Page 23 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends

Andrew laughs and shakes his head. “Hell no. I sleep at the hospital half the time.”

“Poor nurses can’t get away from him,” I say, laughter rippling through our group as we stand in the dining and bar area of the huge arcade that we’ll be enjoying for the next few hours.

Everyone has been busting their asses so much that I figured we all deserved a night of fun. I wanted to invite Andrew and Ethan for old times’ sake too since it’s been way too long since we’ve all been together.

That’s the downside of being adults with jobs instead of teenagers with no responsibilities.

“Where’s Emma?” Andrew asks as he glances around for his sister.

“Restroom,” Ryan says as he looks in that direction. “I’ll grab everyone a beer if someone wants to get the player cards for the games.”

“I’ll do it,” I offer before heading over to the row of kiosks nearby.

“Thanks for doing this.”

I turn my head to see Emma standing next to me with a grateful smile on her face. “Of course. We all need a night to have some fun.”

Emma nods in agreement and looks over at her brothers. “They’re really happy to see you guys. You’ve always been so close.”

I finish getting the last card before handing her one. “They’re like my brothers. I wouldn’t be where I’m at now without them or your parents. They helped me out a lot when I was a kid.”

When I needed new clothes and my parents didn’t bother to buy me any, I could always borrow some from Andrew and Ethan, and they typically let me keep them. If my parents didn’t make dinner, I could always go to Andrew and Ethan’s house for a meal and some leftovers for the next day.

There are so many instances of Emma’s family taking care of me more than my own parents. It sickens me, but I’m also so grateful. That makes how I feel about Emma even tougher to deal with because I know that her brothers would never approve.

Emma follows me back over to the table where the others are drinking beer and looking at the menu. She hugs her brothers, looking stiffer than usual around them.

“So, two orders of hot wings. A large pepperoni pizza. What else?” Max asks as his finger trails down the menu over the assortment of other greasy options.

“Something sweet,” Emma speaks up as she stands near Ryan. She nudges him with her elbow as a playful spark lights up her eyes. “Ryan can’t go a day without something sweet.”

I crack a grin, but I immediately hide it when Ethan and Andrew cock their eyebrows. We should probably keep all private jokes and quips to ourselves around her brothers.

Wedo notwant them to take things the wrong way.

“I’ll get some brownies with ice cream on top,” Max says, drawing attention back to him. “Anything else?”

“That’s good with me,” Ethan replies. “Maybe some extra ranch.”

Andrew nods in agreement.

Max heads off, and I remember how to take a proper breath, mindful of how to proceed with this night.

Emma takes a seat next to me across from her brothers, her thigh touching mine under the table. Even in a t-shirt with our high school name and logo and a pair of jeans, she looks beautiful. Dangerously beautiful.

I force myself to remove the contact, shifting my thigh away slightly when all I really want to do is reach over and explore hers.

“So, how are things going with the project?” Ethan asks us.

“Good. We’re on schedule,” Emma replies as she glances over at me. “We all work well together.”

I automatically smile at her. “Yeah, we’re kicking ass for sure. I kind of don’t want the project to be over with so soon.”

Emma’s eyes widen, her brows rising on her forehead.

“Whoever she works with next will be very lucky to have her,” Ryan comments as he lingers near the table, his eyes skimming over all the arcade games with their energetic noises and bright lights shining through the dark part of the arcade.

“Well, you’ll still have a few days after the project is done to find a man before the new year,” Andrew tells Emma with an amused look on his face. She rolls her eyes in response.