The Malone Brothers Boxed Set

by S. L. Sterling

  "It's okay," he said, looking down at his bandaged hand and reached for a piece of bread.

  "I felt awful that you cut yourself."

  Chase shrugged as he buttered his bread and took a bite.

  "All right, so back to what we were talking of last night," I said, finally putting the knife down and grabbing a piece of bread for myself.

  "Yes, about that. I have a few things that I want to say," he said, clearing his throat, but I put my hands up to stop him.

  "Before you say anything, you should know I want to do this natural," I bit out as he buttered his second piece of bread, fearing he may stab himself with the butter knife.

  "What? Childbirth? Of course, both Carter and Hunter have said that Heather and Hope have said they wouldn't have done it any other way, so I can totally understand that."

  I shook my head and took a drink of my soda water before continuing. "Um, no, not childbirth. Well, no, yes childbirth, but making the baby. Thought perhaps we should start here first. I also don't want you to worry. I won't hold you accountable for anything."

  Chase looked around the restaurant and then back to me. So far so good, I thought to myself. He hasn't cut himself or passed out yet.

  "Okay. Go on." He swallowed hard.

  "Okay, so this is what I was thinking. You'd spend the week at my place. Now if you stay in October, which is next week, I've counted everything out, and if everything goes according to my plan, then I will be good to work right through tax season before the baby comes. However, it has to be the first week of the month. One week earlier or later, and it will mess everything up."

  Chase finished chewing and took a drink, placing his glass down on the table. "I see you've really thought this out."

  I nodded. "I have. I'm very serious about this, and that also is exactly the right time. I've been tracking my cycle, and next week is the most optimal time for me to get pregnant."

  Chase was just about to say something when our food was placed in front of us. His eyes met mine as the waitress announced each dish and finally walked away. We both dug into our plates and ate in silence. Once our plates were cleared and the bill was delivered to the table, Chase sat forward.

  "Listen, Sophie, I'm still going to think about this. I will have a decision to you in a couple of days. Does that sound okay?"

  I nodded. I felt confident that I had laid everything out on the table. Chase hadn't fainted or cut himself, and I felt satisfied and hopeful with his answer. I went to reach for the bill, but Chase grabbed it first. "You got last night. The least I can do is get lunch." He winked.

  "All right, I've got to go," I said, glancing down at my watch. "I have a client in a half hour. I'll talk to you soon."

  Chase stood as I stood, and unlike last night, this time he kissed me on the cheek before I walked away.

  8

  Chase

  I had been trying to type out this damn email for the past hour and still had yet to get the tone of it correct. I hit delete, wiping the entire contents of my email, and slammed my fists on my desktop and began typing again. The sooner I could get this finished, the quicker I could get home and unwind, and unwinding was exactly what I needed. I was about three sentences into the email when I once again hit delete and began all over again.

  "Hey, man, you all set?" Hunter appeared in my doorway, leaning against the doorjamb, shoving the last of what looked like a muffin into his mouth.

  "Yep, all the loose ends are tied finally. I was just trying to get out one last email for the day, but I can't seem to get the wording correct."

  Hunter pulled the chair out on the other side of my desk and sat down across from me with a smug smile. "Things still bothering you, are they?" He grinned.

  I nodded. That was an understatement. I'd barely slept in two days. "How are Autumn and the girls? Did she enjoy my dinner the other night?"

  "She did, and everyone is good."

  "Great! I really miss those angels. I should drop by and visit soon." I shut my laptop in frustration and placed it in the bottom drawer of my desk and looked to Hunter who was still smiling away. "I'll just write the damn email tomorrow morning," I said more out of frustration than anything else.

  "What’s up? Did you need something before I leave?"

  "Just wondering how you made out with your dilemma? Bryce said you went to see her for lunch."

  I was just about to answer when Carter and Bryce walked into my office and each took a seat on the couch. I paused. I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this entire situation with everyone. Hunter already knew, so it was a little different sharing it with him. However, I had to remember these were my brothers, and there wasn't much that any of us didn't share with one another. I swallowed hard, trying to decide if I should tell everyone or keep my mouth shut.

  "What dilemma are you facing now?” Carter asked, squeezing the spot between his eyes.

  "Perhaps he's been mesmerized by that pussy we were talking about two weeks ago." Bryce and Carter both chuckled.

  I glanced at Bryce and Carter and back to Hunter who knew the truth. As Carter and Bryce sat there laughing, I was getting more and more irritated, and before I could stop them, the words just fell from my mouth without a care as to what they thought. "Sophie wants to borrow my sperm."

  Bryce and Carter both looked at me as if I had spoken another language. "What?" Carter sat forward, resting his forearms on his knees, totally interested in what I had to say next.

  "Sophie, she wants a baby and she asked me to um..."

  "So like you'd whack off in a cup and pass it over to her. That sounds fucking exciting." Bryce laughed, elbowing Carter, who also began laughing.

  I laughed more to myself. "No, not exactly. At first, I thought she was kidding, but now she has proposed seven days of no-strings-attached sex." I ran my hands through my hair.

  "Fuck me. You may just be the luckiest bastard alive," Bryce commented. "Sophie is hot as fuck, a little uptight, but I bet once you get her going, she is kinky as fuck too," he said, raising his eyebrows.

  "That's enough," I bit back, glaring at my brother. It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Actually, it had crossed my mind many times. My tone was more because he, too, was thinking that exact same thing, or perhaps had in the past.

  "What did you tell her?" Hunter asked, trying to pull my attention away from Bryce.

  "To be honest, I still haven't answered yet. I was once again so shocked, I didn't know what to say, so I told her I'd think about it."

  Each one of my brothers looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "Whoa, hold on a second. A girl gives you permission to screw her, no strings, and you don't jump at the chance?" Bryce questioned. "Are you feeling all right? I think you might be sick."

  "Yes, I'm feeling fine," I said, getting up out of my chair and pacing across my office. "Oh, I know you don't believe this, but I do have a conscience. I do respect women, and I don't want to do anything that will jeopardize our friendship."

  Bryce roared with laughter. "Jesus, that is the funniest thing I have heard all day."

  Carter chuckled and stood up and walked towards the door. "I've got to get home to Hope and the kids. We're headed to the zoo tomorrow, and I promised them we'd go and stay overnight and make a weekend of it. Hunter, Bryce, I'll see you later. Chase, good luck." He chuckled again and walked out the door.

  "See you Monday," Hunter said and turned back to face me. As soon as Carter was gone, Bryce came and sat in the empty chair on the other side of my desk.

  "So, you have a conscience. Could have fooled us." Bryce laughed, bringing us all back to our conversation.

  "Shut up. She's one of my best friends. What would you do?"

  "Oh, so that makes it different than every other woman out there? And what would I do? I jump at the fucking chance."

  "Yes, it does make a difference," I mumbled, ignoring his other comment.

  "What are you afraid of, that she may not like your piggish ass afterward?" Bryce bit o
ut. Bryce had stayed with me for a bit last year before he met Mia. He, of all of my brothers, knew exactly how I was.

  I stopped pacing and looked over at Bryce. He had pretty much hit it on the head. What if, by doing this, we totally ruined the relationship we already had with each other? We basically spoke every day in one way or another, we hung out on weekends, vacationed with the same group of people in the summer, and I already knew that not having her in my life or her not speaking to me would probably kill me.

  "That's exactly it." Bryce laughed when I didn't respond immediately. "You're afraid."

  "Can I not share anything with you asses? I don't know what the hell to do. I've never been in this position before."

  "Do whatever you think you should." Bryce shrugged, looking at his watch. "I've got to run too. We are expecting Mia's brother and his family this weekend. She'll kill me if I'm not home on time tonight, and since I'm already late, I'm gonna have to make it up to her. See you next week." He waved as he walked out of my office and soon he, too, was gone.

  "Hunter, what would you do?" I asked, trying to get some kind of feedback from someone older and wiser—and perhaps a little more mature.

  "Honestly?"

  "Yes."

  He blew out a breath and placed his hands behind his head. He took a few minutes and thought, and then took a deep breath. "Well, I'd have to consider a lot of things."

  "Like?"

  "What my relationship with said person is and what it might become afterward. So I get where you are coming from on that front. I mean things are going to work out one of two ways: either everything will go back to the way it is now, or the worst, this will drive a rift right between you. You need to figure out how comfortable you would be with that last aspect. You also need to think about protecting yourself. I mean we as a company have a shit-tonne to lose if you go through with this, and then she wants to come after you financially."

  "I'm not worried about that. Sophie is in a good place, and I've known her my entire life. Hell, we've all known her. I don't think she is doing this in any way to be vindictive."

  "Neither do I, but the stress of dealing with a child alone can do a lot of funny things to people. What happens if she falls in love with you and you don't return the feelings, or you get married and she resents you forever and comes after you. You need to think of all of these things. I mean, you are right, we have known her all her life. Now, on the other hand, you also need to figure out what would happen if you end up wanting more."

  "I won't," I immediately replied.

  Hunter chuckled at my quick and immediate answer and rubbed the back of his neck. "Listen, I know I'm in a way different place than you are currently, but when I found out Autumn was pregnant, something in me changed. It was like a switch. Suddenly, I wanted to see my baby be born and grow up, and it killed me when she pushed me away. What if you feel the same way and she wants nothing to do with you?"

  "Seriously? I'm a donor, nothing more," I bit out.

  "So, then you’re telling me you're going to do it?"

  I looked at my brother. Hunter had brought up great points, and I'd given zero thought to how I might feel about the entire process, especially how I might feel afterward. I'd also given zero thought to what would happen if she wanted more. I blew out a breath and dropped my head back and stopped and thought for a second. I hadn't really thought about any of the things he’d brought up. All I'd seen was the hurt in her eyes when she walked away from me. I'd seen it before caused by others, and I'd seen happiness, and honestly, I liked seeing the second better. I just wanted to do whatever it took to see that happiness in her eyes again.

  "All I'm saying is be careful and be prepared for what you might not expect. Sophie has lived in Kings Cove her entire life, and she isn't going anywhere."

  "What is that supposed to mean, she isn't going anywhere?"

  "Well, it means that one day, after all this is done with, you will probably run into her on the street. Your son or daughter will be with her. The part that will hurt the most will be the fact that they won't even know who you are when you run into them, but you will. He or she will just think you are nothing more than an acquaintance that their mother knows, but you're going to know. I just want you to think and be fully prepared for how that might feel."

  I sat there considering what he had just said. I knew there was a lot of truth in what he was saying. I had seen what a mess he had been over the whole Autumn situation. I blew out a breath.

  "Oh, and what if she ends up wanting child support? That can end up being an entirely different can of worms. We work in the law field. Ask Carter the shit he's seen people pull. It will definitely open your eyes."

  I nodded. He was right. "What do you think I should do?"

  "If you are absolutely sure that you’re really going to be finished with this situation after the deed is done, then form a contract and make her sign an NDA," Hunter said, crossing his arms and sitting back in the chair. "If you aren't totally sure, then make sure you do a little soul searching yourself before you enter into anything with her."

  "Thanks, man. I'll be working on that tonight."

  "So I guess that is your answer then?"

  "Yeah, I think so. I told her I'd have an answer to her by this weekend."

  "Well, just be careful. Make sure it’s the right thing for you, and if you need anything, just call me, okay?"

  Hunter got up and walked to the door, turning the handle, and was just about to leave when I cleared my throat.

  "Hunter?"

  "Yeah?"

  "She wants it to be natural and fun. How the hell am I going to do that?"

  "Treat her no different than the way you've treated the other women you have been with." He shrugged.

  "No. I just mean she's my friend. It's going to awkward enough. I don't want to fuck this up."

  "Fuck, do you need me to teach you how to use your fucking cock too?" He chuckled. "I dunno, get her some toys, have fun with it. Get her worked up, just relax, and have a good time. Remember, it’s only a week, and since there is no relationship going to be formed, you really can't possibly fuck anything up."

  That was Hunter's advice. Before I could tell him I was more worried about fucking up my friendship with her, he had already left my office and was on his way.

  I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. I dripped dry while I shaved, and then I walked to the kitchen with a renewed sense of who I was. The weight of having the decision lifted off me had made me feel much lighter than I had in days.

  I pulled the fridge open and grabbed a beer and wandered into the living room. Flopping down onto the couch, I turned on the TV to catch some late-night news.

  I needed to unwind. The tension I'd been carrying in my upper back and neck all week was now killing me. As I had driven home, I'd been happy with my decision, but now I realized that I wasn't proud of most of the things I had done when it came to women. I let out a breath. I didn't want Sophie to become just another woman on that already long list.

  I thought back to the afternoon. All I had gotten from Bryce were wisecracks about my sex life. Hunter had been the one who had made the most sense. He had spoken to me from his heart. He genuinely wanted me to be prepared.

  I picked up my cell phone, checking again to see if she had messaged me while I had been in the shower, but the only message that sat there was mine. "Fuck," I mumbled under my breath.

  I threw my cell phone down on the couch beside me and reached for the documents I had printed earlier and started reading them over once again, making sure everything I wanted to be included was there. I was about halfway through them when my phone started to vibrate, and when I looked down at my screen, I saw Sophie was calling.

  "Moment of truth," I murmured before taking a deep breath. I hesitated for a moment and stared at her name, and then I picked up my phone and answered.

  9

  Sophie

  "I heard from Chase," I practically
shouted into the phone. "He said yes." My stomach flopped at the thought. I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, twirling a strand of my hair around my finger as I waited for a response from Jenna.

  "EEEK! All right, girl, this calls for a day of shopping. We need to get your primped and primed and ready. We need to shop. We need to go to the spa and get things waxed. Oh, I am so excited. When is he coming? No pun intended." She laughed.

  "Tomorrow, for one week."

  "You guys live two blocks away from one another and you’re taking him hostage?"

  I was giddy with excitement and began laughing. "No. It's part of my plan. I have to maximize my time."

  "Maximize your time?"

  "Yes, that way we can get in as many sessions as possible."

  “You make it sound as if this is a therapy appointment.”

  I let out a laugh. “I guess you are right.”

  "Okay, if you say so. Well, this calls for a girls’ day, so get dressed. We are going out."

  "What? I can't. I have so much to do," I said, looking around my already spotless apartment.

  "Yeah, sure, I know you. You are laying there thinking your apartment is such a disaster when in fact you could eat right off your floor because you can't even find a piece of lint. So whatever you need to do, we will do it together. Get ready. I'm coming to pick you up."

  Before I could say anything, Jenna was gone, and I threw my phone down on the bed and let out a breath. Twenty minutes had gone by before I had gotten up and showered, and now I sat beside Jenna at Kings Cove's only day spa, Pampered Soul, with my feet propped up on the footrest while some woman went to town filing the soul of my foot.

  "What color polish would you like?" she asked me, handing me a color selection to choose from.

  I looked over at Jenna, who was rooting through her purse for something and let out a breath. I had just begun flipping through the colors when Jenna suddenly ripped them from my hand.

  "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, you don't. I will choose. You need something hot and sexy. She needs something hot and sexy for her date," she said, smiling at the girl.