my mom.”
“Please, call me, Lillian, dear,” my mother said, offering Emmy her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lillian.”
Mom continued giving me a sideways glance, and I knew what that look meant. In all the years I’d been alive, I had never brought a woman home to meet my mama.
“It’s nice to meet you, darlin’. Goodness, you’re soaking wet, you must be so cold. Graham, be a saint and grab this girl something dry and warm to wear, will ya?”
“Of course,” I said, heading for the stairs. I shot a look at Emmy, making sure she was okay being alone with my mother. My mama was a typical Southern woman with kindness and grace, but she could be a bit overwhelming sometimes.
Emmy was smiling widely and looked content, so I ran up to my room. I dug around for whatever I could find. Anything of mine would be way too big for her, but I settled on a sweatshirt that would probably swallow her alive. I had to admit, she would look cute as hell in it, though.
When I came back downstairs, sweatshirt in tow, Emmy was surrounded by my brothers as well.
“I see you’ve met the whole crew,” I laughed.
“Your mama was just starting the introductions,” Emmy said.
“Well let me take it from here,” I intervened. “This here is my twin brother, Samuel. Don’t let him lie to you, I’m actually the older one.”
“By two minutes,” Samuel said with a grin. “And we’re not identical, obviously. I’m the better looking one.”
“I can certainly see the resemblance,” Emmy laughed.
Samuel and I were a lot alike. We were both big men with broad shoulders, dark hair, and a beard. But that pretty much summed up all my brothers. Samuel was about an inch shorter than me, if that. His hair was cut short to his head, even shorter than mine. Except for his nose being a little crooked from a high school fight and a tiny birthmark above his lip, we looked almost exactly alike.
“And this is Doc.”
“You can call me Mason,” my brother said with a smile.
“Why do they call you Doc?” Emmy asked curiously.
“Because he’s a doctor. Or rather, an ex-medic with the military,” I explained.
Mason was slightly shorter than Samuel and me, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in his build. He was built like a linebacker. His hair was grown out but styled neatly and a shade darker than Sam and me, closer to black.
“And finally, meet Eli,” I said, gesturing to the last man in the room. “The youngest Harvey brother.”
“Previously the youngest,” Eli added, shaking Emmy’s hand. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you, darlin’.”
“Previously?” Emmy asked, casting him a questioning look.
“Yeah, it’s a long story, but we recently found out we have another younger brother we didn’t previously know about. He lives here. That’s why we’re here,” Eli explained.
Eli was the wildest of the Harvey clan. A partier and a playboy who swore he’d never settle down. I saw the way he looked at Emmy, and without intending to, I let out a low growl. Both Eli and Emmy looked at me. I stared at my brother, my meaning clear: Stay away from her. She’s mine.
Eli chuckled. “Alright, got it. I’ll back off.”
Emmy’s cheeks flushed and she hugged her arms against her chest, and I remembered the sweatshirt. I lifted it towards her.
“Oh yeah, here you go. Slip into this to warm up,” I said, speaking softly to her.
“Thank you,” she said. “Can you point me in the direction of a bathroom?”
“Right this way,” I said, placing my hand on the small of her back as I led her to the hall bathroom. I glanced over at my shoulder and caught Eli watching her ass as she walked. I shot him a murderous look. He smirked at me but turned away.
Emilia
The dining room table was a bit cramped as we all gathered around for dinner. They’d pulled an extra seat for me next to Graham. I was on the end across from their mother, who started passing around a bowl of mashed potatoes as soon as I took my seat. Everyone was talking, and the room was a bit loud - but it was a happy sound. I enjoyed the laughter and the chatter of a full home, and it brought a smile to my face.
“So you all live here, right?” I asked Graham.
“My brothers and I do, but Ma is just visiting,” he said. A grin spread across his face.