Chapter Forty
Brody
Landry and I were sitting on her brother’s front porch, watching our puppy play with theirs. The things were twelve weeks old and already too big to carry. “If we hadn’t already broken ground on the new house, I would change my mind about living here most of the year.” I took a swig off my beer bottle, leaning back to catch more of the fan breeze. “August in Texas is fucking hot as balls.”
Landry whipped her head to the side, glaring at me. “Oh really? You’re hot?” She pointed to her massively pregnant belly. “I’m carrying around an extra thirty-five pounds of person.”
Crue bent down and took a beer from the cooler between him and Beau. Crue and I had a weird bond. We’d kind of clicked from the start. He really did feel like a little brother to me. “No one forced you to get knocked up and gain a bunch of weight.” An annoying little brother.
I popped him in the back of the head. “Hey. Don’t say shit like that to her.” Crue was in a craptastic mood, again. The kid was perpetually cranky these days.
“Sorry.”
“One of these days, I won’t be pregnant. And I hit harder than Brody.” She narrowed her eyes, shooting daggers at her younger cousin.
“Have you talked to the band? How’s Uncle Luke doing?” Halen walked out of the house, carrying five popsicles and a bowl of ice for the puppies.
“Yeah, Landry and I actually watched the performance last night. He’s doing great. He’s still got it, that’s for sure.” Our boring road manager, Ted, had set up a FaceTime system with great audio so we could watch Luke’s second show with Clashing Swell. “I’m so glad he offered to fill in for me.” I took a large bite off my cherry-flavored treat and then rested my free hand on Landry’s belly. “She’s gonna pop any day now.”
“It’s so damn hot.” Landry sat up and whipped her shirt off. She was wearing a white bikini top underneath. She spent most mornings in the pool; she said she liked feeling weightless.
“Baby cakes, if you’re that hot, then let’s go back to the house.” I got up, hoisting her to her feet.
“I need this baby out of me, Brody.” She shook her head, eyes pleading. “I need it OUT.”
“Go have dirty sex.” Crue drained the rest of his beer. Halen smacked his hand when he reached for another. “It always works on TV.”
“Is that true?” Landry regarded Crue skeptically, like she was almost afraid he was lying to be a dick.
“Yes, it’s true.” Landry’s Aunt Lexi walked up on the porch. “That’s how we got Avory to come on out.”
“Mom. Stop it.” Halen shook her head, a semi-disgusted look on her face.
I turned to Landry, a big fucking smile on mine. “You wanna have a baby today?”
She nodded. “Yes, please. I’m literally begging you.” I took her hand and pulled her toward her brother’s front door.
“Whoa, where are you going? You aren’t banging my sister in my house.” Beau stood up, blocking the entrance with his arm.
“Well, I certainly can’t dirty fuck her in your parents’ house, now can I? She’ll be too loud. Your dad would shit a brick.”
Landry took a step forward, pointing her finger in her brother’s face. “I need this baby out of me, Beau. I’m hot, I’m tired, my feet hurt, my ankles are swollen, and my back is killing me. I can’t stop sweating.” She shoved past her brother, opening the door, the AC blasting the porch and making everyone groan at how good it felt. “I’ll buy you a new guest bed.”
He moved out of the way, looking at his Aunt Lexi. “You know, you guys think we hide things from you, but do you see what brutal honesty looks like? Do you? They could have told us they wanted to cool off. Landry could have asked to take a nap in the guest room. But no. I have to be hyper aware of the fact the Brody is about to nail my sister until she goes into labor.”
“I thought you were on board with no more lies.” Landry leaned back out of the house, cocking an eyebrow.
“I may be changing my stance.” Beau stomped off the porch into the front yard. “I’ll be at the pool house. Come get me when they’re done, or when Landry goes into labor.”
“Oh, we aren’t stopping until my water breaks.” Landry cupped her hand around her mouth, calling out into the yard. She slammed the door on the image of her brother flipping her off. She pulled me down a hallway to the right, kissing me and peeling my shirt over my head. “If this works, we’re making Crue the baby’s godfather.”
I spun her around once we got into the guest room. She pressed her palms on the mattress and I curved my body around hers. I trailed my nose up her neck and my fingers up her thigh. “So fucking ready for me, baby.”
“Holy crap.”
“Did your water just break?” I took a step back, studying the trickle of clear fluid that was forming a puddle on the wood floor. “Damn. I was really in the mood to fuck. What are the chances that you still want to?”
“Brody.”
I held my hands up. “Yeah, no, you’re right. We should get you to the hospital.”
“No, help me up on the bed first. I want Beau to think my water broke from us getting it on in his guest room.” Landry crawled up on the bed, sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her.
“That’s kind of mean.”
“That’s siblings.” She wiggled around and then got back off. “Okay. Now we can go have a baby.”
I took her face in my hands, kissing her lips.
“Holy shit. We’re going to have a baby.”