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Emerson’s eyes widen in surprise as she turns to look at him over her shoulder. “How many?”
Roman presses his lips to her nose. “At least two, but I’m down for a houseful. We can add on if we have to. Or, we can just do lots of practicing until we decide.” He winks at her and her cheeks turn pink.
“Let’s get this one here and see how we do as parents, and then we can talk,” Emerson replies.
“You’re going to be great. Both of you,” Monroe tells them.
“What she said.” I point at Monroe. “And you have a room full of babysitters.” I wave my hand around the room.
“You going to do diapers?” Monroe asks me.
“Sure.” I shrug. “We all have to shit.”
She cracks up at my reply, making her big blue eyes sparkle. Monroe is a knockout. She’s fucking gorgeous with those electric-blue eyes and all that dark curly hair. It’s long and thick, hanging down her back. It’s the kind of hair a man can’t help but think about wrapping around his fist. That includes me. I’ve thought about it—more times than I care to admit.
Monroe is a flirt, and she lays it on thick with the guys and me. Well, that’s not true. She never flirted much with Roman, if at all. It makes more sense now that the truth about Roman and Emerson is out. She wasn’t going to flirt with her best friend’s man, and yeah, he’s always been hers. It just took them a while to get there.
None of us has ever made a move on Monroe. Lachlan, Maddox, and me. We flirt back relentlessly. Forrest doesn’t, but he’s more of a brother to her. Monroe has just always been around. She was always with Emerson, who was always with Forrest. I’ve watched both of them grow into the women they are today.
Monroe leans her shoulder into mine as she laughs, and her warm vanilla scent invades my space. She’s gorgeous and smells good enough to eat. This one, she’s dangerous.
“I finally heard from the realtor on that plot of land on the edge of town,” Maddox speaks up.
“And?” Roman asks.
Maddox whistles and shakes his head. “It’s pricey. The land and the cost of a new facility would strap each of us financially.”
My gut twists. We’ve all wanted this for so long. “What about other locations? Buildings that we can renovate to suit our needs?” I ask.
“No luck.” Lachlan shakes his head. “We all agreed that we want to stay in Ashby, and there just isn’t anything on the market that’s better or bigger than our current space.”
“Damn,” Forrest mutters. “What are you guys thinking?”
Maddox looks at Roman, and I can see the resolve in his eyes. He knows our friend just got married and has a baby on the way. No way do we want him to not be able to provide for his family. I can see Maddox’s reply in his eyes before he answers.
“I say we hold off. At that price, I doubt the land will go anywhere. It’s too small for farmers, and it’s been for sale for months.”
“Yeah,” Roman agrees. “It’s just—not the right time.” I can hear it in his voice. It kills him to say it, but there will never be a time he won’t put his family first. We would never expect him to.
My mind drifts to the letter in my pocket. I have access, or could have access, to the money we need to fund our new facility. The money could take Everlasting Ink to the next level, but it’s wrong. Right? To marry for money? Besides, I don’t trust anyone outside of this room other than my parents, and the parents of the guys, Forrest and Emerson’s excluded. I love my brothers, but I’m sure as hell not marrying one of them.
“Where you been, man? I texted you a while ago,” Roman asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I pull my attention from the damn letter to Roman. “I was at my parents' having lunch when I got your message.” I don’t tell him I drove around for close to an hour when I left their place. That would only lead to more questions I don’t want to answer. How can I when I’m still trying to comprehend it all?
I haven’t decided whether I’m going to tell them at all. I mean, Roman knows I got a text and that my grandma, whom I’ve never met, passed away, but we can leave the details alone. Guilt hits me because I don’t keep things from the guys, but this feels… like even from the grave, she’s dictating my life just as she tried to do with my mother.
It feels wrong.
It would be selfish to get married to gain access to the trust fund I don’t really need. Don’t get me wrong. I’m nowhere near a millionaire. However, the guys and I have built a very successful business that I’m damn proud of, and I make a damn good living. My house is small, but it’s paid for, free and clear.
“How’s your mom?” he asks.
“Wait, is she not well?” Emerson asks, sitting up straighter on his lap.
“She’s fine,” I assure Emerson. “Her mom passed away. They hadn’t talked in over thirty years,” I explain. I know the guys already know, but I wasn’t sure if Monroe or Emerson did. By the way Emerson nods and Monroe places her hand on my arm, giving it a soft squeeze, I know they don’t need further explanation.
“I’m sorry,” Monroe says softly.
