I rolled my eyes. “You’re so annoying.”
“If you were here right now, I’d give you a noogie.”
I winced instinctively at the thought of his knuckles rubbing on the top of my head. “Okay, well, bye,” I said pointedly.
He laughed, and his engine started. “You coming home for Thanksgiving?”
“Probably not.”
He laughed harder. “Stacey’s trying to convince me to take the kids up to visit you before the baby gets here. Maybe we’ll come to you for the holidays.”
I glanced down at my belly. That would certainly be interesting. “Mom would kill you.”
“That wasn’t a ‘no,’” he mused. “I’ll tell Stace.”
My heart hammered. This was my big brother. I’d spent so many years trying to follow him around, then grew up and pushed him away. Maybe there was a middle ground. Maybe we could have a relationship, as adults.
But I’d need to let him in. Get to know the man he’d turned into. Let him get to know the woman I’d become.
My hand slid over my belly. Fear hammered against my ribcage with every thump of my heart.
“Actually, Brooks,” I said, then cleared the rocks from my throat.
“Yeah?”
I lost my nerve. “You on your way to work? I’ll let you go.”
The sound of his engine cut out. “No. I’ve got time. What’s up?”
This was uncharted territory. I’d spent so many years pushing him away that I didn’t know who he was or if I could trust him. But the alternative was a lifetime like the past couple of months. Survival. Agony. Despair.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered. “I, um…yeah.”
“Holy shit,” Brooks said. “Congrats! I mean, are you—are you happy?”
The baby punched against my hand, then kicked at a particularly bruised spot on my ribs. I grunted and stood up, breathing heavily. “I…think so,” I finally replied. “Yes.”
“And Cal?”
“That’s…complicated.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“You want me to punch him in the jaw?”
“No. Yes. No.”
Brooks let out a short, sharp breath.
“I’ll figure it out,” I told him.
He hummed, letting the point drop. “When are you due? I need to talk to Stacey. We’ll book tickets—wait, I can tell Stace, right?”
My laugh was watery. “Yeah. You don’t need to come up here.”
“She’ll insist,” Brooks replied. I could hear the smile in his voice. “She’ll want to stock your freezer and do your laundry.”
