Page 63 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends

Tension fills my chest as I stare at her, battling the urge to tell her not to accept the offer. If her brothers weren’t here, I probably would’ve snapped and done it. She can’t leave us to work for some jackass.

She can’t go, even if we can’t have her.

“What’s your answer?” Andrew asks her. “Taking off again?”

Emma exhales heavily and shrugs. “I haven’t decided yet. I have tonight to think about it.”

“Well, whatever you choose, we support you,” Ethan tells her, receiving a grateful look from her.

When her eyes meet mine, I give her a faint nod, but my response is less enthusiastic than her brothers’. Can she blame me? Or Josh and Ryan? We already had to let her go. Now, we’ll have to watch her take off again for who knows how long.

Emma looks away from me and briefly grimaces, her hand pressing against her stomach. She turns away from me and goes to the fridge to pour herself a glass of water, her body seeming smaller than normal.

Something definitely seems off. I think she’s sicker than she’s admitting. Probably so no one will stop her from going to that meeting.

“It was nice seeing you, Max,” Emma tells me, not even looking at me.

She wants me to leave. She can’t even look me in the eyes and tell me to get out.

I glance at Andrew and Ethan, who pitch each other confused looks. I should probably leave before I draw more attention to myself. I already threw her brothers for a loop by showing up uninvited like I’m a regular visitor here.

“See you guys later,” I say as I lift my hand to wave goodbye to Ethan and Andrew.

They return my wave, murmuring goodbyes.

I step out and let the door click shut behind me, sealing me off from her like a damn wall.

The hallway feels colder somehow. Emptier.

She couldn’t even look at me.

Not like she used to.

My jaw tightens as I head for the elevator, fists clenched in my coat pockets. Every part of me wants to storm back in there, tell her to stay, tell her she’s not alone.

But I can’t. Not with her brothers ten feet away.

Not when I don’t even know what I’d be asking her to choose.

I push through the building doors and into the winter air, trying to breathe through the ache in my chest.

Usually, I’m the calm one. The grounded one.

But when it comes to her, I don’t recognize myself anymore.

Chapter twenty-nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Emma

Even as I sit down at a table with Vincent, I still don’t have an answer to give to him.

I barely slept last night, tossing and turning in bed as my mind kept racing. I thought about this opportunity. About the baby. About the guys. About my family.

About everything.

And I still don’t know what to do.

“Want some sake?” Vincent asks from across the table.