doorway, his hands in his pockets. His head was down but he was looking up at me from beneath his eyebrows. When Letitia left, he came over.
"I'm sorry, Lee," he said without giving me a chance to speak. "I never should have shared that information. It wasn't anyone's business, not even mine." He leaned in and gave me a hug. "I can't promise I'll never stick my nose where it doesn't belong again, but I promise I'll try not to be an asshole about it."
I didn't have the energy to give him a hard time for cursing, so I just used my free arm to hug him back. J.J. was still holding my hand and standing close to me. "I'm sorry, too, Robbie. I love you."
Robert squeezed me tighter for just a moment, released me, and held a hand out to J.J. "I apologize again, man. I've been worried about my baby sister, but it's no excuse for bringing up private business in front of everyone else."
J.J. took his hand and shook it. "I have a sister of my own, so I understand why you were worried. But I love Lee and while our marriage may not have started out the way most do, we're working it out."
Robert looked relieved at J.J.'s words. Not that he understood, but that he loved me. "Now, I won't worry as much. I always liked you, and I still do, but she's my baby sister and I'll do whatever it takes to protect her."
"I will, too," J.J. answered.
They did some weird man-nod at each other and Robert disappeared.
It seemed that my mother had put out the call because D.J. was next to come into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry, Leelee," he said as he came to a stop in front of me. He looked down at the toes of his boots and I half-expected him to kick at the linoleum on the kitchen floor. "I don't have the right to talk to you like that and I deserved it."
I bit back a laugh because I was pretty sure those were Letitia's words and not his own. But he obviously meant them because when he looked back at me, I could see the regret all over his face.
"I just want you to be happy, honey," he whispered.
"Stop making me cry!" I hissed, letting go of Jay's hand so I could hug my oldest brother.
He held me back. "I'll do my best, but you are pregnant, so no guarantees."
I leaned back and tugged his chest hair where it stuck out of the neck of his t-shirt. "That's how you got in trouble the first time, mister," I said.
He chuckled. "I know, but you ladies need to take pity on us poor men. We have no idea how to handle the mood swings when you're pregnant, so we try to lighten up the situation when you get all teary."
"Choose something less chauvinistic next time," I replied, sniffing.
"As I said, I'll do my best."
He escaped before I could smack his arm like I wanted to.
Clayton came over and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry, too."
I hugged him back. "You weren't the one who did anything," I said.
"I should have listened," he whispered in my ear. "I'll talk to Danielle when I get home. I promise."
I hugged him tighter. "Good. She needs you right now and it's okay for you to need her back, you know. You don't have to be Superman. Just be her man."
"Stop with the words of wisdom," he grunted as he let me go and stepped back. "You're the youngest of us. You shouldn't be smarter than us."
I glanced at J.J. and the ghost of a smile crossed my lips. "I'm not always smarter than you." I looked back at Clay. "Just ninety-nine percent of the time."
He grinned and shook his head before he went the way of my other two brothers.
I took J.J.'s hand again and we walked into the dining room. I stopped next to my new in-laws and said, "I'm so sorry that y'all had to witness that."
To my surprise, it was Malcolm who got to his feet and embraced me. He always gave me a hug, but usually it was one per day. Cam liked to joke that her dad had a hug quota with his family because he got so many of them from his patients at work.
"You're among family. If you're going to yell and get upset, there's no better place," he murmured in my ear. "And I have brothers of