly. Alice is focusing on her phone again, but she has that expression on that says, I’m not eavesdropping, but in fact, I totally am.

“No, it’s not like that,” I answer quickly. “We’re just going out to catch up.”

Christopher snorts. “That friendship thing isn’t working out, is it?”

When I told him about Emilia weeks ago, he insisted there’s no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman. I countered by insisting that we’d been friends as kids.

“Oh my God,” Alice exclaims, dropping all pretense of typing on her phone. “I can’t believe this hasn’t even crossed my mind.”

“Spill it out,” Christopher says with a shit-eating grin on his face.

I eye the two of them with suspicion. They have the habit of ganging up on me, but I don’t see how I can avoid it now.

“I thought we could just pick up our friendship where we left off years ago….” I shrug, leaving my sentence hanging.

“And let me guess. She grew a pair of breasts, and you’re suddenly thinking with your penis instead of your brain?” Christopher asks. Ah yes, I can always count on him to deliver a punch straight to the gut.

I groan in response. “It’s not just that.”

Alice cocks an eyebrow.

“All right, that’s a big part. I’m attracted to her. Very attracted to her. But she also means more to me.”

“Define more,” Alice presses.

“I want her to be safe and happy, and every time I imagine her going out with someone, I feel the need to kick something. So….” My voice trails off, because I’m not sure how to put everything into words.

“Holy shit!” My sister sits cross-legged on the couch, resting her head in her hands. “I can’t believe I was so oblivious. Pippa would have picked up on it immediately. I should tell her.”

“Please don’t,” I say.