My Best Friends Brother

Chapter 157

JOSH’S P.O.V.

Okay, all these fuckers are definitely keeping something from me.

Liam has been smiling all day like he’s in on a big secret, Brie kept looking over at me during lunch with those eyes she gets every time she thinks she can see into the future and I haven’t seen Miles since he gave me my birthday present this morning.

They’re all planning something.

I’ve made very fucking clear I don’t want a party, even if it did make Charlie lay on my office floor for three hours flailing his arms and legs like a sugar rushed toddler and screaming “But I want tequila!” at the top of his lungs. Party’s are not my thing and with everything going on I couldn’t have all the people I’d want there anyway.

I’ve already had the most amazing day though, my present from Miles was cute as fuck.

Back when we had our date at the museum, we obviously couldn't get anything from the gift shop because the whole place was closed but I saw that they had all this really cool shit in there through the window. I don’t know when he had the time to go there with everything we’ve had going on, but he pretty much had everything I pointed out put together in one big package for me.

I fucking love it... He said I have something else to come later but I told him I don’t want anything else, I just want him. He’s the best fucking present I could’ve ever wished for...

Unless he’s planning on doing what Brie said and just wrapping himself up in a big bow, because that I definitely fucking want.

He’d also helped Liam to make me a seriously sweet present, one they must have been working on for a while. It was a photo album and I fucking love it. He must have dug through all the boxes under my bed to find so many photographs, not to mention all the social media stalking Miles must have done too, but it was kind of fucking amazing to see my life with Liam laid out in the pages like that.

The first photos were ones of him as a baby, always held in my arms, but then it spread out into every moment we've spent together since; every holiday season, every trip to the park, all of it. Just watching him grow, seeing me grow too, we’ve been through so much together. It was just the two of us for so long but then the last few pages we had an extra face at our side, one I hope is always smiling back at the camera through every photograph we take from this day forward.

It was perfect. He’s perfect.

Actually, they both are.

It’s still really fucking hard with everybody else though, I haven’t spent a birthday without Al and Brie together for ten years. Even when I lived outside Westbrooke they would Skype in for my birthday, this year they can't even sit in the same fucking room.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on here?” I ask Liam again for the sixth time. He looks over at Heather who shakes her head before cramming his face full of M&Ms so he couldn't talk even if he wanted to.

Jayce and Al just chuckle, leading me away from my brother and guiding me back towards the front door.

“We told you, you've got somewhere you need to be.” Aleah smiles but I can see the glint in her eyes that means she's definitely up to no fucking good. “Will you stop trying to figure it out and just go already, Liam is good here, stop worrying so much and just get that very nice behind of yours in the car.”

“That would be a lot easier if I knew where the fuck I was going! None of you will tell me shit!” I huff, waving goodbye to Liam as Jayce uses his overwhelming strength to practically shove me out of the door.