The other way around

Rebecca could understand her brother's confusion. Even she had trouble believing it and she was the one who had made the decision to get engaged, so she could hardly expect her brother to be a-okay with everything from the get go, without any questions or reservations. She nodded again and said, "Yeah, it took me by surprise as well. I didn't expect things to move this fast either. But it just happened. It was a spur of the moment thing. Anthony proposed and told me he would be fine if I wasn't ready to be his fiancé yet, but the more I thought about it, the more I struggled to find a reason not to accept his proposal. It isn't like we will get married tomorrow or something, but with this the intentions are clear and we can both just jump in with both feet. See if we are meant to go the distance, you know? But of course if you don't agree and aren't able to give your blessing, I will put a hold on all of this. I thought since you two get along so well and you already call him brother Anthony, you might be okay with him officially becoming your brother."

Although her words were fine like this and offered plenty explanation, Rebecca wouldn't be Rebecca if she didn't fumble her words at least a bit. So, she added the unnecessary clarification, "In-law that is.", before realizing herself that it might have been unneeded and saying, "But you get my point I think." Her brother let out an involuntary chuckle as he dropped his head from a slight disbelief, before returning to the important matter at hand. "I suppose if you thought about it and are sure about this, then I have no objections. Brother Anthony is a great guy and I want the both of you to be happy. If you both think you can be happy by being together, I am all for it. I have always wanted an older brother and I'll gladly let Anthony fill that role."

Rebecca looked up, looking slightly teary-eyed as she asked her brother to confirm, "Are you sure?". To which he responded with a wide grinned chuckle and a nod. Rebecca got up and hugged her brother, making him lose his balance and fall back into the couch. She whispered a soft 'Thank you', as his potential disapproval had made her more worried than she cared to admit. Now that he had given them his blessing, she had no more concerns on her side. Leaving Anthony's parents as the only remaining potential hurdle. All others did not matter at all. Or so she thought.

Then it suddenly dawned on her. The 'no dating' policy that they had at Infinity Enterprises! How could she have forgotten about that?? She couldn't imagine having to work somewhere else but now that they had finally taken this leap, she didn't want to back out on the relationship with Anthony either. She had to tell Noah and Steve as soon as possible. Although they had been pretty high up in the list of people she wanted to tell, the reason for telling them had now changed. Noah and Steve had taken her in and treated her like a little sister. So, even though she called them Mr. Stephens and Mr. Branson. She was wondering what to do. Panicking in a way. But her brother realized her sudden change in state of mind, and he asked her, "What is wrong? I said I would accept the relationship. So, why do you look so stressed and worried?" Rebecca confided in him and told her brother about the no dating a colleague rule they had at Infinity Enterprises. They didn't like the drama that came with people dating and then breaking up. Nor the distractions and lack of efficiency that came with it.

But while Rebecca was worried, her brother, despite his young age, just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why worry when you don't even know how they will react? There are exceptions for every rule, including this one. I doubt uncle Noah or uncle Steve will ask you to break up with brother Anthony. They have taken us in as family and helped us out so much. I think they are as invested in your happiness as I am. They too can see that what you and brother Anthony have is real and not just a spur of the moment thing or something purely based on physical attraction. If anything, I think they might have been helping you two get together from the shadows. I mean, why have us live in the same apartment complex? Why have you two work on the same floor and assign you to so many tasks together? Even a blind man could realize brother Anthony's feelings for you. So, if they really didn't want to take any risks, I would imagine that they would have made sure to create some distance between you two instead of pushing you together."

Rebecca was surprised to hear Sam say all of this. When had her little brother become so wise and perceptive? When had he become so dependable and become the one who calmed her down instead of the other way around? She had always been forced to be the strong one after they had been abandoned by their parents. The one who had no weaknesses. The one he could rely on, no matter the circumstances. Somehow with their lives becoming calmer and more stable because of Steve and Noah's help, she had become softer. She had lost that edge she had for such a long time. Adding feelings of love and the resurfacing of her past insecurities to the mix, she had almost forgotten the person she was before. She was now a mere shadow of that person. Although it felt good to no longer have to be strong all the time, it had certainly surprised her just how fragile she could actually be.