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Until a few weeks ago, Drew hadn't really given it much consideration one way or the other. It wasn't like he'd recently been in a committed relationship or anything. And though he'd been attracted to Hope from the jump, his first inclination hadn't been to put a ring on her finger and start a family.
Yeah, he wanted to be with her. In every way possible. Both then and now. But theirs hadn't exactly been a textbook coupling, that was for damn sure.
There'd been no courting rituals. No official dates. When they went out together, they were just two coworkers grabbing a quick bite to eat or sharing a beer after work. Everything had remained strictly platonic until the cumulative effect of emotional overload and too much tequila overruled them both.
As a result, they not only had to figure out how to move forward as friends and coworkers after their one night of unbridled passion but also what to do about the child they'd created as a result. Like Hope's anxiety regarding motherhood, Drew had similar concerns about becoming a father. Not that their readiness mattered much when, in less than five months, they would indeed become parents.
Whether they would share the experience as a couple, well, that was another concern entirely. Though Hope still had qualms, Drew wanted to give it a shot.
"It's crossed my mind," Drew finally answered Holden's question.
"I don't suppose the leggy brunette with the soulful brown eyes you brought home with you has anything to do with this line of thinking, now, does she?"
Just everything.
Here was a chance to share his dilemma with one of his brothers. To get a different perspective. Admit how much he wanted to be with Hope and raise their child together. As a family.
But he couldn't. Not when he'd promised Hope they wouldn't say anything until she was ready. "We're just friends." At least it wasn't a lie.
“Yeah. Okay.” Holden rolled his eyes. "You keep telling yourself that."
Drew stopped and narrowed his gaze at his brother. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Holden shook out some straw, spreading it over the floor with his foot and the pitchfork. "Well," he drawled, "I don't remember you ever bringing a woman home for Thanksgiving before. Let alone one who'll be staying through Christmas into New Year's."
"She recently lost her father, who was the only family she had, Holden. She shouldn't be alone for the holidays. Especially the first ones without her dad."
"So, you haul her across two states to spend the holiday season with you and a bunch of strangers?" Holden shook his head. "I'm sure she has friends she's known a lot longer than you who would've taken her under their wing and looked out for her to make sure she didn't spend the entire holiday season grieving."
"What are you getting at?"
Holden hunched his broad shoulders in a shrug. "Sounds to me likeyoumight have been the one who didn't want to spend the holidays without her."
"And what if I didn't?" Drew shot back. Holden had always been good at seeing past the bullshit and diving right to the heart of most matters. He'd been that way his whole life.
Asshole.
"It still doesn't mean anything is going on between us."
One dark brow arched. "Well, now, if I remember correctly, the basement apartment where you're currently staying only has one bedroom. And I don't recall you asking for different accommodations for you andyour friend."
"Shut the fuck up, Holden."
"Aw, it sounds just like old times," Jack observed as he ambled into the stable. "You guys aren't finished in here yet?"
"We would be if Holden had kept his trap shut long enough."
Holden filled a feed bag with oats in one of the stalls. "Hey, you were the one who started waxing poetic about what Reese and Olivia had and how you might have gotten the itch to settle down. All I did was ask if it had anything to do with the dark-haired beauty you brought here from Kentucky."
Jack nodded. "Sounds like a reasonable question."
"You can shut the hell up too."
Jack lifted both his hands, palms out. "Touchy."
"There isn't anything going on between Hope and me." It was the truth.
Almost.
