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I stare at Lux.
Lux stares at me.
Every so often, my gaze flicks to her belly and a wave of nausea washes over me.
Lux is going to be a mom. My little sister is having a baby. I'm going to be an uncle.
Jesus.
My head spins as I mentally compile everything I need to do to baby-proof the ranch and wrack my brain trying to figure out how the hell I missed this. She didn’t drink at Mom’s funeral but I thought it was just her being responsible. She’s been tired lately but that’s hardly anything new. That godawful cardigan she wore the day Dad showed up should’ve been a dead giveaway something was up; she would never subject herself to Grandma's scrutiny without a valid reason.
God, I feel like a dumbass.
“Are you mad at me?” Lux interrupts my internal spiralling, two protective hands on her stomach like she’s shielding it from me.
“No.” I sigh. “I'm not mad.” Not at her, anyway. Hell fucking yeah am I mad at the steaming pile of shit that knocked her up. Now seems like a terrible time to whip out an ‘I told you so’ but I always knew he was good for nothing. “I'm just surprised.”
“You and me both,” Lux mutters beneath her breath.
“Do the girls know?”
“No.”
“When are you planning on telling them?”
“I was planning on seeing how long it takes them to notice,” she jokes, or at least I think it’s a joke. “I don't think Lottie will until there's a screaming baby keeping her awake.”
That drags a laugh out of me. She's probably not wrong.
She adds, “I'll tell them. I was just... waiting a bit. Until I absolutely had to.” A foot nudges my thigh. “Until I told you.”
I nudge her back. “Why did you take so long?”
Lux drops her gaze, nose scrunching. “I didn't want you to be disappointed in me.”
Ah, fuck.
Standing, I gesture for Lux to scoot over so I can stretch out beside her, slinging an arm across her shoulders and dragging her close. “I could never be disappointed in you.”
“I’m not gonna fuck it up. I won’t be like Mom.”
Heart? Breaking. Chest? Hurting. Temper? Flaring just a touch.
I clutch my sister a little tighter. “I know.”
“He’s not gonna turn out like us.”
“I think we turned out pretty okay.” I hum, reaching out to gently poke her belly. “It’s a he?”
Lux nods, rubbing her stomach fondly and jerking an elbow into my side. “What do you think of Oscar Jackson The Third?”
“Call him that and I'm kicking both of you off my ranch.”
My sister barks out a laugh. “Have you told her about that yet? Buying the ranch?”
“Luna?” The look on her face screamsduh. “No.”
“You probably should. When you marry the girl, the place will be half hers.”
