Liam is definitely not happy to be leaving. His little face was so sad as we packed everything away into his suitcase I let May take him and Heather for one last trip on the boats even after I said I wouldn't.
I think he was actually quite scared of her when we first got here but now I think he's just come to see her as a slightly more unhinged version of Brie, which I honestly didn't believe was possible until I saw her threaten to rip out her 6'6 older brothers throat for almost spilling juice on her Nike air Max.
If it was discovered that that girl had a mountain of bodies piled up under the patio of the Manor, I would not be surprised.
Miles wraps his hand around my waist as he leans over onto the bedside cabinet and picks up the bottle of lube from last night, before kissing my cheek and making his way back around to his own case with that overly pleased smirk.
I'm glad that he is exactly who he is. This morning there was no weirdness or asking questions I wasn't ready to answer, instead there was just him opening those precious eyes, smiling and kissing my head before bringing us both downstairs and making breakfast. Actually he's kind of been walking around like he's on cloud nine and it's really cute.
The bad parts of last night... it was a fucking fluke. I don't let that all get to me outside of that day, that's my rule. Shove it down Josh... Just keep shoving it down...
I need to focus on the good bits, everything up until that moment was fucking perfect.
He's perfect.
I wasn't sure if he'd want to tell everyone that we were official yet, but when I was cleaning the blueberry sauce off Liam's lips I heard the loudest shriek from the kitchen before suddenly Charlie threw his whole body around mine, kissing every inch of my face whilst screaming congratulations at the top of his lungs.
Everyone pretty much figured it out for themselves after that.
I really didn't think that having a label would change things but it has, or maybe it was just how much we connected last night. Whatever it is, I really fucking like it.
Miles stares down at the tube of lube in his hand, smiling to himself then looking back up at me before he tucks it between his seriously untidy packing. I'm not one of these people that thinks you should change the person you're with... but this guy better get his shit together before we get a place because like fuck are our drawers looking that fucking messy.
"I'm gonna need more of this aren't I? I mean, you really seemed to be..." I don't often see a lot of Al in him, but those wiggling fucking eyebrows of his are all her influence.
"You were... It was so... Google is definitely your friend." I joke, picking up another shirt and folding it before placing it into the case.
He chuckles lightly, throwing everything he owns haphazardly into his own case. Jesus, at least fold your fucking jeans!
"Oh that wasn't Google, that was all Charlie." Charlie?!
My eyes immediately dart up from the case to face him, he begins to laugh before shaking his head and attempting to explain. "Not like that! I mean, it said on Google that if you know an expert then you should talk to them. I figured there must be a reason that Han keeps that guy around... plus he's always smiling."
Oh God, he does realise that's all that little carrot-topped weirdo is going to fucking talk about while we are working on this pissing project... My work day just got a fuck load harder.
The door to the room slams open, Brie immediately throwing her hands over her ears at the sound it makes as it hits the wall.
"Will you shut the fuck up!" That's right Brie, shout at the door for making that much noise. She turns back to face us after giving the door it's fair share of evil's, her hangover clear in her red bloodshot eyes. I'm not sure what her, Charlie and the men got up to at the club last night, but all of them pretty much look like death warmed up this morning.
"Hungover much?" Miles giggle's as she loses her footing attempting to walk into the room.
"Go spin on a dick mini Thompson." Brie isn't a particularly kind person with her words when she's stone cold sober, hungover she's even fucking worse.
"Brianna." She just waves her hand in front of my face, dismissing me before taking the bottle of water off my bedside cabinet and drowning herself in the lot.
"Stop looking like that Joshua, I'm sure the Cookie Monster over there wasn't offended by the idea of riding around on your Cuddle Me Elmo anyway. You both have serious power-bottom energy about you." Remind me again why this girl is one of my best fucking friends?! "Al wants us all in the living room, pretty sure she's about to tell us that she's knocked up so we all have to act surprised. You finished packing yet?"
I pick up the final hoodie off the bed, tucking it quickly into the case and zipping it up before miles can realise that I'm stealing his favourite one. It's so fucking comfortable! Why are other guys clothes always so much more comfortable than your own?
"Yeah I'm done. May back in with the kids yet?" Brie nods, crushing the plastic bottle in her hand and throwing it into the trash before grabbing hold of Liam's case and pulling it along with her down the hall. That thing has hit the wall three times already but I'm not gonna make her stop, she looks ready to take someone's head off as it is and I'm going to make sure it's not mine.
Miles attempts to take my case with him but I quickly pull it away, dragging him against me for a final moment alone before we're forced to leave this little bubble we've created and return to the real world.
How the fuck am I supposed to sleep without him now? Fuck, I really want to keep him...
"You need to stop thinking so hard," He chuckles, pressing his finger against my scrunched up forehead. "You're getting wrinkles."
Cheeky shit.
I pull his lips down onto mine quickly, not allowing him the deep kiss he wants after saying that about me. I push my hands against his chest and force him back when he tries his best too slip his tongue between my lips.
He's pissed, he tries again to loop his hand behind my head but I pull the suitcase between us to keep him at a distance. That'll fucking teach you.
I pull the case behind me as I walk towards the door, only to have it ripped from my hands as he captures my throat before slamming my entire body up against the wall. Fuck, sometimes I really forget how strong he is.
Okay, note to self, never deny Miles a kiss when he wants one.
His lips meet mine with so much force that I can hardly keep up with the movements he's making. He kisses me thirstily, all teeth and tongue as he chews on my lip before swiping his heavy wet muscle against my own. I should hate this shouldn't I... but I fucking don't... The pressure he has on my throat decreases until finally he feels satisfied enough that he's staked his claim he pulls back and allows me to gasp for air.
"That's better. Remember who you belong to now Joshua." That fucking grin of his, if it wasn't so sexy I'd do something to wipe it off his face. "I was going to say that I'd crash at yours tonight but I guess if you're going to be like that then I won't let you near all of this."
Taking my hand, he slips it under his shirt and brushes it along his firm abs, letting me soak in his skin before leading it lower, about to trail into his shorts when suddenly he rips it from his body altogether and lets it fall at my side.
"I t-thought..." Damn it Josh, get your shit together. He is definitely enjoying way too much that I'm stumbling over my fucking words because of him right now. "How exactly were you planning on staying at mine tonight?"
"Schools closed tomorrow for some fire drill shit, that's why Eli is having the party tonight. I was going to say that you could come get me from there, I never stay at these things that long anymore no matter how much he begs anyway. Of course, this is if my mother doesn't have me sent away the moment I tell her about you later."
Tell her about...
My eyes shoot open, the smile on his face telling me that he's absolutely serious right now.
"You're going to tell Tara and Cole about us? Today?" Cole is still a pacifist right? Because that is a big dude to be fighting off when he finds out about what I've been doing with his son...
"Yeah, I don't want it to be a secret anymore. You said that we can tell Jayce tomorrow at his place so I figured it was better that she heard it from me first than from him then. By tomorrow night everyone will know and I won't have to stop myself from doing this ever again."
He settles his lips firmly against mine, both of us getting lost in the kiss until Brie's voice screams back up into the hallway to tell us to get a fucking move on.
Capturing both our bags, he quickly makes his way back through to the living room but I take a minute just to stop and look at the balcony where we decided to become one last night.
Tara and Cole aren't going to take this well, Jayce is going to take it even fucking worse, but none of that will really matter in the long run.
You can't fight the power of the sun, you can't stop the stars from shining, and you sure as fuck can't keep Milo Thompson away from Joshua Jones.
No matter what they think, no matter what they do, we are in evitable.
************************************
Al stands in the middle of the room, Jayce's arms around her, unconsciously running against her stomach as everybody sits patiently on the couches. I slip myself in next to Liam, Heather is so jumpy that I'm guessing she has already been told what's about to come and is just as excited to have a new baby brother or sister as she was when they told her about Chase.
"Okay you guys, we have something we need to tell you." Brie looks over at me from her space next to Charlie, the two of them have been practically connected at the hip ever since the night they decided that they are soul sisters, but it's better than what was happening with them before this. Charlie looks up at Han, Chase sleeping gently on his shoulder as he continues to rub his hand up and down his little back. I know they're going to be happy for Jayce and Al but I'm also sure this is just going to be another reminder of how much easier it is for the straight people of the world to build a family.
Al smiles up at Jayce, letting her head fall back against his shoulder. He looks better, better than I've seen him in months anyway. Maybe this baby will be a fresh start for him, something to help him focus on all the things he's got rather than what he's losing.
She glances around the room, gently placing her hand on top of her husbands upon their growing adventure. "We're having another baby."
Charlie's hand shoots up to cover his mouth before suddenly he jumps to his feet and runs to engulf the two of them in a giant hug. Han reaches over and shakes Jayce's hand while the rest of us slowly make it to our feet exchanging giggling looks.
When Charlie releases them I step forward ready to pull Al into a hug but she places her hand out to stop me, wearily looking between me, Brie, Steve and Miles before exhaling deeply and crossing her arms over her chest.
"You fucking knew already didn't you? You all fucking knew." We all start laughing and nodding before Brie wraps her arms around her best friend and shoves her face down into her chest. Glad to know that treatment isn't saved for just me.
"Sugartits, when will you learn that you can't get shit past me. It wasn't hard babe, you've been shovelling those chips down like the potato overlords will be coming back for their babies any day now. Doesn't make us any less happy for you though chick, you know that you two make really cute fucking kids."
Brie steps away far enough that I can wrap my arms around Al, kissing the top of her head as she wraps herself even more tightly around me. I press my hand against her stomach, realising for the first time that she's already got a little bump going. Al is always beautiful, but I've never seen pregnancy suit anyone the way it does her.
Crouching down, I get close enough that this giant jellybean will be able to hear me before making one thing perfectly clear.
"Okay little one, here's the agreement. I'm your Uncle Josh and I am going to be your favourite, your Uncle Milo already has the other two so you're mine, agreed?" Al begins to laugh her head off, but the three Thompson siblings just lean their head to the side and give me the same raised eyebrow look. Sometimes I can see no similarity at all between Jayce, Miles and May, other times there's no denying that those three are fucking family. This is one of those times.
"You're trying to steal my niece or nephew from me before they're even born? Low Josh." Miles smirks at me but I'm dead serious about this, he had the others, this one will love me more, I don't care how many episodes of fucking Cocomelon I need to watch.
Liam gently steps in beside me, looking up at Aleah and almost putting his hand to her stomach before pulling it away again.
"it's okay little man, this one won't kick you yet." Liam smiles before finally letting his fingers stroke over the tiny bump, letting his head lay against it and trying to listen for something that I'm not sure he'll be able to hear yet.
"Hi," Everyone around us becomes slightly more quiet as they listen to Liam's gentle voice talking to the little unborn life. "I-I.. I'm Liam, I'm not your uncle but... I'd like to be your friend."
This boy is going to make me cry again. He is too fucking precious.
Brie looks over at us and I swear I see her lip trembling, as she looks over at Charlie it only gets worse. Han wrapping his arm around Charlie's waist as they both gently run their hands up and down Chase's little back. Being around Liam is enough to make anyone's ovaries explode.
Brie and Steve get into their own little discussion as Aleah drops to her knees before Liam, wrapping her arms completely around him and pulling him into a hug that only a few days ago he might have fought out of.
"Oh Liam, you are so much more than just a friend to my children. You, you wonderful little boy, you are family."
Liam hugs Al back for longer than he's ever hugged anyone that wasn't me or Miles. I know he has the shittiest mother in the world but he also has so many people in his life that would live and die for him. He's going to be okay, she can't hurt that boy when he's surrounded by this much love.
Everybody settles back into a seat, Heather and Aleah making themselves comfortable on Jayce's lap as I look around the room and realise just how much I love everybody in it.
We really need to leave soon but I don't think anybody here is in any sort of hurry. We hardly ever get these sorts of moments anymore, this isn't high school, we aren't running into each other by the lockers everyday. I know it won't always be like this; Kallie, Helena, Mum – they're all proof that life moves you off in directions you might not have expected. Sometimes really far.
We have to appreciate these moments when they happen.
Brie and Steve walk back into the room, Brie grabbing a chair and dragging it over to where Charlie sits, before planting herself down into it and taking both his hands.
"Babe, do you remember what you asked me the other night after we finished all that gin?"
Charlie it looks up at her with obvious confusion, I'm not sure exactly how much he could possibly remember after absorbing that much alcohol. The realisation suddenly dawns on him though, a small smile on his face before it turns sad as he looks between Brie and Steve.
"Oh bitch, I'm so sorry! I was seriously high on life that night, I never should have said that, I didn't mean to put –"
"I'll do it."
Charlie drops Brie's hands, his own trembling so much that he can't even keep it covering over his open mouth as it bobs against his lips while he just stares at her in disbelief. The tears start to run down his face, Han now looking up at Steve for some kind of validation.
"We can't... You two need to have time to talk about this." Han is trying to keep his voice steady, I don't think I've ever heard him sound anything other than perfectly cool but right now as he talks to my brother I can see he's ready to break.
"We have talked about it." Steve replies with a gentle smile. "We talked about it that night, we did all our research yesterday and she decided that she wanted to do it the moment she woke up this morning. If there's one thing you should know about my future wife it's that once she's made her mind up on something, there's no fucking changing it. She wants to do this."
"She wants to do what?" Aleah asking what all of us are thinking as Charlie throws himself into Brie's lap and starts to sob uncontrollably. She holds him so close, rocking him back and forth like she's comforting a small child whilst stroking his hair.
Fuck, she's going to be...
"I'm going to be their surrogate."
Holy fucking shit.
A single tear rolls down her cheek as Charlie continues to sob hysterically, his hands holding onto her like he's terrified this is some kind of dream, and that the moment he lets her go it will all slip away.
Al looks over at me, I can see the fear and trepidation in her eyes and I know why. Brie has always made perfectly clear to us that she doesn't want to have children, she's never had any urge to carry one or raise one, so can she truly do this?
She slips herself off Jayce's lap, taking Chase from Han so he can also embrace Brie. I feel a hand slip into mine behind Liam's back and turn to see Miles, he doesn't have any fear at all in his eyes, in fact he couldn't look fucking happier for them.
Stop thinking it Josh... It's too soon to be thinking that.
Han grabs Steve, pulling him into a hug that is really out of character for the both of them, but one they both seem to need right now. Brie is a full time job most days anyway, add a boatload of pregnancy hormones into that mix and these two are definitely going to need to buy Steve a new fucking bike to make up for the next nine months.
Al crouches next to Brie so that they sit at eye level, giving her that serious look that we all know means that you've got to listen to what she says.
"Are you sure about this? You've always said you didn't want to do the pregnancy thing and the last time you were..." One of the things I've always appreciated most about Aleah and Brie's relationship is that they can openly have the conversations most other people would be too scared to have.
"I know girl, but this isn't like that. This isn't a baby I'm being forced to grow, bond with and raise. Look at them, try and name two other people you thought would make better parents? They've got a bun and I've got an oven, I can do this for them. I promise you I can." Al nods, stroking her thumb over Brie's cheek before starting to wipe away Charlie's tears. She knows better than anyone that if Brie says she can do it, then that girl can fucking do it.
Han slowly takes Charlie from Brie's hold, lowering him down onto his own lap and giving the two of them a moment to process this.
They're getting their baby... That kid is going to be the luckiest kid in the fucking world.
May perches herself down on the arm of the couch next to me, looking between where Charlie and Han now sit in a mixture of smiles and tears before turning back to her sister.
"So which one of them are you going to fuck? Or is this like a gangbang situation where you just see which one sticks?"
Jesus fucking Christ.
Miles explodes with laughter next to me, although when I look at May's face I can see that she's dead serious.
"Maybelline!" May looks about ready to launch herself across the room and rip her own sisters eyes out when she says her name like that, damn these next nine months are going to be fun. "Neither of them are coming near me with their fucking womb raiders! Hans sister is donating her eggs and Charlie's got the other half covered, I've just got to keep it all in until it's cooked then shove it out again."
Jayce sniggers to himself. "You sure you can do the labour thing Brie? Because that shit really fucking hurts."
Oh she's going to kill him...
"What was that no balls? You don't think I can take the fucking pain?!" Oh no. "Why don't you come over here and fucking hit me? Come on, smash me right here as hard as you can! I could take your fucking head off Jayce Thompson without breaking a pissing nail so I can sure as hell drop a fucking kid out of my vajjayjay!"
Brie stands, getting closer and closer to Jayce as he tries to shrink himself even further into the couch to escape her. That ain't gonna work mate..
I'm pretty sure with the tone she's using right now she could just command that kid to fall out and it fucking would.
"You're going to wait until after the wedding though right?" May cuts in, clearly trying to distract her sister from killing her brother. It actually works, Brie changing her vicious glare from Jayce into one of happiness as she looks at May. The guy has never looked more happy to have a baby sister.
"Yeah, obviously. I don't need to be fat or throwing up in my dress. This shit takes time to organise anyway and the wedding is in less than two months so we probably wouldn't have been able to do it before then anyway... Right, you fuckers need to get out of here because I need to get Levi the keys back before twelve. Chop chop!"
Isn't even knocked up yet and has already somehow been gifted with a fucking mother voice.
****************************************
Charlie is still crying, they were going to go for lunch with Brie and Steve to talk about the plan from here but the guy is such an emotional wreck that Han decided just to take him home for the day and they'd meet up tomorrow.
Miles and May refused to spend another two hour ride in the bug, instead loading all of their cases into my trunk so they could actually have a bit of comfort on the journey. Can't blame them.
Al and Jayce were the first to head off, it took them a while since Heather refused to stop hugging Liam until they absolutely had to leave. Of course that girl insisted that we have a big group photo to commemorate the weekend, I think it might be one of my favourite photos ever considering most of the people I love are in it. It's been a really fucking amazing weekend, just hope we get another one.
I load the last suitcase into the trunk, May really did pack a lot of shit for four fucking days. I step around ready to do Liam's seat belt only to see Miles getting back out after doing it himself. He really is too fucking cute. He closes the door, glancing in to check that Liam is busy playing on his switch before leaning forward and kissing me quickly.
We decided that it would be better for me to tell Liam about us on my own so I'm going to take him to the gaming cafe after I drop these two back at the Manor. Of course I doubt I'll be able to concentrate the entire time, waiting for Cole to rip his van into the car park and come at me with a loaded shotgun after Miles tells them about us.
He steps back, opening my driver side door and gesturing for me to get in. He seriously just opened the door for me?
"Such a fucking gentleman."
He chuckles, but pulls me into another quick kiss before actually letting me get into the seat. "I try my best."
That might be true, if you weren't grabbing my ass every time you got the fucking opportunity.
Brie runs over just as I turn on the engine, tapping on the window to make me lower it before shoving her head and all that hair through it to kiss my forehead.
"You two still planning on telling Tara and Cole today?" Miles smiles and nods before reaching over to interlock our fingers, not paying much more attention to her when he starts to throw together a playlist for the ride home. "Well if you two need to hide out after then you know where I am. I got clients with houses all over the world, I got you both covered."
I love this girl.
"Thank you," I continue to hold her hand through the window, this girl thinks that she's pretty amazing yet it's still not as amazing as she actually is. "What you're doing for them... Brie it means fucking everything. You know you're incredible right?"
That beautiful smile of hers dazzles on her face. "You're damn right I am... But don't you two go getting any ideas, I ain't doing this again so when it comes to your time, you can have hers." She gestures towards May in my back seat, who shoots the most evil look I've ever seen at her sister before shaking her head repeatedly.
It's okay, surrogacy wasn't really the option I had in mind anyway.
We head off, Miles hitting play on the song and making every inch of my body become covered in cold bumps as the lyrics written on my arm blast through my speakers.
His hand never leaves mine, each word seeping through into his heart and I hope he knows that when I hear this now I'll only ever think of him.
May rolls her eyes as one sweet song leads into the next, taking out her air pods and placing one in her ear before offering the other one to Liam, which he gladly accepts.
Oh God, it's like we're those embarrassing parents with bad music taste that the kids in the back seat just can't stand... When did this happen to us?
Miles doesn't care though, he just let's himself relax into the music, slowly stroking his fingertips up the inside of my forearm as we sail down the road back towards home.
It's not lost on me that everything is going to change the moment we get there, by this time tomorrow everyone will know about us and neither of us truly know how that's going to feel yet.
But for now, let's just enjoy the music.
Please remember to vote and comment beauts ❤😍📖