“You’re both so skinny,” Linda said from where she stood at the stove. Levi was slower to take his seat, skeptical of everything going on around him. His gut churned as dread began to build. Something wasn’t right.
“I don’t know how I’m so skinny. Dad always called me a human garbage disposal,” Logan said, spearing another pancake before Linda set the full plate in the middle of the table. Logan seemed oblivious to the tension building in the room, but Luke started looking between Levi, Linda, and Mrs. Underwood. The look on his face showed he was beginning to clue in that this wasn’t just a family breakfast. His dark gaze finally landed and stuck on Levi as Luke sat straighter in his seat and placed his fork on the table.
Linda put a pancake on Luke’s plate. “It seems the more you eat, the skinnier you get.”
Luke didn’t move, his concerned gaze fixed on Levi.
“What’s going on?” Levi finally asked and mimicked his brother’s posture, sitting back in his seat with his hands in his lap.
“Let’s eat before we talk,” Linda said, turning to him, looking very serious.
Finally, Logan felt the tension in the room and lifted his head. He’d already managed to finish one whole pancake and continued dipping a piece of bacon in the syrup on his plate. He added the bite to his mouth as his eyes narrowed, and he reached for a napkin. With his mouth full, he asked, “What’s going on?”
Linda looked more dejected than she had a minute ago. “I wanted us to have a good breakfast before we all talked.”
“Talked about what?” Levi asked, becoming a little frantic inside. His gaze went from Linda to the counselor, his appetite completely lost as anxiety swam in his gut. “What’s going on?”
“Levi.” Linda reached out her hand, gripping Levi’s forearm. He had to force himself to remember Linda was on their side. She had been since the beginning when he first took over guardianship, even before that. She’d cared for their family when his father couldn’t. As if she were a lifeline, Levi adjusted the hold, taking her hand in his. “You know how much I love you three, right?”
“Oh no,” Logan said and put his fork down. Levi completely agreed with Logan’s well-stated sentiment. He looked from brother to brother, Luke’s face turning pale as he just stared at Linda.
“No, now listen to me, Logan. I need the support of all three of you right now. Now more than ever.”
“You’re not gonna let us live together anymore, are you?” Luke asked.
The better mood around the house the last few weeks instantly began to fade. Tears sprang to Luke’s eyes so fast they brimmed and spilled down his cheeks within a second. Levi sat there, helplessly watching the defeat happen.
Damn, he wished he’d sat closer to Luke.
“It’s not that,” Linda said, shaking her head no at Luke. “I just think it’s time we look closer at this arrangement. We made all these decisions in the emotion of the moment. I believe this might be getting to be too much for you guys.”
“It’s not too much. We’re doing okay. Better, now that Luke’s in counseling,” Logan shot back. Luke had been Levi’s main concern since he’d walked into the kitchen and sensed the heavy tone to this breakfast. He let his gaze travel to Logan who seemed exactly on his page; his middle brother’s eyes darted back and forth with uncertainty from Linda to Luke.
Levi stayed absolutely quiet as his own fears rose to the surface and threatened to overwhelm him. The little bit he’d had left of his heart after yesterday morning actually broke in two at the thought he might lose his brothers. So, Linda didn’t think they had managed as well as they should. Levi looked down at his lap, closing his eyes, willing himself to be reasonable.
Truly, he had thought they were managing pretty well. Sure, things had been rocky in the beginning, but the three of them were bonding, becoming a functioning unit, or at least he thought they were.
The weight on his shoulders grew heavier. He was failing at his final promise to his dad.
“Logan, your brother’s working night and day. You two are unsupervised much of the time. If we switched things up, you and Luke move in with me, then Levi could get back on his career path and finish medical school. That would help everyone,” Linda explained.
“Is it too much for you to keep an eye on them at night?” Levi asked, staring at Linda as he tried to understand the problem. His work schedule had lightened since he’d started at the club. He now had both Friday and Saturday nights off and all day Sunday.
“I’m seventeen years old,” Logan said defensively. “I’m an adult by most standards. I can take care of things around here just fine.”