Bad Boy SEALs

by Scarlett Avery

  "Good riddance to all those bozos," Brandon sneers.

  "Hear, hear," Amelia cheers.

  Brandon changes subjects by focusing on our girlfriend again. “Hmmm, sweetie I don't know what kind of exercises you've been doing lately, but your tits are amazing," he hums, fumbling Amelia's breasts.

  "Hands off," she protests, swatting away his hand.

  "Funny," he replies with an evil grin. He pinches her nipple as punishment.

  "Ouch!" she exclaims. "You can't just grope these whenever you want to."

  Brandon sits up in bed and looks down at her. "Let’s get one thing straight, woman. Those are mine and Holden’s to enjoy whenever we want," he reminds her.

  "You woke up on the caveman side of the bed this morning?"

  "You could show a little more solidarity, considering I’ve got your back on this. You enjoy having those in your hands as much as I do, so stop playing holier than thou," Brandon scolds.

  I chuckle. "I think what Brandon is trying to say is that we love every single part of you… especially your perfect tits." Without warning, I pinch one of her nipples and twist it to the right.

  "Bloody hell!" she cries out. "Are you two ganging up on me again?"

  "As if that's changed in the last year," Brandon laughs.

  "Go ahead, abuse my boobs as much as you want." She capitulates with her arms lifted over her head.

  I'm not falling for that trick. Our little princess is way too headstrong to give in so easily. Even though we always get our way in the end, she’ll always put up a good fight.

  "What's the catch?" I ask.

  "What makes you think there is one?" She’s so flippant about it.

  "Amelia," I warn.

  "Have your fun, eventually you'll have to learn to share," she retorts.

  "Huh?” I frown.

  She averts her gaze obstinately to the ceiling.

  "Just because we've been regulars at Nightfall lately, doesn't mean you're allowed to get any crazy ideas in your head. No one is touching those other than Holden and I," Brandon repeats, waving his fingers furiously at her breasts.

  She lowers her arms and grips her tits. “I reckon that eventually the baby—or the babies—will be fighting for these. So, I'm afraid, gentlemen, you'll have a little competition."

  My eyes bulge out of my skull.

  Brandon's jaw drops open.

  She lies there between us doing her best to look as innocent as possible. As if she hadn't just dropped a big bomb in the room.

  It actually takes a few seconds for my brain to kick in.

  "The what?" I finally ask.

  "Come again?" Brandon asks.

  "I said—"

  "I heard what you said, Amelia," Brandon snaps. She springs up from the mattress and sits. "Are you serious?" He’s dumbfounded.

  She opens her mouth to respond, but it's my turn to interrupt her. I sit up so that I can better look at her. "You're pregnant? You're going to have a baby? Our baby?" The shock is so monumental that it takes me three questions to confirm what I just heard.

  She slides up and rests her back against the pillows. She pulls the sheet up and covers her naked breasts. It's as if she’s trying to hide her sudden vulnerability.

  "Sweetie, answer us," Brandon pleads.

  "I know we’ve talked about this in passing, but we really haven't had a deep conversation about it, but yes, I'm pregnant."

  "How the hell did that happen?" Brandon asks.

  "I think it's pretty obvious—"

  He shakes his head impatiently. "That's not what I mean." He pulls his gaze away from mine and shifts it back to Amelia’s. "I thought you were on the pill?”

  "Technically I was."

  "So, what happened?" I ask.

  "Remember my business trip to Seoul a month and a half ago?"

  "Yeah," Brandon and I answer in unison.

  "Well, I forgot to bring my pills with me. I thought I had, but there was so much going on. It wasn't a problem because you two were in London. When I came back, I knew that I’d have to wait until my next cycle before starting again. I figured that I’ve been on the pill for so long that a few weeks wouldn’t matter. I was wrong."

  "When did you find out?" I ask.

  "Three days ago,” she gives us a sheepish smile.

  “Three days,” I repeat raking my fingers through my hair.

  "Whoa," Brandon says. "What made you think you were pregnant in the first place?"

  “The day before we left London, Charlie and I went to our go-to Thai restaurant. We ordered all our usual favorites. As you know I've been complaining about having a queasy stomach for a few weeks now—ever since I suffered from food poisoning from that Chinese restaurant." We both nod. "Well, it was no different on that night. A few bites of the Pad Thai and I was already feeling ill. By the time I had a few sips of my Mai Tai cocktail, I nearly turned green. I had to excuse myself and run to the loo. Being the loyal friend that she is, Charlie followed me. She was really concerned. Once I had recuperated, she started asking me a flurry of questions and then suddenly she just froze in stupor. When I asked her what was wrong, she asked me if I could remember the last time I had my period. I couldn't. She suggested that we head straight to the chemist. I waited in her car while she bought five different pregnancy tests. After which, we rushed to her place. An hour later, I was certain that I was pregnant."

  "How far along are you?" Brandon asks.

  "I'd say about three weeks. I'm not showing yet.” She pats her stomach. “It's far too early." She pauses for a beat. "I haven't told my father or my brothers yet. Charlie was the first to know, but that was circumstantial. I would've preferred to tell you first. Since it takes an eternity to get to Bora Bora, I was waiting for the right time."

  "Wow," I shake my head in disbelief.

  "You're actually pregnant," Brandon says.

  "You’re going to have a baby," I add, almost in a daze.

  "Are you mad?" she asks hesitantly. "I mean, maybe it isn't part of your immediate plans…" She lets her words trail. "I can take care of the baby on my own. I wouldn't bother you for support. I'll be okay…" I hear the worry in her voice. Deep down inside I want to take it away, but right now I'm wrestling with my own demons and like so many times in the past, they render me silent. “I don't know who the father is… Clearly it's one of you…" She pauses again. “Please say something," she pleads.

  I reach and cup her face. "I'm not mad, angel." I turn to Brandon. "Are you mad?"

  "Not even remotely," Brandon confirms.

  “Can I be honest, princess?"

  She nods. "Of course," she responds with a shaky voice.

  "My grandparents became my parents at an early age. They’re the only example of parenthood I have. We know how much of a shitty job my mother did. My dad used to work a lot…" I pause. "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I never wanted kids—”

  “Oh, God,” she whispers. Panic veils her eyes and her shoulders slump in defeat.

  “Let me finish.”

  She inhales a deep breath. “Okay," she concedes with a shy nod.

  "Because I had been abandoned by the one woman who was supposed to love me unconditionally, I never wanted children because I didn't think I had the ability to love. Sure, Nana tried her best to make up for my mother’s monumental fuck-up, but the bitter taste of being unwanted never left me.”

  "But you love me," she protests.

  "Implicitly."

  "Then you can love our child." She says that with so much conviction. "I know it’s the same for you Brandon,” she says, turning to my best friend.

  “Anything that comes from you is a gift and that means the child you're carrying." Brandon’s response is so powerful. “It’s just that I’m going into this blindly, and it’s the same for Holden,” he adds.

  “I don’t understand.”

  I drop my other hand against her stomach. "Brandon's right. Since I never had great role models like you did, I don't know how
I’ll fare as a father, and that worries me. A lot."

  "Holden took the words right out of my mouth."

  "I might make mistakes. Big ones," I warn her.

  "Personally, I don't want to fail this child," Brandon confesses.

  "Guess what, you guys? I have the same fears. Sure, I had incredible parents, but that still doesn't mean I'll know what to do as a mother. It will be as new for you as it is for me… and for Holden. We’ll have to brace ourselves because it will be the three of us against the septuplets.

  "The what?" Brandon and I shout.

  "Joke," she grins mischievously. "I don't know how many I’m carrying yet."

  "That wasn't funny. I haven't even wrapped my head around one child, let alone seven," Brandon admonishes her.

  "Cheeky princess," I shake my head.

  "So, what do you say? Do you want to try this parenthood thing with me or not?” she asks.

  "There's no way you're having this child on your own. One of us is the biological father, and that means both of us are involved. So, to set your mind at ease, we’re definitely in," I erase her worries.

  "Damn right," Brandon confirms. "You’re ours, that means that baby is ours."

  "Oh, my God. I so was petrified. I didn't want you to think I was trying to trap you or anything like that," she admits.

  "Nonsense," I tease, tapping the tip of her nose. "It's just that we might have to rely on you at the beginning until we can take the training wheels off," I smile.

  "Well," she says, lifting her chin up. "That's not a problem. I can handle that. I just don't think I could handle doing this on my own. I love you both too much not to have you in my life, and in the baby's life." She chokes up.

  Brandon takes her in his arms. "I love you way too much to allow that to happen," he affirms.

  "At this point, I'm not sure I'm able to live without you," I confess.

  She jumps from Brandon’s arms into mine and drops a flurry of sweet kisses all over my face. Brandon gets the same treatment. "This is the most amazing day of my life," she says.

  "Then why are you crying?" I tease, wiping away a tear trickling down her cheek.

  "I don't know," she shrugs. “Maybe there is such a thing as too much happiness.”

  And just like that it hits me.

  “Oh, fuck!” I shout.

  “Is it something I said?" she asks.

  "Once more we’re doing this backwards," I say to Brandon.

  "What are you talking about?" Amelia frowns.

  “Fuck, you're right." Brandon jumps out of bed before I do. “Shit,” he shouts racing out the bedroom door.

  "Where is he going?" Amelia asks, confusion painted all over her face.

  "Wait here," I command. It's my turn to jump to my feet.

  "But—”

  "Wait here I said."

  “O-okay,” she concedes.

  With that, I race after Brandon.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” I hear him chant.

  "I can't believe this is happening," I say as I enter the room where we dumped our luggage.

  "What's the combination to the safe again?"

  "The year of her birthday," I remind him.

  "Oh yeah," he says before dashing inside the walk-in closet. “Got it!” he shouts triumphantly when he returns. "Let's go do this!" He waves the bag he’s holding. The grin on his face is ridiculous. I bite off a smile. "What’s so funny?"

  My eyes drop to his cock. "Buddy, we can't do this naked. That would be wrong. We've already screwed up all the steps with her, let's try to get this one right."

  He facepalms. "Fuck, you're right. I'm so excited, I wasn't even thinking straight." Brandon drops the bag on the dresser and rushes back inside the closet. I follow him. A few minutes later, we’re both wearing sports shorts. They’re not tuxedos, but they'll do. "Come on!" Brandon snatches the bag and he's already running out the door.

  "I'm right behind you," I say.

  When we reenter the bedroom, Amelia is standing with the white sheet wrapped around her body. The way the sun hits her face brings out how fucking beautiful she is. I imagined her like this on the first day she came over for dinner, seeing her now let’s me know how right this woman has been for us all along.

  "What are you two up to?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow. "One minute we’re talking about the baby, the next you're running out of the room muttering, ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck’. You’d think the bungalow was on fire. FYI, mates, you’re sending me mixed signals," she worries at her lower lip. “You either want this baby or not.”

  "Are you questioning our commitment, Amelia?" Brandon asks her.

  She sighs. "I'm confused right now."

  My best friend and I exchange a knowing glance. It’s a look of long friendship and understanding.

  “We definitely didn't expect the baby."

  "Hol—”

  "What we told you earlier stands, Amelia," I interrupt. “Now that it's no longer just the three of us, it’s more important than ever to make sure the baby has a home and a family.” I set her straight.

  “The baby already has all of that," she argues.

  "Yeah, but let's make it official," I say.

  "How much more official can it be? We already live together. The three of us bought a ginormous penthouse for God’s sake."

  “Remember earlier I said we had more tokens of appreciation for you?" Brandon asks.

  Her head whips towards him. "What does that have to do with the baby?" she asks, almost annoyed.

  "Holden and I bought you one piece of jewelry for every single month we've been together. Even though we’ve been living together for a year, we’ve actually known each other for thirteen and a half months. The last gift and a half on the list are the most important ones. We were going to give them to you last, but now that you've given us a gift of your own, we have to flip things around," Brandon laughs.

  We lock eyes again and nod at each other. We turn to face her and both of us drop to one knee.

  "Ha!” Amelia exclaims. She hides her face in the palms of her hands.

  "Amelia Jade Cavendish, will you be our wife?" Brandon asks pulling out a small red Cartier box from the black bag he's holding.

  "Are you bloody kidding me?"

  "Is that an answer, sweetie? Because if it is, I was expecting something else," he winks.

  "You completely blindsided me," she explains.

  “Still not the answer I was hoping for," he says.

  "Yes, yes, yes," she chants, jumping up and down. Brandon drops the bag on the floor and I grab the second box while he opens his. “I can't believe this," she rejoices. He opens his box and her eyes grow wider than saucers. "Blimey! That’s a bloody gorgeous ring," she shouts. "That stone is eye-popping," she adds.

  Brandon pulls out the cushion-cut ring surrounded by a halo of diamonds and set on three split shanks—also in diamonds.

  “With Charlie’s help, we had this designed. The three shanks on the side represent our union,” he explains slipping the engagement ring on her finger.

  “You’ve made me the happiest girl in the world. I love you so much, Brandon,” she says, bringing the ring up to eye level. When she does, the sheet drops to the floor revealing her naked body.

  All three of us explode in laughter.

  “We really have a knack for having the most unconventional proposals on the planet," I comment. "Leave it," I order when Brandon tries to pick up the sheet. "I want to make sure our little prince or princess hears what I’m about to say."

  That sets us off again.

  When I find my composure, I speak from my heart. "This wasn't part of our original proposal speech, but it is now," I announce with a huge grin. "Princess—”

  “It’s official. She just graduated. She’s our queen now,” Brandon remarks.

  “You’re right,” I smile. “In that case, my queen—”

  “Oh, my God, this proposal will go down in history,” she laughs.

  “Are you going to
let me do this?” I tease.

  “Sorry. You were saying,” she flashes me a cocky grin.

  “My queen, will you allow us to love you and love this heir growing inside you?" I walk on my knees and drop a string of soft kisses against her tummy.

  She rakes her fingers through my hair and tugs just enough to force my gaze up to hers. “My God, I love you," she gushes. “Both of you,” she adds shifting her attention to Brandon. I open the black box and lift it up. "Holy dazzler," she shouts.

  "When Brandon and I saw this piece, we knew it would look stunning around your neck. You’ll wear the ring as a symbol of our devotion, but we wanted to give you a reminder of how deeply we love you. Something that would rest against your heart," I explain.

  “That’s so beautiful—the words and the gift.” Her eyes bounce from mine to Brandon’s. "Thank you so much," she whispers.

  "You like it?" I ask.

  "Is that even a question?" We all laugh. "I love it. It's gorgeous and it comes from the two of you."

  “Let me help you with that,” Brandon suggests, getting up. He removes her jadeite necklace and hands it to me. He then takes the other necklace and places it around her slender neck. The effect is simply incredible.

  We bought Amelia a stunning necklace that looks like a string of diamonds that ends with two very large pear-shaped stones. Once she loops the ends together, the two stones rest between her breasts.

  "I really didn't think it was possible to be any happier than I already was. This past year has been the most wonderful time of my life and it's all because of you two.” Suddenly she frowns.

  “What?” I ask.

  "How is this going to work?" she says. "I can't legally marry both of you," she points out.

  I stand back up. “You're right. You can't. Before I answer that question, I want to let you know that Brandon and I met with your father a couple of months ago and asked him for your hand in marriage. I know it sounds a little old-fashioned, but since this isn't a conventional marriage, we wanted to make sure he'd support us and that he'd be willing to walk you down the aisle.”