And as we keep rocking together, we get lost in each other on my childhood home’s kitchen floor without the worries of the outside world.
26
JAX
Currently playing: What I Like About You by Poison
“Mom, who’s that man with drawings on his body sleeping in aunt Soph’s bed?”
I startle awake when I hear a small voice and blink—where the fuck am I? I remember arriving at Soph’s place, baking, and eating brownies…those fuckingpotbrownies. No wonder I feel like I’ve been asleep for days—Ialwaysget droopy after smoking pot.
I peel back my heavy eyelids and see a little girl staring at me next to the bed. Her dark curls are in two ponytails. Her expression looks like someone copy pasted Soph’s. The eye color is the same, too.
“Hi, little one,” I say, keeping my voice soft to not wake Soph, who’s still quietly snoring next to me.
She huffs and pouts like Soph does whenever she’s irked. “I’m five and one quarter, no little anymore.”
“Sorry, hi,bigone.”
The girl is unimpressed and narrows her eyes. “You sleep in the wrong bed. Let me find mommy.”
The girl turns around and shouts for her mom. Soph grunts in protests behind me, pulling the covers over her head. The faint sound of footsteps makes me sit up. I’ve no idea what I look like right now. And I’m meeting one of Soph’s sisters, having no idea which one.
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” a woman who looks to be in her mid or late 30s says as she walks into the room. “I’m Shannon, the older sister. And you must be Jackson. My baby sister has mentioned you a few times—nice to finally meet you, even though I wasn’t expecting to find you here this beautiful morning.”
“Nice to meet you too, Shannon.”
I start offering her my hand but realize I should get dressed first. I hold the covers closer. Shannon snorts. “Classic. At least it wasn’t da who found you here.”
“Your mama loved me, so I’m not too worried about your da.”
“I bet she did, as Princess Sophia never brings anyone home.” Shannon looks at her youngest sister, who’s stirring next to me, and lowers her voice. “One more thing, Jax. If you don’t treat her right, there’ll be consequences. Trust me.”
My responding smile is wide, and she shoots me a glare, wiping the grin off my face. I nod in understanding before she leaves the room. I bet the barely five-foot-four woman weighing 120 pounds soaking wet I just met couldn’t be a match for me. But I don’t dare to do anything to piss her off. She could hide a punch like her sister does. You never know with the Kennedy women.
“Was that my sister?” a sleepy Soph asks behind me.
“Yes, and I think she saw me naked.”
I feel her tensing before she shrieks, “What?!”
“I was just kidding,Princess Sophia.” She swats my arm at the use of her family nickname. “But now that I got your attention, I think it would be best to put some clothes on and spend time with your family.”
“True, but being in bed with you sounds much better,” Soph whines and traces her pointer finger along my arm, following the lines of my tattoos.
“I know, but I can hear the cartoons playing downstairs, so it must mean your sister is staying for a while.”
Soph groans. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and even though our family doesn’t celebrate the holiday, Shannon promised to come and clean the house today. I’m sorry, I totally forgot.”
“Hey, I don’t mind. It’s your place,” I tell her and kiss her on the forehead. “What if we get dressed and go downstairs to hang out with your niece? That could cheer you up.”
“I would love to play with Lauren, but I need to talk with Shannon about something important,” she says and gets out of bed. I love watching her only in her underwear.
“If your family wasn’t here, you wouldn’t have left this bed,” I say and stretch my arms, the covers lowering and showing more of my half-naked body to her.
“Don’t tempt me, Jax.”
Her stern tone makes me laugh. “Okay, let’s get downstairs before you change your mind, then.”
