Page 93 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

And the more I know about him, the more I like him beyond the physical attraction. The more I realize that he needs someone to take care of him for a change.

The more I want to be that person.

Fuck me, now it's all getting jumbled up in my head.

And I expect the date with Jake will confuse me more.

“This is going to be a disaster," I murmur. Right now, it doesn't feel like a disaster. It feels like I'm on the best roller coaster I’ve ever been on, with constant excitement and wonder waiting for me. At the same time. I feel safe around them. Too safe, and that's dangerous because the last time I felt safe around a man...well, Eric happened.

I need to be careful. It's too soon, and I don't know any of them that well, and the pregnancy hormones are probably playing a role, too.

But a big part of it is just the sheer fact that I've rarely been shown so much care, never been treated so well by any man I've ever dated, and it pisses me off because if I had known men like them existed, I wouldn't have wasted as much time on the losers I was with in the past.

So at the very least, this experience has been a giant boost for my self-esteem and has recalibrated my standards.

But this feels like it can only end in disaster, and all I can do is wait for it to happen.

I turn over and close my eyes, resigning myself.

If all that awaits me is a crash, I might as well enjoy the ride.

I don't manage to get enough sleep, and as expected, I wake up with eye bags the next day.

"Great," I murmur to my reflection. Luckily, it's not terrible.

I hide it as best as I can with concealer, but I don’t know how well it works because when my brother sees me the next day, he frowns.

He gestures for me to step into his office, and closes the door behind us. “Now I know I approved of your relationship with Adam and all, but not if he’s going to keep you up all night.”

“Okay, first of all, my relationships don’t need your approval, all almighty,” I start. "And you talking about my boyfriend keeping me up all night is skirting dangerously close to you discussing my sex life.”

“Boyfriend?” He raises an eyebrow, “So Adam is your boyfriend now?”

I blush. “Slip of the tongue.”

"Yeah, more like a Freudian slip." Disgust twists his face, though he has a twinkle in his eyes.

“Adam is a good guy,” he said begrudgingly. “He’s solid despite his wild past."

"And what do you know about his wild past?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"You know just the normal stuff. Jake used to drag him to the parties, and they would have these crazy one-night stands." He shrugs and adds, "I even heard they would share women at one point. Like threesomes and such. Isn't that insane?"

"Yeah," I swallow past the knot in my throat. "Insane."

"But one thing about Adam is that he's very responsible and mature. He didn't want to settle down at first, so he played the field, but I've always thought that when he was done doing that, he would make someone a good husband and father. So I’m thinking August wedding.”

"Oh my gosh, goodbye." I roll my eyes, and my brother’s laughter follows me as I open the door and head out.

Only to run right into the chest of none other than Jake.

I gasp and step back as he gives me a roguish smile, and heat spreads across my face. Did he hear what we were talking about?

“What are you doing here?" I ask.

“I’m the face of the company, remember? If we're doing press, I'm the representative."

“Oh, right." Of course, I remember. I sent him the talking points earlier this week, prepping him for what was to come.