Two Brothers

by Wylder, Tia

  “Noooo,” Michael whined. “Emma, you have to tell me!”

  I flushed hotly. “I feel so weird talking about this,” I said. “Is it normal for friends to talk about sex?”

  I watched as Ana and Michael exchanged a look in the rearview mirror.

  “Yeah,” Ana said after a moment. “We just…never wanted to scandalize you.”

  “Yeah,” Michael echoed. “You and your fragile little virgin brain, we didn’t want to break you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks,” I muttered sarcastically. “I feel so much better now.”

  “Well, come on, dish,” Michael said. “Who was better? I bet it was Derek – he seems like the type who’d really take his time. Damien always seemed too selfish to care about whether the girl came, too.”

  “Oh my god,” I moaned, burying my face in my hands. “Michael! I can’t believe you!”

  “I bet I was right,” Michael said smugly. “Wasn’t I?”

  I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. “It was...different,” I said. “Damien was…more intense. Derek was sweeter.”

  Michael raised his eyebrow. “Oh yeah? So, Damien was hot and nasty? And Derek was the sweet one?”

  I flushed so hotly that I felt like my face was on fire.

  “Something like that,” I mumbled.

  “Here we are,” Ana chirped as she turned into the local clinic. “Want us to come inside with you?”

  I nodded. “I didn’t have time to make an appointment, I have no idea how long we’ll be waiting.”

  Ana nodded. “I see,” she said. “That’s fine. We’re not going anywhere – I don’t want you to think that I’d abandon you like that.”

  “Thank you,” I said quietly.

  Inside the clinic, the three of us waited nervously until I could be called into a room with a nurse. It felt like it took forever, but after an hour so, my name was finally called.

  “Emma Rogers?”

  I stood up too quickly, and the blood rushed to my brain. The smiling nurse led me into a room where she weighed me and took my blood pressure.

  “So, Emma, what seems to be the issue?”

  “I think I’m pregnant,” I said softly.

  “Date of your last period?”

  I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the calendar before giving her the date.

  “Hmm, Emma, looks like we’ll only be able to do a blood test. Is that all right with you?”

  After I had given my consent, the nurse took blood and then had me sit in a room while she ran the test. I fidgeted and twisted my hands, wondering what the hell I was going to do. When the nurse got back, she nodded at me.

  “Emma, yes, right now it looks like you’re about six weeks pregnant,” she said. “Now, depending on how you feel, we can talk about some options.”

  I took a deep breath. “I should…speak to the father,” I said. Or, fathers, I added mentally with a silent groan.

  She nodded. “That’s a good idea.” The nurse pulled some papers from her pocket and handed them over to me. “Here are some phone numbers of centers you can call, and a free counselor. None of these people are biased, they will only tell you about your available options.”

  “Thank you,” I said shyly.

  The nurse showed me out into the waiting room. Ana and Michael stood up and rushed over to me.

  “What happened?” Ana asked.

  I pressed my lips together and gave a brief shake of my head. “I am,” I said softly.

  Ana took my hand and squeezed it. “What do you want to do?”

  I bit my lip. “Can you…can you drive me over to Damien’s condo?”

  Ana narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah,” I said. “I…I have to talk to him.”

  Ana nodded. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  Twenty minutes later, I stood nervously and shaking at Damien’s door. When he answered, he leaned down and kissed me.

  “Hey,” Damien said. “I wasn’t expecting you – everything okay?”

  I took a deep breath. Just get it out, I thought. Like ripping off a band-aid.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Damien stared at me. “Are you kidding?”

  “No,” I said softly, shaking my head. “I just got back from the clinic. They did a blood test. I’m about six weeks.”

  Damien took my hand and pulled me into a hug. “God, Emma, are you doing okay? Do you want to sit down?”

  Why is he so calm? I wondered nervously. Why isn’t he freaking out and screaming at me and calling me a slut?

  “No,” I said. Tears filled my eyes, and I blinked, spilling hot salt water down my cheeks.

  “Don’t cry,” Damien said fiercely. He led me to the couch and had me sit down, then sat next to me. “What’s wrong?”

  “I…I don’t know if you still want me,” I said, my chin trembling. I could feel that I was blushing hotly and I suddenly hated myself. This was all my fault – if only I’d been careful!

  “Emma, of course, I still want you,” Damien growled. He pulled me close and kissed me. I melted against his frame.

  “But…what if it’s Derek’s?” I asked softly. “I…I have no way of knowing.”

  “Well, we used a condom the first time,” Damien said. He raised an eyebrow.

  “The only time I slept with Derek, we used a condom,” I said meekly.

  Damien shrugged. “Well, then it’s probably mine, and if it’s not, I don’t care. I love you, Emma. And I’m sorry I wasn’t able to say it until now.”

  My jaw dropped. “You…love me?”

  “Very much,” he nodded. “I know, it surprised me, too. But I love you, Emma.”

  I stared at him in shock.

  “And I want to stay together, as a family, and raise the baby with you,” Damien said firmly. “If that’s what you want.”

  I nodded weakly. “That’s…what I want more than anything else in the world,” I said. “I…can’t believe it, Damien! I can’t believe you’d do that for me!”

  Damien smirked. "Well, that’s how it’ll be,” he said. “I love you, and I can’t wait to raise this baby with you. But you have to do me one favor, okay?”

  I frowned. “What’s that?”

  “Come with me,” he stood up and grabbed his car keys. “I have a surprise for you.”

  I blinked. “We’re…we’re not going to Derek’s, are we?”

  “No,” he laughed. “Come on. The sooner the better. This is something I should have done days ago.”

  Summoning my courage, I followed Damien outside into the bright sunshine. We climbed into his sports car, and he drove into town. We didn’t talk much – I could barely think; my mind was racing. How were we going to tell Derek? And what about Mom and Jack? What would happen to Damien’s job – would Jack kick him out of Empire Mesa? What would we do for money?

  I shivered.

  “I’m frightened,” I cooed “I…this is all happening really fast.”

  Damien reached for my hand and squeezed my fingers reassuringly. “I promise, Emma, nothing bad will happen.”

  “What…what about Derek? And Mom? And Jack?”

  “Who knows,” he shrugged. “But we’ve got each other, and that’s what counts, right?” He grinned, and I flushed, licking my lower lip.

  “Okay, I’ll try not to worry.”

  When he parked in the lot of the biggest jewelry store in Rolling Hills, I gasped. My heart thumped wildly as Damien led me inside.

  “Pick any ring in the store and then marry me.”

  My jaw dropped. “Are you…are you serious?”

  Damien dropped to one knee, and everyone in the store burst into applause.

  “Emma Rogers, I love you, and I know I’ll love you until the day I die,” Damien said. “Please, make me the happiest man in the world and marry me.”

  Fresh tears came to my eyes. All I could do was nod as the tears streamed down my cheeks.

 
“Yes,” I whispered. “Yes!”

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Damien, you may kiss your bride.”

  Damien took hold of the delicate veil shielding my face and pushed it over my hair. He winked at me and put a hand on the small of my back, pulling me close and dipping me into a deep, dramatic kiss.

  “I love you,” Damien whispered. He kissed me again, gently, then brought me back up to my feet and put a hand on my growing belly. “And I love this little one,” Damien whispered in my ear. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

  I grinned happily before slipping my arm through Damien’s. Damien escorted me down the grass aisle as our family and guests applauded happily. I must admit – I’d never thought I’d be one of those people who gets married while pregnant – but I felt radiant and glowing, like everything was perfect.

  Mom and Jack met us at the end of the aisle.

  “This was amazing,” I looked all around. “Mom, you did a wonderful job with the planning!”

  Mom beamed. “Thank you, sweetie,” she said. “Pretty good for only five months’ notice!”

  I flushed. Damien and I had kept our engagement secret for a month…but I’d finally blurted it out to Mom one night when we had stayed up watching old movies. She hadn’t exactly been thrilled at first, but Damien had worked hard on winning her over during the past few months.

  “I’m just happy you’re happy, darling,” Mom said.

  “Congratulations, and welcome to the family,” he smiled. “Now we’ll all be Wilsons.”

  I laughed and flushed. Damien rolled his eyes. “Dad, Emma was always family ever since you married Nadine.”

  For once, Jack looked embarrassed. “You’re right,” he apologized. “That was rude of me, forgive me, Emma,” he said. “If you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to get some champagne.”

  As soon as Jack had walked off, I turned nervously to Damien. “Do you think he’s ever going to be okay with this?”

  “I don’t know,” Damien said. “Give him some time. Dad doesn’t like change.” He rolled his eyes. “You should see him at Empire. It’s like he can’t believe that his son is finally taking an interest in the family business.”

  I nodded. “I get that, it’s a big change,” I murmured.

  Damien smirked. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?”

  I flushed, “About ten times.”

  “Well, let’s make it twenty,” Damien said. He pulled me into a close embrace and kissed me passionately, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing his body against mine. I moaned softly and wrapped my arms around his neck as our kiss grew more intense.

  “I hate to ruin the moment, but I need to congratulate the bride.”

  At the sound of Derek’s familiar voice, I jumped apart from Damien.

  “Hi, Derek,” I said shyly. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Congratulations,” Derek nodded. “And I mean it.”

  “You look good, bro,” Damien said. “I mean that, too.”

  Damien wasn’t wrong – Derek did look good. After he’d found out about the engagement, Derek had quit Empire Mesa and moved out west to start his own consulting firm. He was tanned and more taut-looking than before. But most importantly, his eyes were friendly, and I knew that his thanks were genuine.

  “I hope you two are very happy together,” Derek said. “I’m going to say hi to Nadine and Dad.”

  Derek and Damien half-hugged, then Derek sauntered off to find our parents.

  “I hope it’s okay he came,” I said nervously. “I just…wanted to make sure things were okay between the two of you.”

  Damien smiled as he pulled me close. “I don’t know that we’ll ever be that close,” he said quietly. “But I have you, and that’s what counts. I love you, Emma.”

  I flushed with happiness. While I wasn’t sure what the future would bring, I knew that as long as I was with Damien, life would always be happy and perfect.

  "I love you, too,” I said softly.

  “Come on, Mrs. Wilson,” Damien winked. “Let’s go dance.”

  As my new husband and I walked to the dance floor, I couldn’t believe it.

  I’d finally found my perfect fairytale ending.

  The End

  The Billionaire’s Virgin Fiancée

  None of this is real.

  At least, that’s what I keep trying to convince myself.

  Jackson Wethers, billionaire playboy is just short of making my list. List of entitled pricks, that is. He’s crazy hot, gorgeous and he knows it, and I’m pretty sure it’s clear that I know it as well. I’m ready to hit the bricks when he corners me with a proposition.

  Not a proposition like that, mind you.

  Jackson Wethers needs a fake fiancée. Period.

  He needs me to act like I’m in love with him to get his rich parents off his back. Says something about being forced to marry some bratty heiress, I don’t catch all the details. I am fully prepared to tell him NO.

  Until he flashes the check. I’ve never seen so many zeroes in my life.

  It just so happens that such a check could help me out of a particularly hard situation. All the same, I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. The hard place being his abs, in a perfect world. Alright, Jackson, I’ll pretend to be in love with you.

  The only problem is, I’m beginning to wonder where the lie ends and the truth begins.

  Chapter One

  Jackson Wethers crossed his arms over his chest, staring balefully at his elderly parents. They had cornered him in his office, which seemed somewhat customary as of late. He knew what they wanted, it was the same thing they wanted every time they invaded his personal privacy and barged into his office during the week. He tried to keep his expression passive, but it was difficult when the older couple kept beating a dead horse. He had all the respect in the world for his parents; without them, he wouldn’t have this cushy job as CEO of Wethers Enterprises. However, the issue they continued to push was something he simply would not budge on.

  “I’m not marrying Lina Estevez,” cutting off his father mid-speech.

  “Why not?”

  The older man stepped forward. “You can’t just continue to fool around with any girl who catches your fleeting fancy. It’s bad for business, this company has a reputation to uphold.”

  Jackson rolled his eyes, reclining in his office chair and propping his feet up on his desk. His mother looked irritated, but he seemed to enjoy in the increasing aggravation that his elderly parents were feeling.

  “It has nothing to do with business. You just want to control my life, the same way you always have,” he bit out snidely.

  His father sighed in exasperation, tapping his foot repeatedly. “You’ve never taken this job seriously. Marrying Lina Estevez would be perfect for you. She could run the company alongside you, and you wouldn’t have to worry about her running off with our money. You know how women can be,” the older man paused, glancing apologetically at his wife. “Some women, dear, not all women,” he corrected, and the Wethers matriarch rolled her eyes contemptuously.

  “I run the company just fine, it’s not like we’re going bankrupt. We’re doing better than we’ve done in years, and it’s because I’ve been in charge. Don’t tell me you’re like those other parents who are insistent upon having grandchildren?” Jackson grumbled, groaning aloud when his parents exchanged a look. He parted his lips to argue his case further, but cut himself short as the door to his office swung open. He narrowed his eyes, only to feel relief upon seeing his personal assistant step into his office with her nose buried in some sort of files.

  “Mr. Wethers, I have an update on line twelve, if you…,” she paused, looking up and seeming to realize she had come in at an inopportune time. Jackson considered her with a wry smile, and she reddened in embarrassment.

  “Svenka, I’m afraid we’ll have to discuss this later,” Jackson murmured, feeling mildly take
n aback when she leveled a glare in his direction.

  “Svetlana, sir. It’s Svetlana. I apologize for the interruption, please ring for me when you have a moment to spare,” she grinned, nodding to the elder Wethers with a polite smile. As she turned and walked away, his eyes followed the sway of her hips, gleaming with desire. He smiled to himself, only for an idea to strike him with all the force of a freight train.