“Good morning.” Dad said before coming around the corner.
His father was missing a sleeve to his t-shirt. Linx gave a pointed look to his dad’s missing right sleeve.
“I hear it’s all the rage with the kids these days,” Dad said.
“Morning, Dad.” Linx shook his head and waited for the coffeepot to drip.
Becca pulled more mugs down from the cupboard. “Good morning.”
“I trust you all got some good sleep?” Mom asked.
Dad nudged her with his elbow. “Don’t mention sleep.”
Mom gave him a look like he’d gone bonkers. Linx gave him the same look. Becca glanced up from arranging the mugs and gave him a small smile. “I slept great, thanks.”
She hadn’t, not really. Linx knew because they’d spent most of the night talking and… other things.
“Where’s Courtney?” Linx poured himself a cup, even though it only filled half his mug.
“Courtney’s right here.” Courtney looked like a train had hit her, and then she got run over by a truck. Deep purple rings under her eyes showing she hadn’t caught much shut eye at all. Her combed air was pulled tight against the nape of her neck. Usually, she was ready to roll in the morning.
“Courtney is speaking in the third person.” Linx handed her his coffee as a peace offering, given that she looked like she’d been on the losing end of an all-night bender.
She shook her head, moving toward the refrigerator instead to grab a bottle of cherry-flavored seltzer water.
This was new. Courtney loved her morning coffee better than most anyone else he knew. Except, himself.
“Are you okay, sis?” Maybe they should take her temperature or something? He was sure he had a thermometer in his first aid kit.
He looked to his mom. She’d know what to do.
Mom watched Courtney like she was a hawk but said nothing.
This was also not normal. Usually, as soon as one of her chickies showed the slightest hint of being ill, Mom was all about the Tylenol and the thermometers and the questions about bowel habits.
“Hey,” Courtney sipped at the glass of seltzer she’d poured for herself. “I have something I need to say.”
“What’s up, sweets?” Dad paused, putting the pan on the stove for the bacon Linx had laid out.
“Here’s the thing.” Courtney cleared her throat and fidgeted with the napkin holder in the center of the island. She glanced to Linx, then Becca, then Mom and Dad. “I need you not to freak out. Because I’m not freaking out.”
“Now we’re all freaking out, Courtney.” Come on, it wasn’t like Linx tried to growl. Not really. But the whole don’t-freak-out command totally had him freaking out.
His heart stuck in his throat, so he couldn’t actually ask her if she wasn’t okay. And, clearly, she was not okay.
“Honey.” Mom reached for Courtney’s hand. “What’s going on?”
“I’m pregnant.” Courtney cleared her throat after dropping the bomb. “Before anyone says anything, I already decided to keep the baby.”
No one moved. No one except Becca, who blinked. Hard. The only sounds came from the drip of the coffeemaker and the hiss of the Instant Pot letting off steam.
Courtney didn’t have a steady guy in her life, as far as he knew. She’d been the band’s tour publicist for years. While he figured she’d hooked up with men, there’d never been one that had stuck. None that she brought home. Except that one guy, years ago. But he was a regular jack-wagon dickhead. Linx hadn’t minded at all when she’d scraped him off her shoe.
For the first time since he saw her last night, Linx really looked at his sister. Courtney’s shirt stretched a little extra around her belly.
“Who is the father?” Mom asked, her tone gentle, yet concerned.
Courtney’s cheeks pinked. She quickly shook her head. “He won’t be involved.”
