Six faces stared at me, hard lines, strong jaws, dark hair, and my eyes. My brothers looked at me from their respective places, some already in Texas for work, the others still on active duty around the world.
“Hey there, little sister,” Evan said, and I smiled.
My parents, for some reason, had decided to give us all names starting with E. I was Eliza, and then there was Eli, Evan, Everett and East—twins—then Elijah, and Elliot. I was the youngest of them all, and the fact that I had six older brothers meant that I hadn’t had a fun time of it in high school. There had been no real dating for me, no guys over to just hang out as friends. I had been one of the boys because of my brothers, but I’d also been on the sidelines.
Maybe that was why I had fallen for Marshall so quickly. Because he was the first person who saw me for me and not as simply one of the Wilder siblings.
The only girl of seven, but I couldn’t imagine my life without my big brothers.
“What’s going on?” Eli asked in his usual gruff manner.
I sighed. “There’s a few things I need to tell you, and I could use some help. I need you to let me get through this first and go through exactly what I need from you before you get all growly and overprotective.”
“That intro doesn’t bode well,” Evan said softly.
“Just hear her out,” Elliot said after a moment.
I let out a breath. “It seems Marshall might have a daughter.”
They all burst out with curses, and I held up my hand. Thankfully, they understood, and I continued. I told them about the brunch with my in-laws, what I had heard so far, what little more I knew, and what Clarence and Beverly had asked for.
“So, they want money,” Elliot, my youngest brother, said.
I nodded. “They do, and I don’t know what I want to do.”
“You don’t have to do a damn thing,” East said.
“I know. I don’t even know if any of this is real. I don’t know that it’s not just a ploy for money, even though they have enough themselves. I don’t know anything. I want to know something. And that means I need your expertise.”
Eli nodded. “You know I have friends in the PI business, I can get that done.”
I bit my lip. “I just feel weird asking anybody else.”
“Do the Montgomerys know?” Evan asked.
I nodded, and then I froze. “Yes, but they aren’t in the know when it comes to ferreting out information like you guys.”
“I feel so special.” East snorted.
“You should feel special. In all reality, I just need my big brothers to listen to me and help me figure this out. Is the girl real? Is she Marshall’s? And what should I do if she is? If this child is Marshall’s, and my husband did indeed cheat on me for however long during our marriage, what do I do then?”
“You don’t have to do anything,” East added.
“I know I don’t have to. What if I need to? Let’s say my husband did cheat on me. If he fathered a child outside of our marriage and told his family about it but lied to me for years of our marriage, what do I do? It’s not that little girl’s fault. I don’t know if I can look at the money in my account and not think of the betrayal. So, what do I do? Do I give it to this Natasha and Madison? Or do I walk away? Do I pretend none of this ever happened and try to move on with my life?”
Elijah leaned forward. “Do you think that Marshall’s parents would take legal action?”
“They threatened it, but I don’t know if they have a leg to stand on. It’s not like the government can take the money back.” At least, I didn’t think so.
“Okay, so now what? What do we do?” Elijah asked, his voice low.
“I don’t know, but I need your help. I guess the first step is figuring out if all of this is true. And if that’s the case, then I have to figure out what to do next.”
“You’re not sleeping,” Eli said out of the blue, and I frowned.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
All of my brothers began speaking at once, growling at me and each other. This was the norm for them, so I let them get it out of their systems.
“You need to take care of yourself. Damn it, we were just there,” Elliot said.
I shook my head. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need you guys hovering over me.”
“We do not hover,” Everett said, finally breaking the silence. “We may take over your life, but it’s out of love.”
That made me snort. “I don’t need you guys taking care of me. I don’t need you making all of my decisions. I just need help. And you know I hate asking for help.”
“We know,” they all said at the same time, and that made me smile. We were close, at least we had been when we were younger. There was a bit of an age gap between us since there were so many of us and only one set was twins. We were family. We were all that we had left.
“Have you thought about moving down with us?” Elliot asked, nearly bouncing in his seat.
“I thought it was a foregone conclusion,” Evan said, winking.
“Nothing is a foregone conclusion. I made my home here.”
“Even if that home might share the same space with a little girl that’s Marshall’s?” Eli asked, and I wanted to shake him.
“Thank you. Thank you for reminding me why I try my best to make decisions for myself and not growl when it comes to you guys.”
“You always growl, you’re our little sister. It’s what you do.”
“I don’t know how to take that,” I said, shaking my head. “However, I do need your help. I’ll figure the rest out. I don’t want to move. I’m finding my way. If I move down there, you guys will just take over like you usually do.”
“We don’t take things over,” Elijah said, and I snorted, along with a few of my brothers.
“Okay, fine. We do, but we love you. And we want what’s best for you,” Elijah added.
“What’s best for me is you guys helping me out with things I cannot do, like seeing if this woman is actually the mother of Marshall’s love child. Then, we’ll take it from there.”
“You need more sleep,” Eli said.
“Maybe, but I’m working. I go out. I have friends.”
The rest of my world may have shattered around me, but I was figuring it out. At least, that was the lie I kept telling myself.
“I’m doing okay, just let me be.”
“You say that, and yet you worry us,” Eli said, and my other brothers nodded. “I’m figuring it out. I love you guys. Just don’t take over. I’m asking for help, not for you to take over everything.”
“Okay,” they said.
“Now, tell me about your lives.”
Of course, they all clammed up. Because that’s what they did. They shut down and wouldn’t tell me about their love lives, their mistakes, or their future plans. Because they didn’t lean on me. Because they were the big brothers, and that’s not something they did.
That needed to change. I’d have to find a way to make it work. After all, that was the one thing we had left.
“I love you all,” I said, and we hung up. I looked at a blank screen, my to-do list growing with each breath and yet I had no desire to even begin. Should I work? Should I call my friends? Should I search Natasha’s social media accounts to see what she was up to?
No, that would be wrong. Because I did not want to see that little girl’s face. I didn’t want to see Marshall’s eyes. I needed a fucking drink.
I went over to the fridge and pulled out my bottle of wine, pouring myself a glass. As soon as I took my first sip, the crisp pear fruitiness settling on my tongue, the doorbell rang.
Of course.
I went to the front of my house and opened the door to see Brenna, Paige, and Annabelle standing there, wine, a cheese plate, fruit, and a box of cupcakes in their hands, and sad smiles on their faces.
“I know you said that you were fine over the phone and that we didn’t need to come over, but here we are.” An
nabelle walked in, held me close, and then moved into the kitchen. Paige kissed me on the cheek, Brenna kissed me on the other, and they each walked inside, too. I smiled.
I might have said I wanted to be alone, and that everything might be a little too much for me right now, but I had friends. I wasn’t alone.
Of course, I hadn’t been alone when I sat on Beckett’s lap with him holding me. I wasn’t about to mention that. Or think about it. That would be wrong. I would not think about my friend’s brother. Brenna’s best friend. Not when I was trying to figure out what to do about my late husband’s love child.
And if I kept saying that in my head, maybe it would make sense.
I felt like I was on stage in the middle of a play, and I didn’t know how I had gotten there. I didn’t know my lines, my cues. I knew nothing. I had people to rely on. I had my brothers, and the Montgomerys.
Beckett.
No, Beckett didn’t get his own shoutout. He couldn’t. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe it was the right time.
I didn’t know. I didn’t want to think about the odd, warm feeling I’d had when he held me.
He was just a touchstone. It would be wrong to think about him in any other way. Even though I knew he was going through something, too. I could see it in his eyes, but I wasn’t going to think about that either.
I couldn’t.
Because that would be wrong.
“I made these cupcakes from scratch,” Brenna said.
“Mine, all mine,” Paige said, clapping her hands.
I snorted. “Wow, that’s wonderful,” I said with a laugh. I walked in and hugged each of them tightly. Tears stung the backs of my eyes, but I pushed them away.
I had done enough crying while on Beckett’s lap. I didn’t need to do more.
“So, how did your video messaging call with your brothers go?” Annabelle asked as she poured herself the sparkling cider she had brought.
I sipped some of my wine and shrugged. “They want me to move down there, they’re going to help figure out if what Natasha is saying is true, and they’re all big and growly and want to take over everything.”
“Wait, they want you to move down there?” Paige asked, her eyes wide. “You can’t move to Texas. That’s so far away.”
“I might have to move,” I said. “I mean, who knows? My brothers might kidnap me and, suddenly, I find myself living in Texas again.”
“You don’t want to live in Texas,” Brenna said, incensed. “Not that there’s anything wrong with living in Texas. You live in Colorado. With us. We’re your family now. Not that your brothers aren’t amazing…” She trailed off, and I laughed.
“Well, at least one of the brothers I met was amazing,” Annabelle said as she fluttered her eyelashes. “Elliot is cute,” she added, laughing.
“Oh, right.” Paige nodded. “I forgot. Does Jacob know?”
“No, and it doesn’t really matter. It’s not like he’d be jealous. That was a long time ago, when Elliot was stationed here for that minute before he moved away. And when I wasn’t even in the mood to date.”
Annabelle had had her reasons for not wanting to date, but now she was happily married, pregnant, and moving on with her life. I had to figure out how to do so, too.
“I don’t have plans to move to Texas. I might one day, but I’m here now. I have you guys. I have a career. There might be a child with Marshall’s eyes out there. I don’t want to think about that right now. Can we just eat some cheese and cupcakes and call it a day?”
“I also brought vegetables,” Annabelle said and cringed. “Apparently, I should stop eating soft cheeses, wine, fish, or whatever else pregnant people can’t have.”
“My heart is with you,” Brenna said before she sighed. “Seriously, though, I hope you guys are okay. I love you all. You can’t move away. There’s enough change going on. You need to stay,” Brenna said, and I wondered exactly what she meant by that. Instead, I sat down, ate snacks with my friends, gorged myself on Brenna’s amazing cupcakes, and pretended that everything was okay.
It wasn’t, and I didn’t know how it would be. I’d find a way. Somehow.
By the time they left, I was tired and just wanted to take a bath or maybe go to sleep.
My phone rang, and I frowned, wondering who it could be.
I looked at the readout and rolled my eyes. “Hello, big brother,” I answered as I picked up Eli’s call.
“Hey, I’m not pressuring you, but I have an idea.”
I frowned. “Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all.”
“You said you’re taking a break in commissions, right?” he asked, and I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me.
“Yes, but it’s just a little one. I have stuff coming up in the next couple of months.”
“Do you want to take a vacation?” he asked, and I frowned.
“A vacation?”
“You haven’t taken a break. We talked about it. While the guys and I are figuring out exactly who this Natasha person is, why don’t you take a vacation? You know the date.”
I froze and looked at my wall calendar.
In ten days, things would change. In ten days, I would hit the anniversary of Marshall’s death. I hadn’t even thought about it.
It was amazing how quickly things had shifted. How priorities changed and lives were altered forever.
“You want me to run.”
“No, but I think it’ll be a lot if you’re there. Maybe being alone on vacation would be good, or sitting on a beach in the sun would be perfect for you. Just let me know. My friend is a hotel manager at a luxury resort. I can work things for you. You just need to let me know, and I’ll get you there. I know you don’t want to move to Texas, and I understand that, even if it makes me growly. You should see the sun. You need to breathe. Remember that you’re loved. And be reminded of who you are. I love you, little sister. And if you need a break, I’ll make it happen. And if you don’t? That’s fine, too. Just let me know. I’m always here for you, Eliza. I love you.”
I swallowed hard but didn’t cry. I didn’t want to cry again.
As I listened to my brother speak, I realized that maybe he was right. Perhaps I needed to get away. Needed to just…be. For once.
Chapter 9
Beckett
* * *
“Why am I here again?” I asked, flat on my back as I lifted the bar. Benjamin hovered over me, spotting me as I finished my set. He guided the bar into the brackets and sighed.
“Because we should actually hang out every once in a while in a place that doesn’t have to do with alcohol?” he answered in a question.
“And you missed me,” Archer said as he worked on arm presses. His boyfriend, an older man that I still didn’t really know but liked given what I saw, stood on the other side of him, watching him. I didn’t know if he was spotting him or just enjoying the view.
The two had been together for over a year now, and I was honestly surprised that Marc was here. He rarely hung out with us these days because he was so busy. He worked long hours, and whatever time he had off, he wanted to spend with Archer. I understood that, but it meant that I got to know Colton, Paige’s boyfriend, a little better than Marc.
Of course, as I watched other random gym members giving my little brother looks, as well as some of us, I figured that maybe that made sense. Marc was marking his territory, and I was just along for the ride.
Colton and Lee were at another set of weights, Lee on the bench, Colton spotting him. This was only our third or fourth time coming to the gym as a group, and I liked it. Yes, my brain was in a thousand different places, but I was enjoying myself. It was nice to get out, like Benjamin had said—and actually see each other.
“Sorry I’m late,” Jacob said as he came to our side. He winced as he looked at us. “Or maybe not. I hate lifting.”
“Maybe you should do legs first. Looks like you constantly skip leg days,” Archer said with a wink. Jacob f
lipped him off casually but made sure nobody actually saw him do so except for us. No need to accidentally flip off one of the bodybuilders in the other corner and get the Montgomerys involved in a fistfight with people who could probably kick our asses.
“Aww, that’s so nice. Thank you, brother mine,” Archer said, fluttering his eyelashes.
“You still got another rep to go,” Marc grumbled, and Archer blushed.
“Sorry, I’m on it.” Archer ducked his head and actually stopped teasing for once. I met Benjamin’s gaze before I sat up and rolled my shoulders back.
Archer liked to tease, it was his thing, but maybe he was growing up. Or Marc was an asshole. I didn’t actually know. I had been so lost in my head recently, I hadn’t spent nearly enough time with Archer and his boyfriend. Maybe that needed to change.
My temples began throbbing, and I knew it had more to do with why I wasn’t sleeping than my brother and his boyfriend—or any of my other family members.
Lee caught my eye this time, and I knew he probably knew what I was thinking about. How was I supposed to tell them? How could I tell them that I’d been keeping secrets? As it was, I was fucking up with Brenna. I might as well continue fucking up with everybody else.
“Okay, your turn,” I said, shaking my head. I looked up at Benjamin, who shrugged and sat down on the bench.
“Just don’t drop the damn thing on me,” he growled.
I winked. “Would I do that to you? Why would I hurt that pretty face?”
“I mean, you do have a spare,” Archer said, and Colton and Lee both snorted as Jacob took up some free weights beside Archer.
“That would be a lot to clean up, though, wouldn’t it?” Marc asked, and I nearly choked out a laugh. Marc was quiet, seemed like a really good guy, but he didn’t usually joke with us. Maybe we were getting better at this whole family thing if he was that comfortable with us these days.
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