The Right Kind of Wrong: A Brother's Best Friend Romance by Fabiola Francisco (open ebook .TXT) 📗

I nod and turn on the toaster oven while I cut open the croissants the way Camden instructs. After putting them in the oven, I refill our mugs with milk and prepare two more cups of coffee.

“Ready?” Camden looks at me over his shoulder, shielding our plates with his body.

“Uh, more than ready. I’m starving.” As if my stomach thought I needed to emphasize my hunger, it growls on cue. Camden’s deep chuckle echoes around the kitchen.

“Tell that kid to be patient,” he jokes. When he turns around, my eyes widen. Two croissants stuffed with scrambled eggs, melted cheese, and pan-seared ham.

“That looks freaking delicious.” I lick my lips and lean back on my chair. Once Camden is seated, our plates in front of us, I smile at him and say, “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome. Cooking helps ease my nerves, and I’m honestly scared to talk to Easton today.” He frowns, his confident armor slipping as our plan to tell Easton about my pregnancy silences us.

I’m terrified of telling him, although my mom continues to assure me it will all work out.

“Yeah, I’m nervous, too,” I tell him.

“You’re his sister. That makes you irreplaceable. But I’m his friend, and friends are always easily replaced.” He looks down at his breakfast with a dark expression. “Especially now that he’s in Everton.”

I hadn’t realized that Easton moving had affected Camden this much. Noel, Berkeley, and I do our best to keep our friendship strong, and I figured they did as well. Guys are different, though.

“I promise I won’t let this get in the way of your friendship. I’ll do everything in my power to make him realize it was a mistake and not intentional to hurt him.” Camden’s eyes snap up to mine, his scrutiny making me feel tiny as his jaw ticks. “I—”

Camden interrupts me. “Maybe it was unplanned, but that night was not a mistake.” His tone is hard.

“Okay.” I let my one-word reply linger between us as I take a bite of my croissant.

“Sorry…”

I shake my head. “Don’t be. I should be more careful with my choice of words.”

Silence settles over us as we finish our breakfast. You could cut the tension with a knife, and it’s definitely not sexual tension.

Camden clears our plates when we’re done, probably to keep himself busy. “You can have your surprise now,” he says seriously, his back to me as he rinses soap from a plate.

I don’t know how to handle a situation like this. He isn’t my boyfriend, so it’s not exactly like I can walk up to him, hold him, and kiss his worries away. This is different, and while an attraction between us is clear, we haven’t fully crossed that line.

“Do you mind if I jump in the shower first?” I stand from my seat when Camden turns around, wiping his hands on the dishtowel.

His eyes burn into mine before they scan my body. Heat prickles my skin as I hold my breath and wait for him to say something. Once he clears his throat, he says, “Go for it.”

“I’ll be quick.”

“Take your time. I’m going to check my email.”

I nod and walk toward my room, grabbing what I need before heading into the bathroom. Under the warm spray, my mind wanders in different directions. Easton could take the news well, or all hell could break loose. For Camden’s sake and mine, I hope my brother is at least understanding and willing to hear us out.

Since Camden found out about the baby and showed up here, he’s done nothing but be present and caring. Easton just needs to see that. But I also know that he knows Camden in a different way—the man who dates a lot, never settling down.

I have the same image of him, yet this week I’ve gotten to know a different side of him. A side that I never expected from Camden but, if I’m being honest, I like a lot.

I turn off the shower and wrap my body in a towel, then wipe the mirror free of the steam. As I comb my hair and get dried off, I hear a ruckus somewhere in the apartment.

“What is he doing?” I murmur as I get dressed and walk out of the bathroom. I find Camden in the living room, moving furniture around.

“What’s going on?” I cross my arms and lean against the wall.

“Oh, shit, sorry. I’ll put everything back where it was. I took pictures beforehand, so I remember where it all goes.” My sofa is pushed back, the coffee table is nowhere to be found, and the television is on the other side of the small living room.

“What are you doing?” I repeat.

“Well, if you’re still going to live in this apartment when you have the baby, he’ll need somewhere for his crib and clothes. I thought that half of the living room can be converted into his room. A dresser here,” he points to one wall, “and the crib on this side.” He points to the middle of the space he opened up.

“We can even get those dividers to block off the space and keep it private.”

I bite down on my lip as I listen to him, watching the furrow between his eyes deepen and the tip of his tongue peek out of the corner of his mouth as thinks.

“Camden, take a break. You’re on overload. At first, the baby will sleep in my room in a bassinet. I’ll put his clothes in my dresser and armoire. I’m going to get rid of my desk in there and put in a changing table.” Anxiety begins to spike as I speak; this pregnancy is becoming more and more real by the minute.

Camden must notice because he walks over to me and grabs my hands. “Are you okay?” His eyes stare into mine as if he were reading me like his favorite book.

“Yeah,” I sigh. “It just shocks me at times. It’s like I’m on automatic and yet have not fully taken in the information.”

“I