The one man I knew who majored in calculated assessments of life, the universe, and everything sat there in semi-darkness with me.
“So, Brandon?” I prompted.
“I’ve sent him a text to call me.”
And as if he heard us talking about him, Noah’s cell buzzed right then, and I’d place good money betting on it being his brother.
Noah briefly brought Brandon up to date on the situation, and Grace had confirmed she was pregnant. And Noah skated over the fact that he’d asked her to marry him.
“Put Brandon on loudspeaker,” Ryan suggested. “Let’s hear his side of things, too.”
Noah took the cell away from his ear. “Better than that, we’ll switch to FaceTime.”
As a group, we dissected the situation, which actually meant Ry and Brandon threw out random comments punctuated by huge lengths of silent contemplation.
“There’s one real question. Do we care about her?”
“I do. I care about her enough to respect her choices. I don’t feel threatened by the fact that she’s into you twins.”
“Yeah? Easy to say. It’s a lot different to be there for her when it’s all fucking and sex and all the good times, just childish fun without any penalty or regrets.”
“That might be you, but it’s not me.”
I zoned out, and it sounded like the guys said blah, blah, blah.
At some point soon, our parents would have to know, and that wouldn’t be pretty.
If our folks knew the full story, they’d learn how much both Ry and I loved Grace and wanted to do the right thing. We’d used condoms, for heaven’s sake. We always intended to do the right thing. But it would sound like we were reckless and disrespected Grace and that she was a slut.
But before they understood things, they’d have to get over the fact that Grace slept with both of us, and we had no idea who fathered the child.
I felt like a dumb kid for not thinking about all these things sooner, I’d bet Noah had thought about every angle and processed it.
“Man, I’m really not the kind of guy she needs.” I wasn’t sure whether I was voicing my fears or a realization, but I addressed the comment to Noah. “Why did you propose?”
“I’ve adored her for years. I’ve wanted her for so long. And uh... I’ve thought about our future together.”
Brandon laughed. “Imagining your wedding? Is it at a church? With white doves? Organ music?”
“Shut up, man.”
“Yeah. Let’s not judge.” Ryan patted his thigh. “He wants her. In sickness or in health. As the vows go, I don’t know where pregnant falls into that, but the vow he wants to have still stands, nonetheless.”
“Go on, Noah.” I encouraged. I wanted to hear it all, even if his brother didn’t.
“Yeah, that’s what I mean. I want to be there for her. No matter what. And no offense to the rest of you, but I am the best man for the job. I’m the only one who can afford to take care of her right now.”
There was no faulting that logic from where I was sitting. Noah had the money, all right. And I wouldn’t make an offer to marry her without thinking it through first.
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Are you as rich as Sam claims you are?”
“Yeah, Ry. I don’t stay up all night running an internet business out of my bedroom for the fun of it. It’s not a charity.” He glanced at Brandon on the screen. “It means I can afford to give to charity and afford unexpected problems life might throw my way.”
Ry sighed. “Grace isn’t a charity case. If she was, you could donate generously. She needs a real man by her side. Not a boy doing her a favor.”
“Easy, bro.” That was harsh, and right then, I felt ashamed that such words came from a face that looked like mine. “Listen to the man—he loves Grace and he wants to marry her.”
“Yeah, Ry. I didn’t ask her to marry me because of the baby, but because it’s what I genuinely want.”
Ry’s eyes widened in surprise. He’d never considered that. But Noah had always made it clear sex, a relationship, and marriage all went together for him.
“And if it is easier for her and you to pretend that I’m the father of her child, I’d be happy to go along with that. You might not want to start college life at nineteen years of age as a father.” Noah looked at me and then Ry. “She might not want to admit she doesn’t know who the father is.”
“Small detail, brother,” Brandon spoke up. “The girl you want to marry has the hots for me, and I think she likes the twins too.”
“I know that she does. And being married to me doesn’t have to put an end to whatever she’s got going with you three. If that’s what she wants, we can talk about an open relationship.”