Maybe Matt's Miracle (The Reed Brothers 4)

She inches closer to me, like she’s determined to cuddle. I see Sky walk up the hallway, and her eyes find me on the couch, but Reagan gets her attention by passing her a margarita. Sky takes it and starts to talk with Reagan.

“Matt?” Emily asks. “What is it?”

I blow out a heavy breath. “You know I love you, right?” I say quietly.

“Yes…” she replies. But she looks flustered. And concerned. And worried. I hate that I’m putting that look on her face. But things have changed.

“And you know how much I love cuddling with you, right?” I say.

She grins and leans toward me. But I push her shoulders back. “Matt?” she asks, shocked.

“Well, here’s the deal.” I run a hand down my face. “I love you, Em,” I say, and I’m not lying. Not a bit. She saved my life by sacrificing everything she held dear two years ago, and she did it without a thought. She will always be in my heart.

“Okay…” she says. “But?” She holds out her hands like she’s surrendering to the cops.

I look over at Sky, and she raises her glass to me. She keeps talking with Reagan, and I am glad because I have to have this conversation with Emily. “I love you, Em, but I’m in love with her.” I nod toward Sky. “Like want to move in with her tomorrow and die together when we’re old kind of love.”

She sits back a little. “Oh,” she breathes. She looks like someone just slapped her. Emily and I don’t have feelings for one another, not like that. But we have always cuddled, and I think I’m hurting her feelings, and I f**king hate it because she doesn’t understand. “I’m in love with her, and I’m afraid she’ll feel weird about me cuddling with you.”

Her brow furrows even more. “So you explain our relationship,” she says with laugh. “She’ll understand.” She leans like she wants to lie on my side. I push her back a little. “Matt,” she protests. “Stop doing that.”

“Em,” I say. “If you’re cuddled up with me, she’s can’t get in that spot, and I really, really, really want her in that spot.”

Her face softens.

“Do you get it now?”

She motions toward Logan. “Logan never minded our cuddling. Why would she?”

Honestly, I wouldn’t f**k Emily if she were the last woman on the planet. If Logan died tomorrow, and every other woman on the planet did, too, I still wouldn’t f**k Emily, that’s how much I love her like a sister, but I don’t want there to be any confusion. I don’t want Sky to feel weird about it. I shake my head because I don’t know what more I can say to her.

“Matt,” she says softly. I look up into her face, and my heart almost breaks when I see her eyes filling with tears. “You’re really in love with her, aren’t you?”

I grin. I can’t help it. “Yeah,” I say. “I am.” I nudge her shoulder with mine. “You okay with that?” I ask.

She leans over like she’s going to hug me but pulls back. “I can still hug you, right?” she asks. I take her in my arms and hold her tightly to me, and then I roll her over and drop her unceremoniously into Logan’s lap. He looks up at her and grins, surprised to find here there.

“We’re okay, right?” she asks me, motioning from me to her and back.

I ruffle her hair. “We’re just like we’ve always been,” I say. I let my hand rest on the top of her head.

Sky walks over to me and sits down next to me. I put my arm on the back of the couch, and she snuggles against my side. Nothing ever felt quiet as right as this moment does.

Logan turns off the game and the TV. Now that Emily is in his lap, she has all of his attention. Logan signs to me. Go get Em’s guitar.

I get up and go to the closet where Emily keeps her favorite guitar. Reagan passes out drinks while Emily sets up for a minute, tweaking and twirling as she strums the strings.

Emily leans over, takes my hand off my knee, and kisses it quickly. My heart warms. Sky smiles up at me and looks at me curiously. But she’s not angry. I can tell. Then Sky lays her head on my shoulder, her body molding into mine. She fits against me. She fits my life.

Even Pete and Sam stop wrestling when Emily starts to sing. She has a voice that’s a thing of beauty, and emotion wells up inside me. The room goes quiet, aside from the sound of her voice.

Sky sucks in a startled breath, and I scoot over behind her, arranging her between my thighs so she can lean against me. She lays her head back on my shoulder and settles into me.

I hear the door open, and Friday walks into the apartment. She looks around, and her eyes land on Paul. He looks everywhere but at her. Her eyes close, and she takes a deep breath. But then she comes and sits on the floor beside Sam, and Paul brings her a margarita. He leans close to her and says something in her ear. She nods and draws her lower lip between her teeth. He smiles, and Paul looks peaceful for a second. Then it’s gone.

Emily gets a little louder, and the room starts to ring with the sound of her music. Peace settles over me, and I realize that this is what it’s all about. My fight with cancer. My fight with life. My fight with love. All my fighting led me here. And I don’t want to be anywhere else. I have my family around me, the woman I love is in my arms, and our kids are scattered around the apartment. It can’t get any better than this.

Skylar

I can’t figure out why Emily isn’t playing on a stage at a huge, sold-out venue somewhere instead of strumming her heart out in the Reeds’ living room. She has some amazing talent, and I could sit here all day and listen to her. Her voice is full and rich and so emotional that she almost brings a tear to my eye.