As somebody without even a prospect of a happy ever after, I knew exactly how that felt. Only I wasn’t going to be left behind, damn it. I had plans of my own. Plans that nobody else needed to know about.
I quickly took my seat between Benjamin and Lee as the two of them stuck their elbows on the tables, taking over my space. I rolled my eyes and elbowed them both in the guts, and they looked down at me.
“What?” They said at the same time.
“You both are hulking big men. I get it. You’re all growling and all filled with testosterone. Stop taking over my space. This is mine. I’ve made a little rectangle around my part of the table with my fingertips. All mine, mine, mine, mine.”
“So, tell us about how you feel about sharing,” Clay joked as he looked pointedly over at the three kids staring at me.
“I share quite nicely,” I replied, raising my chin to Mariah. “However, as a young girl, you should realize that when boys are so big, they don’t realize how much space they take. You need to define your boundaries. Be careful about what is yours.”
“Damn straight,” Annabelle said, before she put her hand over her mouth. “I mean darn straight. Oh my God, I’m going to have to stop cursing when the baby comes.”
Jacob chuckled into his beer.
“Maybe one step at a time. The baby’s going to be a Montgomery. It’s already going to be cursing out of the womb and pretty much covered in tattoos and piercings.” Archer grinned as he looked over his shoulder, waiting for Marc to come back to the table.
“The baby will be a Queen,” Jacob said quietly, and everyone else let out an ooh at the same time.
I laughed and took a sip of my water. “It seems the gauntlet has been thrown.”
“No gauntlet, but the baby’s a Queen. Sorry.”
Annabelle smiled. “Aw, Jacob, don’t worry. The Montgomerys breed true. We’re still going to be there. Watching. Waiting. Montgomerys forever,” she whispered, while the rest of the Montgomerys repeated it back.
I looked at Lee, who winked at me, while Colton just shook his head, looking as bewildered as usual.
“Sorry, I need to head out,” Marc said as he leaned down and kissed Archer softly. “I know you just sat down for dinner, but do you want to come with me?”
There was a pleading look in his gaze, but Archer just shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll get a ride home.”
“I’ve got you,” Lee said. Lee looked up at Marc, who nodded. “Seriously, Marc, he’s safe with me.”
There was a tiny tick in Marc’s jaw, but he shrugged, kissed Archer again, said he was sorry for leaving, and left. I figured that Marc was just awkward, but maybe it was because I was usually the awkward one. Everybody dug into their food, and I looked around, wondering again how I’d become a Montgomery.
I wasn’t sure why I was here anymore. Things had changed between Beckett and me, but not because he had fallen in love with Eliza. But because I had something to tell him that I had never been able to. I had tried, and he’d pushed me away because he was hiding his own secrets.
I wasn’t sure how to come back from that. Things were awkward, and I hated that.
It didn’t help that I would be leaving soon, just for a little bit, but my family needed me. Or at least that’s what they told me.
“So, when do you head out?” Beckett asked from the other end of the table, and I looked up at him. It was odd, as I used to sit next to him, but Mrs. Montgomery had sat me over here. Was it because she thought I felt like I had lost my best friend? Because that wasn’t the case. Everybody kept putting this label on me, the unrequited, sad virgin, even though I was none of those things. Nobody listened.
“I leave in two days,” I answered.
“And you’re driving?” Beckett said. “I still can’t believe you don’t like planes.”
“I don’t mind planes, but I want to make it a road trip. Lots of space to think.”
Everybody met each other’s gazes, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing.
Benjamin nudged me, cutting into the awkward silence. “Sounds like fun. I haven’t done a road trip in forever.”
“They are fun. Plus, you’re in control of your car. You can’t just get out and stop and take in the scenery while you were in an airplane.”
“No, I think if you have to pull over on the side of the air road, it might be a little dangerous,” Benjamin said, and Lee groaned from the other side of me.
“Air road?”
“Hey, like I said, not good with the words,” Benjamin said.
“No, I’m the one who said I’m not good with the words,” I said with a laugh. “Reunion’s going to be fun.” I looked up at Mrs. Montgomery again. “It’ll be good to see everybody again.”
“And all of your sisters and brothers will be there?” she asked, and I nodded again, taking a bite of my chicken. “Yes, all of them will be there, with their spouses and the babies. And four of the women are pregnant.”
Mrs. Montgomery’s eyes widened. “Oh wow.”
“Yes, it’s going to rival a Montgomery barbecue, and that’s just our side of the family.”
“I always forget you have such a huge family,” Annabelle put in with a smile on her face.
“Very, very much so. I think that’s why I fit in here so well, right?” I asked with a wink, and everyone smiled at me, but it felt forced.
Or maybe I just saw things.
Thankfully, the conversation shifted to something else, and we finished our meals before I decided I needed to head out. After all, I had packing to do, and I just needed to get home.
Everybody was kind as I walked to my car, Benjamin walking with me.
“You doing okay?” he asked.
I sighed. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“I’ll help you stem the tide of the whole awkwardness thing if you want.”
I looked up at him then and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I can see it now. The way that people are acting around you. I don’t like it. So I’ll help you.”
“I don’t need your help, Benjamin.” I wondered why it irked me that he wanted to.
“I want to help you because I like you, Brenna. We’re friends. Right?”
“We are.”
“Then I’m going to make sure that the family stops acting so weird. I mean, we’re weird daily, but I don’t like the way it was just now.”
Neither had I, and the fact that he’d seen it too meant it wasn’t only in my head. “Thanks, but I can figure it out on my own.”
“You can, you will, but you don’t have to.” He kissed the top of my head, headed to his car, and I got into mine. My phone buzzed at that moment, and I looked at the readout, my heart clenching.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Brenna. I just wanted to let you know that the tests are ready, and the next set of treatments will be when you get back.”
“Okay,” I said. “Dr. Geller, does this mean I’m going to have to pick a donor now?” I asked with a cringe.
“Yes, a donor will be good. The fertility treatments are going well. You’re doing what you should. You’re taking care of yourself. Soon we’ll be at the stage for implantation.”