She cuddled into my side and opened one of The Baby-Sitter’s Club.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Maddie whispered as she hugged my neck. “I hope you can come back again.”
“Me too.”
I kind of loved the thought of Tessa never letting her brother forget about me, and despite how I’d always thought he’d thrown us away, he hadn’t. Even as a scared kid, he’d loved me enough to put me first, even if he hadn’t realized it at the time. As a man, he was loving and protective and so wonderful.
“Should I turn the page now?” Maddie asked, squinting up at me.
“Oh, sorry,” I stammered, leaning my head against hers. “Go ahead.”
Jesse caught my gaze, a wistful smile curving his lips as he headed upstairs.
Fate was hard to ignore when it was this damn loud.
21
JESSE
“So, no one tripped anyone, right?”
My niece shook her head at me. “No. They were all bigger than us, and we still won!” She banged her fist on the table.
I sucked my cheek in to hold back a laugh.
“Bigger doesn’t mean better.” Emily tapped Maddie’s shoulder. “Yes, they can push harder on the field and move you out of the way faster, but some of the best soccer players I knew in school were a lot shorter than me. It’s all about the skill.”
“Andwehad the skill.”
I cracked up when Maddie did a little dance in her chair.
“Don’t get cocky, Mad. What else happened at the game?”
“Nothing really, except I have a question. Are Caden and Sabrina boyfriend and girlfriend?” Maddie asked around a mouthful of chocolate mousse cake.
Emily’s narrowed eyes met mine.
“Why do you ask?” Emily asked Maddie but held my gaze.
“Just because they like to touch each other a lot.”
“Touch each other?” I snuck Emily a look. “They were touching at the game today?”
“Well, like, they were always giving each other high fives, or sometimes Caden would put his arm around her. Mikayla saidthat’s averyboyfriend-like thing to do.” She straightened in her seat.
“And Mikayla knows about boyfriends?” I asked.
“Yeah, she’s had a couple.”
My head whipped to my niece.
“Acoup?—”
“I’m sure shethinksshe’s had a couple,” Emily tried to clarify, draping her hand over mine when she most likely noticed the protruding vein pulsing on my temple. I was not ready for this shit when my niece was only eight years old—or ever.
“She said that if a boy likes you, he likes to touch your shoulder or hold your hand so he can stay really close to you. She said Caden and Sabrinadefinitelyhad that vibe.”
“Caden and Sabrina have been friends for a long time. They’re familiar with each other. That’s probably what Mikayla noticed.”
