Chapter Two
“You do realize you don’t have to pay me for this,” Sarah said, shoving the rolled-up hundreds in her back pocket.
“And yet, you take my money?”
“Look, you and I both know what life is like when times are hard, and I always save for a rainy day. That is not going to change anytime soon. You can call me a doomsdayer, realist, or greedy, I don’t give a fuck. I think of myself as a businesswoman and prepared.” Sarah smirked and then dropped down into the chair opposite him.
“Why are you still in my office?” Nate asked.
Sarah didn’t answer right away, and instead reached out and snagged one of his jelly candies, and he didn’t share well. “When are you going to finally put us all out of our misery and tell Carly how you really feel?”
Nate glared at Sarah. “You do realize I hurt people for talking to me that way?”
He got an eye roll. “Yeah, and other people haven’t been by your side, covering your back for, like, eternity. Besides, I like to think of myself as your sister from another Papa and Mama.” She winked at him.
There was no getting rid of her. She’d already gotten settled in her chair and was preparing herself for a big speech.
This wasn’t new to Nate. This was something he was quite used to when it came to Sarah. Not just her, but the guys as well. All three of them had given him a piece of their mind. All of them stating the same thing, constantly pushing Carly’s dates, and threatening him. It wasn’t fair. He either had to stake his claim, or leave her alone.
At this moment in time, he couldn’t do either. None of the other men had been good enough for Carly. If his threat pushed them away so easily, then they didn’t deserve her. It was as simple as that, and he wasn’t going to apologize for it either.
“I’ll pay you extra to leave,” he said.
She snorted. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You and I both know what you’re doing with Carly isn’t nice.”
“You’re telling me that taking care of her is not nice?”
Sarah blew out a breath. “Why do you have to be such a pain in the ass?”
To that, he simply raised his brow.
“Fine, fine, wrong kind of … wording. Ugh, you’re a giant butthead when you want to be. Look, Carly has plans, okay? You know she has always wanted to be a mother. A wife. She wants to have that big family.”
“She has us,” Nate said.
“I know, and everyone is more than happy to pretend to be her children. Trust me, the other guys love it when she baby’s them, but come on, you know how amazing she would be as a mother. You’re stopping her from having lots of babies, finding a guy that will love her.”
“Enough,” Nate said.
This time, Sarah did shut up. He couldn’t do it. There was no way he could think of Carly with anyone else. No one else was good enough.
“First of all, the men I have pushed away were not good enough for her. You and I agreed, if they were not willing to fight me for her, then they didn’t deserve her.”
Sarah sighed. “You’re terrifying, Nate, and you do it on purpose. You know that. I know that.”
“And no one is good enough for her, and I’m not going to keep having this discussion.”
She let out a breath. “Fine. Fine. Have it your way, but when Carly is miserable because she thinks her ovaries are going to dry up, then that will be on you. Not on me.” She got up out of her chair, and stormed off toward the door. “You and I both know, as well as the guys, that you love Carly. She has always been that special person to you. If you crossed that line and told her how you felt, you would be a lot happier instead of being a grumpy asshole.”
Nate didn’t say anything as Sarah opened the door, stepped through it, and left.
He didn’t have to wait long for Reese to make his appearance. He dropped down into the chair opposite, looking tired.
“Out partying all night?” Nate asked.
“Misha is pregnant,” Reese said.
Misha is a woman Reese had been seeing for the past couple of months. Some days it had looked serious, while other days it looked like they were just having fun.
“She is?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it yours?”
Reese blew out a breath. “Yeah, it’s mine. She hasn’t been with anyone since me, and I trust her.”
Misha was a high school teacher. He didn’t know how Reese had met her, and he didn’t ask questions.
“And?”
“How the fuck can I be a dad, man? It’s insane. I don’t know if I should tell her to get rid of it.”
“You want her to abort your baby?” Nate asked.
“Look at me.”
Nate stared at Reese. “I’m looking.”
Reese growled and then turned and sat properly in the chair. “I don’t know the first thing about being a father. My dad loved to beat the shit out of me, and that was when I followed all his directions. If he wanted a beer, I got him a beer.” Reese shook his head. “I don’t know how to pick up a baby. I can’t do it. I’ll ruin another kid’s life, and he’ll probably end up in a foster home, and with a group of friends. I can’t do it.”
“You can, because you know what it means to be a shit dad. You do the opposite of what yours did.” Nate looked at Reese and saw the other man’s doubts. “Be the dad you always wanted. Remember when we were kids, and you were staring at the fucking full moon?”
“So?”
“You made that fucked-up list, remember? Everything you wanted in a dad, in a mom.”
“I can’t be a mom.”
Nate chuckled. “No, but do you think Misha has what it takes to be the mother of your children?”
“She’s amazing,” Reese said. “I don’t deserve her.”
“And now, she is pregnant with your kid. You’ve got to make a choice here. Either be the father you always wanted and prove your dad has no control over you—you’re the one in control here, no one else—or you leave her and allow someone else to raise your child.”
“Have I ever told you how much I fucking hate you?” Reese said, getting to his feet.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to a woman about a kid.”
****
Carly looked across the bar at Dalton.
“Why do you look miserable?” Carly asked.
“No reason.”
She pursed her lips. Years of knowing Dalton, she knew when he was lying, like right now.
Reaching over, she tapped him on the arm. “Come on, this is no time to mope. Tell me what’s going on.”
Dalton lifted his body and blew out a breath. “You heard the news about Reese?”
“Yeah, he’s got a kid on the way. I heard.” She couldn’t help but smile. Reese had been so excited about it on the phone, and she was going to get to meet Misha. They all had an agreement, that they were not going to introduce their other halves, unless they felt it was serious. Reese finally having a child with this woman was serious. Carly couldn’t wait to meet her.
“What’s wrong with Reese having good news?”
“I saw her first.” Dalton scrunched up his face.
“You did?”
“Well, I saw her, and then I saw this blonde chick that had a real tight ass, so I went and talked to her instead. Reese wormed his way in on Misha, and, well, the blonde chick was a boring lay, and I can’t even remember her name.”
“You do realize you have guy friends to talk to about this?” Carly asked.
“Yeah, but they will just laugh. You listen.”
“I imagine they won’t be quite so disgusted at the prospect of you talking this way about women, but…” Dalton glared at her. “What do I know?” She forced a laugh. “Are you telling me you’re in love with Misha?”
“No. I don’t love Misha. She is a boring teacher, but why does Reese get to have the fun life, and I’m stuck?”
Carly wrinkled her nose. “Maybe because Reese was more interested in conversation than Misha’s ass?”
Dalton sighed and for several seconds he didn’t say anything. “You’re right.”
She didn’t smile. Dalton hated to admit when someone else was right.
He lifted his head and looked so pitiful, in an adorable way. “What do I do, Carly?”
“About?”
“Finding a woman. Having kids. I’d be an amazing dad. I’d take them out shooting. Teach them how to fight, blow shit up, and how to get women.”
She took a deep breath. Any woman that ended up with Dalton would have to keep her wits about her. “Well, first, you’re going to have to be open to the possibility of monogamy.”
“The board game?”
“No, no, no, not a game. You know, where you only have eyes on one woman.” Dalton already looked like he wanted to tap out. “Look, some women might be okay with the idea of you cheating. Some women, a small, teeny-tiny number, and that might be because they’re cheating also.”
“What? Fuck, no. My woman only has me. No way is she having another dick.”
“And what about you?” Carly asked. “You expect your wife or girlfriend to stay loyal to you while you sleep around with random women?”
He opened his mouth and then closed it. “Well, now that you put it like that, no.” She watched him roll his eyes, which reminded her of Sarah.
“Then you need to consider that your days of playing women are over. If you’re serious and want a family, a wife, and what Reese has, then you’re going to have to, you know, put in the hard work. Not look at other women’s butts, and you know, only have eyes for one woman.”
Dalton got to his feet and put down several bills to pay for his drink. “You, Carly, drive a hard bargain, but I see what you’re getting at. You’re still doing your ribs, right? At the barbeque?”
“Yep, I will have everything ready.”
“Can’t wait. See you around, doll.” Dalton winked at her. Carly took his money, the change, and put it in the tip jar.
Dalton always tried to stop by the bar where she worked, at least once a week. This was the first time he arrived without a woman on his arm, sucking on his ear. She wiped down the counter, served some customers, and took care of the dirty glasses. She didn’t mind working in a bar, especially as it helped her focus on writing during the day.
She’d never been one to spend a lot of time in bed, so she got up early, wrote, and then got to work around three, and stayed till past twelve. It worked for her, and she had enough money to pay the bills and put a little aside for any special treats she might want. She knew she’d gotten lucky with the apartment and rental price. A little too lucky, but she hadn’t been able to find out why.
The rent money was taken from her account every month, and she had never seen the landlord. Sarah told her not to look a gift horse in the mouth, or something like that. She tried to follow her advice. She didn’t want to owe anyone anything.
At closing time, she wasn’t surprised to see Mitch outside the bar, waiting for her. He flicked his cigarette to the ground and stumped it out.
“Evening, beautiful,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. Mitch had gotten into the habit of calling everyone Beautiful.
“You know you don’t have to stand around waiting for me, or you could at least come inside.” Even in the cold, Mitch waited outside.
Mitch didn’t like alcohol. He had bad memories, ones he refused to delve into, and no one pushed him to explore them. They were his memories. He didn’t mind being around alcohol, but he couldn’t stand others who succumbed to the booze, and he never got drunk.
“I don’t mind, and besides, it’s a nice warm night.”
She didn’t argue. “How are you?”
“Good. You?”
“I’m doing good. I’m organizing everything for the barbeque.”
“I have no doubt it’s going to be perfect. How are you handling the news about Reese?” he asked.
“Fine, why?”
“Come on, Carly, if I was a betting man, I’d have said you’d be the first of the gang to have a kid. You have always wanted a big family. You and I both know it.”
“Yeah, and so far, it hasn’t happened. I don’t think I’m exactly dating material. I can’t get a guy to even appear on a date, much less act nice on one. I think I’m just … bad, you know?”
“You’re not bad, Carly.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m clearly bad luck then or not in the least bit attractive to these men.”
“Why?” Mitch asked.
“They all act like jerks or don’t even show up. Trust me, Mitch. I’ve not had a single good date in all my life. Not one.” She held her finger up to show him. “What does that tell you?”
He opened his mouth and she could just tell he intended to argue.
“I’m nearly thirty years old, Mitch. I’ve been dating since I was eighteen, and they’ve all been awful. Maybe I should have just sworn myself off of all men and dating. That might have been easier.”
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason why your dates have been awful.”
Carly couldn’t even think of a reason. What could have possibly gone so wrong every time?
“Nah, I think it’s me. In the olden days, I’d have been a spinster by now.”
“A spinster?”
“Yes, unwed, or whatever the hell it means, that I’m never getting married or having children.” She shrugged. “I suck.”
Mitch put his arm across her shoulders and pulled her in close. “You don’t suck, and I don’t know who has put this kind of shit in your head, but it needs to stop. Some men are just assholes, and you’ve been unlucky. Trust me. There is a guy out there for you, and he thinks you’re the most wonderful woman in the world, and he will not let anything happen to you. You’ve got to trust me on this.”
She released a sigh and then rested her head on his shoulder. “I hope so.”
****
“We’ve got to do something about this,” Sarah said, looking at her three non-brothers. Mitch, Dalton, and Reese gave her the clueless look.
“About what?” Mitch asked.
“Where’s the beer?” This was from Dalton.
“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to get involved.” It was like overnight, Reese had gotten sensible.
A kid on the way, and he almost appeared to be acting grown-up. This was not like him. Sarah didn’t know if it was freaky or not. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now was not the time to be going off on a tangent in her mind. Now was the time to stay focused.
“I know what we agreed, but that was nearly ten years ago. You all promised me that Nate would react or want her at some point. Guess what, that hasn’t happened. What is your excuse now?” she asked.
“Nate’s been busy.”
Sarah released a growl. “Come on, guys. You can’t tell me you’re not in the least bit fed up with how everything is going. Carly is starting to think she’s a curse among men. Nate, well, I’m pretty sure he hospitalized the last guy that attempted to ask Carly for a date. This isn’t fair.”
“Who is this not fair to?” Mitch asked.
“Carly!” She glared at him. “You agree with me. I know you all do. Nate has been in love with Carly all our lives. We all know this. Even Nate knows this.”
“Carly doesn’t,” Dalton said.
“Well, that’s because Nate is a little more … reserved in front of her. He doesn’t like to wear his heart on his sleeve. We all know this.” Sarah blew out a breath. It was like talking to children. “It’s time we stepped up and forced them together.”
All three men looked terrified.
“If any of your plans involve us making him jealous, it’s not going to happen,” Reese said.
“No, that’s not going to happen. We need to come up with a way of bringing them together, or at least forcing Nate to go all possessive on her.” Sarah pressed her fingers together repeatedly as she tried to think of the best way to bring two people together, one of them stubborn, the other too sweet for her own good.
It shouldn’t be this hard. Nate and Carly made a lot of sense. They were good together and had a whole lot of amazing chemistry. Sarah had watched them together and knew without a shadow of a doubt, Carly made Nate a better man. If it weren’t for her, Nate would be a monster, certainly an unleashed one.
“What if we get them drunk at the barbeque?” Sarah said.
“I just want to remind everyone that I do have a kid on the way. I won’t be part of any plan that involves us dying.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “None of this is going to make us dead.”
“Have you ever thought about just forcing them together? Constantly inviting Nate around, and then leaving? Wouldn’t time fix that problem?” Mitch asked.
“Tried that, and it hasn’t worked.” Sarah was determined to get Carly and Nate together. She loved her friends, and they’d been fighting this for way too long. She was going to fix it.