“I’m Emerson,” I say and hold my hand out for him to shake, I guess. Do kids shake hands?
He looks at my hand and giggles, reaching out and shaking it. Kelly opens her arms to him, and he climbs from Jasper to her, wrapping his little arms around her neck. “That’s my nephew. He’ll be here all summer.”
God, don’t remind me.
I manage to keep a fake smile plastered to my face when Logan looks over at me. “Another person to play with!” he says far too excitedly.
“He’s here to work,” Jasper cuts in.
Kelly just waves him off. “We aren’t all work and no play around here, are we, Logan?” she asks in a sugary sweet voice that makes the kid giggle. “Are you hungry?”
He nods his head exuberantly, and Kelly takes the backpack from Jasper’s shoulder, her eyes on his. “Your mama okay?”
Jasper’s mouth is in a tight line, but he nods anyway. “Yeah. She’s just fine,” he says, but his eyes say he’s lying, and Kelly clearly picks up on it too.
Though they both quickly switch over to happy smiles as they look at Logan. “Well good! Let’s go inside and get you fed!” She lets the kid’s feet go down to the ground and then takes his hand, walking him up to the house. “Come on, boys! You too,” Kelly says over her shoulder at us.
We both acknowledge the order, but don’t move just yet. She goes inside, and Jasper turns to me, his face full of challenge. “Yours?” I ask, not backing down from it.
“He’s my brother.”
I kind of figured. “Pretty big age gap.”
“Don’t worry about it, and Kelly will likely take care of him most of the day, but he does love the animals, so he might hang out with us for a while today.”
I shrug, not sure why he’s telling me that. Like I care. “Okay.”
I start toward the house, but he walks ahead of me and turns to me, his finger pointed in my face. “Okay. So leave him alone. I don’t want you around my family. I don’t want you around at all, but I can’t do anything about that. You stay away from him.”
“Jesus. You act like I’d hurt a kid.” I roll my eyes, hoping I pull off the apathetic look.
“I wouldn’t put it past you.” I don’t like that, that actually stings, but I do my best to hide it.
“Kids are off-limits,” I say, pushing past him and checking his shoulder far harder than I needed to in order to get by, but I’m pissed off.
“So are girlfriends.”
“Exgirlfriends,” I say, making my way up the front steps, him right on my tail. I turn around just as we both reach the front door. “And no. They aren’t.”
I don’t actually want Lucy. She’s fine, I guess, but not my type. Still, part of me—a really large part that I’m not proud of—really, really wants to get at him.
And if she’s the way to do that, then fine.
EIGHT
“Jasper! I want to play with the kittens!” My little brother shuffles out of the house, and I watch as he takes each step at a pace that makes my heart race. But he sticks the landing after jumping off the last step and runs over to me in his little cowboy boots.
God, I love this kid.
I was fifteen when he was born, fourteen when my mom told me that Dad and she had a surprise for me in the form of a little brother coming soon. I always felt sad growing up because I didn’t have any siblings, while everyone else I knew did. But I wasn’t sure about it when I was a teenager.
Having a baby around didn’t sound all that pleasant.
That was until Logan came along... and I saw his big eyes looking up at me as his chubby hand grasped my finger. And that was it. I’ve been wrapped aroundhislittle finger since that day.
He’ll be four in November and heading to preschool, but this summer is already proving to be a bit of a challenge for Mom’s and my work schedules. Thankfully, Kelly is a saint who doesn’t mind doting on my little brother from time to time.
She even lets him sleep in the room she has reserved for her grandchildren when he stays the night. It’s set up with plenty of toys and a night-light. A little bed she actually bought Spiderman sheets for.
