Page 3 of Dante
His eyes sharpened. "You're keeping it?"
Her eyes flashed fire. "What the hell do you think? That because that piece of trash doesn't want to have anything to do with us, I'm going to get rid of my baby?"
"It's not a baby yet." Her brother muttered, sending her temper escalating.
"You can damn well walk out that door, Caleb Vernon! Right now. I'm not asking for your help. Somehow, I will get through this. I..."
"Back the hell down." He ordered. "All the way down." His own temper spiked. "When have I ever not been there for you? When? Name one damn time."
Her anger deflated, leaving her shaken and weary.
"Always." She murmured. "I'm scared." She admitted tremulously. "I always thought I was too smart to ever have anything like this happen to me." She blinked back the tears fiercely, refusing to show any vulnerabilities, even to him. They had been brought up in the system, and when he turned sixteen, he had worked like a fiend to take care of her. At eighteen, he had found them their first dingy apartment and was determined that she was going to fulfill her dreams of going to college.
She remembered the threadbare couch pressed against peeling wallpaper, the smell of burnt toast on Saturday mornings, and the way Caleb had never once let the world convince him she deserved less than everything. She wiped at her eyes, annoyance prickling at the edges of her sorrow.
"Sorry," she whispered, not sure if she meant it for the venom in her voice or the rawness of her fear. "I just... I don't want to screw this up, for any of us."
Caleb leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Hey. You won't. You're tough, Court. You always have been."
She scoffed, a shaky laugh tumbling out. "I don't feel tough. I feel like I'm one wrong step from losing it all."
"That's what being brave is. Doing it anyway." His words filled the dim room, somehow both gruff and gentle.
A silence lingered, heavy but not suffocating. The rain eased, tapering to ghostly streaks on the glass. Courtney glanced down at her hands, slender fingers trembling but steady enough, and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I'm not alone," she said quietly, as if testing the truth of it. "No matter what happens."
Caleb nodded, a trace of a smile flickering. "Not ever."
For a moment, Courtney allowed herself to believe it. That there was a path forward, uncertain but possible, marked by the stubborn hope that had carried them this far. She straightened her shoulders, resolved to face what awaited, whatever it might be.
He had beaten the odds and was both father and mother to her. Not just her big brother, but also her friend. He would stand by her no matter what.
"You think I should keep it to myself for a little bit?"
He nodded. "Until you've established yourself at the company." He flicked a glance over her beautiful face, lips curving slightly. They had some sort of resemblance to each other. Anyone looking at them would see that they were related. But his sister had an exotic appearance that caused the opposite sex to take second and third looks.
Her face was narrow, chin pointed. Large mahogany eyes dominated that face. Her skin was a flawless coffee mixed with a touch of heavy cream. She was petite and slender and as graceful as a gazelle. At one point, she had entertained the idea of being a dancer, and he regretted never being able to help her fulfillthat dream. Instead, she had gone into business, majoring in accounting and computer science.
She was a kick-ass admin, and the guy she would be working for would be lucky to have her.
"And with your rep, that's going to take a couple of days."
She smiled tremulously, her morale boosted considerably. His anger had all but disappeared, and she hoped to God that when he left her, it would have gone completely.
"Move in with me."
She started. "Your apartment is smaller than mine." She pointed out, looking around the cramped space. It was several steps up from the places they had lived in the past but was far from being luxurious. More like convenient. She had done her best to spruce things up, by repainting the walls a pale lime green and recovering the threadbare sofa to match the walls. Thin gauzycurtains billowed at the windows, letting in the thin afternoon sun trying to peep through the gloomy clouds.
"We could spring for a bigger place." He scooted forward, the idea blossoming. "You're going to need someone there with you. Doctor's appointments and such."
She shook her head. The idea had its appeal, but she was determined to do as much as she could on her own. Her brother had his life to live, and as a cop and a single man, he also needed his privacy. As she did.
"Courtney, don't be so damn stubborn."
"I'm not." She smiled at his disgruntled tone. "I have no intention of cramping your style. We live near enough to each other for you to be able to pop in when I need you."
He grunted, but it was more affection than protest. "You say that now, but just wait. The first time you try to put together oneof those flat-pack bookshelves or setting up the crib and realize you're missing the little Allen wrench, you'll want backup."
