My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 166

JOSH’S P.O.V

Seeing Liam smile like this is the only thing that could put a cherry on top of the perfect fucking cake that has been the last day.

He shrieks and giggles at the top of his lungs as Miles swims under the water and jumps out to catch him every time he tries to runaway. He looks so happy, so content.

Liam has always been one of those kids that’s kind of afraid of everything; the dark, heights, fear of the unknown. Water was no fucking different, the last time I tried to take him to a public pool he only sat on the edge and dipped his toes in before bursting into tears when some shitty kid jumped in next to where he was sitting and splashed water all over him.

He was a bit better at Al's place when it was just him and Heather but he’s never been like this, this carefree and just enjoying the moment.

He’s still not great when the water gets in his eyes but Miles is making sure to protect him, throwing him but catching him before his head goes under the surface.

“Oh damn he's so cute, I just want to absorb him into my body like an undeveloped twin in the womb.”

Jesus fucking Christ Charlie.

“Could you not fucking talk about my baby brother like that please? I know that you think shit like that is sweet but it’s really fucking creepy.” Charlie looks utterly horrified but I swear he doesn’t hear the words that actually come out of his mouth sometimes.

“How dare you! I would never talk about Liam like that... I was talking about the other fucking Aquaman in there...” Of course you fucking were, your eyes have been falling out of your head since the moment Miles stepped out here in those shorts... Fuck, he looks fucking good in them though. “Besides, you won’t give me the details of last night, so I have no choice but to use my damn imagination, and let me tell you - in my imagination, he was a fucking animal.”

Trust me, that isn't just happening in your imagination.

I settle back on the sun lounger between Charlie and Brie, we look like one of those makeup skin tone fucking adverts going from her gorgeous chocolate down to his pasty white ass.

Brie chuckles. “He's got a point sweet cheeks, we just want to know on a scale of one to ten how much of mini Thompson still feels like it’s fucking inside you right now.”

I never should have introduced these two, it's like being attacked by two sexually explicit fucking lionesses from all sides. They were dangerously persuasive alone, but with back up...

“Yeah,” Charlie agrees, “we don't need every detail - unless you want to share obviously, because bitch I am all ears - just give us like a ball park of what we are looking at.”

I smirk, trying to concentrate on answering my work emails and not focusing on the fact I have the flesh memory of what last night did to me rolling around and around in my head every time I move my hips.

It’s definitely like he’s still inside me, like his lips are still on my neck and his hands are still roaming my body. I feel alive just fucking looking at him right now.

Timon and Pumbaa continue to stare endlessly at me until I realise that I’m not getting out of this conversation without giving them fucking something. Letting my phone fall flat onto my chest as I look into the pool at my man helping Liam onto one of the floating loungers.

He shouldn’t be allowed in water anymore... He’s too distracting in water...

“On a scale of one to ten... that guy is always a fucking eleven.” Brie and Charlie clap and shriek like fucking high school cheerleaders who just got asked out to the prom.

“I fucking knew it... Those fucking Thompsons, they are all fucking beasts... You okay though? Did he break you? Because I don’t remember you walking like that yester-“ Brie shuts the fuck up when I throw a towel directly over her fucking face.

I am not walking different... much.

Charlie laughs at Brie unwraps herself from the towel, looking over at Miles just as he turns and winks at me.

“You two are so damn cute, we need like a ship name for them Brie... Miles and Joshua.... Milo and Josh... Mosh?” Charlie begins but immediately shakes his head to get rid of the idea.

“Jiles?” Brie adds before thinking better of it. Do they really need to do this? “No, it’s a bit too ‘virus a kid has.’ Like ‘What’s wrong with your kids face?’ ‘Oh, he’s got Jiles.’ Yeah, that’s not gonna to work.”

“What about...Milosh? Although now I sat it out loud that kind of sounds like some kind of suppository.” Okay, I need to put an end to this.

“We don't need a fucking ship name, I’m not entirely sure what a fucking ship name is bu–”

“Oh my God!” Brie jumps up from her lounger and practically launches across my body to grab hold of Charlie’s hands. “How the fuck did we not think of this earlier?! Think about it... Josh... Milo... They’re J’Lo!”

No.

“Holy Jenny from the block I think you’ve got it!”

No.

“Brie, you can’t na-”

“Sorry what was that? You don’t want to be named after one of the greatest recording artists of all time? Who just so happens to represent a severely under-represented minority in an industry where they aren’t celebrated for their contributions to music? Is this some middle aged white man bullshit Joshua?”

Well now that’s going to fucking stick isn’t it.

They both burst out into hysterical laughter so I leave them to it and slip off the lounger before stepping into the pool.

Liam floats around aimlessly, enjoying the warm sun and drinking the lemonade Charlie made him earlier in a fancy cocktail glass whilst sipping through an umbrella straw. He really thinks he’s so cool with those sunglasses on too, I starting to think Charlie has had too much of an influence over him.

Miles glides through the water effortlessly as he approaches me, his chlorine scented kiss quickly being placed on my lips before he disappears back under and emerges next to Liam.

He gets himself comfortable on his own floating lounger, making sure to keep his hand on Liam’s one so they don't get separated while my little man feeds him some lemonade, before they both lay back to bask in the sun.

They’re the fucking cutest pair... I know he hates being called that but they fucking are.

“Really not hard to see how you fell for that one when you watch them two together.” Brie laughs, coming to sit herself down on the edge of the pool next to where I stand, the light bouncing up off her gold bikini like a beacon and almost fucking blinding me.

She looks better today than she did in the driveway yesterday but I can see through it. Brie isn’t always the easiest person to read but I’ve been by her side for so long now that she can’t hide the bags under her eyes with a bit of concealer and oversized shades with me like she can with everybody else, or the fact that she’s definitely lost some weight through all this stress.

Steve is worried about her but I already know he’s doing everything he can to support her, she just needs Al. He can’t be her Al.

“Did you speak to Aleah when you picked up Liam?” She shakes her head, leaning back on her elbows and kicking her feet in the water.

“No, Romeo just brought him around. I tried a few days ago but she's still too angry. I just can’t figure out what the fuck she wants me to do, all I can get out of her is that she wants me to move the bitch that almost killed her daughter away from the bottom of her garden... but she doesn't see what May is going through. If she’d just come to my place and fucking look at her for a minute... I’m not saying it because she’s my sister, this has fucking destroyed her. I’m really fucking worried about her Josh...”

Everyone is so angry at May, but in all honesty I don’t feel that way. I of all people know what it means to allow fear to overrun your body and let you make mistakes that cost someone else their life.

Should she have told someone about what Diego was making her do? Absolutely. If she had told us then Heather never would have been put in that position... but she’s still just a kid herself. Until me and Miles got together I’d never really thought too much about her, I’ve always liked her but we just didn’t really know each other. All I knew for definite is that  her love for her family has never been in doubt, ever.

I get why Al is so angry, I would be too if I was in her position but she has to realise that May never wanted this to happen. She actually thought she was protecting everybody, it just really fucking backfired.

Right reasons. Wrong actions.

But it shouldn’t cost her everything.

Although, if Heather didn’t make it... would I still be saying that?

“Is there anything I can do?” I know there isn’t much any of us can do until Aleah is ready to talk again but I still wish there was something I could at least try. She just won’t listen to me.

Brie sits herself up and smiles gently at me, reaching out one of her perfectly manicured hands and cupping my jaw before bringing her lips down on the top of my head.

“I think this is one of the only problems that beautiful smile of yours isn’t going to help with Josh. She’s my sister as well, I know she’ll come around. That girl can’t live without me the same way I can’t live without her.” She's right, it's the two of them against the world.

Or at least that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

“I’m proud of you though Josh, I hope you know that what you did with Heather...  I know it won’t make up for what happened with Harley in your heart but you fucking proved yourself that day. She is your redemption story, you didn’t let fear control you the way it controlled all of us. That little girl is here because you kept her here. I hope you know how much that means to every single fucking one of us.”

For a girl who struggles to put pen to paper, she always knows exactly what words need to be heard.

“Brie! Do you want this so you can come in without getting your hair wet?” Miles asks, slipping himself off the floating lounger.

Miles brings both Liam and the inflatable over to the corner of the pool so Brie can get herself on, I can see the little curl in his lips when he considers just pulling the whole thing out from underneath her and letting her fall into the water but it would be a fucking mistake.

You never come between Brie and her hair.

Almost sensing what’s about to happen, Liam reaches over and steadies the seat for Brie before Miles can pull it away. At least one of them has some fucking sense of self preservation...

The moment she’s safely on the floating plastic she links her hand with Liam’s and lets it gently stroke against the surface of the water as they slowly start to float away together.

Their relationship is really turning into something beautiful. In some ways I really glad Brie and Steve have chosen not to have kids, I’d love little nieces or nephews don’t get me wrong, but this way they have enough energy to fill the gaps in other kids lives. Granny was this pillar of strength to so many of the children in Brie’s neighbourhood, I wonder if she can see how much she’s like her?

Whilst they’re peacefully making their way to the other side of the pool, Miles grabs hold of my thighs and rips me from the floor against him, it’s really taking everything I have not to wrap my legs around his fucking waist right now.

What the fuck has he done to me that I actually enjoy being in his fucking hold like this...

“You were right, we should have came in here last night...” He whispers gently in my ear. “Imagine everything I could have done to you if you were fucking weightless like this...”

Yeah, I’m going to need everybody to get the fuck away from this pool right now.

Right now.

Like right now.

“Will you two cut it out! There’s a fucking child here!” Brie howls as the two floaties circle to start coming back towards us. “I don’t know how you put up with them like this all the fucking time little man, I promise that when you need therapy one day, I will fucking pay for it.”

Liam laughs along with Brie but I’m not sure he entirely understands the concept of what she saying. Besides, he’s happier for us than anyone.

Miles slowly and reluctantly lowers me back to my feet, before planting a quick kiss on my cheek and pulling himself out of the pool.

I don’t remotely miss the way that Charlie practically falls off the lounger trying to get a better look at him walking away half naked and dripping fucking wet.

“Where’s Miles going? Should I go with him? Yes, I’d better go with him. He could slip and break his pretty little neck walking around wet like that!... Oh Milessss! I’m coming!” Charlie winks as he prances past me. “Oh don’t worry Mr grumpy face, if you hear me screaming that again, I’m sure it’s completely innocent.”

This is why he shouldn’t be allowed out around civilised people without Han here to reign him fucking back.

Although the look on his face when Miles slams the door on him and locks it is fucking hilarious.

“Brie... You said that your granny used to make you go to church lots... Do you believe in angels?” Liam asks in a voice so small I can hardly hear him. He’s never really shown any interest in things like this before so I slowly edge my way closer to them without breaking their little bubble of trust. “Are they really real?”

Brie smiles, looking down at where their hands sit connected and sweeping them back through the water.

“Oh I know for a fact they are.” She smirks, glancing up at the sky before turning her attention back to Liam. “Why do you ask?”

Liam looks up at the sky too, ogling it as if the answers are written in the clouds. I’m not really a believer in that kind of stuff but I know that Brie definitely is.

“Well... Last night...” He almost looks like he's afraid to say the words, I want to go over there and tell him that whatever it is, it’s fine to say, but given that he specifically asked Brie I should really leave this for her.

She lifts their hands out of the water, stroking her thumb against his own and giving him that reassuring smile that seems to work on everybody. He takes a deep breath, lifting up his sunglasses to look her in the eye. “When I slept over at Heather’s house last night... She told me that when she was sleeping before she went to the hospital, she saw an angel. She said the angel told her she wasn’t big enough to leave us yet so he held her hand and walked her all the way home.”

Oh Heather...

“But she said that he didn't have wings, so she wasn't sure.”

I can’t imagine the trauma she went through that day, making something like this up to comprehend what happened would make sense.

“Yeah, in my experience the whole wings thing might just be a bit of a myth.” Brie laughs, bringing his hand over so they sit over her heart. Of course she would absolutely believe Heather saw an actual angel, she wouldn’t be Brie if she didn’t. “What else did she tell you about him?”

Brie looks over at me with a sad smile but I’m not sure why, if this is what Heather needs to believe to get through what she suffered then I’m good with that.

“She said he was kind of... cool. He was funny and told her she was pretty.” Well, what angel wouldn’t tell Heather she was pretty. The girl is practically an angel herself. “But he used a strange angel word from his angel language that she didn't understand too.”

Brie looks at my brother slightly confused, but not nearly as confused as me. Angel language?

“What do you mean handsome? What word did he use?” Brie asks stroking the hair out of his eyes.

“Well... When he was talking to her about her mummy... He called her...” Liam looks over at Brie, those piercing eyes of ours shining brightly with untold wonder. “Senorita, he called her senorita... Do you know what it means?”

How could Heather...

How could she even know about that? Aleah can’t even say the word, it was the last one to leave Chad. None of us would’ve ever told Heather about it...

Heather couldn’t have heard it from anybody else...

I feel like my heart is pounding a million miles an hour but Brie doesn’t even look fazed, she just smiles like this is not completely bat shit crazy.

It’s crazy... It’s...

It couldn’t have actually been... I mean, angels, they don’t... exist, right?

Fuck, I miss that boy... I miss him so fucking much.

Brie brings Liam’s hands to her lips, kissing the back and smiling at him before turning to look at me. That smile of hers only grows as Miles slips back into the water again and steps behind me to wrap his arms around my waist.

“Well, what else can I say little man?. In this family my darling... We have some very special angels looking out for us.”

Miles’ grip on me strengthens, calming my racing heart as he pulls me flush against his body and his lips meet the back of my neck in that same way that always fills my soul with his warmth.

Liam and Brie go back to floating happily on the surface of the pool, Charlie snoring loudly from his place burning his skin to a crisp on the lounger as Miles dips his head into the crook of my neck.

“I love you my stars.”

After everything all of us have been through, all the pain and all the times that we've been put in situations we never should have made it out of...

...Not to mention the connections that might never have been made if all the pieces didn't fall exactly right...

“I love you more.”

You know what? Maybe Heather isn't entirely wrong with this angel thing...