Page 42 of No Second Chances

“Okay, that’s it.” I let go of her and stand up so fast I almost get taken out at the knees by the swing, but I manage to catch myself before falling face-first off the porch. “You have to snap out of it, and I don’t know how else to help except to give you tough love.”

Parker stares at me with wide eyes for a second before she bursts out laughing.

“Oh shit,” she gasps. “You’ve got sex hair. Like really, really bad, Kennedy. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before now.”

I roll my eyes and shove my hair up into a bun with the hair tie I almost always keep on my wrist before sticking my finger in her face. “Zip it, smart-ass. I’m over here trying to be the voice of reason. No giving me shit about my hair.”

Parker wipes a tear from her eye and nods. “Scout’s honor.” She holds up her hand like Spock, and I can’t even pretend to be serious after that.

“Seriously, Parker.” I try not to laugh. “Remy loves you, and you love him. You’re not in the same position you were when you got pregnant with Nox. You chose him, and he chose you. You’re a family, and you’ve got my great grandmother’s ring on your finger. The man is gonna marry you. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

I lean over and rub my bun in her face, just to annoy her for bringing up how messy it is, and she tries to push me off her.

“Go away, you parasite.” She groans pitifully when I sit down practically on top of her, squishing her into the side of the swing.

As soon as I do, the back door opens and Linc walks out with Remy and Nox behind him. They all watch us like we are crazy, but I don’t move. Until the wood underneath us creaks loudly and then gives out, taking both Parker and me down to the porch in a mess of wood and metal.

Literally the highlight of my life will forever be the fact that I got Parker out of the way and took a back full of wood to keep her from getting injured.

“Look!” Nox yells. “Auntie Kenny’s like a superhero.”

That breaks whatever spell is keeping Remy and Linc frozen in place. In the next instant, Linc is shoving debris from the swing off my body and Remy is picking up Parker as tenderly as he can.

Linc holds me gently, probing my back and neck for any signs of injury. “Are you okay?”

When I look up at him, I can’t exactly move my neck because he is holding it in his hands with a firm grip. So instead, I glare up at him and wait for him to take the hint and let me go. It takes a few seconds, but he does. In the meantime, Nox jumps over the side of the porch and runs around the backyard like someone has given him an energy drink.

“I dropped my coffee,” I mutter murderously.

The offending cup has splattered on the porch, thankfully away from us, but it doesn’t make anything easier. I barely had a chance to drink any of it.

“I’ll get you more.” He pulls me into a kiss, ignoring the groan of displeasure from Remy. When the kiss ends, Linc narrows his eyes at my brother. “Go away if you don’t like it.”

Remy isn’t rattled, and he shrugs. “You’re the one who’s got to deal with her for the rest of her life, not me. I’m just sayin’ if you do it all the time, Mom and Dad are gonna expect to hear they’re having a grandkid sooner rather than later.”

Parker, behind Remy’s back, turns as white as a sheet and shakes her head as innocuously as she can.

My subtle nod is the only indication that I give that I know she doesn’t want Remy to find out even accidentally.

“Hey,” I say suddenly. “I have an appointment tomorrow for girl stuff. I was hoping you’d go with me. You know, to make sure that my IUD is still in place and all that good shit. No one wants a crotch goblin running around accidentally.”

Remy makes a gagging noise. “Stop being disgusting. Why would I go with you?”

“She’s talking to me, Remington.” Parker knocks him out of the way playfully. “And yes.” The thankful expression on her face answers the silent question I have about whether or not I’m being too pushy.

Needlessly, I turn to Linc to offer an explanation, albeit quietly. “Gotta make sure my birth control is up to date and all that shit.”

“Gross,” Remy complains some more.

“Go away if you don’t like hearing about it,” Linc tells him mercilessly. “I had years without her where you told me to pull my head out of my ass and take her. Now that I did, you don’t want to know that we’re being safe?”

My irritation at Remy vanishes in an instant. “You’ve been sticking up for me with Linc?”

Remy and Linc both freeze, and the slow-motion way they turn in my direction reminds me of a possessed doll trying to scare me in the middle of the night. They both gulp audibly, and I see matching expressions of fear.

“Y-yeah,” Remy stutters, looking more like a ten-year-old child than the older brother who puts fear into the hearts of criminals and lesser men. “I did.”

I throw myself at him, which he clearly doesn’t expect since he almost drops me on my ass. He catches on pretty quick when I burst into tears and have my arms wrapped around his neck like a monkey, and he holds me up against him in the tightest hug I’ve ever gotten from my brother.

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