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“Christ,” Jesse muttered.
I nodded, answering Eli’s question. And I was in agreement with Jesse. Christ just about summed up how I felt. But I was about to make it worse for all of them. Because I didn’t need to think about what I was going to do any longer. I’d already made my decision. Whether or not I knew much about her didn’t matter to me.
“I’m going to marry her,” I announced.
Nash choked on air. Eli’s eyes just about bugged out of his head. Jesse closed his eyes and groaned. Weston was the only one that didn’t act like it was the end of the world. He just shrugged at me.
“If that’s what you want,” Weston said. “You trust her?”
“Her background check is clear,” I told him. I’d at least been smart enough to order one of those. “No dirt. Nothing on paper to worry about. Only financial issues are hospital and medical bills. Time will tell more, but for now, I think we’re safe enough, and she obviously needs the help. I can’t just turn her away. Not after finding out what she’s going through.”
From what I understood, this could kill her if she didn’t get help soon. And soon probably wasn’t quick enough.
Nash shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If this backfires on us, Tripp…”
“It won’t,” I assured him. I just hoped I wasn’t lying.
Something slamming against the wall had me jerking off the couch, my eyes ripping open. My brothers, who had all caught a small nap, too, jerked awake.
Turning, my eyes landed on Everlee. She was slumped against the wall, her hand against her head, moaning low in discomfort. I quickly jerked to my feet and rushed over to her, catching her right as she began to fall toward the floor.
“Easy,” I crooned, somehow keeping myself together even while my heart was about to thump right out of my chest in panic. “Talk to me, Everlee.”
“Dizzy. Nauseated,” she mumbled. Her entire body was trembling in my arms like she was cold, but she didn’t feel cool to the touch. Something was seriously wrong.
“Google search says her sugar may be too low,” Nash announced, quickly walking over to us, his phone in his hand. “You got juice, Tripp? It can help raise it quickly while one of us makes her something to eat.”
“Pantry,” I told him. “There’s apple juice.”
“I feel like passing out,” Everlee slurred, her eyes shutting. Slurring definitely couldn’t be good.
I gently patted her cheek, coaxing her eyes back open. “Not yet, sweetheart. Keep your eyes open for me. It’s going to pass, I promise.” Weston popped up beside me with a bottle of apple juice. I sat her up on my lap and braced my arm around her to support her. With my other hand, I held the bottle of juice to her trembling lips. “Drink this for me,” I coaxed.
She slowly began to drink the juice, and a moment later, I heard one of my brothers frying something. Once she finished the bottle, Weston took it from her to throw it away, and I lifted her against my chest before standing from the floor, carrying her to the couch.
I gently laid her down on the leather cushions and then took a seat on the coffee table in front of her. Her face was extremely pale, but after a few minutes, color began to return to it. Just in time, too. Jesse popped into the living room with a bowl of fried eggs, the yoke runny, and some toast on top of it. Nash silently followed in behind him, a bottle of water in his hand.
I helped Everlee into a sitting position, still too worried about her to let her do anything on her own. She just still seemed too weak, even though her shaking had mostly disappeared by now.
“Thanks,” she said softly, taking the eggs that Jesse held out to her. Nash set the bottle of water on the coffee table next to my hip.
Jesse cleared his throat. “I’m Jesse,” he told her.
“He’s one of my brothers,” I further explained. “I’m the oldest. Nash is the next, and then there’s Eli, Jesse, and Weston,” I informed her, pointing at each brother as I said their names.
“Hi,” she said softly—shyly. And damn, it was adorable. “Sorry we had to meet under such crappy circumstances.”
Nash, the most vocal one out of all of my brothers about this entire arrangement, waved her off. “No biggie. Just focus on getting your sugars back up.” He looked at me, surprising me even more with what came out of his mouth next. “You’ve got about fifteen more minutes before Dr. Turner closes the office. She probably needs to go ahead and get seen.”
I snorted. “I made that appointment as soon as she laid down for a nap,” I told him. I hadn’t been kidding when I told her I’d do what I could to help her. She had no idea I’d already decided to marry her. Eventually, I’d get around to letting her know. I was just taking everything one step at a time.
And the first step was getting her to see the doctor and getting her some help.
Nash nodded. “Good.” He then looked at the beautiful brunette slowly eating the eggs and toast Jesse made for her. “We’re going to get you right as rain soon, girly. Don’t you doubt it.” He then grabbed his hat off the table and settled it on his head before tipping the brim in her direction. “My brother will take good care of you. Rest.”
He then dipped out of the house, his opinion on the whole marriage thing seeming to do an entire one-eighty after he saw her almost pass out in my hallway. In fact, looking at Jesse and Eli, it seemed they did, too.
Good. That meant they would hopefully be okay with the next step in this arrangement. Because what I hadn’t told anyone, not even Everlee, was that we were getting married tomorrow.
