He scoffed, but didn’t argue, which was as good as an agreement in my eyes. The past week and a half had been strained silences, sharp comments, and awkward attempts on my part to connect. Not arguing was an improvement. Sort of.
While Jasper buckled his sister in, something he almost never let me do because he was sure I’d fuck it up, I shot a text to Prez.
Zero:Any chance we can introduce the kids? The tension is palpable.
Prez:Clubhouse?
Zero:No, Jasper won’t let me bring Isla to the clubhouse. Your place?
Prez:Come over for dinner. I’ll let Butch and Wraith know.
Here’s hoping my brothers and their kids could do something to break the awkwardness with Jasper. And maybe they could give me some advice about Isla, too. I felt like I was swimming upstream with those two. I needed all the help I could get.
CHAPTER FOUR
ZERO
We stopped by the house first to get a change of clothes for Isla and for me. Jasper did the same thing he always did, toting his little sister to his room where he’d no doubt ignore his homework in favor of playing with her. I didn’t want to get in the way of their connection, but after the confrontation with the hot teacher, I knew I couldn’t let him ignore his homework forever. What the hell did I even say to him, though? I hated homework when I was a kid. I’d feed it to the neighbor’s dog and feign innocence when my parents demanded an explanation. I’d be a hypocrite getting on Jasper’s case for shit I refused to do.
Maybe the teacher could help with that.
I thought about the hot-as-sin teacher while changing my clothes and cleaning off my cut. When I thought of teachers, I imagined old ladies with greying hair, biting tones, and cruel eyes, a ruler always in hand to snap someone’s knuckles when they misbehaved. Simone Brooks was the opposite of that. She looked late twenties, early thirties, with long curly brown hair and flawless chocolate brown skin. Even in her conservativeteacher outfit, she was gorgeous and curvy, and if we’d met at the bar, I would’ve done a hell of a lot to get her attention. Not even her no-nonsense expression could detract from those plush lips and deep brown eyes. On the surface, she was every man’s fantasy, easy. But it was more than that. She offered to tutor Jasper for free, which was a relief because the salary that normally kept me comfortable was now stretched a little thin, taking care of two kids. She didn’t force him to stay in school to get the help and potentially embarrass himself around his peers, and she was patient despite his causing trouble and getting into fights. If it’d been me, I probably would’ve been expelled, no matter the circumstances. That she was willing to give Jasper another chance showed just how good a person she was. The kind of person I wanted to get to know better, if given half the chance.
“What’s for dinner?”
Jasper’s voice broke me out of my thoughts of the hot teacher and shoved me back into reality. Swinging around, I found Jasper glaring at me from my open doorway, his sister propped on his hip with that look on her face that said she was going to start screeching soon if she didn’t get food. I winced. That little girl could rattle windows with those screams.
“We’re going to meet some of the guys and their families for dinner at Prez’s place. I was just getting changed. We can head over there now.”
Jasper rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I don’t need a playdate.”
Geez, this kid was combative. Who said no to free food?
“Never said you did,” I hedged. “But if Prez is cooking, it’s guaranteed to be better than anything I could whip up. Let’s just go and get some food. If you hate it, I’ll bring you back after.”
That seemed to be enough for him, and he relented with a scowl, stomping down the stairs with his sister still in his arms. If it were any other kid, I’d be worried about the wiggly wormin his arms while he walked down the steep flight of stairs, but Jasper moved like he was used to it, not even stumbling when she tried to wriggle free. He just readjusted her and snagged a toy out of the playpen when he got downstairs, handing it to her and giving me an annoyed look.
“Well?”
Putting my hands up, I grabbed the keys to the SUV, holding the door open for him so he could get Isla out before locking up behind him. While he put her in the car seat, I sent a text to Prez letting him know we were on our way, and slid into the driver’s seat. When Jasper climbed into the back, I considered him through the rearview mirror. “You know… I think you’re old enough to sit in front, if you want.”
I had no clue if there was some kind of age limit or something, but thirteen was old enough to sit in the front seat, right?
His gaze flicked to his sister, then hardened as he turned to stare out the window. “I’m good.”
Biting back a sigh, I checked my mirrors before pulling out of the driveway. I wasn’t used to driving a cage, and I found myself being overly cautious driving the thing. It was enormous compared to my bike, and I didn’t love it. If I could take the kids around on my bike, I would. Cages weren’t my thing.
My attempts to get Jasper to open up were starting to feel like a waste of time. He still glared at me like he couldn’t stand me, and it’d been over a week already. I didn’t know how to connect with kids, especially not teenagers. What the hell did I even say?
I hoped the guys had some advice, and when I pulled into the driveway of Prez’s two story victorian, I let out a breath of relief seeing the cars already parked out front. It looked like we were the last to arrive.
Jasper was eyeing the place with a scowl, and when I got out and pulled Isla out of her car seat, he immediately took her fromme, glaring at me as he held her close. I didn’t comment, tossing the still overflowing diaper bag over my shoulder and leading the way into the house. I seriously needed to remember to add spare outfits later. I didn’t want another blowout situation with no backup. Maybe I needed to keep a change of clothes for me in the trunk, too, just in case.
Instead of going through the front door, I followed the path around the back and through the back gate. The backyard was loud and chaotic, the kids running around playing with each other. Babies and toddlers were on a blanket with a few adults sitting nearby talking amongst themselves while the older kids played on the swingset setup that Prez must have put up since the last time I was here. He didn’t use his house for gatherings often, he preferred the clubhouse since there was more room, so I didn't always see all the upgrades he’d done to the place.
“Zero! Come settle a bet for me!” Vegas called from where he was lounging on a porch swing, his kid asleep on his chest. He looked completely at ease with the situation, despite having been surprised by his old lady’s pregnancy when she was already seven months along. He took to parenting like he was meant for it, and I was a little jealous at how easy he made it look. I couldn’t even get Isla to eat the stupid baby food without her flinging it everywhere.
I tried to lead Jasper over toward the group with a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged me off, glare still firmly in place, and only followed me when I took the lead and left him the hell alone. I tried not to grimace as I noticed a few of the guys watching us. How much judgment would I get if they figured out I’d made no progress in getting through to either of the kids?
