Wrapped in Lace Read Online Free PDF Page B

got up and disappeared into the kitchen. I reached under the table, placing my other hand on top of Drew’s hand gripping mine. He looked down at our joined hands, relaxing his hold on me. “Hey,” I whispered and his blue eyes shifted to mine. “You all right?” His head shook just slightly as we watched Jack come back in wobbling a plate full of cupcakes, no icing on top.
    Jack walked around the table, handing one to everyone, then returned to his seat between his parents. “Where’s the icing, Mommy?” Jack asked.
    “On the inside,” she said. “If you bite into it and it’s blue, then. . . .”
    “I’m getting a baby brother,” Jack said. “I hope it’s not pink.” Everyone chuckled slightly as Jack took a huge bite of his cupcake before anyone else even got the wrappers off. I noticed Drew didn’t touch his. “What does purple mean?” Jack asked. Ellie smiled and raised her eyebrows to Rob. “Mommy, what does purple mean?”
    “You’re kidding me, right?” Rob asked, looking white as a ghost, and Ellie shook her head that she wasn’t.
    “Of course,” Drew mumbled under his breath.
    Nana and Gwyneth hopped up screaming, “Twins, one boy and one girl!”
    Everyone was out of their seats in two seconds, engulfing Rob and Ellie in hugs. Everyone, that is, but Drew, who remained firmly planted in his seat, his untouched cupcake before him. I started to get up, but Drew held my hand tighter.
    “Stay, please,” he whispered.
    “Then get up,” I said firmly and released his hand. He did what I asked and got to his feet as Ellie and Rob hugged everyone. I started making my way over, and Drew whispered my name. I glanced over at him, noticing he looked like he could be sick. I had no idea what was going on, why he wasn’t happy. Rob and Drew were always close, but they hadn’t said a word to each other all evening. Still, Drew looked like he could use some support, so I stayed by his side, letting Rob and Ellie come our way.
    I offered my congratulations, giving Ellie a friendly hug. She and I weren’t particularly close, but our families were, so it was the polite thing to do. Now, Rob was a different story. I’d known him my whole life, and he’d been like a big brother to me once upon a time. “Twins,” I cried out as he approached me with his arms wide open. Drew captured my elbow before Rob could wrap his arms around me, pulling me back slightly.
    “Congratulations,” Drew said half-heartedly as he pulled my chair back out, indicating he wanted me to sit down. I looked at Rob, who simply shook his head. No one else seemed to notice, everyone so excited by the news. I took my seat, and Drew returned to his beside me.
    “What the hell was that?” I whispered to him.
    “Rob and I don’t get along anymore,” he said, scooting his chair in.
    “So? That has nothing to do with me.” I angled my chair away from him.
    He leaned forward and bit out, “I didn’t like the idea of his hands on you.”
    I was sure my jaw was on the floor. I wasn’t sure what to think. Drew had no claim to me, no right at all. And Rob was his brother, his married brother—no big threat there.
    His hand slid to my thigh again. “I only want my hands on you.”
    Ok, so I was trying to be pissed at him for being rude, possessive and jealous, but I wasn’t succeeding. I only wanted his hands on me, too. Feminists everywhere were rolling over in their graves, I was so weak.
    “Uncle Drew,” Jack said, holding up his little fingers. “I’m going to be a big brother two times.”
    Drew smiled, and I could tell it was real. “Yep, I heard. I know you’ll be a great big brother.”
    “I will. Just like Daddy and you.”
    The entire room fell silent, and Drew cleared his throat, intertwining our fingers under the table. “When we were young like you, your daddy was the best brother a guy could ever want.”
    Drew’s father, Carl, reached over and patted his son on the back. “You two used to get into