Worry moved behind her eyes. "There's no reason to think you'll lose me."
"What if I fuck it all up?"
Closing the gap between them, Bristowe traced his face. Smoothing the worry lines between his brows, she then moved to outlining his mouth with her fingertips. "I don't have all the answers, Flynn. All we can do is try."
He kissed her fingers. "Trying sounds like something I can do."
"That's all either of us can do. You never know, maybe I'll be the one to fuck it up."
"Yeah, what with your crazy hours and five brothers."
Bristowe rolled her eyes. "My hours can be crazy. You just haven't seen it yet."
She had a point. They'd only known each other for a little while. "All I can ask is that you tell me if I'm neglecting you. I'm not used to thinking of anyone other than the boys."
"That's part of what I love about you." With a sigh, she smoothed back his hair. "You care more about others than yourself."
"There wasn't really anyone to care for me growing up. I guess I just needed to change that for them."
"You may not realize it, but your foster parents still care about you."
"They deserve credit for what they've done; they do. And I know they work hard for the boys in that house."
"Is it not the same?"
He shook his head. "It's just not."
"With three of you gone, they're bound to get more."
"I'm sure they will. Fischer will be officially adopted soon, and Lock has moved out. They have room now."
"Will you consider them your brothers, too?"
He had to think about that for a second. "No. I won't have grown up in their presence, or comforted them through a nightmare, or any of the other myriad things that created a connection deeper than blood between me and those boys. But we'll undoubtedly have a bond, even if it's nothing more than knowing."
"Knowing?" she asked, frowning.
"The way it feels."
"Oh dear," she murmured.
"Only someone who's been through it can truly know. There's an underlying connection between us, even if we've never met."
"Makes sense." Bristowe burrowed her face into his neck. "Makes a terrible kind of sense."
