You Never Know

" W hy are we all having to go to this thing again?" I huffed out as I tried to straighten the creases out from my shirt. They just wouldn't shift no matter what I tried to do. I pulled the shirt off from over my head and felt Eli's warm tongue start to caress my nipple. "Eli," I warned him. "We'll be late and then all our friends will be on our back. Liv pleaded for us to make sure we were free and on time." I tried to push the words out, but the warm sensation felt just too good to fight against.

"I know." Eli grinned widely back at me, though his gaze was showing his true meaning of being desperate and hungry for me. The promises I was thinking we'd made about timekeeping slowly slipping away from my thoughts. "It doesn't mean I can't look and tease you," he whispered into the crook of my ear. "You'll just have to wait until tonight." His longing gaze slowly traveled down my form until it stopped for a moment on my hardening cock as if he could see what was happening beneath the layer of fabric before traveling back up to my gaze. "I've got you all to myself."

"My sister is too good to us, offering to have the girls," I admitted before letting out a deep, rumbling chuckle as I grabbed my clean shirt. I placed one arm in before rolling the fabric over my shoulders and sliding my other arm in. I couldn't help but laugh at the pouting bottom lip that was visible on Eli's face. It just made him look like the guy who'd just been refused his favorite treat. Technically, he had. "Make sure you thank her, though. I'll definitely make it worth your while."

"I'll hold you to that," Eli growled in a low tone just as our two girls came skipping in with outfits dressed to impress.

"We're ready. Can we go and show off how pretty we look now?" they both said in sync as they fluttered their lashes at us. "Please?"

"Go and put your shoes on and give me two seconds. I'll be right there," I said as I fiddled with the last few buttons on my shirt before grabbing my aftershave and giving myself a quick spray. "Right, ready when you three are," I called out.

The drive to Liv and Matt's place didn't take long and by the time we arrived, it was to an already bustling house. All of our friends were here chatting and interacting, including Dee and Hardin, my ex-boss and Matt's brother. It didn't stop me from noticing the strain on my sister's face as she ran around the place, trying to ensure everything was perfect, but something seemed off and I couldn't pinpoint it. The moment Matt stopped Liv from what she was doing and took her aside, I saw the tension melt from her body—it was as if she needed him to ground her.

"We're ready to sit down, so if you could all take a seat," Matt announced to the room.

I gathered the girls together, who had seemed in their element being fussed at by all the adults on arrival, and sat them down on either side of Eli and I.

"This looks wonderful," I commented, wanting my sister and Matt to know how much I appreciated all that they had done in creating this wonderful family event. The dining room had such a homely vibe with pastel tones across the walls and light, white-washed furniture to keep the room light and airy as we glanced out at the large garden space. Liv was doing a fantastic job keeping it all together with the amount of people present at once. I know how tricky it can be to coordinate multiple dishes for many people at once without them going cold and ensuring your timings are impeccable. It was hard enough if you'd been trained to do so but for anyone who wasn't used to it, I held my hands up to them. "The beef looks so tender."

"Thanks, bro, that means a lot coming from you," Liv replied before suddenly becoming emotional. "I just wanted tonight to be perfect," she said before bursting into tears. It was a sight that hit me hard in the chest and made me instantly want to fix.

"Hey, it is," I said in shock, unnerved by my sister's tears. I never saw her like this as Hardin's gaze bore into mine while Matt comforted his wife. "Sis…"

"That's why we asked you all here tonight," Matt slowly started speaking as he began holding his arm around Liv's waist and she tucked her face into his chest. "Liv and I have some news to share, and we thought it would be easier to have everyone gathered together than meet separately with each of you. You all have a huge part in our lives." I instantly felt as if the air had been sucked from the room and I didn't know why. My chest hurt and my ears started ringing as I sucked in deep breaths, focusing on the words that were coming from Matt. In my heart this seemed a monumental moment; something big for them both.

I just didn't know where to look but noticed in the corner of my eye that Eli had left his seat and had come to stand behind me. He wrapped his strong, corded arms around my neck as if trying to ground me and support me in this moment. To my left, I caught Dee and the way her eyes glazed over before she ushered the girls into the kitchen to distract them from the adult conservation happening and grabbed them some drinks.

I looked at a flummoxed Hardin and it seemed, thankfully, he was as much in the unknown as I was. What the hell were we both missing? It was as if we both were at a completely different gathering, it seemed.

"I'm pregnant," Liv announced the words hitting me hard in the chest. "Matt and I are going to have a baby."

I allowed the words to soak in as Eli's taut muscles comforted me before the realization hit Hardin and I at the same time. We were going to be uncles.

My hearing and breathing settled. My emotions calmed and all the fears and worries of bad news eased in a second. I was overjoyed at the news—as was Hardin—excited at having a tiny little bundle to add to the family. I think Matt was more relieved at the fact that I wasn't going to kill him for knocking up my sister. I pushed back my chair and headed straight over to my sister and pulled her to stand before giving her a huge hug. I couldn't help taking a glance and noticing in the corner of my vision that Hardin and Matt were deep in a brotherly embrace. I was emotional about the news, so no wonder my sister was all over the place with her feelings at the moment and unable to control her sudden outburst of tears. When Riley and Ana rejoined us at the dining table and we told them the news, all they wanted to know was if it was going to be a girl or boy. If it was a girl, they could save some pretty dresses for when they were bigger.

"Who thinks we should all tuck in to this lovely meal now before it gets cold?" I said, grinning widely as everyone retook their rightful seats and started to dig in.

The meal was delicious, but I could see so much weight hanging on Hardin's shoulders. It was as if the strain was pulling him down. The blond messy hair and blue eyes made him stand out in a crowd for sure combined with his muscular form, but at this minute something had knocked him. It was as if all the air had deflated the easygoing fun-loving guy, we all knew and loved.

"Girls, why don't you go and watch a film? I'm sure that Aunty Liv and Uncle Matt have something you will love," I said to the pair as they clapped their hands.

"I sure do," Matt said as he took the girls into the living room. "Now, let me show you what I have."

The moment I knew the girls were out of earshot, I turned my attention to Hardin. "Something the matter?" I asked, leaning my elbow on the edge of the table.

"I was going to ask the same thing," Eli said just as Matt returned back into the room now that the girls were both happily entertained for the foreseeable future.

"Me too," Liv uttered, her gaze focused on him.

He threw his hands up in the air in a surrender motion. "It's just made me realize that I better get myself out on the dating scene," he mumbled quietly as I watched my sister's eyes flash with mischief. "I feel like I'm getting left behind."

"Dee's still single," I said nonchalantly before Hardin dropped his eyes and bit his lip. "So, you're not alone."

"Yeah, I just can feel time slipping away from me. I want to find my guy," he admitted nervously. He was doing his best to avoid the attention of some of the people that were seated around the table. "I want what you all have."

It wasn't that much of a shock to me that Hardin was gay. If anything, every sign had been visible to me. I just wasn't someone who'd call them out about their sexuality. I remember the issues Sebastian went through when he was forced to come out, but we all helped him through that.

"Well, I have an idea," Liv began as Matt glared at his wife. "Shh. You know that Justin has had the app approved and tested thoroughly. This could be just what Hardin needs to find his forever partner."

"Seriously? You believe that stuff works? A dating app?" Hardin replied in shock, his gaze darting between his brother and sister-in-law. "You think you can find love and not just a hookup with this thing?"

"You never know where love will appear." I gazed up at Eli as he placed a slight kiss to the corner of my mouth. "I found my perfect guy stranded at the roadside in a snowstorm on Christmas Day. I didn't see that coming."

"Me neither," Eli replied, trailing his hand over my shoulder and allowing it to rest on my chest. "But now look at us."

"Yeah, living it up on a ranch." Hardin grinned widely. "A little happy family."

"Please, Hardin, just try one date on The Finding the One app. For me?" Liv fluttered her eyelashes at him. "I'll even use the hormonal card if I have to." That made the whole gang giggle at her. "What about when you go to that conference event in Tennessee? If you didn't get along, then it's not like they'll pop up at your local."

"How did I forget how sexy my wife is when she's being persuasive?" Matt growled, turning to face Liv and placing a long kiss against her mouth, making her moan.

I coughed, making the pair of them pull apart and Liv blush fiercely.

"Fine," Hardin said, raising his brow. "I assume you'll need this." He slid his phone across to Liv, making her jump for joy. "Do what you need to. That conference may not even happen, we may not even get to the award ceremony. It's a long shot."

"I have every faith you've got this. You outshine those other places," Eli interrupted.

Hardin never let his eyes leave Liv as he watched her typing away on his phone, doing whatever she needed to do to set up this app for me as her husband leaned over her shoulder. All it took was ten minutes of uncomfortable silence between them before Hardin received his phone back.

"You're all set now. All you have to do is allow it to pick your match now when you go to Tennessee." Liv gleamed with joy. "We'll soon have you with your own forever guy."

I shook my head and laughed out loud.

I can't believe Hardin had agreed to go on a date through a dating app, and all thanks to my sister. Stranger things have happened, though. Just look how I found the love of my life. It's only one blind date and nothing could go wrong—or could it?