Choices, Loyalty, & Love (Men of NatEx #3): A Package Handlers Novel by Kyle Autumn

Author:Kyle Autumn [Autumn, Kyle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melts Hearts and Panties Press
Published: 2018-06-07T05:00:00+00:00

***

Nic

Sometimes you know you’re making the right choice. And other times you have no freaking clue and have to call your big brother on a Friday morning to help you figure it out.

The latter used to be me. And it’s not that I know I’m making the right choice this time. It’s that I have to choose for myself. No one else can choose this for me. I have to be the one to do it. Especially after the news I received earlier.

In any case, Richie’s at the front door, waiting for me to answer it. I have to take a second to center myself, because this conversation is going to be difficult.

“Everything okay?” my brother asks as soon as he’s inside.

“Yeah.” I close the door and gesture with my head for him to follow me into the kitchen.

“You sounded upset on the phone. You sure you’re all right?”

As he takes a seat at the kitchen table, I take a moment to study his face. We have the same nose and the same smile. We got those from our mother. But he has my father’s eyes, which makes this conversation even more difficult than it should be.

I nod a second too late.

He peeks around the house as I make tea. “Mason’s at work?”

“Mhm,” I hum while grabbing mugs from the cabinet. I peer closer at them than I have before, wondering if I’ll miss these when I leave. I don’t get a chance to really consider it before Richie speaks again.

“Okay, then what do you need to talk to me about?”

While staring at the water on the stove as if that’ll make it boil faster, I figure out how to put the right words together. Since I can’t seem to do that, I give him a cryptic message I know he’ll understand.

“I went to the doctor this morning.” Once the water is boiling, I drop teabags into our mugs, pour some for my brother, and add just as much sugar as he likes. Then I hand it to him, keeping the cup in my grip a beat too long. “And my suspicions were correct.”

That’s all I can get out before my eyes well with tears and my heart feels like a foreign object in my chest. My hand unconsciously cradles my belly.

Before my brother can say anything, I turn my back to him and make my cup of tea. Even though it’s summer and already warm in the morning, this feels necessary. Comforting in a way nothing else can comfort me right now.

“So that means you…” Richie cuts himself off before finishing that sentence.

“Yeah.” I nod before dipping my head and bringing my tea to the table. “But it’s okay.”

“It’s not what you wanted to hear though.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. “Have you told Mason?”

Reluctantly, I shake my head. “No, not yet. But I will.”

“Good.” He nods as if that’s all he can think to do right now. “What about Dad?”

I snap my head up, hitting Richie with a colder stare than he deserves.

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