by Marla Monroe
From there, they showed her a walk-in pantry and a combination washroom and mudroom off the back door. Then they circled back around to where there was a large study that had a small desk and bookshelves only half full of books. It looked as if they spent very little time in there.
“Let’s go upstairs and I’ll show you the changes we made,” Gavin said.
He led her upstairs with Dillon behind her as if he would catch her should she trip and fall. He opened double doors to a master bedroom with a huge pedestal bed in the center of the room. There were two generous walk-in closets and a massive bathroom with a giant whirlpool bath big enough for three, and a walk-in shower, equally large.
He drew her out of the bathroom to see the other bedrooms.
“Two of them have their own bathrooms. It’s where Dillon and I sleep. The other two share a bathroom.” He quickly showed them to her.
“Well, what do you think?” Dillon asked.
“It’s all beautiful. I mean, I never would have thought you would live somewhere like this. Not that I thought you would live in a dump or anything, just not a huge house.”
“We knew one day we would want a family, and this was a good house for one,” Dillon said.
It was a side of them she hadn’t seen before. They hadn’t let her see it. Why now? Because of the baby? Or would they have shown all of it to her anyway? She would doubt their actions from here on out, and that sucked. She wanted to believe it was all for her, but the baby was there between them.
“See, you could be comfortable here. How far away do you work?” Dillon asked.
“She doesn’t have to work at all, now. If she moves in here, there’s no rent or utilities for her to have to pay,” Gavin said.
“I’m not giving up my job. I love my job.” She crossed her arms and stared him down.
“Fine, you keep your job. Where is it? How far do you have to drive from here?”
She sighed. “I only go in to the office every once in a while for meetings. I work out of my apartment.”
Gavin grinned. There it was again. “Perfect. See, it would work great for you to work here. We don’t use the office at all. You can move in there with all your stuff.”
“I haven’t agreed to moving. I need to think about it. You’re pushing me here.” Briana shook her head.
“Come on. Let’s watch a movie, then if you insist, we’ll take you home,” Dillon said.
“Wait, first I want to call Cole and talk to Tina. She’s a nurse and works here in Dallas a lot. She’ll know a good doctor for you,” Gavin said.
“Then they’ll know I’m pregnant,” she said in horror.
“So? They’re going to know anyway in a few days. You don’t think we’re going to keep it a secret, do you?” Gavin asked.
“I guess I wasn’t thinking about them knowing.” Briana felt her face heat up at the thought of their gang knowing she was pregnant.
Gavin settled her on the couch then pulled out his phone and pressed a number. After a few seconds, Cole must have answered.
“I need to speak to Tina about a doctor. No, I’m fine. Briana is pregnant and I want a good pregnancy doctor for her. Yeah, thanks.”
After a few seconds, Tina must have gotten on the line. Briana cringed.
“Hey, Tina. Look, do you know a really good doctor for Briana? She’s pregnant. Yeah, uh-huh. Okay, thanks. Yeah, I’ll tell her. Bye.”
“Okay, she gave me the name of a good doctor for you. We’ll make an appointment tomorrow. Is there any time you can’t go?” he asked.
“No. I can go just about any time. What were you supposed to tell me?”
“Oh, she said if you have any questions or trouble to call her. She’d be glad to talk to you.”
“That’s nice of her. She doesn’t really know me.”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to change that,” Dillon said. “You’ll go with us to the meetings and parties we have.
“I don’t know…” she began.
“No ifs, ands, or buts, Briana. You’re a part of the family now,” Gavin said.
“Just because of the baby,” she whispered. “Look, I really need to go home. I have a long day ahead of me. I need to get some sleep.”
She knew they wouldn’t argue with her about needing sleep.
Gavin sighed and nodded. “Okay. You’re right. You need your sleep. We’ll watch a movie tomorrow night or Saturday.”
The three of them climbed back in the truck with Dillon helping her up and strapping her in. They made it to her apartment in no time. She really wasn’t that far from them, which meant she wasn’t far from work, either.
They helped her out of the truck, then walked her up to her apartment.
“You really don’t need to be negotiating these stairs when you get a little bigger. You’ll be off balance. I’ll be scared you’ll fall,” Dillon said.
“That’s enough, Dillon. You’re trying to influence my decision.”
“That’s the plan,” he said with a mischievous grin.
When they got to her apartment, she didn’t invite them in, much to their obvious dismay. They pulled her in for intimate kisses where tongues intertwined and teased along their mouth. She was almost dizzy by the time they had finished kissing her one right after the other. She held on to the door handle to keep her balance.
“Lock the door, Briana,” Dillon reminded her.
She nodded and closed the door and locked it. She rested her head against it and prayed for the strength to make the right decisions. Then she stood up straight and headed to bed. She would sleep on it. She had a lot to make up for with work tomorrow after missing out most of the afternoon.
Once in bed, she relived the day and realized their house was much better equipped to handle a baby. She only had one room, and it was small. Fitting a baby bed in it was going to be tough. She sighed and willed herself to go to sleep. She needed to think about it some more.
Chapter Eleven
“Man, a baby,” Dillon said for the millionth time.
“It’s not like you haven’t known for over a week now,” Gavin said with a smirk.
Dillon couldn’t wait to kiss her tummy and talk to their baby. Gavin would tease him unmercifully about it. He didn’t care. The baby was a part of them, and he wanted it to know his voice as well as Briana’s. Gavin should want the same thing. He was handling it surprisingly well, better than Dillon would have believed.
“I know, but I’m still getting used to it. Can you imagine a little Briana running around the backyard? We need a swing set for her. We can build one for her. We can build a playhouse for her, too.”
“I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Dillon. Besides, it might be a boy, and we’ll need a fort instead.”
“Good point.” Dillon grinned.
“Briana looks thin and weak to me. What do you think, Dillon?” Gavin asked.
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. She’s lost weight, and there are circles under her eyes like she’s not sleeping.”
“If we can convince her to live with us, we can make sure she eats enough and help her sleep better. You know, rub her back, and massage her shoulders.” Gavin sighed.
Dillon could tell that Gavin was frustrated that she hadn’t just given in to him. Plus, he was still struggling with his feelings for her. He loved her, Dillon was sure of it, but Gavin didn’t believe it yet. He would, though. Once they had Briana at home with them, he’d be around her enough to admit to himself that he had fallen in love with her. Then, when he told her, she’d begin to trust them again.
He dearly wanted them to be a family. The baby complicated things because she wasn’t sure how they really felt about her because of it, but he wouldn’t trade the baby for anything in the world.
“I think we should have everyone over this weekend so she can get to know them better. Maybe grill out. It’s not too cool yet to sit outside,” Dillon said.
“I don’t know. She almost freaked out over us cal
ling Cole and Tina,” Gavin said.
“She’ll be fine once they all get there and everyone starts talking. We won’t leave her alone to fend for herself. She needs to know she has a family she can depend on. She’s depended on only herself for so long.” Dillon wanted her to be happy, and having friends would help make that happen.
“Well, let’s see how many would be able to make it first. If only a few can, we need to reschedule it for another weekend where they can all come.” Gavin still didn’t sound too sure about a cookout.
“I think we need to get her a baby gift,” Dillon suggested.
“Why do you say that?”
“To let her know we’re happy about the baby.” Dillon needed Gavin to relax about the baby so Briana wouldn’t pick up on his nervousness.
“If you say so. You can pick it out. I don’t have a clue.”
“We’ll pick it out together. We’re in this together, Gavin.”
He sighed. “Okay. You’re right. I just don’t know what to do.”
“Oh, another thing we need to get is a baby book. One that tells all about pregnancy. That way we will know what to expect and how to take care of her.”
“That’s a good idea,” Gavin agreed. “We can go over it with her and find out together. Maybe that will help us convince her we mean business.”
“It’s a start,” Dillon said.
“How are we going to convince her to let us in her bed?” Gavin asked. “I want to sleep with her. Not sex so much right now, but hold her at night while she falls asleep. I miss that.”
Dillon realized that Gavin was sharing a side he hadn’t let on to before. It gave him hope.
“If she moves in, we’ll just assume and do it. She’ll balk until we point out that we want to be a part of the baby’s maturation and that we aren’t demanding sex.”
“Unless she wants it,” Gavin said with a smile.
Dillon rolled his eyes. He should have known that Gavin would have a one-track mind. But he could tell he was serious about wanting to hold her when she fell asleep. He probably missed waking up to her draped over his chest.
It was funny. She started out cuddled up to him, but would always end up on top of Gavin the next morning. He chuckled. She wouldn’t be able to climb on top of him later in her pregnancy. He could hardly wait to see what she would do instead.
“Let’s make some calls,” Gavin said.
“Man, it’s ten o’clock at night. You’ll wake them up.”
“Naw, they’ll all be up. I might interrupt something between Cole, Zack, and Tina or West, Kyle, and Brandy.
“You’re shameless.” Dillon pulled out his phone and started dialing numbers.
Gavin went into the other room to call his group. They each always had a certain set of people they called in cases like this. It prevented them calling the same people.
By eleven, they had everyone accounted for and planning to come around three Saturday afternoon. Each of them would bring something to add to the table. Gavin and Dillon would provide the meat for the cookout. Hamburgers and hotdogs would be the meat for the meal. Then he thought about Briana and decided they would grill a few pieces of chicken for her.
“So, it’s all settled,” Gavin said. “Maybe we can convince her to spend Saturday night with us because it will be so late.”
“Maybe. I don’t know, though. She’s pretty set in her ways right now.”
“Can’t hurt to try,” Gavin insisted.
“Let’s hit the bed. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow to prepare for Saturday. Plus, I want to go see her tomorrow night.”
“Absolutely,” Gavin agreed.
With that, the two of them climbed the stairs and went to their respective rooms. Dillon lay in bed for another hour contemplating ways to get Briana to accept them as a family. So far, he hadn’t come up with the perfect plan, but he was working on it.
* * * *
Friday around five, there was a knock at Briana’s door. She had a pretty good idea who it was. She was right. It was Gavin and Dillon, she noted, looking through the peephole. She unlocked the door and let them in.
Dillon pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Gavin took her from Dillon’s arms and kissed her deeper. She told herself that the only reason they got away with it was because she wasn’t expecting it.
“How are you feeling, baby?” Dillon asked.
“I’m fine. Tired, but that’s nothing new. I don’t sleep well at night.”
“You used to sleep just fine with us,” Gavin said.
“I was just about to make a sandwich. Do you want one?” she asked, turning to walk into the kitchen.
Dillon grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his arms.
“Nope, and neither do you. You need to eat better. We’re taking you out to eat.”
“I don’t want to go out to eat. I want a sandwich,” she fussed, frowning at them.
No way was she going to let them dictate her life.
“We’ve been reading up on pregnancy, and you’re not eating right. Oh, and we got your appointment for next Tuesday at three. We figured you would want it in the afternoon since you had made the other one for the afternoon.” Gavin looked pleased with himself.
“You bought a pregnancy book and have been reading it?” She couldn’t believe they had gone to such lengths.
“Well, yeah. We want to be sure you have everything you need to be healthy,” Gavin said defensively.
“I am healthy.” The idea that she wasn’t irked her.
“Baby, you’re not eating like you need to. You’ve lost weight, not gained it. It’s not healthy for you not to be sleeping, either,” Dillon pointed out.
Briana didn’t know what to say to that. Technically, they were right, but she was trying. They couldn’t make her do any better than she was trying to do. Or so she thought.
They carried her out to the truck and buckled her in. Then they drove to a restaurant and soon had her sequestered in a round booth with them on either side of her so she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. Right now, she was enjoying their body heat too much. Despite not being sure how they really felt, she knew how she felt, and sitting next to them was better than great. How was she ever going to resist them?
“So, what looks good to you, baby?” Dillon asked.
“Maybe the grilled chicken and the seasonal vegetables.” She knew she couldn’t handle red meat of any kind. She wasn’t sure about the fish yet.
“Sounds good.” Gavin ordered for them both and Dillon for himself.
“How do you like your job?” Dillon asked.
“I love it. Working from home will be great, having a baby to take care of. I’ll have full benefits in another month. It just won’t cover the baby until he’s born.”
They brought the salads out, and everyone grew silent while they ate. Briana ate most of hers, but knew she needed to eat some of her chicken and she was beginning to get full, so she stopped.
“You left some of your salad, baby,” Gavin observed.
“I need to eat some of my meat, and I’m getting full.”
“You need to eat all of your meat,” Dillon added.
“Look, guys. I know you mean well, but nagging me is only going to piss me off.”
Both men looked contrite, but she had a feeling the nagging was nowhere near over with. They were too stubborn to give up that easily.
When the main dishes appeared, Briana’s stomach rebelled at the sight of their medium-rare steaks. She tried not looking and cut up her chicken. It helped, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to eat anything but her vegetables. She concentrated on them in hopes they would finish their meat quickly.
“You’re not eating your chicken, baby,” Dillon observed.
“Is something wrong with it?” Gavin asked.
“No, it’s fine. I wanted my vegetables first, that’s all.” She hated lying but didn’t want to make them feel bad.
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise her for them to send t
heir plates away without eating if they knew the truth. She would be totally embarrassed if they did that.
Finally, they seemed to be finished. She waited while the waitress took away their plates and brought out coffee. Then she took a tiny bite of her chicken. It went down okay. She took another bite and managed two more before her stomach began to fuss.
“This was really good, but I need something to carry the rest of the chicken home for later. I’m full.”
“Briana, you barely touched your chicken. Was something wrong with it?” Gavin’s expression said he was worried.
“No, it was fine. I just filled up on salad and vegetables. I’ll eat the rest of the chicken for a snack.”
“Why did you fill up on them instead of eating your chicken?” Dillon asked with a speculative look on in his eyes.
“I wanted the vegetables. They were really good. I need vegetables.”
“I think the steaks made you sick, didn’t they?” Dillon asked.
Gavin’s mouth opened, and then he slammed it shut. Briana knew what he had been going to say. Why hadn’t she said anything?
“I didn’t want to ruin your meals. I can’t help it, but red meat really bothers me right now. I do okay if it’s cooked really good, but anything other than well done turns my stomach.” She sighed and looked down at her hands where she was wringing them under the table. Each man took a hand in his and squeezed it.
“You should have said something, baby,” Gavin told her in a quiet voice. “We could have eaten something else. It wouldn’t have killed us.”
“But it wouldn’t have been what you wanted.”
“So you ate what you didn’t want or need instead of the chicken. That’s not acceptable, Briana. You’re eating for two now. You’ve got to keep your strength up, and that means eating protein.” Gavin brought her hand to his mouth. He kissed it after sliding his tongue across her knuckles.
Briana shivered. He knew how to make her crazy. It wasn’t fair that he was using it on her. She was vulnerable to their actions. She couldn’t help her body’s reaction to them. It betrayed her every time they were around.
