Between Commitment and Betrayal (Hardy Billionaire Brothers, #1)(86)

“Fuck, Izzy.” Declan shook his head at her. As I glanced around the room, I saw their looks ping-pong to one another. “You tell everyone about the will?”

“Yep.” She popped the p and smiled wide. “Except Mom and Dad because they will freak.”

Declan walked up to me and threaded his fingers through my hand to pull me into the kitchen with him. “You’re really a tornado of a person while pregnant, Izzy.”

“There’re twins in here, okay?” She pointed and then glanced at me. “It runs in our genes, since you’re contemplating conceiving with one of my brothers. Not that it’ll affect you, but if you have a daughter, Dec or whoever could pass on that trait to her, and just know, it’s double the hormones or something. I’m completely a different human at this point.”

“Jesus,” Lilah muttered before meeting my gaze and mouthing sorry. “She’s like this all the time. We can’t stop her.”

They all laughed except Declan, but even he had a small smirk as he murmured in my ear, “It’s going to be okay.” Then, he went to fill up a glass of water for Izzy as Lilah walked up and hooked her arm in mine. “Evie and I are going to get ready. She needs time to get dressed.”

“Don’t scare my date away, Lilah,” Declan commanded. “Izzy is already doing a great job of that. And, Drop, this is the big family part I was telling you about.”

Lilah yanked me through my bedroom door and slammed it shut before sighing against it. She spun in her sleek black dress and pinned me with a penetrating gaze. “We’re a lot for one person.”

“That’s fine.” I shrugged and turned toward my dress still on my bed. “I always wanted a big family.”

“Well”—she walked over and dragged a hand over the midnight-blue silk of the dress—“guess you have one for the time being.”

I didn’t know if I should take that as a slight or a compliment. Did she believe I’d scammed my way into their family? Did she believe everything that was written? “I know you all may be dealing with the backlash of the media from my marriage to your brother, but I hope he’s told you that you can handle it however you need to. I don’t want to be a burden in—”

“Family’s always a burden.” She chuckled and then shook her head like I misunderstood. “In the best way. You know that, right? Like, you can’t get rid of your parents no matter how hard you try some days.”

I didn’t correct her. She’d probably known Carl in a much different way than I had. Carl had easily gotten rid of me in a way that families probably shouldn’t.

“Well, at least that’s how it is with my family,” she said as if she knew even without me saying. “Izzy will never leave you alone about that will. I promise you. If you let her keep talking, she’s going to keep talking.” She wrung her hands.

“I don’t mind. I want Declan to be honest with you as much as possible. I understand you’re all family.”

“We’re all family,” she corrected. “At least, that’s what I want. Standing out on an island against the media because Carl and Declan dragged you into this over some shares is ridiculous.”

“And my mother’s yoga studio. And he may have thought it would protect me somehow or help me clear my name from my …” I drifted off, not wanting to explain.

She sighed. “So, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I know the media has twisted it. One day, you’ll tell me.” She held up her hand when I opened my mouth. “Not now. But when you’re ready, because I know what it feels like to hold a hell of a secret inside and what a nightmare it is to share it with the world after you’ve buried it. Take your time, but know we don’t believe a thing the media says, and we won’t allow them to drag your name—”

“Let them.” I cut her off fast, thinking of my mother, and went to grab some hair cream to put in my curls. Standing in front of the mirror, I said, “It’s not your job to—”

“It’ll always be the job of family.” She didn’t let me argue about whether we were or weren’t. “Now, let’s discuss this will. I’m curious, since Izzy’s already told me most of it, do you plan to have a baby this year?”

“Can one really plan that sort of thing?” I winced and asked back.

“That was my next question. How does one go about that?” Lilah asked and then picked at a fuzz on the dress. “I used to hide that I had two miscarriages by Dante, my husband, before we got lucky enough to have one.”

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured as my throat almost closed at the thought. Wanting kids and not being able to have them felt like a cruel sort of torture not befitting a woman, and yet, women had to endure so much.

She waved me off. “That minion out there reminds me of how lucky I am every day. Still, getting pregnant isn’t easy for everyone.”

I sighed, knowing the risks and knowing that they could happen to anyone. “Six months of trying followed by three months of IVF. As long as we do both of those things, we’re fulfilling our end of the requirement.”

“Do you want kids?” She was so straightforward that I suddenly felt like I could be straightforward back.

“I want kids, but I want them to have parents who love each other.” I grabbed my makeup bag, but she extended her hand.