His eyes were warm when he stared down at me. "Well, I should probably get in the habit of not cussing now since I've heard that children often repeat what they hear their parents say."
My face flushed. He had a good point.
"Oh, man, now she's gonna be even stricter than she was before," Scott complained.
I nudged him with my elbow again, a little harder this time, and he yelped.
"Damn, Lee, that was uncalled for." My brother leaped away from me before I could get him again since he'd cursed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll stop."
"For now," I stated.
Scott made a face at me before he turned to J.J., "You have no idea what you're in for," he warned.
I took a small step toward him but he was ready for it and took off running, cackling the entire way. I rolled my eyes but I was still smiling.
"Your brother is a shi—" Brody paused. "Uh, pot stirrer."
I laughed as he wandered toward the front of the truck, leaving me alone with J.J. My husband.
"You look rested," he commented when I faced him. His eyes lowered to my feet. "And your feet aren't swollen anymore."
I wiggled my toes as I studied my feet. "Nope." I lifted my face back toward his. "But you could have woken me up when the circus came to town."
J.J. smiled. "They showed up at seven. I'd just gotten up and I was drinking a cup of coffee on the porch. The only reason they didn't bother you is because I gave them stuff to do." His grin widened. "I think they planned to ruin any plans we had for staying in bed."
I rolled my eyes but I was smiling, too. I was glad that he found my brothers' idiocy amusing because he was going to be stuck with it for at least a year, maybe two. I also knew that they were hoping to interrupt morning nookie since they didn't realize J.J. and I weren't in a "traditional" marriage.
"I wouldn't put it past them. They're buttheads."
"Jay!" Scott called from the front of the truck. "We have time to help you bring over your couch. Are y'all moving Lee's crappy one out here?" he asked.
I wasn't offended because it was a crappy couch. When J.J. looked at me, he asked, "Are we good to move your couch out and mine in?"
"We're good," I answered.
He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before brushing the tip of his nose against mine. It was sweet and made my breath catch.
"Stop smooching my sister and get your butt in here to help with this couch!" Robert yelled as he headed toward the house.
I was still struggling to find my breath when J.J. disappeared inside with all four of my brothers and Brody. Why it took all of them to move a couch that I'd managed to load into a truck with only my mother for help, I didn't know, but at least they were no longer threatening his safety.
A few moments later, I realized that one of my brothers hadn't gone inside. Scott came around the back of the truck and stopped in front of me.
"Hey, little sister," he said.
"Hey, big brother."
His brow puckered as he studied me. "I don't usually like to pry into your personal life—" he started.
I had to snort. Good God, that was a whopper of a lie if I'd ever heard one.
Scott sighed. "Okay, so I pry, but in this instance, I normally wouldn't say anything because, as your brother, it should make me happy."
I frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"
He mulled over his words before he finally said, "The fact that J.J. is sleeping in the guest room. I mean, I get that the baby wasn't planned or anything, but he's not...I don't know, punishing you for getting pregnant, is he? Because you know me and the boys will straighten his ass out for you."
I sighed. It appeared one of my brothers had noticed the state of affairs. Considering Scott was in law enforcement, I wasn't surprised he'd caught on. He saw everything.
