Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 96

Rain

I was more than happy to offer my help to Simone and Lia. As her future full mates, we should be helping her plan the ceremony! The guys were more indifferent about it, adding to my frustration.

It got the point where I forced them into the living room so we could talk.

“Why are we here?” Matt asked. “We need to go to practice in twenty minutes.”

I scowled. “No first we are going to talk about some things first, understand?”

“I’ll allow it,” Colby said, gazing at me with a smile.

Sometimes I forgot that he was the leader so I should run things by him but all I could do was remember occasionally. My eyes locked with Jesse who blinked.

“What do you want Rain?”

“I want us to help Lia plan the mating ceremony!” I exclaimed. “You know she’s planning it with Someone who a lot can be right?”

I loved Simone. She had become like a sister to me and most of the time we were on the same wavelength but right now I didn’t want the mating ceremony to draw the attention of the entire state.

With Simone, she liked a big flashy show. Lia wasn’t exactly like that and I was somewhere in the middle.

“Lia can come to us and ask,” Matt said after a while.

I rolled my eyes. “Well, she’s not going to want too because she doesn’t want to bother us so let’s try to at least offer our help, okay?”

Colby winced. “Yeah, Rain is right.”

“Those are words you don’t hear every day,” Jesse joked, causing me to gasp.

“Hey even a broke clock is right twice a day!”

I could sometimes be wrong, but unlike some people in the world I did own up to my mistakes. But right now I knew I was right.

“I love you guys,” I sniffed, rubbing at my eyes. “Let’s do our job to help Lia out with this.”

When I did go to Lia later that day, she hugged me.

“Thanks Rain,” she said, eyes wet with tears. “But I think I got it right now so don’t worry.”

I frowned. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, okay?”

But at least I offered to help her so Lia knew it was out there. If she did need help she would come to me or one of the other guys, allowing us to assist her in the mating ceremony planning.

To think, it was just a couple weeks I was going to be fully mated to Lia! It filled me with such happiness and I thought I was going to burst from joy.

Lia

Weeks have passed. Before I knew it, it was time to plan the ceremony and I couldn’t believe it.

With it being the night before the ceremony, I couldn’t sleep. My stomach was filled with anxiety and I headed downstairs, unable to stand laying in my bed, unable to fall asleep.

The house was quiet, everyone else was either asleep or giving me space. I sat on the couch, staring at nothing, my fingers twisting together in my lap. The ceremony was tomorrow, and my mind refused to slow down.

Michael walked in, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you still up?”

I sighed. “I could ask you the same thing.”

He sat beside me, resting his elbows on his knees. “Couldn’t sleep either. Figured you’d be awake.”

I let out a humorless chuckle. “You know me too well.”

Michael studied me for a moment before nudging my shoulder. “What’s going on, Lia?”

I exhaled sharply. “Everything. The ceremony. The fact that I somehow ended up with four mates. It’s just… a lot.” He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I won’t lie, it’s not what I expected. But you’re handling it.”

I scoffed. “Am I? Because it sure doesn’t feel like it.”

Michael tilted his head. “You love them, don’t you?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I do. I didn’t think I would at first, but now… it’s different. They’re different.”

“And messing up doesn’t mean you’ve failed.”

I met his gaze, surprised at how easily he said it. Like it was the simplest truth in the world.

“Besides,” he continued, leaning back on his hands, “if you do screw up, I’ll be here to say, ‘I told you so.””

I rolled my eyes. “Wow, comforting.”

He grinned. “It’s what brothers are for.”

I playfully shoved him, and he laughed, but the warmth in his eyes never faded.

“Get some sleep, Lia,” he said as he stood. “Tomorrow’s a big day.”

I watched him walk to the door, his presence leaving behind a small sense of peace.

“Night, Michael.”

He glanced back, smirking. “Night, little sister.”

I lay back, staring at the ceiling, and for the first time all night, I felt like maybe just maybe I could handle it.

And for the first time all night, I felt like maybe just maybe I could handle it.

Michael and I did sit up for a while longer, just discussing everything that was going to happen tomorrow. He did seem a little saddened by the fact that I would be officially mated because in his eyes I was still his baby sister.

But my brother eventually hugged me, sending me off to sleep.

I couldn’t believe tomorrow I was going to be mated! My mind was racing, but the anxiety wasn’t’ as bad as before. It was being replaced by other sorts of feelings, including desire.

Tomorrow night I will be sleeping with them all at the same time. I’d done it before but this would be our first time as a mated couple. A mated group.

There were going to be a lot, but they would make me feel comfortable.