Chapter 16 Emily
emily
Christmas Day had always been one of my favorite days of the year. Waking up in the morning, spending the entire day with my parents—who actually kept their promise and didn’t work—and opening presents together was one tradition I loved the most from childhood. This year, it was even better.
Maybe because I’d never had a boyfriend to spend Christmas with before. The idea still made me giddy. I smiled, thinking about last night. He loved me.
Part of me still couldn’t believe it, even as I woke up curled around him. That of all the people in the universe, somehow they’d given me this man. My childhood crush. My brother’s best friend. And now he was simply just mine. My cowboy, my Mason. My future.
I left him sleeping in my bed—he needed it, especially after how late we’d stayed up last night—and crept upstairs to start some coffee.
Wrapping myself up in a blanket, I went to sit outside on the hanging porch swing my parents had installed years ago.
Part of me had always loved sitting on the deck just like this and looking out over the vast Montana wilderness.
The perk of our house sitting on a giant plot of land: there wasn’t another house for miles.
The Elliotts were our closest neighbors, and unlike in the city, there was a stillness to the land here.It was beautiful and peaceful in a way I couldn’t get over.
Of course, Mason’s cabin was like this too. I felt a serene tranquility here that I wasn’t sure I’d found anywhere else in the world. A sense of calm I’d never felt anywhere else. Hundreds of brand trips later, and still, the place I loved the most was right here.
Home.
Though that word had a new meaning now. Home wasn’t just my parents or my brothers.
It was Montana. It was on Smokey’s back, riding through the pine trees and breathing in the fresh air.
It was in the little A-frame cabin I was slowly becoming obsessed with.
It was in the smile of the cowboy I’d fallen for. In the arms of the man I loved.
I knew no matter where I went—no matter what house I lived in—Mason would be my home now.
The porch creaked behind me, and I turned, not surprised at all to find my brothers standing there, both wearing pajama bottoms and sweatshirts.
Ben’s were Batman themed, to no one’s surprise—the man loved his comic books—while Hunter’s were a green plaid pattern.
My oldest brother had his sleeves pushed up, exposing his sleeves of tattoos, including the trees that adorned one of his arms, and the tributes to the patients he lost on the other.
Trees that reminded him of home. I’d never gotten a tattoo, wanting to make sure if I ever did, it was something meaningful, but I’d been thinking more about it lately. About what I’d get, how I could permanently mark my skin with the things I loved.
“Merry Christmas, Emily,” Benjamin said.
“Hey.” I smiled as they sat down on either side of me. “Good morning.”
“Didn’t know you’d be awake this early.” Hunter chuckled, reaching over and rubbing the top of my head, messing up my hair.
I swatted his hand away. “Hunter,” I groaned. “Guess I was too excited. You know me.”
Benjamin nodded. “You were always awake at six am, ready to open presents. I remember you literally dragging our parents out of bed one year.”
Hunter snorted. “Don’t forget her staying up as late as possible, trying to catch Santa. Can’t forget all the years I carried you to bed, Em.”
I blushed, not wanting to elaborate on how I’d done the same last night.
Only this time, my wish had come true. I hadn’t even needed Santa to show up.
All I’d needed was my cowboy. “Well, you know what they say. Old habits die hard.” I stared down at my coffee, sipping it slowly.
It needed more whipped cream and flavoring.
Somehow, I’d already gotten used to how Mason made it.
“Are you happy?” Hunter nudged me with his elbow.
I blinked up at him. “Huh?
“Tell me, sis. With Mason. Does he make you happy?”
Blushing, I nodded. “The happiest. I never knew…” I trailed off, then shook my head.
“I just never knew what it was like to feel this happy. To… love someone like this. To feel so much. He’s the love of my life, you know?
And I know he was your best friend, but Mason really fought it, you know. He tried to stay away from me.”
“You don’t need my permission, you know,” Hunter told me.
I sighed. “I know. But I don’t want you to think it’s weird, either.
It just sort of… happened. We ran into each other at the bar, and then when the snowstorm hit…
” I looked down at my slippered feet. “He came to check on me. And then he kinda got snowed in with me for the next few days. One thing led to another and…”
Benjamin shook his head, interrupting me. “Don’t need any more details, Em. I’m begging you.”
I shot him a pointed glare. “Tell that to your wife.” There was no telling what Angelina would say at any given time.
She was a black cat in every definition, but despite her and Ben fighting all the time, I knew how much they loved each other.
Even if she had cursed him every day when she was pregnant with the twins.
“Oh, God. Please, no.” He hung his head.
Hunter laughed. “I think we can all agree we do not need to share details of our sex lives.” He screwed up his face.
It was nice to be like this. For so long, my brothers had barely talked to each other, but over the last five years, they’d become best friends again. Considering their wives were also best friends, it made sense.
“You’re a doctor, Hunt.” Benjamin rolled his eyes.
“A pediatric doctor. I work with kids.” He glared at our brother.
I shoved them both, and we all grew quiet.
“If you’re happy, Emily, that’s all we ever wanted for our baby sister.” Hunter squeezed my shoulder.
“Don’t make me cry,” I said, wiping underneath my eyes. “It’s too early in the morning for that.”
Benjamin chuckled. “We’ll always have your back. And if he hurts you, he’ll have to deal with both of us.”
I sniffled. “Thank you.”
“He’s a good guy, though,” Hunter said. “Sure, it might have been a shock at first, especially considering the age difference, but—”
“I’m almost thirty,” I reminded him. “It’s not like I’m in such a different place in my life than he is.”
“Never thought I’d see the day our jet-setting sister settled down. For a while there, I thought you were content just fluttering around, leaving broken hearts in your wake.”
My cheeks warmed. “I don’t know if I’d say broken…”
“I know what you mean, though,” Hunter told me. “For the longest time, I’d resigned myself that I was better off alone. Seeing what I did daily working in the hospital, I’d accepted being alone forever. And then…”
“And then, you fell in love with my wife’s best friend?”
He chuckled. “Something like that. But it’s just like you said.
It just happened. Hit me like a million bricks, honestly.
Suddenly, all I could think about was her.
How to make her smile. What made her happy.
What all of her favorite things were and how I could surprise her.
” He ran his fingers through his brown hair, a few shades lighter than mine, but somehow already streaked with a bit of gray.
I’d always liked that I looked a little like both of my brothers, like I’d gotten the best of both of them.
“I knew from the first moment I’d met Angelina,” Benjamin said with a shrug.
“I just had to convince her we’d be good together.
” He grinned. “And look at us now.” He looked backwards into the kitchen, eyes filling with love, and I knew he was looking at his wife.
“It’s hard work; there’s no doubt about it. But love is worth it.”
I threw my arms around them both. “I love you guys. You’re the best brothers I could have ever asked for.”
“Come on, you two,” Hunter said when we finally pulled apart. “It’s getting cold. Let’s go inside and open presents with the rest of our family.”
Our family. A warmth spread through me, because for the first time, Mason was included in that too. For the first time, I wasn’t the single sister with no significant other.
I grinned, and then let out a cackle. “I’m apologizing in advance for the presents I bought your children,” I told them.
Kids’ toys were adorable, and I’d gone all out.
As the only aunt—since both Angelina and Gabbi only had brothers—I was trying to secure my status as the cool aunt. “Actually, you know, I’m not sorry.”
We all laughed as we headed inside, back to the house that was filled with more love and laughter than it felt like it ever had been.
And all I could think was yes, I want more of this. More laughter, more love, more life. I wanted another tiny pair of feet running around here, but this pair belonging to Mason and me.
I wanted to put in the work, and I wanted to thank God for giving me this man every single day.
So that’s what I was going to do.
One day at a time.