Then again, she thought with a small smile, nothing about this pregnancy, or the man she loved, was all that conventional, was it?

And she wouldn’t have it—or Jake—any other way.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Jake got through the endless meetings he’d been blowing off all week. He found Zach Sullivan in the private garage off the main Sullivan Auto building, under a dinged-up old Ford truck from the twenties he was obviously rebuilding from scratch.

Zach spent enough time on the ground to recognize most people by their shoes. “Be out in a sec,” he said to Jake.

How long had he known Zach? For more than twenty years they’d backed each other up during fights, made sure the other guy made it home in one piece if he got tanked, cursed and cheered on sports teams. But one thing they’d never done together was to sit down and share feelings.

A week ago—hell, two and a half months ago—Jake should have come clean about Sophie. He wasn’t willing to be a lying coward for another five seconds.

“Sophie and I are together.”

Zach slid out from beneath the car so fast, he was practically a blur. “What did you just say?”

The menace in Zach’s question was all the more impressive for how steady his voice was. Almost as if he were asking for a glass of water.

“Your sister is pregnant. We’re having twins.”

His friend’s hands were on his throat a millisecond later. “I’m going to kill you. And no one is going to give a damn.”

Jake figured Zach was right about one thing at least: no one should give a damn if he died. But Sophie would care. His kids would care.

Thinking of them made him strong enough to fight off Zach as his friend came at him ultimate-fighting style. Nothing was off limits. Not nuts or teeth or hair or feet straight in the gut. Jake had expected this, would have been pissed at his friend for doing any less to defend his sister. Those expectations didn’t make it hurt any less, unfortunately. And even in strict self-protection mode, he still had to get a couple of good slams in on Zach just to try to remain upright.

Both of them were bleeding in separate corners of the garage when Zach spat, “I’ve knocked a lot of guys to the ground for messing with my sisters before, but I never thought you’d be one of them. No one will ever be good enough for my sisters. How could you have laid one finger on Sophie?”

“I shouldn’t have.” But he had. Over and over. And he refused to even think of giving her up now. He wouldn’t do that for anyone, not even the people who had helped raise him, who had given him a home and a family to go to when he wouldn’t have had anything else without them.

“I’m marrying her.”

“Look,” Zach snarled, his nostrils flaring, “Nice had a crush on you. You took advantage of it. Now she’s pregnant. Don’t make things worse by mar—”

“Sophie is more than one goddamned word!”

Jake’s voice was loud enough to carry out of the garage, but he didn’t care who heard him. It was time her siblings started seeing the real Sophie Sullivan the way he did. As more than Nice.

“Yes, your sister is nice. And sweet. And kind. But she’s also cool and risky and willing to put herself on the line when anyone else would be running for cover. She’s more woman than I frankly know how to handle, but I’m going to work like hell to try to keep up with her and our kids.”

If it had been anyone else, Jake would have walked away. But Zach knew every crappy thing he’d ever done, and was the only one who knew he hadn’t been able to read until he was ten...because his friend was the one who had taught him how to wrestle letters into words.

“I love her.” The three words he never thought he’d have to admit to anyone sounded like they’d been raked over gravel. “I’ve always loved her.”

Jake tried to prepare himself from Zach’s leap across the room to kill him. Instead, Sophie's brother slumped back against the wall and said, “I know.”

Jake’s jaw would have hit the floor if he hadn’t been holding it to try to keep the bones together.

Zach held up two fingers in front of his own face and worked to focus on them, dropping them with an irritated scowl. “You’ve been in love with her since we were kids.” Zach yanked himself to his feet. “Smith is going to lose his mind over this. They all are.”

Jake knew full well this was only the first of many beatings to come at the hands of the Sullivans. He used a tool cart to pull himself up. “She’s worth it.”

“Of course my sister’s worth it.” Zach scowled. “I just can’t believe I’ve got to write another speech. Nearly killed me writing the last one.”

“You wrote Chase’s wedding toast ahead of time? It was the worst one I’ve ever heard.”

“Get ready to hear an even worse one.”

That wasn’t the least bit funny. He wouldn’t let Zach do anything to upset Sophie. “I’m going to write your speech for you and you’re going to say it word for word. And,” Jake warned his friend, “I promised Sophie I would let her tell your family about the pregnancy when she was ready, so don’t screw up her big announcement by saying anything to anyone before she does.”

Zach looked down at Jake’s curled fists and shook his head. “My brothers have been losing their minds, one by one, over women. But seeing you like this...over my sister.” Zach opened a metal drawer and uncovered his hidden liquor cabinet. He poured himself a large shot of Scotch and downed it. “Love,” he sneered.

Zach was pouring himself another shot as Jake headed back to his car to go tell Sophie that he loved her.

He always had.

And he always would.

Chapter Twenty-one

Sophie was walking down the hallway to her apartment, flipping through the mail she hadn’t picked up all week, when she heard a low voice say, “Sophie.”

“You surprised me,” she squeaked as she almost dropped the stack of mail. “Oh my God, Jake!” The bills and advertisements fell from her hand.

He looked like he’d been mugged and beaten in an alley, covered with bruises and drying blood from his forehead to his chin.

“It looks worse than it is.” He touched his jaw. “Probably should have gone home to clean up first.” Even with the bruises, the cuts, all across his face, he was impossibly beautiful as he asked, “Any chance you remember how to bandage up a guy after a fight?”