“Go right ahead because I have completely given up on trying to reason with you.”
“Good,” I said as I jogged over to Cam.
“Jase!” I looked back to see Harper leaning against the railing on the porch, using her hands to balance.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome to stay for dinner if you don’t mind spaghetti.”
“Absolutely,” I said, trying not to sound overly excited before turning to teach Cameron a simple jump shot.
We were out there for about an hour before Harper called us in for dinner. I had never in my life thought I wanted kids of my own. I got my fix from coaching and working as a pediatrician. I liked kids, but I preferred the kind that I could send home at the end of the day. Cam was cool though. I didn’t mind kicking it with him after hours.
Even as he talked nonstop over dinner, I loved every minute of it. Especially the part when he told me how Jordy didn’t want to play basketball against me since he was rusty. He wasn’t all that rusty, seeing how we played every other weekend. He didn’t want the kids to see me dust him off for old times’ sake.
Once Harper sent him to wash up, the air in the room shifted. Something had been weighing on me for a few days. Now was the perfect time to get it off my chest. Harper moved over to the sink before picking up a plate and washing it. I cleared the table and moved next to her to put them in the sink.
“Is that boy my brother’s son?” I came out and asked her.
Once the words left my mouth, all the air left the room. Harper’s spine stiffened, but she didn’t turn to face me.
“Why would you even ask me that?”
“It’s a valid question. Would you mind answering it?”
“Yes, I would, and I would appreciate it if you didn’t go putting ideas in his head.”
She spun to face me, the tension evident in her face as she scowled at me. “Don’t come around here accusing me of shit and speaking on things you know nothing about.”
“Look, I’m sorry I offended you,” I said, holding my hands up defensively.
“I’m sick of people thinking I’m obligated to explain every single aspect of my life. I didn’t come here for this shit. I didn’t even seek you and your brother out. Y’all came to me. Please don’t make my life complicated, Jase.”
“Harper, you have to tell him.”
“Can you please let me take care of my own business?”
I stared at her for a while before I broke the silence. “OK. I should go anyway.”
I knew that if I stayed any longer, things would only get more tense. Harper would have to come around in her own time. Her reaction to my question only confirmed that I wasn’t completely insane.
“Tell Cam to make sure he does his homework before he practices those layups,” I told her as I let myself out through the back door.
It had beenthree weeks since I let Jordy back in my life. Honestly, I had never felt better. It felt crazy to be so happy and hopeful. JoJo fit so well into my and Cameron’s life that it was uncanny. Against my protest, he had been picking Cameron up from school and taking him to the office with him on the days that they didn’t have Sprouts.
Jase came through in a major way by getting me a job as a trainer. I didn’t make as much as I did at my previous job, training boxers, but it was work. I could take care of me and my son, and that was the most important thing. Plus, I got to work and work out at the same time. I already had a few clients and was working on an idea for a kickboxing class to present to the owner.
I worked at the gym from nine to five on Monday through Thursday and didn’t have the luxury of coming and going as I pleased. As soon as the issue of picking Cameron up from school, JoJo volunteered to pick him up after school and help him with his homework. Cameron loved spending time at the office with the guys. He came home every day bragging about how cool Doctor JoJo and Doctor Jase were even though they were smart.
The best thing about the whole situation was how much my baby’s behavior had improved. The teachers were surprised at how quickly things were turning around for him. Cameron enjoyed school again. He even had friends in and out of the Sprouts program. I had to credit Cameron’s improvement to the twins.
My baby loved them. It warmed my heart and terrified me at the same time. I didn’t want my son getting used to something that was short term. I loved the twins, and they were crazy about Cam, but nothing good seemed to last. I was trying to live in the moment, but that really wasn’t my style.
On top of spending time bonding with Cameron in the office, JoJo had been coming over for dinner a few days a week. I loved having him there. Being with him felt like old times. We had grown, but we were the same people. He was the same quiet, powerful force that drew me like a magnet whenever he was in the room.
Having someone other than Kendrick around was still such a new concept that I had Jordy leaving and coming back after Cam went to bed. I loved having Jordy in my bed every night, but I wasn’t ready for my son’s questions. He’d been trying to get me to come to their house, but I didn’t want to pawn my son off on my mom so I could creep with Jordy. He even suggested that I bring Cam along, which was definitely out of the question.
“Come away with me for the weekend, Harper,” Jordy posed.
