"They've been great so far… except… I overheard them talking."
Danna leans forward, her eyes widening with intrigue. "About what? Were they saying filthy things about you because I wouldn't blame them? You're hot!"
"Not filthy… they were talking about you, actually."
"Me?"
"Yeah… about your setup and how they should be doing the same thing for me."
Danna throws her head back and whoops, clapping her hands with glee. "I knew it! I had this feeling when Uncle Walter told me you were coming back to town."
"Why would you have a feeling?"
"Because of the way your dad raised them. It's similar to the Jackson's… and my friend Laura is in a similar arrangement with her stepbrothers, the McGregors. Boys raised in close family units don't want to lose those relationships. This is so exciting!"
"But they don't even know me!"
Danna rests her hand on my knee. "The idea of it comes first. In my case, it was something I wanted and something Jackie wanted for her sons. They came around after they fell for me. In the case of your foster brothers, the idea is there. They've seen you and obviously liked what they've seen. The rest is just about hoping that you'll all get along. And work. No relationship exists without work."
"But finding one good guy is hard enough… eleven isn't going to be possible."
"Your dad was a good guy, wasn't he? He raised good men."
"My dad didn't speak to me for years. To be honest, I have no idea what kind of man he was."
Danna tips her head to the side and shrugs. "Family is complicated. And hell, I guess none of the semantics matters if you're not interested in the idea." She rubs her chin, and her eyes narrow. "But you wouldn't be telling me if you weren't interested, would you? You wouldn't be asking all of these questions if the idea didn't float your boat."
"I don't know for sure that they all want it. They took a vote, and I didn't overhear the result conclusively. Also, I don't know what I want. I'm nineteen years old. I can barely deal with school and classwork, let alone serious relationships. When it comes to love, I'm pretty bad at working out who is good and who is bad, and I've gotten myself into a bit of a situation."
"What?" Danna looks me over and then gasps. "Are you pregnant?"
"How the hell did you guess that?" I ask.
"I saw you touch yourself here when we were in the kitchen," she says, resting her hand low on her belly. "I thought maybe you had a stomachache, but it's such a pregnant woman thing to do. How far gone? You look tiny."
"Six weeks," I say. "I only did the test a few days ago."
"And the father?"
"He isn't interested."
"Stupid fucker," Danna says viciously. "I just don't get these guys who want to fuck around but then aren't prepared to step up. This is a life, for fuck's sake."
"It's complicated."
"Have you told your foster brothers? I guess a pregnancy might change their thinking regardless of how you feel about everything."
"I told one of them. He shared it with the rest. They know." I find my hand drifting to my heart as I think about what they said. "They don't want my child to grow up without a father."
"Damn," Danna says, nodding with a knowing look on her face. "You don't have to tell me anything more. You've got eleven amazing guys there. Eleven guys who want to step in for a child whose own father isn't interested. Whether they want to be your lovers or your brothers, does it matter?"
"Yeah, but doesn't it strike you as odd… like why the hell would anyone want to saddle themselves with another man's child?"
"Look at Jackie. She took in ten children who were born to other women. And your dad. He didn't care whose sperm was involved in making those boys. All he cared about was giving them a home and the love that they needed to thrive. If your foster brothers are saying they're willing to do that too, maybe it just means they've learned great lessons from your dad."
"Maybe," I say, mulling over Danna's words. "I just… I never thought I'd be in this situation. I imagined… well, I imagined what most girls imagine. Meeting a guy, falling in love, getting married before starting a family. You know, the perfect romance."
Danna cocks her head to the side and shrugs. "I think I've come to learn that perfect romances don't come shaped by cookie cutters. Maybe you need to learn that too in your own time."
"I don't have time, though, do I?" I gaze down at my belly, imagining the growth of the child within fast-forwarded over the next seven and a half months. That time is going to fly by, and I need to be ready. It's not fair for me to selfishly plan for my life when my baby needs stability.