“You should have thought of that earlier.” But Justin lowered his fists and made himself comfortable resting against the arm of the couch.

“I love her.” Deciding he wasn’t about to get beaten to a pulp, Eli pulled three bottles of beer from the fridge, offered one to each brother and took the last for himself.

“Then, what was this afternoon about?” This time, Cooper asked the question.

Eli dropped onto the couch. “Is this an interrogation?”

Justin grunted. It could have been a chuckle. “Don’t push your luck.”

He plunked himself next to Eli.

“It’s a long story,” Eli said tiredly, wishing they would leave so he could call Aria and straighten this whole mess out.

“We have time.”

Cooper sat on the other side of Eli, so he was flanked by the two brothers. He wondered if it was meant to intimidate him. The Simons brothers might be massive, but he was used to throwing his weight around and wouldn’t scare so easily.

“My parents don’t approve of Aria,” he explained, hoping they wouldn’t take offense. “They want me back in Auckland, running my company and married to the woman they’ve chosen for me. They treated Aria awfully, and now she won’t—wouldn’t,” he corrected, “give me a chance, so I came up with a plan to change her mind. She interrupted me earlier while I was working on it, and I was so focused on finishing that I asked her to come back later.”

“You stuffed up there, mate,” Cooper said sympathetically.

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

“I don’t like you,” Justin added. “But if you convince Aria to take you back, and you make her happy for the rest of her life, then it doesn’t matter.”

“Have I ruined my chance?” Eli asked.

“I don’t think so,” Cooper said, stroking his chin. “She wants you, but you’re going to need a bloody big gesture.”

Eli grinned. “That’s what I was hoping.”

CHAPTER 27

The sun brought hope with it when it rose the next morning. Aria had cried herself to sleep, certain she had ruined her opportunity for a happy future. But this morning, she was cautiously optimistic. Maybe she couldn’t have a husband and a white picket fence, but she would have a baby and a supportive family. She’d be the best mother she could be, starting now. With that in mind, she called in sick to work and scheduled an appointment with an obstetrician. As soon as she hung up, the phone rang in her hand.

Hesitantly, she accepted the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, Ri.” Cooper sounded overly cheerful. “How are you doing?”

“Could be worse,” she said, looking out the window. “It’s a lovely day.”

“Someone got up on the right side of the bed,” he remarked, uncharacteristically perky. “What are you up to?”

“I rang the hospital,” she said. “Made an appointment for Junior this afternoon.”