Page 51 of Secret Baby for My Brother's Best Friends

"Okay, first of all, there's nothing wrong with you being that kind of girl. As long as you haven't made any promises to anyone, there's nothing wrong with you being sexually liberated and exploring your sexuality even if it's with different people."

"Yeah, I know that, logically, but this whole thing just feels out of character for me." I've was never the girl in college who went out and partied or had a good time. I mean, I wanted to be her. I wanted to be carefree and just go with the wind and enjoy myself, but I never could relax enough to partake.

I was always in my head, always wondering who might be watching and letting my paranoia dictate my freedom.

Maybe that's for a good reason, too, because apparently, when I do give myself too much freedom, stuff like this happens, andI'm a mess because of it. "It's more so the fact that I'm used to thinking through my actions, but whenever I'm around them, I can't think. Something takes over me, and before I know, I'm....you know...."

"All over them like a dog in heat?" A slow smile spreads across her lips.

I blush. "Yeah, pretty much. There’s just something about them that's magnetic. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so because they do this sort of thing with women all the time. I thought that one time would be enough to get them out of my system, but they're still firmly in there, and now we're going to be working together, so it's not like I can avoid them either." I sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"Okay, here's what you do. Do you like them? Which one do you like most?"

I don't think I can answer that. It's such a difficult question because they're all charming in their own way. Sam and his quiet and gentle spirit. Adam and his gentle dominance. Jake and his tendency to make me smile even when I'm frustrated.

"I think I like all of them."

"Greedy," she says, and I snort.

"It doesn't matter. It's not exactly like I can be with them, and I probably just need time to forget it happened."

"I mean, you had a month and change apart from them. Isn't that enough time?"

"Apparently not."

She sips her wine and brushes her chin on the rim in thought.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, don’t do that. Just say what you're going to say."

"What if it's not a matter of forgetting it happened?" she says, and she gives me a look that terrifies me. "What if you're falling in love?"

16

ADAM

Back and forth. Back and forth.

My feet wear a path in the rug, as I rip my hand through my hair, contemplating the results of our colossal fuck up.

"How long are you going to do that for? You're gonna make me dizzy."

I glare at Jake, who's still standing at the counter, balancing his beer bottle between his fingers.

I’ve been pacing for what feels like hours. My entire body is coiled with tension, trapped in an infernal fight or flight. My brain is clamoring, and nothing makes sense about what he’s saying. Except it does make sense. It fucking makes too much fucking sense, yet I stop and face him anyway, resenting him for being much calmer now that he’s gotten the secret off his chest.

“You’re lying.”

He shakes his head, taking another swig of his drink. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You’re fucking with me.”

“I wouldn’t go this far just to fuck with you. I wouldn’t be day drinking if I were fucking with you, and I wouldn’t have come up with a detailed, elaborate story involving someone else just to fuck with you. That would be messed up even for me.”

Somehow I already knew that, but hearing him confirm it doesn’t make it any better, doesn’t make my chest any less tight. I shake my head.