Three Makes a Family--A Clean Romance Cari Webb (short books for teens txt) 📖

“I got exactly what I wanted.” Drew rose and sat in the chair across from his brother. “I’m good.”

Perhaps not completely good. But he would be. In time. He had to settle into his office and his new cases. Meet his new clients. Learn the rhythm of his peers and the partners. It would be fine.

He’d been more than fine with Molly. More than happy to learn everything he could about her. More than willing to spend as much time with her and Hazel as he could. But that fun reprieve was over.

“Yes, brooding and gloomy are definitely a good look on you.” Brad’s stale tone dropped on the table like a brick.

“This is how I look at work.” Drew straightened a stack of papers. “If it bothers you, you can always leave.”

“You can’t do it, can you?” Wonder entered Brad’s gaze.

“What?” Drew knew he sounded defensive.

“Admit you miss Molly.” Brad leaned forward. “Admit she was the best person in your life. Admit you want her back.”

“Fine.” Drew threw his hands up in the air. “I miss her. That work?”

Brad shook his head. “What’s the but?”

“But we aren’t good together.” There he’d said it out loud.

“Because she challenged you. Showed you a world outside work.” Brad motioned over his head. “Showed you a world outside this four-walled room. Helped you reconnect with friends and family.”

“I don’t need Molly to stay connected to my friends and family.”

Brad’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “When was the last time you saw the twins?”

He hadn’t seen the twins since Sophie and the boys had returned home. “I was giving you guys time to adjust and get into a routine. Spend quality time together.”

“Don’t even.” Brad frowned. “You’re hiding again. In your work and your office. Behind your excuses, valid though they may be sometimes.”

“This is who I am,” Drew countered. Who he’d always been. His family, especially his own brother, knew that.

“But is it who you really want to be.” Brad stacked his hands behind his head and considered Drew. “You were just looking for reasons not to trust Molly. It’s what you always do.”

“What I always do...” Drew folded his hands together and set them on the table, he was slightly interested, but more irritated by his brother’s comment. His brother was supposed to be here for his own reasons; he wasn’t supposed to be there to pick apart Drew’s failings and toss them out like key evidence.

“You never trusted your exes. Not one of them,” Brad continued, unaware or uncaring that his brother wasn’t fully engaged in the assessment. “You only ever trust in your work.”

Until his work had betrayed him. And Drew had needed Molly’s help to exonerate him. “I trusted Molly with my case.”

“But you didn’t trust her with what really counted between the two of you,” Brad said.

Drew rolled his chair away from the table as if that would help him avoid the truth. The one he knew was coming. “Like what exactly?”

Brad lowered his arms and leaned forward. “Like your heart.”

Drew shoved out of his chair and paced his office. His gaze scanned the shelves, filled with legal texts. No inspirational quotes added dimension to the austere lineup. No artwork added any visual appeal or personal touches. No family photographs filled the space and hinted that Drew had more than his life at the office. He rubbed his forehead. “Why are we discussing this?”

“Because it’s time for you to hear the truth,” Brad said.

“What truth is that?” Drew rounded on his brother. “That I have trust issues. Or that I can’t love.”

Brad walked over to him and set his finger over Drew’s heart. “The truth is that you can’t give your heart to Molly because you’d have to accept hers in return.”

Now they were discussing Molly’s heart? He knocked his brother’s arm away. But those fears resurfaced. Demanded to be heard. Demanded a voice. “You think I can’t love her? That I’m incapable of loving Molly.”

“I think you don’t believe you can love her right.” No judgment, only a bit of thoughtful wisdom.

Drew couldn’t fight, didn’t want to fight it any longer. He wanted Molly and Hazel in his life permanently. “What if I fail her? We’re talking about love...”

“The most precious gift anyone can give or receive.” Brad held his arms out. “It’s utterly terrifying.”

“And yet, you’re in love,” Drew said. “No qualms. No hesitation. No doubts.”

“Because love, when it’s right, is what makes life worthwhile.” Brad touched Drew’s shoulder, his grip and face earnest. “Love gives everything meaning.”

“If my boys are going to talk about love, I’d like to be included.” Nancy Harrington smiled from the doorway of Drew’s office. “I feel as though I know something about the topic.”

“Mom.” Drew straightened and shot an accusing glance at Brad. “What brings you here?”

Brad laughed. “I didn’t know she was coming here. Promise.”

“Why can’t I pay my son a visit in his new business environment?” His mother strolled into his office and set a gift bag on his desk. “I haven’t seen you in days, not even at Sophie and Brad’s house.”

Her words carried a direct shot of guilt. Brad lifted his eyebrows in an I-told-you-so way. Drew cleared his throat. “I’ve been busy here.”

“You should never be too busy for family.” A warning recognized. “I’d hoped you’d realized that with Molly the past few weeks.”

Brad quickly covered his grin with his hand.

“Are you here to tell me that Molly is the best person for me too?” Drew charged.

His mother eyed him, her mouth pursed. “I came to give you a gift and a reminder that family is the reason for everything.”

“What are you saying?” Drew asked. “That you and Dad dedicated your lives to your careers for your family?”

“Your dad and I are dedicated to each other first,” she said. “It’s that love and devotion that gave us both the strength and courage to dedicate ourselves to our careers. We had a family at home to celebrate the ups and downs with.