24. Chapter 24 Bree
Chapter 24: Bree
O h. Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Of all the ways this could’ve gone down, my half-naked, still-dripping-from-the-shower self, standing in front of my raging older brother, with the man I’ve been screwing standing beside me, was not what I had in mind.
Jake’s face is a mask of pure, simmering rage. “Are you fucking kidding me, Bree?” he growls. “I told him— I told you—”
“Jake, stop,” I cut him off, heart pounding. “It’s not that serious—”
The words come out before I can stop them. I see Scott stiffen next to me.
Shit. That’s not what I meant.
Jake snorts, crossing his arms. “Not that serious? What the hell is it, then? A fucking mountain fling? A quick screw before you go back to your life?”
I open my mouth to speak, but Scott beats me to it.
“No. It’s not like that at all.” His tells him. “It’s serious. I’m not playing games with your sister.”
Jake turns slowly to Scott, eyes narrowing. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I want her to stay.” Scott’s eyes flick to me, and everything else fades away. His voice softens, but his words hit me like a brick to the chest. “I want her here. With me. I want all of her.”
Oh.
Oh, my God.
My breath catches. “Scott. Are you serious?”
He steps closer, his hand reaching for mine. His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “Yeah, sweetheart. I’m serious. I’ve been serious since the first damn day.”
Tears prick at my eyes, and for a second, everything around us disappears, the cabin, the tension, my pissed-off brother. It’s just me and Scott, and that look in his eyes.
Raw. Honest. Mine.
I don’t think. I just move. I run to him, throwing my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his. He catches me like he always does, and kisses me back with everything he has.
I don’t know how long we stay like that, wrapped up in each other, but Jake’s irritated voice cuts through the moment.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
I pull back, breathless, cheeks flushed. Scott’s hand stays firmly on my ass, like he’s not letting me go ever again.
I turn to my brother, half expecting him to explode all over again, but his arms are crossed, and there’s more exhaustion than fury on his face now.
“You’re really doing this?” Jake asks, his gaze bouncing between us.
I lift my chin, finally finding my voice. “Yeah. We are.”
Jake mutters something under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well… hell. If you’re happy, Bree, that’s all I care about. But I swear to God, Scott—if you hurt her, I’ll—”
“I won’t,” Scott cuts in firmly. “I swear.”
Jake exhales sharply, like he’s coming to terms with it. But because I can’t leave well enough alone, because my mouth has a mind of its own when I’m emotional, I blurt out the thing that’s been sitting in the back of my mind all week.
“Besides, it’s just as well, I could be pregnant.”
The room goes still.
Jake freezes.
Scott freezes.
I freeze.
Oh. Oh, shit. Did I just say that?
Jake’s face drains of color, and then he groans, hands flying to his temples like he’s seconds from a migraine. “Jesus Christ, Bree. Seriously?”
Scott’s hand tightens on my hip, his other sliding across my stomach. He turns me toward him, his eyes blazing with something I can’t quite place, relief, possession, maybe even pride.
“Are you? It’s only been a week, Bree.” He asks.
I swallow. “I don’t know, maybe. I missed taking my pill each morning for the past week. I didn’t mean to, you kept distracting me.”
“Honey, that would make me the happiest person alive, but I think it’s too early to tell yet, don’t you?” he murmurs, so low only I can hear it.
Tears threaten again, but this time, they’re happy ones. “Yes, but I just thought I’d better warn you, you know. Just in case.”
Jake sighs loudly. “She’s all yours Scott.” He glares at Scott. “But this doesn’t mean I like what you did.”
Scott smirks. “Wouldn’t expect anything else.”
Jake shakes his head, muttering under his breath as he heads for the door. “Clara’s going to lose her damn mind when she hears this.”
When the door shuts behind him, I sag into Scott’s chest, laughing and crying at the same time. He holds me tight.
“So, you really want this?” I whisper. “Me. Here. Us?”
“More than anything, sweetheart.”
I smile up at him, knowing this is where I’m supposed to be.
With him. On this mountain. Forever.