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“If she’s what you want. With Ireland, I didn’t have to pursue anything so much as I was resisting her. She’d just come off a breakup, and we were stuck together in my house. Would it have been a slower or more difficult journey if we weren’t forced to spend time together? Probably.”
“It’s fate, then.”
“That’s what Ireland said.” Emmett said it with a soft expression on his face as he watched Ireland interact with Ember and Addy.
Emmett didn’t have to make this decision. Ireland was there, and he couldn’t resist her. I think it would be the same if that happened to me and Sarah. Things might be different with Addy around, but I’d still feel the same about them. I wanted them in my life, and I sure as hell didn’t want one of my brothers making a move.
I stood without saying anything further to Emmett and felt his gaze on my back as I made my way around the fire to where Sarah stood with Sebastian and the girls.
“Hey, where’ve you been?” Sarah asked.
“Talking to Emmett.” I gestured in his direction.
“Sebastian’s been telling me stories of when you were kids. I love hearing about it.”
“I hope it’s nothing embarrassing.”
“I was hoping your mom would get the photo albums out at some point. I bet you were adorable when you were little.”
“I was scrawny.”
“You got that right,” Sebastian said with a smile.
I resisted the urge to tell him to shut up. Instead, I touched Sarah’s elbow. “Do you want to go for a walk? Addy’s fine here. Seb will keep an eye on her.”
He smirked. “Will do.”
He knew exactly what he was doing when he was talking to Sarah. He was forcing me to make a move. But I couldn’t fault him for it. I would have done the same thing to him.
I touched Sarah’s elbow and maneuvered her around the crowd to the path that went toward Emmett’s house. Not wanting to go there, I took the adjoining path that veered to the left.
“Where does this go?”
“If we keep walking, it goes to the pond, but that’s far. We can do that during daylight sometime.”
Sarah tipped her head up to the sky. “I love this place.”
For the first time, I saw it through fresh eyes. The fields dotting the hills, the paths lined with poles of twinkling lights. The farmhouse and the barn. It was cute and quaint. “You know we each have a cabin on the property, right?”
“I remember you saying something about that.”
“Except for Seb, of course. I think he’s working on building his cabin soon. But the property is so large it still feels private. You could go for a walk and not run into anyone.”
“I love that. You’re close to family yet still have privacy.”
“Exactly, and tonight, I couldn’t help but think what the next five years will bring. Will there be more kids dancing around the fire and choosing a tree to decorate? I love the idea of our kids growing up together.” I hoped none of my brothers was lured away by a different job or even a woman who didn’t like the farm. It was entirely possible, but the idea made me sad.
She linked her arm through my elbow. “That’s an incredible picture. I bet your mom will be ecstatic if Emmett and Ireland have kids, and your other brothers, too. Do you want kids?”
“You know, I haven’t given it much thought. I always thought I would, just not anytime soon. I hadn’t met anyone who made me consider it.
“What about you?”
“I always wanted kids, but I hadn’t made that conscious decision with Gary. We were new when I got pregnant.”
“You didn’t talk about having kids?”
“It was so early in the relationship. We were just having fun.”
