Page 54 of Whispered Promises

TWENTY-TWO

NOAH

Bry

Just heading back, will be around 15 minutes. Wanted to have a talk with you all about something. I know everyone is home tonight, but just wanted to make sure, as it’s important.

So here we all are, sitting on the sofas, waiting for Bry to start. But he hasn’t yet. He’s got his arms balanced across his knees with his head dropped forward. All he’s done is clear his throat, twist his hands, and build the anticipation.

“Shit, bro. You’re making me nervous. Spit out whatever you have to say before you give me an ulcer,” Max demands, knee bouncing quickly.

“We can help with whatever the shit is.” Nate nods, far more relaxed in his reclined position, arm stretched along the back of the sofa.

Clearing his throat again, Bry starts. “So I spent some time at the farm with Rosy earlier today…”

That has Nate leaning forward, his attention zeroed in.

“We had a nice time. I took her some leftovers for lunch, then we sat and ate them together. I told her a bit about Mum and Dad, and my birth mum.”

That news surprises me. It’s not something he usually talks about with anyone else. The pain of losing the family he’d wanted so badly is something he still struggles with. It’s been hard to witness him drowning in grief so easily. I don’t think it was easier for me to accept our parents passing. It still feels bittersweet thinking of them; there will never be a moment where I don’t miss them, that I don’t feel the urge to call them up and talk about my day and hear about theirs. So for him to open up and talk to Rosy about it, it’s shifted something.

“I—ah…I may have almost kissed her,” he stutters, grimacing as he glances between us.

“We kissed. She’s mine,” Nate growls, his shoulder drawing tight.

Digging deep into the years of teacher training and dealing with numerous teenagers, I take a moment to let the impatience wash through me.

“She’s free to make her own choices about who she does and doesn’t speak to, or who she does and doesn’t spend her time with. It might be worth talking to her if you’re finding it difficult; be open about it,” I say to Nate, using my teacher tone to help diffuse the situation.

I’m not mad about Bry’s confession. If he’s been comfortable enough to open up to her, then there are obviously feelings developing for him. It hasn’t gone unnoticed how much he’s enjoyed having her over here, and cooking and taking care of her.

“If licking something, or someone, means it’s now yours…I should probably mention that I’ve licked Rosy’s freckles,” Max quips. His mischief knows no bounds. How does he not see how on edge Nate is? I’m trying to guide everyone in the right direction, and the two of them are just rebounding in opposing ones.

Bry clears his throat. “That’s not how it works, and you know it. I may not be pushy or abrasive in declaring my intentions, but I’m also not going to step back unless Rosy asks me to. I like how she makes me feel, and I want to get to know her more and see where things go.”

Now that he’s got the confession out, he looks more sure, less on edge.

“Did you talk about exclusivity with each other?” I direct to Nate, somehow managing to sound firm yet coaxing. With the way his body is coiled tightly, caution is definitely warranted.

It’s not usual that I get nervous about something, but a trickle or unease unfurls in my gut as I wait for his answer. I have not brought any of my feelings up before, knowing that Nate has been active in his attraction and affection for Rosy.

“No. What if she doesn’t choose me?”

Relief at his confirmation hits me. But I’m surprised by his insecure, gruffly worded question. That’s really what’s at the heart of his possessive claim on her. If he clings on hard enough, she won't be able to leave him for someone else. His head drops low between his shoulders, which curl forward, making the bulky man look somehow…small.

“What if she does?” I state, projecting a confidence in my tone that I’m reluctant to fully embrace or feel yet. “Or what if she doesn’t have to choose?”

Three heads spin to face me, fixing their attention on me. All with varying shocked expressions.

I shrug, feigning an ease I don’t yet feel. “We already work well together as a family. Rosy’s obviously struggling without one. It might be unconventional, but we don’t have to make her choose if more than one of us has feelings and she reciprocates…”

The silence is deafening.

Max is shaking his head, looking completely blindsided by my suggestion. Surely he could see where this was going? It just fits for us.

“We?” Bry’s surprised tone has me stopping short. Do they not see my interest in her like I see theirs?

“Yes, we…why is that such a shock? Surely you remember my friend Felix and his life choices? It could work for us too.”