“No, you’re not. Come on. Please?” She pokes out her lower lip. Anyone who can say no to that face has to be a monster.
Max sighs, but a light comes into his eye. “Only if you can convince Noah to come with me.”
She gasps and turns to me. “Noah! Please, come into the ball pit? Please, please,please?” Wrapping her arms around my middle, she pushes her face against my chest. Instead of wanting to push her away, I have the oddest feeling of wanting to pull her close.
Max grins evilly at me as I glare at him over her head. It’s as if he can read my mind because he taunts, “Come on, Kellan. How can you say no to that face?”
You can’t.
I mean, I’m already attending a child’s birthday party. Getting into the ball pit can’t be much worse. So long as I wash my clothes and take a hot shower when I’m done.
In answer, I get to my feet. Chloe squeals, jumping up and down. Max gives me a saucy wink.
Here we go.
A few kids are already in the ball pit. Max, Chloe, and I stand at the edge, looking down at the ocean of colored plastic balls.
“On three?” Max says.
I nod. “One, two, three!”
Chapter 10
Max
Tonight’s dinner: chicken nuggets with a side of broccoli.
After leaving Chuck E. Cheese, Kellan, Chloe, and I stopped for ice cream. Yes, I’m a terrible uncle for giving her dessert before dinner, even after she just gorged herself on pizza and soda, even though it’s snowing outside, but it’s not every day I get to spoil my niece, so I take advantage. We all ate our cones on the way home. Chloe got chocolate, I got mint chocolate chip, and Kellan got cookie dough. Watching Kellan’s hot tongue dart out and lick the dripping dessert made me hard, and I was thankful it was dark in the car.
Now I’m trying to get Chloe to eat her broccoli, which she’s refusing. Already regretting giving her the ice cream.
Her face scrunches up as she studies the vegetable. She pokes it with her fork. Kellan, sitting next to her, coughs into his fist. It sounds like a laugh.
“I don’t like broccoli,” she states, mouth set in a stubborn pout.
“How do you know if you haven’t even tried it?” I counter. I spear a piece of broccoli on my fork and pop it in my mouth. “Mmm!”
Chloe scrunches up her face and wails, “Gross!”
I sigh and look to Kellan. My look says,A little help, here?
To my surprise, he takes a big spoonful of broccoli and swallows with a hearty, “Mm!”
She blinks at him in confusion. Then, hesitantly, she eats a small floret, chewing slowly. Her eyes brighten. “More, Uncle Max!”
And that’s how I, or rather, my friend, taught my niece to like broccoli.
After putting Chloe to bed, I join Kellan on the living room couch. The controller remains on the ground, the game paused from before we left for the birthday party. I try to talk to Kellan about practice yesterday, but he keeps brushing it off.
“But you’re okay?” I ask. “You’re not sick or anything, in trouble?”
His lips flatten, but he shakes his head. “No, nothing like that.”
If he says nothing’s wrong, then I choose to believe him.
“You were really great with Chloe today,” I tell him, leaning further back in the cushions. I love this couch because it’s so easy to sink into, and once you sit, you don’t ever want to get up. I’m hoping that’s why Kellan is still sitting. We’re on opposite sides of the couch, but there isn’t a lot of room between us. Half a seat cushion, if that.
His smile is more of a grimace. “Thanks, I guess.”
