Page 86 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends

“We’ll talk to the others and come up with a plan,” Emma replies.

I nod and sit there with her as a million thoughts fill my mind, causing endless noise. Only when her eyes meet mine does the chatter quiet down, and I can focus on the moment. In a life as hectic as ours, it’s easy for moments to pass us by.

But now more than ever, we need to cherish them because change is coming.

It’ll either bring us closer or the pain from it will tear us apart.

Chapter thirty-nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Josh

The sound of the elevator dinging cuts through the silence filling the office.

I tear my eyes away from the email that I’m typing up and look up, immediately smiling at the sight of Emma as she strides toward me with an excited glow on her face. “Hey, beautiful.”

Emma speeds up as I stand from my desk and runs into my arms, hugging me tightly. “I have something to show you. I just noticed this morning.”

A curious look appears on my face as she steps away from me and turns to the side, lifting her loose t-shirt and pulling the band of her black leggings down a little. It doesn’t take me long at all to notice the small bump of her stomach that wasn’t there before.

“You’re starting to show!” I say as I step closer to her and gently place my hand on her stomach. “Holy shit. I’ve been waiting for this.”

“You and the others,” Emma replies with a smirk on her face. She glances down at my hand and smiles, a light blush adorning her cheeks. “It was hard to button up my jeans. I’ll need some new clothes soon.”

“We’ll buy them for you,” I tell her without skipping a beat.

Emma flashes me a pointed look. “You guys don’t have to buy everything for me. I make my own money.”

I drape my arm around her shoulders and pull her toward me so that I can kiss the top of her head. “Just let us spoil you a little. It makes our day.”

Emma laughs. “Just buy things for the baby. We still have a lot on our list.”

I let out a playful groan as I sit on the edge of my desk. “You’re no fun.”

Emma stands between my legs as she rubs my shoulders. “Speaking of no fun, we have to talk about something serious.”

I frown a little. “About what?”

Emma sighs. “I was talking to Max, and he’s ready to tell everyone the truth soon. I think we should too. It’s starting to get too hard to hide that I’m pregnant.”

I knew this day was coming soon. It needs to happen, but part of me still isn’t ready to face her brothers. They’ll have the most visceral reaction, and I really don’t want to be sent to the hospital with a broken nose.

“Have you talked to Ryan?” I ask her.

“I FaceTimed him last night, and he said that it’s up to me. He’s ready whenever,” Emma replies. “I just wanted to get your opinion before I set up a time for us to meet with my brothers. I think we should get them out of the way first.”

I breathe in deeply as I rest my hands on her hips, my heart rate kicking up. They’re going to be pissed, but we might as well bite the damn bullet and get it over with. I’m sick of worrying about it. I just want to focus on my family.

My stomach knots. I imagine Ethan’s fist meeting my jaw. But Emma’s face—full of hope and fear—makes the decision for me. “Let’s do it,” I tell her with a nod.

Emma gives me a grateful look before grabbing her phone and bringing up her group chat with her brothers. She types out a message before showing me. “This Saturday at my place around noon?”

“Works for me,” I reply.

Emma sucks in a deep breath before hitting send on the message and shutting off her phone. She places it on the desk and buries her face in my chest with a nervous exhale. “No going back now. I can’t believe we’re going to do this.”

I move my hands up her back, holding her against me. “It’ll be okay.”

Emma shakes her head. “What if it isn’t? What if they hate us and won’t ever talk to us again?”