AllFreeNovel
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“What do you mean by that?” Lachlan asked.
“I just figured... This many years of being in each other’s pockets and you weren’t sleeping together...it was never going to happen. And isn’t she engaged?”
“Not as of this morning.”
“Wow. What happened?” Gus asked.
“We slept together.”
Brody laughed, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting up straight on the horse, tilting his head back. “That’sfunny.”
Lachlan’s stomach hitched with umbrage. “Why is it funny?”
“I don’t know. It’s just... Look, I know what it’s like to give in to temptation after knowing somebody for a couple of days,” he said. “The idea ofsuddenlywanting somebody after all that time... I don’t get it, man, but that’s something.”
“It wasn’treallysudden,” Lachlan said, not sure why he was giving any of that information away.
“Now, that surprises me,” Gus said. “Seeing as you genuinely seemed platonic to me.”
“We were,” he said. “But I met her when I was a horny teenage boy. You know I thought about it.”
Gus grunted. “Fair. I mean, I was platonic with Alaina, but definitely for a few years there I didn’t feel platonic.”
“Well, I’ve been attracted to her for a long time. What you should all get is that sometimes taking that risk doesn’t feel worth the cost. It’s always been there. She’s my person, right? And that’s the point of this, isn’t it?”
“So you’re in love with her?” Gus asked.
“Iloveher. There’s no question about that. Apart from family, there’s nobody on the earth that I care more about. So...she’s the person to marry.”
“I guess. But marriage isn’t just getting a roommate that you have sex with,” Gus said. “Believe me. Having navigated that particular wrong assumption, I’m speaking from experience.”
“I’m sure you are, Angus,” Lachlan said. “But it’s different. You weren’t friends with Alaina before you married her. Not like Charity and I are.”
“Every relationship is different,” Gus said, his tone placating. “But I’m just saying... When you marry somebody, you get into a lot ofstuff.”
“Charity’s my best friend. We talk about all kinds of things. Honestly, I think it’s a great foundation.”
“You guys thinking of having kids?”
A smile curved his lips, and he lapsed off slightly. “I mean. We might already be having one. Not that I’d rush to do it. You know, when we’re thinking more clearly.”
“Famous last words, man.Thinkingclearly. You never think clearly again.” That came from Brody.
“That can’t be true. You’re all happier than you’ve ever been.”
“Absolutely,” Gus said. “Happy as a beaver.”
“Are beavers happy, Gus?” Brody asked.
“Well, they aren’t sad, are they?”
“I guess not.”
“So if you never think clearly, then how are you happy?” Lachlan asked.
“Because I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. I’m happy in a way that makes all the other stuff feel like gravy.”
“Not lava, Gus?” Brody asked, gesturing to Gus’s scars.
