Page 54 of Resisting the Temptation (Broken Shelves #3)

Ben

I like Emma’s cousins’ partners—her cousins, too.

Morgan’s hilarious and super chill. Wes is quiet, but he’s kind and teases Luke relentlessly in a way that reminds me of my relationship with Mateo.

Luke is still a kid, but I can tell he’s a good one.

They all treat their girls like they’re the best thing to ever happen to them.

They look at them like they’re the sun, moon, and all the stars.

I probably look at Emma the same way.

I thought it would be awkward to tag along with them and not have Emma’s familiarity to keep me company. While I miss her, I’m not uncomfortable.

“So, Ben, you must be a great guy to lock down Emma. She was pretty adamant about not being in a serious relationship last year,” Morgan says from the driver’s seat.

I huff out a laugh. I don’t know if I can open up to them without hurting Emma, but I could really use some advice. I can’t ask Mateo or Papà like I usually would.

The urge to ask virtual strangers for advice about a woman I’m not even dating feels strange, but their significant others are related to her, so maybe they have more insight than I do. And I could use all the help I can get.

“If I tell you something, can you promise it stays between us?” I ask the group.

All three of them say “no” at the same time, and we all laugh.

“Sorry, but I won’t keep things from Elli. Whatever you say will be shared with her, but I can promise it won’t be repeated further if you don’t want it to be,” Wes says, the other two murmuring their agreement.

I can respect the fact they don’t keep things from their girls. It’s clear they all love them infinitely and would do anything for them. Even Luke, who’s not even twenty, has a healthier relationship than I’ve ever had.

I sigh. “We’re not actually dating. It’s just sex. Emma hasn’t been in a relationship in over four years, and she’s…”

“Skittish?” Morgan finishes.

“Yeah. I don’t want to push her too hard and risk losing her. I’ve already fallen head over heels, but I doubt she feels the same way.”

“Take it from someone who almost let the girl of his dreams go because I didn’t think she felt the same way,” Wes says, “you’ll regret not telling her how you feel. Even if it might scare her away, you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

“I agree. My situation is different, obviously. I waited until Hannah was ready, but she’s the one who ended up making the move to take us from fake to real.

She was still dealing with the aftermath of her divorce at the time.

I think if you wait for Emma to make a move, you’ll be waiting a long time. ”

I sigh. “That’s what I’m afraid of. You all think I should just… buck up and confess my feelings?”

All three of them say “yes” at the same time.

“But I suggest waiting until after tomorrow. You probably know how… delightful a lot of the Monson extended family can be. I’d wait until the emotional toll of tomorrow is over,.” Morgan says “delightful” like it’s an insult, and I almost laugh.

I learned over dinner that Emma’s parents aren’t the only shitty ones. Elli and Izzy’s parents haven’t talked to Elli in well over a year, and they stopped talking to Izzy after she moved out in August.

Hannah’s mom hasn’t even met her grandkids because she treated Hannah so horribly.

Talmage’s parents seem decent, but he didn’t talk about them much.

I hate that they all have terrible or non-existent relationships with their parents, but I’m glad they at least have each other.

When we get back to the house, we walk in to find the girls and Talmage on the U-shaped sofa in the living room, laughing about something.

Luke settles in front of Izzy’s legs, and Wes leans over Elli to give her a quick kiss, both of them handing the girls’ ice cream to them. Morgan kisses Hannah’s forehead, and I try not to let my jealousy show.

I hand Talmage his ice cream, then sit by Emma, desperately wishing I could give her a kiss, too .

She gives me a soft smile and murmurs, “Thanks,” as I hand over her cookie dough and brownie shake.

“What’s got you all laughing so hard?” Morgan asks as he settles next to his wife.

Talmage groans and shakes his head. “I don’t want to repeat it.”

“Me either!” Emma says around a mouthful of shake.

“Well, now I need to know. I don’t know any embarrassing stories about Emma,” I say with a playful nudge.

She scowls at me.

“We were just reminiscing about the time we had a family reunion at Bear Lake. Talmage and Emma were seven and six, and Talmage gave Emma a big ol’ kiss on the lips and asked her to marry him,” Elli says with a wicked grin.

“Emma agreed, and then everyone had to explain it wasn’t okay to marry your cousin. Emma and Talmage were devastated, ” Hannah adds.

“My mom told me I would go to jail if I married him. I was terrified!” Emma shrieks through a fit of giggles.

“Wow, I didn’t know I needed to be wary of your own cousin, honey,” I tease, and Talmage holds up his hands.

“Don’t worry, man, I’m no longer interested. I have someone else in mind.”

“Ooo,” all the girls say.

“Do tell, Tal,” Izzy demands.

Talmage’s cheeks immediately turn pink, and he shakes his head. “It—She— ugh .” He scrubs a hand down his face. “It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always?” Emma asks, and everyone gets quiet and exchanges glances .

“Tell me another embarrassing story about Emma,” I say to combat the awkward tension sticking to everything in the room.

“When we were around ten or twelve, we went on a family camping trip. Emma, Elli, and I shared a tent, and we were having a screaming contest to see who could scream the loudest. Emma has a set of lungs on her and won, but we all got in trouble for it. Emma’s also the wildest sleeper I’ve ever had to share a bed with.

We’re talking all over the bed,” Hannah shares.

“Okay, but you were the one who ended up on my pillow and forced me to sleep on the hard ground for the rest of the night!” Emma accuses.

“Remember the home video we made with the giant mushroom? Hannah pretended to be some type of singer who got stuck in the woods, and a wizard made us hunt for a giant mushroom to get you back home,” Elli says.

“Oooh, yes! Remember the video the family made the year Elli was born about the ‘cereal’ killer?” Emma cackles as she explains the strange plot of a movie about someone “killing” a bunch of cereal because everyone thought the kids ate too much of it.

Wes, Morgan, Luke, and I share bemused expressions. This family is strange.

“It sucks they stopped doing those family campouts by the time I was old enough to go. It sounds like you guys had fun,” Izzy pouts.

“I think the camping trip with the mushroom was the first one in about a decade at that point. Then, they just stopped doing them for some reason. At least you got to experience Grandma and Grandpa’s Lagoon days,” Elli says with a sympathetic smile before explaining.

“They used to take the whole family to the amusement park and buy us ice cream after we rode on Rattlesnake Rapids. It was the best day of the year.”

“That’s true. But they stopped doing those when I was like eight. Grandpa’s knees got bad, and he couldn’t ride anything anymore.”

The room gets eerily quiet for a few moments after that. Elli and Hannah lean in closer to their partners seeking comfort, and Luke starts lightly rubbing Izzy’s legs in a soothing gesture.

Emma shifts her weight and starts plucking at the hem of her skirt like she’s trying to find a loose string.

“Tomorrow’s going to suck, isn’t it?” she finally says, breaking the silence.

“Yeah. But I’m glad we were able to hang out before. It’s comforting to know no matter what the rest of the family thinks, we still have our little group of black sheep to turn to. Sorry, Talmage, you’re the white sheep who keeps getting drawn back to our little outcast flock,” Hannah says.

Talmage waves her off. “I’d rather be accepted by the black sheep than have the herd accept me only if I live up to their standards.”