Matthew frowned. “Have you thought through the whole ready-made family thing? It’s a big deal having to consider a child whenever you want to do something.”
“I don’t have to think about it. Mary lives with Becky. They’re a package deal.” Sean’s heart sank. With what was happening with Edith, that could change over the next few months.
“Are you ready for parenthood?”
“As ready as Nathan was when he married Amy.”
“That’s different. Catherine was a baby when Amy came home.”
Sean opened the driver’s door. “The only difference is that Catherine was too young to remember what her life was like before she lived with Amy. Mary is still dealing with a lot of grief after her parents died.”
Matthew rubbed his forehead. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to get hurt or taken for a ride.”
As much as Sean loved his brother, he was starting to annoy him. “I know what I’m getting into and, even if I didn’t, it’s my life.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Matthew read the text that came through on his phone. “Nathan’s picked up Liam from the airport and they’re waiting for us at the suit rental company. Are you ready to go?”
Sean started the truck. “I can’t believe we’ve been in town this long. We’d better leave before we miss our appointment.”
Matthew grinned. “That’s what you get for wanting the perfect gift.”
No. That’s what he got for wanting to make Becky happy. And knowing how upset she was about Mary’s guardianship made him even more determined to show her how much he cared.
Chapter13
Matthew opened the changing room curtain and grinned at his brothers. “If I say so myself, Ashley will be bowled over by how I look.”
Sean groaned. “It’s a shame you’re not more self-confident.”
Nathan adjusted the lapel of Matthew’s jacket. “Hold still, Romeo. This jacket needs to be bigger. You’ve put on weight since I got married.”
“It’s not fat, it’s muscle,” their brother said, undeterred by everyone’s laser-point stare at his bulging biceps. “I’ve been working out.”
“Yeah, at the restaurants around town,” Sean said as he straightened his own jacket. Standing sideways, he studied his profile in the full-length mirror. “I think my trousers are too big. What does everyone else think?”
Liam, their oldest brother, squinted at the seat of Sean’s trousers. “Are they the same size as the ones you wore for Nathan’s wedding?”
“Yep.”
“Go down a size.”
Matthew lifted the back of Sean’s jacket. “You need to tone those glutes. Otherwise, by the time you’re seventy, you’ll be all legs and no shape.”
“By the time I’m seventy, I won’t care.”
Liam high-fived Sean. “I couldn’t agree more.”
When all four brothers stood in front of the mirror with their gold vests peeping above the lapels of their jackets, Matthew grinned. “There’s no doubt about it. We’re hot.”
Sometimes, Sean wondered if they were really twins. “Is everyone happy with their suits?”
Nathan stood taller. “I’m happy I still fit the same-sized suit. I’ve put on at least ten pounds since I got married.”
Liam frowned. “That’s one reason not to get hitched. What about you, Sean? Will we be confirmed bachelors or is your lady-love pushing you toward the slippery slope of matrimony?”
“I’ve only been dating Becky for a few weeks. How do you know about her?”
“Matthew’s worse than Doris Stanley for gossip. I might be living in Vancouver, but he keeps me up to date with what everyone’s doing.”
