The Anthony Brothers - Accidental Love (#1), Contemporary Romance Series (2 page)

“Where do you think he is?” Santana said as he eyed the clock on the wall.

Mavis was off to the kitchen to prepare for lunch. The four brothers were on the veranda, catching up and waiting for Jin to arrive. Jin was of Chinese descent and had been brought home by Simon after a short work assignment he’d had in Hong Kong. Of the five young men adopted by Simon and Mavis Anthony, he was the second oldest and the most soft-spoken and quiet, mostly keeping to himself. Still, his silence presence was necessary to complete the bunch.

“I already sent him a message, but the man isn’t responding,” Markus informed them as he checked his phone for messages. At twenty-eight, he was the oldest of the brothers. A frown marred his dark brown face. The charismatic, adventurous and fast-talking man was always the one getting everyone into trouble with his crazy schemes and mischievous ideas. Now a stockbroker, he still loved living his life on the edge, enjoying the thrill of risk.

Jai lifted his dark rimmed glasses over the bridge of his nose as his fingers began flying over his laptop’s keyboard. His black, shoulder-length curly hair fell to his face as he focused on the keyboard. “I believe I can locate his coordinates given the right key. I have just the right algorithm…”

Markus threw a crumpled piece of paper at him. “Ugh…no one can understand you, fool.”

Zack chuckled. “I think he means he can track Jin down.”

“And you can’t just say that?” Santana gestured toward Jai.

Jai just harrumphed and went ahead with trying to find their brother.

Zack, the most serious of the bunch, was the one who looked most like he could be Simon and Mavis’ son. He had their blonde hair and their fair complexion. However, just like the rest of his brothers, he was adopted. Jai and Zack were the same age. They even had the same birthdate, but they were far from looking like twins.

Jai was brought home by Simon from India the same day Zack was brought to their home by a social worker. Both were orphans, but had the bond of blood siblings.

Jai eventually became a systems analyst and software developer. Quite the techie, he tended to talk in technological terms no one ever quite understood. His favorite solution was to roll his eyes when his brothers made fun of him about it.

It was often Zack who could translate for him, though he wasn’t much of a techie himself. Zack was a busy lawyer who probably got into that career track because he constantly had to get them out of trouble.

Most people do a double take when they see them all together – five young men of different nationalities, calling themselves brothers --but the Anthony brothers grew up blind of the differences. That Victorian home they grew up in was their refuge, a place where there were no distinctions between race and origin. They were brothers. That was it.

And though they were all leading their own lives, that day, to them, was sacred and it was always a day they were committed to honor by gathering together in their home. It was Simon’s death anniversary.

They knew that Jin, no matter how busy he was as a surgeon, wouldn’t miss their reunion for the world. So even though he was ridiculously late, there was no doubt in any of their minds that he was going to be there.

“Eureka!” Jai exclaimed, his eyes twinkling. “Jin Anthony is…” he rolled his eyes “…in the driveway.”

All four guys got up and rushed inside, passing by the kitchen, only serving to rattle Mavis, who had just pulled out an enticingly aromatic casserole from the oven. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Jin’s here,” Santana announced.

Mavis brows crinkled. “How do you know?”

“Jai can try to explain, ma,” Markus smirked, “but you know Jai… you won’t understand a thing that comes out of his mouth.”

“Hey…” Jai glared defensively at his older brother.

“Let’s get the Jin man!” Zack passed Jai by, but stole a kiss from his mother’s cheek before heading off to the front door.

Neither Jin nor his brothers were prepared for what was to come.

---

Both parties found themselves rather surprised. Jin was taken aback that they were ready to pounce on him before he announced his arrival. He looked nervously toward the beautiful woman next to him.

His brothers could hardly contain their shock. They never thought the day would come when Jin would bring a girl home. He was notoriously picky and hardly dated at all – he was too busy.

And yet, there he was… Jin was standing in the driveway of their childhood home, looking as if he’d stepped out of a GQ magazine – the brothers would all agree later on – holding the hand of a very pretty and petite young Chinese woman.

There was a moment of stunned silence before the woman nudged Jin on the side, making him snap in to attention.

Jin cleared his throat took on a tone as if he were announcing a business partner. “Hello, everyone, this is Mei-Ling. Mei-Ling, these are my brothers.”

Mei-Ling was visibly surprised as she was introduced to each brother.

“That’s Markus, the oldest. That’s Jai and Zack. They’re practically twins… they were born on the same day and can read each other’s minds. Then that’s Santana, the youngest.”

Mei-Ling looked from Jin to the guys then back to Jin again. The confusion on her face was utterly precious. “They’re your… brothers?”

Jin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, knowing how strange the scenario appeared to Mei-Ling.
I really should’ve told her about my background before bringing her here. What was I thinking?

Just about then, Mavis weaved her way past his brothers, cooing, “Where is he? Where’s Jin?” Her face lit up at the sight of him. “Jin!” She pulled him in for a hug.

If Mei-Ling was surprised at seeing Jin’s brothers, she was even more surprised upon seeing his mother. Jin couldn’t really blame her. There was a striking contrast between his handsome Chinese looks and Mavis’ blonde hair and blue eyes. She was the all-American poster mom.

Mavis, however, was delighted upon seeing Mei-Ling. The truth was that she was the first serious girlfriend any of the boys had taken home to meet her.

“You are lovely, aren’t you?” She pulled Mei-Ling into a warm embrace the moment they were introduced.

Jin sympathetically looked at his girlfriend, who was now being ushered into the kitchen. He was certain she was about to be peppered with invasive questions by Mavis. He had little time to worry, though, since his brothers were now giving him pointed looks, ready with questions of their own.

“How is it that we haven’t heard of you having a girlfriend until now?” Markus asked, assuming his position as the oldest among them, his arms crossing over his chest as they all took a seat at the living room.

Jin chuckled and ran a hand over his clean-cut black hair. A blush quickly covered his pale white skin. “She’s not just my girlfriend.”

Santana’s eyes widened, ready for a juicy story. “You’re…going to be a dad?”

Jin cast a glare at his younger brother – one that clearly said,
what is wrong with you?
“No,” he shook his head. “We’re just engaged. That’s all.”

All four mouths dropped open.

“What?!” Zack eventually exclaimed. “Well done,” he followed.

They had a barrage of questions after their congratulations.

“When did this happen?”

“
How
did this happen?”

“How did you get a girl as pretty as her to agree to marry you?”

“How did you meet?”

“I thought you’d end up with the monks!”

It was Jai who’d cracked this joke, of course. Everyone paused and stared at him before bursting into laughter.

“Now, now, we all know Jin is just selective. Seems he’s chosen well.”

Jai looked absolutely dumbfounded and he began looking from Jin to his laptop then back to his laptop again. “Well… I just always assumed that…”

Red-faced, Zack was slowly trying to hold back the laughter in order to respond on behalf of his ‘twin’. “I think what Jai is trying to say is that next to him, we always figured you’d be the last person to get into a relationship.”

“Hey…” Jai began to protest at the implication that he had as bad of a track record as Jin.

“I agree with Jai and Zack,” Markus nodded, getting back on topic, “You were celibate pretty much throughout high school…and college…and medical school. Unlike Santana here who I’m pretty sure went out with every girl in his class.”

A smirk appeared on Santana’s face as he said, “I’m doing the females a service.”

He got a collective response of protesting glares and a couple of couch pillows thrown his way.

Jin grinned as he watched the scene, enjoying the company of his brothers and how free he was to be himself when he was around them. Of the five, he’d always been the more bookish one. He knew he deserved their ribbing about his dating history, or lack thereof.

It wasn’t that he was bad looking. In fact, he was sure that he was fairly attractive – especially considering how he’d managed to push himself to stay fit as a distraction from the books all these years. It was just that during his studies, he was really driven to accomplish his dreams and women weren’t a priority. He didn’t find the time to date even after he’d became an accomplished podiatrist and established his own practice.

He was content with this until he met Mei-Ling during a convention for alternative medicine. She was a holistic healer visiting from Hong Kong. Since she was one of the guest speakers and he was one of the convention’s organizers, he was asked to be her host. She planned to live in the US for a year to conduct trainings on holistic healing. She and Jin begun hanging out even after the convention and somehow, she filled a void in Jin he hadn’t even known was there.

Jin straightened on his seat as he tried to explain the connection he had with Mei-Ling to his brothers. They’d always been encouraged to learn more about their heritage, but they’d mostly been content to identify with each other and their upbringing as part of the Anthony family.

“Don’t get me wrong. What we had growing up… I’d never exchange that for any other upbringing. I wouldn’t trade this family for anything, but still…When I met Mei-Ling, it’s like she ignited that part of me that wants to know more about myself. More about who I am and where I come from.”

Some of his brothers looked at him in awe while others will still amused by it all. Jin rarely ever spoke, but when he did, he often spoke quite eloquently. However, they’ve never actually thought about exploring their individual roots. They’d always just been satisfied being the All-American melting pot known as the Anthony brothers. Race and nationality were not really part of their thoughts.

“Hey,” Santana shrugged. “If the lovely Mei is helping you find some missing piece of you, then that’s cool, man.”

“But really, Jin?” Markus asked, a teasing twinkle of mischief on the corners of his eyes. “She
ignited
that part of you? Who says stuff like that?”

Jai and Zack exchanged glances, silly grins on their faces. It was Zack who eventually voiced out what was going on in both their minds.

             
“So, who is going to be the best man?”

Mei-Ling dangled her feet over the porch swing as she appreciated the riverside scenery in front of the Anthony home. Her almond-shaped eyes lit up upon seeing Jin approach her.

“I hope you’re not too surprised to find out what my family is like,” he said, sitting beside her and comfortably resting his hand over her knee.

A smile formed on her pouty lips. “At first, yes. I didn’t expect your family to be so diverse. You never mentioned that you were adopted.”

“I probably should’ve mentioned it, but it just never came up.” The truth is that he shared such a bond with his brothers that he didn’t think much about it, forgetting how shocking it can be for others.

“It’s nice to see how you were brought up. It’s quite interesting.” She still had a slight Chinese accent – something that he found so lovable about her. “It’s so different from mine.” Mei-Ling snuggled closer to him, nuzzling her head against the nook of his neck.

Jin once again felt the now familiar ache of longing to know more about the Chinese culture. It was an ache that he started to feel since he met Mei-Ling. “Do you think I’ll ever get to meet your family?”

She looked up at him, her brown eyes twinkling. “If we’re going to get married, you kind of have to meet them. Be warned though. My family is not like your mother and brothers. Our family is a lot more… strict.”

“I’m sure they’re great. How else would such a wonderful young woman like you come to be?”

A blush highlighted the splash of freckles on her cheeks. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“I mean it.” He clasped her hands in his, squeezing to emphasize his point.

“I’m going to visit Hong Kong next week. Come with me. You can then meet my family.”

He was taken aback. He didn’t expect her to invite him to meet her family so soon. Though there was a hint of apprehension in how he felt about it, Jin did not hesitate to say yes. With anything that pertained to her, he found that he was rarely able to say no. “That sounds great, Mei-Ling. I’m looking forward to it.”

She seemed surprised that he agreed to the trip right off the bat. “That’s it? You’re not even going to ask your mother’s permission to go?”

“I’m a grown man, Mei-Ling. I can make decisions on my own. We’ll just inform Mavis and my brothers over dinner later.” Jin shifted on his seat in order to look at her face. “Why do you seem surprised?”

She shrugged. “I was raised to always seek permission from my parents. Their opinions and approval lay a great weight on the decisions that I make. Sometimes, they even decide for me.”

Jin gulped. “So if they don’t like me…” The idea filled him with dread. He had already reached the point where he couldn’t imagine living his life apart from her.

A reassuring smile formed on her face as she flipped her long straight hair over her shoulders. “Jin, don’t worry. They’ll love you. I know it.”

“I hope you’re right, because…” Jin started to say only to be interrupted by Markus, who laid a heavy hand over his shoulder.

“Hey, bro. Mom’s been looking for you.” Markus said. He then grinned at Mei-Ling. “You don’t mind, do you, Mei?”

Apparently, Jin’s brothers had already decided for themselves to call Mei-Ling by the nickname Santana picked for her. Mei-Ling didn’t seem to mind. Jin actually quite liked the nickname.

Mei-Ling smiled at Markus. “No not at all.”

Jin looked at her with concern. “You sure you’re going to be alright?”

“Of course,” she wrinkled her nose. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Yeah, Jin,” Markus agreed, leaning on one of the front porch’s posts. “Why wouldn’t Mei be fine? Go talk with ma while we get to know our sister-in-law-to-be.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “You’ll be fine with them. I know they look scary, but none of them bite.”

Markus sneered and sent Mei-Ling a knowing look. “Unless, of course, you want us too.”

Mei-Ling chuckled – her laughter such a sweet sound to Jin’s ears. She shook her head. “No, I think there’ll be no biting necessary.”

Assured that his brothers were going to keep his fiancée company, Jin entered the house and found his mother in the kitchen, having a conversation with Zack and Jai.

“Ma?” Jin started, “Markus said that you were looking for me?”

Mavis smiled, but Zack spoke up before she could respond, directing his words toward their elderly mother. “We’ll leave you to talk with Jin here about our future sister-in-law.”

Jai was still giving Jin a strange look. “I can’t believe you’re going to get married first. Who knew?”

Jin rolled his eyes at his brothers and moved toward the kitchen counter, lifting himself up over one of the wooden stools across from Mavis. “What is it that you wanted to talk about, Ma?” he asked as Zack and Jai made their way out of the kitchen.

“Mei-Ling is a very lovely young woman, Jin.”

Jin smiled fondly at the thought of his fiancée. “She is, isn’t she?”

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, son,” Mavis began to say, setting a serious tone into their conversation. “But I just want to make sure that you are going to marry her out of your love for her and not because she somehow serves as your connection to your cultural background.”

Jin was not expecting that. “That adds to the emotions, Ma, but I can tell you that my falling in love with her and asking her to marry me has nothing to do with that. I’ve never felt this way toward a woman before. It’s like she’s somehow a missing piece in my life’s puzzle. You know what it’s like, Ma. You loved dad.”

A bittersweet look glazed over Mavis’ eyes at the mention of Simon. “I understand perfectly.”

He waited a couple of seconds to see if she was going to tell him anything else, but Mavis kept silent, so he chose it as the perfect time to ask permission to go to Hong Kong. “I thought you should know, Ma. If it’s okay with you, Mei-Ling and I are going to Hong Kong next week to meet her family.”

“Of course it’s okay with me. You don’t need my permission, but I appreciate that you value my say enough to ask.”

Mavis’ reaction struck a cord with Jin as he noted Mei-Ling’s influence toward him. He never would’ve normally asked permission from his mother regarding something like this. He didn’t expect it to mean so much to his mother to be asked. All five of them were raised to not hesitate to show affection to both their parents, and Jin realized that it’s been so long since he’d shown Mavis any affection. Thus, he chose the opportunity to pull his mother in his embrace and whisper, “I love you, Ma. Thank you for everything.”

He couldn’t have known that the gesture meant the world to Mavis.