Page 79 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

"Sam? Are you paying attention to us or have you zoned us out?"

I don't answer, sauntering down the staircase, toward my car. I don't want to waste the memories or pollute them by talking right now. I want to keep thinking about it on my drive and replay it on a loop when I get home.

I want to carve her.

But of course, it's not that easy.

Jake and Adam follow me home, even beating me there. While I'm getting out of my truck, they stand at my door leaning against the stair railing,

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"We need to talk," Adam says. "And since you refused to listen to us back there, we picked somewhere you can't escape as easily from."

He already has my spare key in hand and opens the door. They walk in now, analyzing the new sculptures on my dresser and everything else.

“Love what you’ve done with the place,” Jake says, and I can tell he’s being sarcastic. He likes my carving, but like Adam, he thinks I can get too obsessive sometimes.

I turn to Adam, who says, “I just want us to be clear about the ground rules. I don’t want this to ruin our friendship.”

"Our?" I raise my eyebrow at him. “So you're still going to throw your hat in the ring? When did you decide our pursuing her wasn't a bad idea?"

Adam blushes as Jake snorts. “Since three seconds after she took his cock, probably."

I smirk as Adam’s blush intensifies.

“I never said I didn’t want her too,” he says. “I just know that wanting her comes with certain consequences I’m not sure we’re willing to pay.”

“Right. That’s not what you said yesterday, though.”

“Yeah, yesterday was entirely different.”

"But you said–"

“Forget what I said,” he says. “I know you both like her. I do too, but we have to be smart about this. No intruding on each other’s time and no dirty tricks. We try as much as possible to be fair to each other.”

“We heard you the first time, Grandpa. You don't have to repeat the rules to me. You know you’re not that much older than we are, though you like to act like it, and we understand what's at stake, too."

“Good.” Adam then shakes his head and walks around. “Jesus. When was the last time you aired this place out? And I bet your room is a fucking mess too.” Adam starts going around, pulling up all the curtains, and doing his fatherly duties. He then goes upstairs to my bedroom, leaving me with Jake standing in the living room.

Jake tucks his hand into his pocket and gives me an arched look. “So are you going to tell me what this silent treatment is about yet?”

I remain silent.

“Do you know how hurtful it is that you’re hiding something major from your best friends?" He says, and there’s a spark of hurt in his eyes that I look away from.

I hate that I'm hurting him, but I know it would hurt him more if I told him everything. I'd rather suffer through it alone.

Jake swears. "We’ve been friends since high school, you fucker. You know everything about me.”

“That’s because you’re an oversharer.”

His eyes spark again. “You know what? Fuck you. I don’t even know why I bother.

An apology immediately jumps to my lips, a bid for understanding, but I don’t utter it. This is probably for the better. I’ve been trying to push him away for some time, so I don't drag him into the catastrophe that is my family life. I don’t want him to worry about me anymore. I’m so sick of him worrying about me and me dragging down his mood all the time that I think I would rather he hate me at this point, as hurtful as that is. It would be better for him.

But how’s that going to work when we’re dating the same woman? How am I going to push him away when she's there?

I have no fucking clue.