Chapter 10
***Memphis***
“Is there something wrong? Are we supposed to pray or something?” They were just staring at me. I looked back down at my food and let out a mournful sigh. I didn’t want to be a pig, but I was starving and Rork’s food smelled delicious.
Boone snorted. “In this house? There’d hardly be a point.”
Remington shot him a glare and then nodded to me. “Nothing’s wrong. Let’s eat.”
I dug in, feeling like the cat who ate the canary. I felt like I was being spoiled on a magical vacation. I grabbed my glass of water and took a big gulp, nearly choking as the carbonation hit the back of my throat. I coughed and sat back as my eyes filled with tears.
“Are you okay?” Wells leaned over and rested his big hand on my shoulder. Tattoos streaked down from his shirt sleeve, covering his skin, and mixed over the tattoos on his hand were several vibrant colors of paint.
I shot a dirty look at the water glass and forced myself to nod. “I’m okay. I was expecting regular water and I just got shocked. Silly me.”
“Here. Take mine.” He handed me his glass and watched as I took it cautiously. “It’s regular water, no bubbles. Promise.”
I took a small sip and then drank down half of his glass. “Sorry. That’s embarrassing.”
“Remy’s the only monster who can drink that shit. We’ll make sure Sophie knows that you’re normal and prefer your water to be water.” Boone winked and lifted his glass to me in mock cheers. “Should we tell her she tried to kill you?”
I gasped and shook my head. “No! No, don’t make her feel bad. She didn’t know.”
Remington rolled his eyes at Boone. “He’s not going to harass Sophie. She’d probably laugh in his face, anyway.”
It felt like I was embarrassing myself constantly in front of them.
I’d even managed to get dirty before coming in for lunch, like a toddler.
Walking into the room like I wasn’t mortified had been hard, but they hadn’t mentioned the state of my dress or knees, thankfully.
I’d at least had time to wash my hands and get the dirt out from under my nails.
Everything I said was off, though. I felt like a country bumpkin and I knew they had to notice how out of place I was.
“We have an appointment this afternoon.” Remington finished his glass of devil water and leaned back in his chair. “The fertility clinic and doctor come highly recommended.”
I paused, shocked by how quickly we were going to a doctor. I don’t know why I’d thought there would be more time to adjust. A bolt of fear struck me and I had to put my fork down to hide my shaking hands. “Okay.”
“Are you okay?” Boone’s eyes roamed my face and body, but it felt purely medical. “Take a drink of your water.”
I grabbed the first glass I saw and nearly spit the bubbly water back out. I managed to swallow it, but not without making several awful faces.
“Shit. Get that away from her before she chokes herself to death.” Remington pushed away from the table like he was going to come around to help me.
Holding up both hands, I shook my head and forced out a laugh.
It sounded flat, but I did my best to sound unbothered.
“I’m okay! I’m sorry. I keep being weird.
I’m just surprised by how fast this is happening, I guess.
It makes complete sense, though. Of course.
It’s a big thing that’s happening. For all of us. Y’all will be daddies after this.”
A pained look crossed Remington’s face and he nodded. “Yes. And we’re all really ready for that. We want it to happen as soon as possible. That way, we can make sure to have all three kids in the five years allotted.”
“Sure! That makes sense.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I think it’s really special that y’all are starting your families now, in an unconventional way. Most people wait for life to happen to them and y’all are taking what you want in your own time. That’s admirable.”
Wells grunted from beside me. “What can we say? We’re just family men.”
Boone snorted, but when I looked at him, he was all smiles. “It’s strange to think of us that way, when there’s no family yet.”
“No family? Don’t be silly. The three of you have each other and you seem close. That’s really nice.” I thought of my brothers for a moment and sadness threatened to consume me as always. Knox was in a prison just south of Birmingham, Alabama, and Jackson was in the rehab I’d paid for in Atlanta.
“We want kids.” Remington stood up from the table and gripped the back of his chair. “Our appointment is at two. Try not to get lost with Pete in the meantime.”
I watched him walk away and felt like I’d somehow done something wrong.
Glancing between Boone and Wells, I stopped myself from asking about Remington’s sudden departure.
Looking down at my food, I took one last bite and felt like running out of there.
The feeling of not being good enough was weighing on me more and more the longer I sat at their giant dining room table and drank out of their crystal glasses.
It was a feeling that had been with me my whole life, but it never felt any better.
“Remy’s cranky when he doesn’t get a full sixteen hours of work in. Ignore him.” Boone nodded after his brother and glanced down at the table where his phone buzzed. “Sorry, this is the office. I have to take this.”
I looked over at Wells as we were left alone and smiled. “Do I smell? I feel like I cleared the room.”
He smiled back at me and shook his head. “You smell good, so it’s not that. They’re just tied to work. Remy owns and operates a large company in the city and Boone’s a surgeon. They’re both at work more than they’re home.”
“And you?” I pointed to the paint on his hands. “You’re not a workaholic?”
He absently rubbed at the paint and shrugged. “I don’t know if you can call a painter a workaholic. I paint a lot, but it’s not...work.”
“Well, sure it is. That’s your career, is it not?
” When he nodded, I reached out and tapped the back of his hand.
“I think categorizing different jobs as work or not work makes it too easy for people in the creative fields to not demand the respect they deserve. You may not be running a company, but you’re working and the time you put in painting is the same as the time Remington puts in at the office. ”
He stared at me for a second longer than was comfortable and finally nodded again. “You’re passionate about literature?”
“I’m a reader. I love books more than anything in this world, besides my family.
If writers didn’t respect their time and effort, so many of my favorite books probably wouldn’t have been written.
And that’s just not okay.” I reined myself in before I got carried away talking about books.
“If you’re ever willing to share your paintings, I’d love to see them. ”
Bea came into the dining room and froze. “So sorry. I thought everyone was gone.”
I grinned at her and stood up. “Don’t apologize. Come on in and I’ll help you. Wells will probably be grateful for the chance to escape me.”
Wells grunted. “See you for the appointment.”
Bea stared after his retreating back and fanned herself. “Wow.”
I wasn’t willing to admit outright that I found the man sexy as sin just yet. Not out loud, anyway.
“You’re not helping clear the table. I get paid to do this, Memphis.” She seemed to finally catch up with what I said. We’d had the same argument that morning when I’d tried to help clean up after the quick breakfast she’d insisted on making me.
“I’m not going to just sit here like a knot on a log and watch you work.” I wagged my finger at her. “With all the delicious food I’ve already eaten here, after just a few meals, I need all the extra movement I can get. One wrong turn and I’m going to look pregnant before I’m pregnant.”
“Go for a walk through the maze, then. That’s better for you, anyway.” Bea gently patted my arm and guided me away from the table. “Enjoy yourself. Take advantage of this time. You deserve to be spoiled.”
I gave in and found myself outside with the flowers again.
I wasn’t sure Bea was right. I wasn’t sure I deserved to be spoiled.
I was a liar and I didn’t belong. Still, when the floral scents washed over me, I could almost imagine a world where I did belong in the garden and I could make it my own.
I had to cut that fantasy short as the Hawke brothers threatened to appear in it. Again.
With hot cheeks, I hurried to the maze and hid away inside its walls of manicured rose bushes. Like a kid, I giggled when more than one pathway was a dead end. It was, like everything else, magical.