My Best Friend's Brother (10 page)

I watched her walk away, even though she had a smile on her face, I could tell by her eyes she wasn't really happy.

I would have to ask Matt and Nate tomorrow when I see them if anything happened today which upset her.

God protect them if I find out they have been playing jokes on her again.

They may be my friends now, but no one hurts my family, even my best friends.

Hope

I sat down at the dinner table with Ricky, Kira and her husband Robbie eating the perfect food Kira had made with the help of her husband.

"So Hope, me and Robbie wanted to asked you and Ricky something?" Kira said while we were eating.

"Yes?" Ricky said with a mouth full of food.

"We were thinking and wanted you both to be god parents to our little one when it's born" she asked hopefully.

I grin and ask. "Are you serious?" She nods.

"Yes, we want someone in the family and think you two would be perfect." Rob adds.

"I would love to." Ricky grins back.

"Me too." I say jumping up and running over to Kira.

I hug her and rest my head on her rounded belly.

"Hello in there." I say tapping her bump, making her and Rob laugh.

After we finished dinner I went back upstairs to collect my phone, remembering I promised to call Heather when I got home.

I sat on my bed and unlocked my phone, noticing I had several text messages.

Looking through them they were all but one from Heather.

All of them said something along the lines of
'Are you home?', 'Are you ok?', 'Did you have an accident?', 'Why haven't you called me yet?', 'Call me you making me worried'
and a lot along the lines of that.

The last text was from an unknown number.

I furrowed my eyebrows together trying to think who it could be before opening it.

'Remember you are mine!'
What the hell? Who would send me something like that?

The only person I could think of was Dean, but he wasn't that type of person, was he?

I decide to finally call Heather and asked her what she thought.

I dialed the number and she picked up after only one ring, which made me laugh.

"God woman where have you been?" She quickly asked.

"Worried were you?" I tease.

"Sorry, I was in the shower and having dinner and stuff and forgot about you." I tell her honestly.

"I should hit you. You have no idea how worried I was. I was getting really to come out and search for you." She almost growled.

"I'm sorry. Hev, forgive me?" I say sweetly.

She sighs. "OK. So what you been up to?"

"Kira asked me and Ricky to be the baby’s godparents." I say, grinning.

"Really? Wow that's great!"

"Yeah I can't wait." I said honestly.

I thought about weather to ask her about the text.

"Hev" I said having second thoughts,

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering if you have given my number to anyone?" I ask.

"No why?"

"It's OK. I just got a strange message from an unknown number"

"What did it say?" She asked sounding slightly worried.

"I'll show you tomorrow. Probably someone just messing with me" I said, trying not to sound to creeped out.

"Are you sure?”

"Yep, anyway what you wanna do tomorrow?" I ask.

"Not sure yet, I'll come around to yours tomorrow and then we'll decide"

"OK sounds like a good plan" I agree.

"Oh yeah, did you know Ricky and the twins went to the same college?" She asks me, changing the subject.

"No, really?"

"Yeah, that's why he asked to speak to Nate earlier. Apparently they are all best buddies now." She explains.

We finished the chat after a few more minutes and we say our goodbyes, before hanging up.

I got up from my bed and decide to confront my brother.

I stood outside his door and knocked.

"Come in." He called out.

I stepped inside and Ricky was lying on his bed looking at his laptop.

When he saw me he sat up and smiled.

"Hiya Hop. (his name for me) What can I do for you?" He asked.

I walked over to him and sat down next to him. "Why didn't you tell me you go to the same college as the twins and also that your now ‘Best buddies’?" I ask sounding annoyed.

He sighs and looks to me apologetically. "I'm sorry, it's just I know how much you hate them. I was going to tell you." He trails off "I'm sorry, are we still friends?" He looks genuinely sorry.

I shake head but smile. "You’re stupid. I'm not mad, I'm just annoyed I had to hear it from someone else and not you." I confess.

"Really? I'm sorry, I thought you would be more angry." He said, pulling me into a hug.

"So you ready to tell me why you were crying yet?" He says while pulling away.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Mothering and Dirty Dancing

Hope

"I wasn't crying
." I say looking down.

Ricky looks at me with a knowing look.

"Come on Hop, I know by now when my little sis has been crying" he states looking at me with sorrow.

I just sit there and say nothing.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? I would never judge you."

I look back up and him with a smile.

I can't help but get teary eyed.

"Thank you Ricky." I say surprised by how sweet he could be.

"After all what are big brothers for?" he adds.

"When did you become so sweet?" I ask as a tear falls from my eye.

He gives me a sad smile and wraps his arm around my shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone that, I don't want to lose my bad boy image."

I laugh through my tears.

He is maybe a bit of a player, but I've never really thought of him as a bad boy.

"Bad boy?" I scoff, raising my eyebrow.

He pretends not to hear me and continues to hold me, rocking from side to side.

"I'm not a baby." I laugh.

"But you are." he pauses and grins. "You are my baby sister"

I roll my eyes whilst shaking my head.

I can't help but wonder why he doesn't have a girlfriend.

He is a really kind hearted guy and any girl would be lucky to have him.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?" I ask him suddenly.

"Not really found the right girl I guess." he says nonchalantly.

We sit in silence for a while.

"Thank you Ricky"

"What for?" he asks pulling away slightly whist giving me a questioning look.

"For being the best brother and always cheering me up even when you don't realize it." I truly meant it.

Ricky has always been there for me even when we were little.

I just didn't realize until now how much that meant to me to have him around.

Ricky grins and wipes away a fake tear from his eye.

I hit his arm and stand up.

"I'm tired. I’ll see you in the morning" I tell Ricky as I start to walk away.

"So you’re not gonna tell me?" he asks again.

"Maybe tomorrow" I reply.

"Good night Rick."

"Good night Hop."

I leave his room and head to my own.

Before settling down for the night.

The next morning…

I woke up naturally, much to my surprise.

I sat up with my eyes still closed.

I stretched my arms, while taking in a deep breath and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

Without fully opening my eyes, I pulled myself out of my bed and readied myself for the rest of the day.

Once I was fully washed and dressed, I headed downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

I was still half asleep when I reached the kitchen.

Sitting at the island, I closed my eyes and laid my head down.

I have never been much of a morning person, but I also didn't like spending all day in bed. It felt like I had wasted the day if I did that.

"Good morning bright spark." I hear Ricky sat.

"Morning Hope, good sleep?"
Kira also says before placing something in front of me.

With my head still down I reply. "Morning and thank you." but it comes out more like an incoherent mumble.

I hear Kira, Ricky and what I guess to be Robbie laugh.

I didn't say anything. I just raised my head and opened my eyes to see a bowl of what looked like birdseed in front of me.

I pull the bowl closer to take a better look, picking up a spoonful of it and then pouring it back into the bowl.

I curl up my top lip in disgust.

Still not looking away from the bowl I ask, "What the hell is this?"

I hear a laugh.

"It's healthy" Kira answers.

Looking up from my bowl I start to say, "Do I look like a bir" but I stop when I noticed not only is Robbie here, but Kira, Ricky and to my surprise the twins are sitting across from me, looking very amused.

I gave them a 'what the hell' look before asking, "How long have you two been here?"

"Since you first came in." Matt says with his voice full of amusement.

"So you don't want that?" Nate asks leaning over and grabbing my bowl, taking a mouthful before I have a chance to answer.

"Hey!" I yell taking my bowl back leaving him with the spoon in his mouth.

Kira and Matt watch on amused, while Ricky stands up and passes me a clean spoon.

I accept it, giving him a sweet smile