Deuce had moved to help Ty plug in the electric pump. His limp was less pronounced than it had been the last time Zane had seen him, but he still let Ty do all the kneeling as they hooked the pump up and turned it on. Deuce was still wearing the boxers in which he’d been sleeping, and for the first time Zane could see the railroad track scars on his leg and knee.
He stood with his hands on his hips as Ty knelt beside him, both of them watching the air mattress inflate with their heads tilted to the side, like a pair of puppies trying to figure out a strange noise. Zane had to smile. He could really see the resemblance. How their mother had raised them both without having a nervous breakdown was anyone’s guess.
“Hey, Ty, can we talk for a minute?” Deuce asked after a moment.
Ty glanced up at him and then over at Zane with a nod. “You got this?” he asked.
Zane nodded and gestured for them to go on. He watched them curiously as Ty followed Deuce down the hall to his bedroom, then turned his attention back to the air mattress and flipped the pump back on. The noise would make it impossible to overhear what they were saying, and Zane knew better than to allow himself the temptation of eavesdropping anymore.
“WHAT’S up?” Ty asked as he watched Deuce close the door to his bedroom. Deuce wasn’t exactly a private person, and he knew Zane better than he did most people, so Ty couldn’t fathom what he had to say that couldn’t have been said in the living room.
Deuce turned to look at him, crossing his arms over his chest and covering his mouth with his hand. Ty recognized the signs all too well.
“Something’s wrong.”
Deuce shook his head. “No, I just… I need your advice.”
“Okay.” Ty said the word carefully as he studied his brother. He glanced around Deuce’s bedroom. It was immaculate, as usual, all flat and modern and… weird. He pointed at a tray on top of the dresser. “Seriously, is that a blunt?”
“Well, I wasn’t anticipating the FBI breaking down my door tonight.”
Ty closed his eyes and shook his head. “That’s fair. What’s the problem?”
Deuce took a deep breath. “It’s about Livi.”
“Yoga girl.”
“She really has a real name.”
“Okay,” Ty said with a smirk.
Deuce rolled his eyes and paced toward the window. “What did you think of her when you met her?”
“She’s cute,” Ty answered, confused by the question but willing to go along with Deuce’s unique way of getting around to a point. He’d spent a day with Deuce after leaving Baltimore, and he’d met his girlfriend when she’d dropped by. “She was genuine and smart and probably very bendy. Good job.”
“Ty.”
“What? I’m not really sure what you’re getting at. I met her for like five minutes.”
Deuce stared at him, looking almost ill, and Ty stood waiting for him to continue. They stood in silence for a few moments, Deuce fidgeting and Ty forcing himself to be patient.
“Deacon,” he finally said.
“She’s pregnant,” Deuce blurted in a rush of relief. Ty couldn’t mask the surprise, and Deuce read him well. “Before you say anything, yes, I love her. Yes, I’m excited as hell. And yes, she’s very bendy.” For the first time, Deuce cracked a smile. He seemed to be trying to contain his excitement, but Ty recognized it anyway.
Ty nearly laughed in relief. He waved a hand through the air and stepped closer to hug his brother. “Congratulations, Deacon,” he said as Deuce clapped him on the back.
“Thank you,” Deuce said as he pushed away and took Ty by his shoulders to meet his eyes. “The problem.”
“Why does there have to be a problem?”
“Because there’s always a problem.”
“Okay, what’s the problem?” Ty asked with a growing sense of dread.
“Livi wants to be married before our families find out.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t want to tell her parents she’s pregnant before we’re married.”
“Well, that’s kind of a time-sensitive condition.”
“That’s the problem.”
“That leaves you, what, like a month? Maybe less?”
Deuce nodded.
Ty blinked at his brother as the problem hit him. He gasped and pointed at Deuce’s face. “You want to elope!”
“Yes,” Deuce said in relief.
“Deacon!”
“I know!”
“You can’t do that to Ma, she’ll kill you. She’ll kill me! Not to mention seriously bad relations with your future in-laws.”
“Now you see my problem,” Deuce said as he waved a hand through the air and sat on the end of his bed.
“I’m assuming this wasn’t planned. How does that happen, anyway?”
“I think you’ve been doing dudes for too long if I need to answer that.”
“Touché,” Ty murmured with a frown. He grimaced and shook his head, bypassing half a dozen smartass remarks as he sat down beside Deuce. He really gave the question some thought, as much thought as he was capable of when being hunted down like a dog by the CIA.
“I mean… Deacon, if this is what you really want to do, then I’ll cover your play. I’ll do whatever you need to take the heat off after. Unless you do it without me there, and in that case I’ll disown you.”
Deuce smiled and nodded, and he put his arm around Ty’s shoulders. “I knew I could count on you,” he said quietly.
“But… if you’re asking for my advice?”
Deuce nodded.
“Wait. Tell everyone, let them be excited about a baby, let them know you’re committed to her whether you’re married or not, and go from there. Don’t go… sneaking around and trying to hide things from your families. You’ll… you’ll regret it.”
Deuce looked at him in silence, his eyes sympathetic and warm. If anyone understood how well Ty knew what he was talking about, it was his brother. “Thanks, Ty.”
Ty nodded, and they sat in silence for a long time, long enough that the pump to the air mattress stopped its loud whine and the light coming under the bedroom door turned off.
Deuce took a deep breath. “I’m going to be a daddy.”
Ty smiled as he watched his brother’s profile in the dim light. He could hear the mixture of excitement and fear in Deuce’s voice. Then the smile faded as cold realization began to seep through him. “You’re going to be a daddy,” he echoed, almost to himself. He stood suddenly, looking around the room and patting his jeans as if he’d lost something.