Page 27 of Whiskey Reveals

That was possibly the most words his brother had ever said in a full sentence without breathing.

“You know what, screw it, come with me to my office. I really don’t want to have to explain to the guests why I’m freaking out and why Fox seems to be staring at his drink—without alcohol by the way—and acting as if nothing is wrong.”

Thinking that was probably a good idea, Fox followed Dare and Loch into Dare’s office. He couldn’t believe that he’d actually just blurted that out like he had, and he had no idea what to say now. But it wasn’t as if he could backtrack and pretend that nothing had happened. He couldn’t pretend that Melody wasn’t pregnant. He couldn’t pretend that their one night together didn’t have consequences beyond an awkward morning after, and he couldn’t pretend that he would be fine doing everything alone while he tried to figure out what the next step was. His family was close for a reason, and he really just needed to talk to his brothers. Then he could find the courage to talk to his sister and his parents. And then maybe he could figure out how to talk to Melody. He’d already been trying to think of ways into her life before everything changed, and now he knew it would be just that much harder. So, yes, he needed to talk to his brothers and get his thoughts in order so he didn’t make a mistake and act like a fucking asshole. Because when Fox got stressed and confused, that’s exactly what he turned into. And he had no desire to be that kind of man.

Or that kind of father.

Oh, God. Father. He kept thinking the word, and now his stomach hurt. Thankfully, as he sat down in one of the chairs in his brother’s office, Dare held out a glass of whiskey, and Fox clung to it as if it would save his life.

“Bottoms up.” Dare met his gaze, and Fox figured the panic there was probably only a fraction of what was in his own eyes. Because the more he let the situation sink in, the more he wanted to run around screaming.

Both his brothers held their glasses, and the three of them drowned the shot in one. The burn felt damn good down his throat, the smoky flavor perfection. Of course, it was his brother’s whiskey so it would be the best taste for any situation. That was one thing his family did right, and one thing the town was known for. Its whiskey. He never would have figured that he would need it and tradition to calm down after finding out that he had gotten a woman pregnant after a one-night stand. He was truly a fumbling idiot.

“You’re going to have to break this down to us step-by-step,” Loch said slowly from Fox’s other side.

“And make it slow,” Dare added.

“I met Melody that night in the bar. I didn’t know she was moving here, and I don’t think she knew until halfway through our night that I actually lived here. We had too much whiskey, and then we went back to my place. I’m not going to give you the details of that, but needless to say, dear God.”

Thankfully, his brothers didn’t comment on that, but they did toast him with their empty glasses.

“I figured I would never see her again, even though I kind of wanted to. I don’t even know what that means, and now it’s even more confusing, but I digress. Three months later, she showed back up in town, and I found out she actually moved here. You know that she’s Ms. Pearl’s granddaughter and that she’s opening up a dance studio. The two of us have slowly been becoming friends because I actually really like her and, yeah, the sex was fucking fantastic, but I also like her as a person. And then, apparently, when Kenzie and Ainsley came to the dance studio, Melody passed out, and they took her to the hospital where she found out she was pregnant. The girls don’t actually know that she’s pregnant because she wanted to tell me or her grandmother first, but yeah, Melody is pregnant. She’s having my baby. And she’s over three months along, meaning I have even less time than usual to figure out what the hell to do. What the hell we’re going to do. In other words, I’m freaking out, and I think I need another glass of whiskey.”

Dare poured another glass for the three of them without a word. He knew Loch needed to work later that night, and Dare was on shift, and neither of them usually drank when they worked. But finding out that one of their own was going to be a dad was a good reason for booze. They took the shots like the first, the burn a little smoother this time. Then Fox set down his glass and shook his head when Dare held up the rest of the bottle.

“Whiskey is what got me into this situation in the first place. I think two is more than enough.”

“Good point.” Dare put away the bottle then folded his arms over his chest, mirroring Loch’s position. Fox sat on the chair, his elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands.

“I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“But you’re doing it,” Loch said softly. “You’re going to be a father. I’m not going to ask if you actually think the baby is yours because you’re not one to trust easily. You’ve seen the hell that Dare and I went through when it came to our kids, and I know you’ll try to do a better job than we did.”

“Not going to be hard, since I pretty much sucked at trying to get custody because of my job and my injury.” Dare shook his head but didn’t continue. Fox didn’t blame him since it had taken a while for his brother to get over everything that had happened.

“I trust her. And if it comes to needing actual results or tests or anything like that, I’m sure we can figure it out, but you didn’t see her, you guys. She looked just as pale and scared as I do. She came here to start a new life and to open up her studio, and she ended up pregnant because she and I couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I’ve no idea what I’m going to do, and I have no idea what the two of us are going to do. But in the end, we’re going to have to do something. Because she’s pregnant. And those months will go by fast.”

“Well, you’re not alone.” At Loch’s words, Fox nodded. There wasn’t really anything else to say because there was such promise behind those words, they meant everything.

“And I take it you’ve known about this for probably less than a day. You don’t need to have all the answers now. And I’m sure there will be more questions before you can even figure out the first answer, but like Loch said, you’re not alone. And you know Mom and Dad are going to be over the moon at the thought of having another grandchild. Plus, with Tabby pregnant, it’s gonna make for cousins, so they’ll be beyond excited…even if it’s scary. But, Fox, you’re going to be a dad. That’s really fucking awesome.”

Fox smiled but leaned back and grinned with his brothers. Because, yeah, things would get even more complicated soon, but the fact that he was going to be a dad…that was pretty damn amazing.

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