Weekend Surrender (14 page)

Rachel flinched like Zoey had just smacked her in the face
.  “Excuse me?”

“
Rachel Lia Morgan.  You are an intelligent woman, and you have found not one, but
four
amazing men who want to love you and care for you, why are you ruining it for yourself?”

“
They could break my heart…”

“
And the pope could wear a pink tutu for the Easter service, and Brad Pitt could suddenly shave his head and move to Tibet to become a monk, but none of those scenarios are logical or likely, so again I ask, what is your fucking problem? You’re talking yourself out of the best thing you’ve ever had in front of you, because you’re afraid of your father.”

“
He left me, Zoey.  If he can walk away from his wife and child to create a whole new family, then why wouldn’t these four guys do the same? I barely survived daddy leaving, and every guy I’ve dated has hurt me by walking away from me—”

“
Pfft.  Have you ever considered that maybe you pushed them away?”

That stopped Rachel in her tracks and she fell silent.

“Rachel, you have been running from commitment ever since we were kids.  Just once, trust your gut and give these guys a chance! I’m not saying you have to marry them, I’m just saying, be honest with them and give them a chance to decide what they want.”

Zoey was so right that it irked Rachel, and she refused to respond
.  Childish, and immature, but damn it she didn’t like being wrong.  Just because she was pregnant, didn’t mean she had to make a long-term decision about her relationship with the guys, and it was still possible they would choose to walk away, right?

Ending her phone call with Zoey, she stiffened her spine and called Rogan
. 

****

Rogan was dying inside.  He and his brothers had walked around like zombies for almost two months hoping Rachel would change her mind, but she hadn’t.  In fact, she had avoided them all at every turn.  Phone calls went straight to voicemail, when they showed up at her office she had her secretary blow them off and hurry them out the door telling them she was at some forgotten ‘meeting'.

It was painfully obvious she was just as broken up as they were
.  She had lost weight, and her eyes had a shadowed, haunted look he had never seen before.  When she had spotted him watching her at the diner, she had turned away, and quickly asked for her meal to be boxed up.  He hated knowing she was afraid of them in any way.  It made him feel like shit. 

Hudson hadn
’t told them about the gifts he was sending her until last week.  That was when he had the idea to give her the charm bracelet.  He thought if they sent something with more meaning behind it, it just might be enough to crack the icy shell she had built around herself. Rogan never expected it to work when he selected the tiny cowboy hat charm, but right now, he sent up a prayer of thanks for Hudson’s brilliance.

Until today
, he had nearly given up hope they would be able to get back on the right path with her, but today, Rachel had left a message on their home answering machine.  She sounded upset, but her voice still managed to make Rogan’s cock hard in his jeans.  He hadn’t even waited to tell his brothers she had called.  He had just picked up the phone and called her back immediately. 

She was short with him, but she asked him if she could come to talk to the four of them
tonight.  It was perfect.  They would be able to get her to sit still long enough to hash this whole relationship out, and this time chivalry be damned, he was keeping her until she listened.

Rushing out to the barn to tell Parker the news, he sent Sawyer and Hudson a 911
-text message.  Parker was knee deep in manure when Rogan found him, but he seemed to sense the urgency and dropped his shovel instantly.

“
What is it? What’s wrong?”

“
It’s Rachel, she called and wants to come over tonight to talk.  To talk to all of us.”

A myriad of emotions crossed Parker
’s face, and Rogan waited patiently for his reaction.  His eyes finally hardened into deep brown pools of pain.  “Great, so she’s coming to get our hopes up and kick us in the nuts again.  Fabulous.”

“
You don’t know that, Parker.  Maybe she has been pining away for us too, or maybe she found out she’s dying and she needs one of us to donate a freaking kidney.  For God’s sake, don’t fuck this up because you’ve got your panties in a wad.”

Parker
’s temper flared at the insult.  “Fuck you, Rogan.  She.  Left.  Us.  Not the other way around.  We gave her everything, laid it all out on the table, and she still left.  She knew how we felt about her and she still fucking ran.”

Rogan silently glared at his brother, absorbing his words and his pain like a sponge
.  He hadn’t realized how hurt Parker had been by Rachel’s leaving until this moment.  Parker had remained stoic for the most part, acting as though the whole thing had been intended to be temporary.  Now, his armor was finally cracking, and Rogan was shocked to find a bleeding heart underneath.

“
Parker, did you ever once tell her you loved her?”

Nostrils flaring
, Parker nearly growled his answer out, “No.  I showed her.”

“
Well I didn’t either, and sometimes words are necessary.  Maybe this time instead of fucking her into oblivion, we try being honest and admit we’re head over heels in love with her.”

“
Fine, you tell her whatever the fuck you want, but I’m not sure I’ll have much to say.”

Rogan snorted at Parker,
“Yeah, right.  Mr.  Dominant always has something to say.  Think of it this way, Parker, if she’s coming back to ask for our forgiveness, maybe you’ll get a chance to spank her ass for leaving in the first place.”

Parker
’s lips lifted in an evil grin, and Rogan laughed out loud as he left the barn and Parker to his wicked thoughts. 

Rachel
’s heart was racing as she climbed out of her truck, and stood staring up at the Brooks brother’s home trying to get her courage together and walk in.  They would all four be there, waiting for her as she had requested because that’s just how they were.  She could feel the cold metal of the bracelet on her wrist, and she played with the tiny charms nervously.

The excitement in Rogan
’s voice when he answered the phone and agreed to the meeting still left a burning feeling in her heart.  Would he be just as enthusiastic when he found out what brought her here?

She wasn
’t going to lie to herself.  There was just as much excitement under her skin at the chance to see the four men as there was anxiety about facing them again.  As she started toward the front porch, the screen door creaked open, and she looked up to find Sawyer and Rogan standing in the entryway with mile wide grins on their handsome faces. 

Dark eyes followed her path as she took the steps carefully, hoping and praying the trembling in her knees wasn
’t obvious.  Her body flamed to life when Sawyer pushed past Rogan and met her in the middle, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair with a laugh. 

“
Good God, woman, I thought you would never come to your senses,” he said into her ear and Rachel felt tears burning her eyes. 

He held her like a precious childhood toy that gave
him comfort and security, clutching her to his chest tightly, but stroking his hands up and down her back at the same time.  She couldn’t resist turning her face and pressing her nose against his throat to get a whiff of his strong masculine scent.  She had missed him.  Letting all of the love she had hidden away before flood through her now, she hugged him back without a word.

When he finally lifted his head and noted her watery expression
, his coffee colored eyes filled with concerned.  “Oh shit, did I hurt you, baby? I was just so glad to see you…I mean to see you here…with us…at our house…fuck!”

She patted his chest with one hand while using the other to brush a stray tear from her cheek
.  “I’m okay, cowboy.  It’s just nice to know I was missed.”

He gave her his best cheeky grin and stepped back to give her some room to greet his brothers
.  Rogan was next to wrap her in his arms, hugging her almost as tightly as Sawyer had, and brushing a sweet kiss over her forehead. 

“
I missed you too, love.” he whispered, and she gave him her brightest smile, trying not to let her worry and fear show.  Very shortly he would probably be rethinking that statement.

Rogan held the door to allow her through it, and she stepped inside and into Hudson
’s waiting embrace.  His was less comforting than Rogan and Sawyer’s had been, and she could see the hurt and confusion that lined his face. Hudson wasn’t quite as optimistic about her sudden appearance it would seem. 

Rachel
’s stomach flip-flopped.  Rogan at least still had positive feelings toward her, but it was possible this baby was Hudson’s and not Rogan’s.  If that was the case, would the tension always remain between them?

Sensing her hesitation, Hudson gave her a half smile that she assumed was supposed to alleviate her fears, but actually just sent a shaft of pain through her heart
.  “Welcome back, Rachel.”

It killed her that she had been the one to steal Hudson
’s smile.  The sweet romantic man, who had trusted her, now looked down at her like she was a predator on a mission to rip his throat out.  It would be a terrible loss for the world if he never regained his happy jovial self. 

“
Thank you for the gifts,” she murmured, and his eyes dropped to her wrist.  She had hoped to see a spark of something there, but he just nodded and kept is face eerily blank.

A shiver of nerves skittered down her spine, and she wrapped her arms around her body
.  When she turned away from Hudson she realized that Parker wasn’t there waiting in line to greet her.  In fact, he wasn’t in the living room at all.  Tossing a curious look at Rogan, she was even more stymied when he just reached for her hand to draw her into the kitchen. 

Parker was there seated at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands and a blank look on his face
.  His eyes surveyed her from top to bottom, taking her in, and she knew he noted the physical changes to her body from her weight loss as well as the dark circles under her eyes.  A glint of irritation sparked in the brown depths of his gaze, and she struggled to maintain eye contact as she moved into the room. 

“
Parker,” she said, wanting desperately to say more, but not really knowing what to say.

He gave her a nod,
“Rachel.  You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”

She let out a sharp laugh and shook her head
.  “I’m taking care of myself just fine, thank you for your concern.”

Turning she met the eyes of each of the other three before she spoke,
“Look, something has…well…umm…can we just take a seat so we can talk?”

Rogan nodded, but a wary look crossed his eyes
.  “Sure, Rach,”

Once everyone was seated, she stared down at her hands clasped together on the table, unsure of how to start
.  Sawyer came to her rescue, reaching out from next to her, and placing his hand over the top of hers.  It brought back memories of the first time he had made love to her on this very table and she felt her pussy clench with desire.  Would there ever be a time these guys didn’t turn her on just by their proximity?

Taking a deep breath, she looked up and met Rogan
’s eyes, and then shifted her gaze to Hudson’s.  They were the two who would ultimately be affected the most by this news. 

“
I owe you all an apology and an explanation,” she said, and she was reassured when Hudson gave her a small smile of encouragement.  Clearly she had chosen the right route.  “I ran scared two months ago.  You four got under my skin, and I didn’t know how to handle it.  Unfortunately, I handled it very badly.”

“
We forgive you, baby, just so long as the next time you have a meltdown you promise to come and talk to us instead of running away,” Sawyer said, drawing her hand to his lips.  She bit her lip at his enthusiastic response.

“
I appreciate that, Sawyer, but I’m not finished yet.  When you guys ran into me at the bar that night I was looking for a one night stand with a stranger, not a weekend tryst with four friends and neighbors that I had fantasized about since I was in high-school.”

“
Since high-school, really? Dayum, Rach, you should have said something sooner!” Rogan teased with a wink. 

“
Please don’t joke yet, Rogan.  You see, you guys invited me back here and I should have said no based on our friendship alone, but I couldn’t.  My own wounded pride over Mitch and Connie, and lust, clouded my judgment.”

Parker shifted in his seat, and Rachel could tell he was agitated
.  He was barely keeping his temper in check.  She better hurry this up.

“
Once I was here, you guys made me feel like I was someone special and I loved every moment.  I purposely kept my distance emotionally because I knew it would hurt to leave, and believe me, it did.  I should have stuck around and explained things to you guys, but I wasn’t even being honest with myself yet.  When my father left my mother for another woman, it cut a really big scar into my heart, and I’ve let that affect my decisions since I was eight years old.  I pushed you away because I just knew there was no way I was woman enough for all four of you, and once you four realized it, you were bound to leave me.”

“
What the hell, Rachel? Not once did any one of us give you any reason to think we would hurt you.  We did our best to show you how much we wanted you, and how much we were already in love with you,” Parker said in a low hard voice, making Rachel’s heart ache and her stomach twist even more. 

“
I know that now, but at the time I didn’t see it.”

“
So why are you here all of a sudden with a different outlook? You haven’t even bothered to accept a phone call or wave hello since you ran out of here that day, what changed?” His dark gaze penetrated her skin and went straight to her soul.  She could feel him picking through her brain and it was making her fidgety. 

Parker
’s words had ensnared all three of his brothers, and the foursome was now looking at her silently, expecting an answer.

“
I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

In that instant
, the world shifted.  She watched Parker’s jaw clench and his eyes go blank, Hudson’s face drained of blood while Rogan’s lit up with an ear to ear smile, and Sawyer crowed with pleasure.  “Are you serious, Rachel? Oh my God, that’s amazing!”

“
I’m going to be a father? That’s the best news, I mean, Sweet Jesus! I don’t know how to be a dad—” She had to look away from Rogan and Sawyer’s obvious excitement, because she realized Hudson hadn’t told his brothers they had had unprotected sex.  Rogan had, but Hudson had kept it quiet. 

Hudson cleared his throat, and leaned back in his chair
.  “Ro, I think you better slow down.”

“
Why? Bro, I’m going to be a dad!” Rogan said, standing and hurrying around the table to pull Rachel up into his arms.  He wrapped her tightly against his chest, and cupped her cheek, “I know you’re probably scared, but this is fantastic news, Rach.  I’m so…I just…thank you, love, for this precious gift.”

“
Rogan, stop,” she said, pushing at his chest.  He let go reluctantly, his body tightening with concern at her tone.  “Rogan, you weren’t the only one I had an accident with.”

“
The baby could be mine, Rogan,” Hudson said quietly from the other side of the table.  His elbows were braced on it, and his fingers were buried in his curly black hair so he wasn’t even looking at her.  Not a good sign.

Rogan looked from her to Hudson a
nd back.  His eyes were confused and wary.  “Okay, so what’s the big deal?”

She felt her mouth fall open in shock
.  Hell, her chin probably had a bruise from landing on the floor so hard.  “Rogan, this baby might be your brother’s baby.  I won’t know who the father is until after it’s born.”

Rogan
’s face relaxed into a smile, and his hands came up to cup her cheeks again, holding her head still so she had to look into his eyes.  “Rachel, it doesn’t matter.  I don’t care which one of the four of us fathered the baby, as long as you are its mother.  Why don’t you understand that?”

To say she was stunned was an understatement
.  Flabbergasted, emotionally bereft, lost in a sea of confusion and shock, but not just stunned.  She stared at the oldest of the four Brooks brothers, taking in the laugh lines around his smile, and the short ends of his dark brown hair that curled over his ears waiting for a trim.  His large hands held her face firmly, but his touch was gentle, as though he held a butterfly between his fingers.

She couldn
’t grasp it in her brain.  He really truly didn’t care whose child she carried, because he knew it belonged to his bloodline.  What a remarkable man he was turning out to be.  She gave him a smile, and accepted the sweet kiss he brushed over her lips, before turning back to face the fire with Hudson and Parker who still sat stoically at the head of the table.  He was as still and silent as a meditating monk, but the tick of a muscle in his jaw gave him away.  Emotions were clearly not as calm on the interior as they seemed to be on the exterior. 

Hudson looked torn between joy and sheer terror, but since she could re
late to both of those emotions she waited a few moments for him to process before she addressed him. 

“
Hudson, how do you feel?”

He started to shake his head, and then abruptly stopped and stood
.  Moving slowly around the table, he stopped in front of where she stood with her back pressed to Rogan’s chest.  “Rachel, I’ve known for nearly four years that my body wanted you, but until you were here under our roof, and in my bed, I didn’t know how much my soul wanted you.  Any child that is part of you is welcome and wanted in my life, whether the baby is half mine or half Rogan’s by blood.”

Rachel nearly wept as Hudson opened his arms to her
.  The two men she had been most frightened of their reactions, were happy and content to take on the responsibility of a child.  That left Parker who seemed to have shut down on them.  Forcing herself just to enjoy the bliss of the moment, she began answering the questions Hudson, Rogan, and Sawyer started peppering her with.

“
When is the due date?”

“
Next winter.”

“
Have you called the doctor? Is the baby healthy?”

“
Yes and yes, as far as they can tell from blood work.”

“
When will you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“
Not for a while I guess.  I don’t know, I’m new to this too.  Look, I have my first real OB appointment in a couple of weeks, and you’re both welcome to go with me, but there are a few more things to work out.”