Bayou Dreaming (Butterfly Bayou 3)

He got his key out and opened the door.

A soft sob caught his attention, and he looked to his left. His mother and sister were sitting on the sofa, his momma’s hand on Sera’s back.

Sera looked up and her face was red, cheeks streaked with tears.

He was going to kill whoever put that expression on his sister’s face. His mom looked concerned, but she wasn’t crying. If some great tragedy had occurred, his mother would be crying, too, so this was about Sera. And if his sister was crying, it was likely because some asshole had broken her heart.

“What’s going on?” He kept his voice soft. He could raise it to the asshole, but he would be gentle with these two women. They’d been the center of his life for so long. Without his father or brother around, they’d been everything to him.

His mom looked at his sister, who nodded.

“You should sit down, Zep.” His mom gestured to the seat beside Sera. “Sera’s got something she needs to tell you.”* * ** * *

Two hours later, Zep still sat on the sofa, his head reeling and all of his plans changed. He should have remembered how quickly the world could turn upside down and leave him in a place he hadn’t planned on being. It had happened so often, but he’d forgotten.

His sister was pregnant, and she’d claimed the father wasn’t in the picture and likely wouldn’t be.

Sera was going to be a single mom.

Sera was going to need help.

His mother walked back in, her expression weary. She sank down to the couch beside him. “She’s cried herself to sleep. I think rest is exactly what she needs right now. Things will look better in the morning.”

That was his mother. When his father had passed, she’d been stalwart. She’d gone from a coddled and indulged stay-at-home mom to working every minute of the day to make sure there was food on the table.

“Sera doesn’t have any insurance.” He stared at the wall ahead, the ramifications crashing down on him.

His mom sniffled. “No, she doesn’t. But we can apply for aid. I’m more worried about her car. It’s on its last legs. Mine isn’t reliable anymore, either. I almost never drive now.”

Driving made his mother nervous. He or Sera or one of her friends tended to take her places she needed to go. “The clinic isn’t so far, Momma.”

“No, but Doc isn’t an obstetrician,” she pointed out. “We don’t have one here. Doc can handle some of the early visits but we’ll have to go to Houma later on and we’ll have to go to the hospital when the time comes.” His mother rubbed her hands together, a sure sign she was worried. “I have to buy a new car. We can’t break down. And there will be other expenses. I’ve been meaning to get a job. I get bored hanging around the house all day.”

She didn’t. She loved her retirement, loved hanging out with her friends and being one of the town’s crazy old ladies, as she put it. That was what her life was supposed to be about now. She’d done her work. She was supposed to rest.

His mind raced, trying to invent a way out of the trap he found himself in. This was his sister’s problem, not his. He wasn’t the one in trouble. They owned the house. His mother wouldn’t need a ton of money, and she might enjoy working at the family restaurant again. His cousin would surely let her take some shifts. They would work out a payment plan for a reliable car and any other expenses. Sera could drive herself. He didn’t need to do anything but follow his own path. This was his life. He should live it the way he wanted to.

“Hey, baby, what’s that?”

She was looking at the big envelope he’d left facedown on the coffee table.

He picked it up and tucked it between the pillows. “It’s nothing. Just some paperwork for my graduation.”

His graduation from community college. His only graduation. There would be no LSU in his future. Not for a while.

Because this wasn’t merely his life. It was theirs. The Guidrys. His sister’s trouble was his trouble. His mother’s worries could be halved if he took his part.

She smiled, a weak, watery expression. “Oh, that’s so wonderful. It will be good to have something to celebrate . . .”

His mom broke down and he shoved all his plans aside. This woman had been everything when he’d needed her to be.

He couldn’t be less for her. He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be all right, Momma. You’ll see. We’ll work something out with Doc Hamet and make sure Sera’s taken care of. And you’ll have a sweet baby to love on.”

“I will love that baby,” she said. “But I wanted so much more for my girl. I didn’t think it would be like this. I was hoping she could go to college.”