Technically, he was Viscount Jesse Bennet Westwood-Roderick, but to me, he’d just become Little J. I was Big J now, which felt like a promotion I hadn’t earned, but had happily accepted. The perks of being an uncle.
He giggled as he toddled after it, his steps still unsteady at only fourteen months old, but determined enough to make me proud. Not so proud that I wasn’t watching him closely though, ready to spring into action if he should start tipping over.
I leaned back on my hands, stretching my legs out in front of me as I tracked his progress. He collapsed on top of the ball like he’d just conquered a monumental feat, and I cheered. “Good job, Little J.”
He looked up at me like I’d just said something deeply profound. It would’ve been concerning if I hadn’t known how much he loved me. On the other hand, that probably had less to do with my charm and more to do with the fact that he couldn’t tell the difference between me and his father.
We had the same face. Different everything else but the face was a mirror image. I doubted a one-year-old would appreciate the nuances, and frankly, he didn’t have to. Lucky him.
“Never agree to be COO, kid,” I told him quietly.
Right now, I wasn’t even entirely sure where his parents were in this massive castle, but it didn’t really matter. When I’d shown up last week, Will and Eliza had looked so far beyond exhaustedthat I’d immediately understood my role here. I was to provide distraction, backup, and be the occasional babysitter. They’d barely made it through a full conversation before Eliza had yawned, while Will had looked like he might fall asleep standing up.
So I’d happily taken the kid, relieved that for once there was nothing expected of me beyond keeping a small human entertained and alive. Even for me, that was manageable. Although I had to admit that I was relieved when the sun started peeking through the thick layer of gray clouds outside.
It didn’t happen often around here and I was running out of ideas to keep him busy inside. I eyed the patch of blue sky for just a second before I got to my feet.
“Alright,” I said, scooping Little J up with one arm. “We’re going outside, buddy. Let’s go soak up some Vitamin D before we turn into vampires like your mom and dad.”
He made a noise I chose to interpret as enthusiasm when I started carrying him to one of the many back doors. The gardens here at the estate were truly massive. A person could get lost in them.
Acres upon acres of finely manicured lawn stretched out in every direction, broken up by organized flower gardens. There was a maze I had no intention of entering, several gazebos placed like they’d been part of a long-forgotten plan, and smaller buildings scattered throughout that Will had tried to explain to me at some point. Something about historical use. My takeaway had been that they were relics of a time long passed.
“Stay upright,” I told Little J as I set him down on the grass, steadying him for a second before letting go.
With a gummy smile and a can-do attitude, he took off immediately, completely fearless. The kid took after me. I followed at his pace, my hands in my pockets as we explored the grounds.
Today was a Saturday deep in the throes of summer. I’d learned this meant that groups of old ladies from far and wide descended on the nearby village and the manor grounds, visiting for guided tours and tea parties. I watched one such group approach, all wide-brimmed hats and polite curiosity, their attention instantly captured by the small child making his way toward them like he was the official greeter.
“Isn’t he just darling?” one of them cooed.
“Yes, he is,” I said easily. If there was one thing I could do, it was play to a crowd and I knew Will and Eliza needed every tourist leaving here more invested than they had been when they’d arrived. The tourist money paid for the upkeep of these amazing gardens. “He’s the future Earl of this place too.”
“Oh! How marvelous,” another one said as she smiled at him. “Are you his butler?”
I nodded with a chuckle. “Today, I am.”
Little J soaked up their smiles and attention like he understood his role already. I talked him up like I was personally responsible for improving his reputation, but I was a proud uncle.
“You’ll be the most handsome Earl we’ve ever had,” one of them informed him fondly.
I let it go on for a bit, letting them fuss over him and letting him bask in it. Eventually, I guided him away again, back toward a quieter stretch of the garden. We ended up near the pond and I dropped down into the grass while Little J wandered within a safe radius of me.
“Don’t fall in,” I said, even though I knew he wouldn’t take my advice seriously. I was just starting to reconsider my decision to bring him near the pond at all when I saw her. Across the garden, walking along the edge of the path, was none other thanJacqueline.
Although I hadn’t seen her since the wedding, I immediately knew that it was her. I’d recognize those curves and the way she carried herself from a mile away, that steady confidence that made it look like she expected mountains to part for her rather than having to walk over or around them.
She saw me too. I knew it the exact second she recognized me, noticing that slight set of her jaw and the way her chin tilted up ever so slightly. An older woman stood beside her, close enough to suggest familiarity and similar enough to confirm it.
She had the same dark hair and whiskey-colored eyes, definitely not Westwood traits. The dark hair maybe, but those eyes? We were famous for our blue eyes—green eyes at most—andthatwas about the furthest you could get from it.
The hair wasn’t the right shade of brown either. Ours tended to be more shades of chocolate, a richer but lighter brown, whereas hers—and the older woman’s—was flatter, ashier, and practically black.
I watched them for only a second longer before I decided it would be rude not to introduce them to the little lord of the manor.
“Come on, Little J,” I muttered. “Let’s go say hi to your… aunt.”
Pushing to my feet, I brushed grass from my hands and guided him toward them, closing the distance at a relaxed, unhurried pace. Like I hadn’t been thinking inappropriate thoughts about her for the last week. Once I found out we weren’t related, my mind had been conjuring inappropriate thoughts.
