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A man jogs past on the shoreline, his bare feet tossing up sand and spray behind him, and we both watch as he disappears into the distance.
“They’re going to combust if we stay,” I say eventually.
“Is there even anif?”
I turn to face my cousin, remembering all the stupid shit we’ve gotten up to over the years and how much I love him. Family is everything, but we have a bond that’s stronger than brothers. “There’s noiffor me. I want her.”
He nods once with an expression of defiance, as though he’s already imagining smashing down all the barriers we are going to face. “They’ll come round in the end,” he says grimly.
“If we give them grandchildren.” We laugh at the truth of it and the ridiculousness. Allie doesn’t even want to step foot in the same house as us right now and we’re discussing procreating with her.
Even though it’s ridiculous, I can imagine the sweetness of our kids.
“Remember that show with that rich family…ten brothers and one woman…what was her name?”
“Laura…McGregor,” he reminds me.
“Yeah. How many kids did she have?”
“They’re up to five, I think. I don’t know. My sister mentioned it over breakfast. She saw it on social media. You think she’ll have ten?”
“You think Allie would have ten?” We both shrug, the idea settling between us. One child for each of the men inside.
“This could blow up in our faces,” he says suddenly. “It could really blow up in our faces.”
Theron’s right. Love is always risky but with a love like this, the risk is magnified. “Remember cousin Mario? All that money they spent on his wedding. His fiancé was the dream girl. Everyone loved her. My mom called her a saint…an angel on earth.”
“And then she went and fucked his brother.”
“Exactly. Perfect woman. Perfect wedding. Expensive divorce. Broke the whole family apart.”
“Allie’s perfect,” Theron says, his protective instincts coming to the fore.
“She is to us,” I say. “She will be to them…in time.”
“Are we crazy for wanting this?” Theron asks me, his forehead furrowed so deeply, his gray eyes are almost obliterated by his dark brows.
“I thought I was,” I admit. “I mean, I love you, but these other men…” I shrug, struggling for the words to express myself. “...they’ve become friends. This house has felt like a big family.”
“Yeah.”
“And we’re used to having a big family. I don’t think there’s been a single day in my life when there haven’t been troops of people traipsing through the house for coffee and gossip. There’s usually at least ten people in the kitchen.”
Theron chuckles and nudges me with his shoulder. “True, but it’s usually all the women making something delicious for us to eat.”
“Yeah, but some of these dudes can really cook,” I joke.
Behind us, the gate to the house slams on its hinges and we both turn. Tom’s there, and he jogs forward, a smile emblazoned across his face. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“For what?” Theron asks.
“She’s coming back,” Tom blurts, bending to rest his hands on his knees. “Russell did it. He got her to come back.”
Me and Theron scramble to our feet, dusting away the sand as though Allie’s due to arrive any second. “How long?”
“Couple of hours,” Tom says.
“Just long enough for a shower and to tidy the place up.” Theron’s already walking back to the house and Tom, and I follow.
