“You’d be a great movie star.” I nod, knowing better than to be practical with the guy. He just wants to dream, and I’m gonna let him. “And those explosions didn’t scare you too bad?”
“Nope.” He grins, looking all proud of himself. “They were big, and they just… they’re just pretending. It’s… Mama says it’s called… it’s special.”
“Yeah, special effects. No one actually gets hurt.”
“Mama said.” Cyrus nods and repeats himself a few times. “Mama said, Mama said.”
He’s getting tired. I can sense it. He’s got these little tics that give him away. As soon as his left eye starts twitching, I’m wrapping up this call. An overtired Cyrus is hard to deal with, and Dad’s still recovering from his accident. They don’t need any more pressure.
Faking a big yawn, I stretch my arm wide and tell him, “I’m getting tired. I’m gonna have to go soon. I’ve got training in the morning.”
“You gonna lift weights?”
“Yep.”
“Next time you’re home, can you… can we… I want to lift weights.”
“Yeah, I can take you to the gym with me.” I smile. “That’ll be fun. You can show me how strong you are.”
“I’m strong.” He lifts his arm, curling it to show off his bicep. His body is vibrating with the effort, and I grin.
“Brah, you are. Look at that. Bet them girls you went out with tonight love how strong you are.”
Cyrus starts giggling. “Nah. They’re my friends, Ty.”
“Yeah, but you like Gwen, though, right? She’s pretty.”
His laughter increases, getting loud and adorably childlike. “She is pretty. She’s?—”
“Hey, big man!” Grady calls up the stairs. “You got a visitor.”
I pop off my pillows, sitting up with a confused frown.
“Right now?” I shout.
“What is it?” Cyrus asks.
Looking at my phone screen, I pull a funny face. “I’ve got a visitor. I better go.”
“No, wait. Can I… can I see? I want to see. Let me… let me see.”
“Uh…” I stand up, tugging the waistband of my sweats as I walk to the door with the phone still in my hand.
“Is it… is it a girl?” My brother starts grinning. “Are you gonna have all the…” His voice drops to a whisper. “Are you gonna have all the sex?”
“Cyrus,” I reprimand him, and he starts to giggle.
Rolling my eyes, I fight my own laughter. “Okay, bud. Let’s go see who it is.” Trotting down the stairs, I glance up from my phone and come to a stop halfway down the stairwell.
Dani.
What’s she doing here?
And why does she have to be so gorgeous?
I mean, she’s always been beautiful, but she’s been getting prettier by the day. And then I kissed her, and she turned into the most stunning creature on the planet.
Now I can’t take my eyes off her as she inches to the bottom of the stairs and waves up at me. “Hey, Ty.” Her smile is sweet and kind of nervous. It tugs me down the stairs, but I’m still looking for my voice.
