Page 56 of Chasing Honor

“I’ll, um, get the door. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Honor picked up the brush she’d dropped and practically ran for the front door. Not that I blamed her. I’d be surprised if she returned.

My dad came into the dining room and looked between Carson and me. “What’s going on? Why does Honor look—”

“Nothing.” I cut him off.

I thought I’d been spared any further questioning, but when my mom and Honor came in, holy fuck, had I been wrong.

“You ready to make pancakes?” my mom asked.

“Yep.”

“Good.” Then my mom, being a super-sleuth-female, sniffed something was amiss with her tribe and had to ask, “What’s wrong? What are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Gran. We were just talking about how I didn’t need to go to cheer camp this summer if Honor is going to be my mom.”

I thought all the air had been sucked from the room when both women inhaled like it was the last breath they’d ever take. My father was stone-faced. And Carson was smiling, like she’d simply solved this summer’s issue with where she would go while I was at work.

“What?” Carson asked looking at all the adults in the room like we’d grown three heads.

“Nothing, darlin’. Let’s hurry and mix the batter up. I’m starving.”

“Okay. I set everything on the counter like you asked.”

“Perfect. We’ll have them whipped up in no time, and Gran can man the griddle.”

“What’s a griddle?”

“Let’s go into the kitchen, and I’ll show you.” Honor’s hand shook as she reached for Carson. “Ethan. Lenox. Would either of you like a cup of coffee.”

My dad just stared, Stunned, I swallowed the lump in my throat, but Honor didn’t miss a beat. Neither of us answered, but she forged on like we had. “Great. I’ll bring you both out a cup.”

Honor and Carson went into the kitchen, however, the rest of us were glued in place.

“What the fuck just happened?” I whispered.

“I think you know what happened,” my dad answered.

“No, dad. I don’t know. What am I supposed to tell Carson? Honor is freaked the fuck out, not that I blame her.”

“Tell Carson the truth. And the last thing Honor is, is freaked out.”

“And the truth is?”

“That, yes, one day Honor will be her mom,” my mom answered.

“Seriously? That’s all you have? She’s eight,” I reminded them. “I can’t tell her that.”

Honor came back and placed two cups of coffee on the table, sliding the cup of black coffee toward my dad, and the slightly blonde one in front of me.

“Already put your sugar in it, Lenox.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey.” I grabbed her hand before she could walk back into the kitchen.

Honor looked down at me and shifted her head to the side, and, suddenly, I wasn’t sure why I’d stopped her or what I wanted to say.

“Yeah?”