“I’m his uncle. It’s my job.”
She shakes her head at me, but she’s smiles as she takes the little man’s hand, and we go out to the backyard to watch my mother enter her second marriage.
But my eyes remain on the lake.
The lake where my brother’s life ended, leaving behind a son he didn’t know he’d created.
And a family that desperately needed him.
“Thank you so much for inviting us. The ceremony was beautiful.”
Nora smiles at me, her cream-colored lace dress a distracting vision along with her smiling face. My son’s grandmother is absolutely glowing. Not that she isn’t always stunning.
“Of course. Thank you so much for coming and allowing Sebastian to be a part of the ceremony. It means the world to me.”
She smooths her hand over my son’s sleeping head. “It was no problem. He was very excited.”
I smile down at his sleeping face as he lays on my chest at one of the reception tables set up under a tent they erected just before the rain started to pour down.
“I should probably get him home.”
She nods her head, never giving me a hard time, unlike my own mother. Nora has been a blessing since the day she found out about Sebastian. I honestly thought she would hate me. I mean, I had sex with her son when he was in a relationship with another woman, one she loved dearly and still does. I thought she would think I was a slut, too trashy for her family, but instead she accepted us both instantly. “Yes, it’s starting to get late. You know you’re more than welcome to stay here. Tony and I are going to a hotel, but the kids are staying.”
I look around the beautifully decorated tent at her “kids” who are all grown now. Lola, her oldest, is directing the wedding photographer on what photos to shoot. Lincoln and Penelope are dancing, oblivious to the world as they closely hold each other. And then there’s Asher.
Who is tucked into a chair the next table over with a girl I don’t know on his lap, his tongue shoved down her throat and his hands on her full ass. I can’t blame the poor girl, many before her have fallen victim to Asher’s charm. And that suit.
Jesus. Am I drooling?
I try to tell myself my momentary ogling is based on my lack of sex and not on Ash’s sparkling hazel eyes, square and defined jawline, or his large muscular body that’s currently encased in a well-fitted suit, and a face with just enough stubble dusted over it to make any girl stupid.
I focus on Nora, keeping my voice low so I don’t wake my sleeping son. “Thank you so much for the offer, but I have a big week and should really get home tonight.”
She nods again with her ever-present smile and kisses the top of Sebastian’s head. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will, but enjoy your trip.”
They are going on an island honeymoon and leaving tomorrow. She waves, blowing a kiss as she joins her new husband on the dance floor.
I gather my purse and the bag I brought with some toys and snacks for Baz and stand up awkwardly with my son in my arms, wobbling slightly on my heels.
“I’ll be right back,” I hear Asher as he slides over to my table, easily lifting Sebastian in his arms without waking him, letting his little arm fall over his shoulder and his head rest against his chest. “You leaving?”
I nod, securing the bags over my shoulder. “Yes. And I can make it out to my car.” I nod back at the girl he left with her lipstick smeared, and more than likely, her panties wet. “You can go back to your date.”
He laughs at that, waving me off easily. “I’ll walk you out. I gotta talk to you anyway.”
Well, that makes me nervous. I follow him through the house. The rain, thankfully, has let up as we walk out the front to my car. I unlock it, and Asher effortlessly transfers Sebastian to his car seat, buckling him in.
I’m thankful for Asher. He’s the youngest of the Sterlings, but he is definitely the one who stepped up after I told Lincoln about my surprise pregnancy. Still, being only twenty, he has a lot of growing up left to do and sometimes drives me insane with the things he says.
He closes the door to the backseat quietly and then folds his arms over his chest, looking at me with that devilishly handsome smirk I’ve grown accustomed to.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I need a favor.”
God knows he’s done several for me over the last few years—watching Sebastian and just plain being an uncle to my son. Still, I’m cautious. “What?”
“You still moving out of your parent’s house?” He leans his ass against my car, his arms still folded.
“Yes . . .” I answer hesitantly. When I told my parents I was pregnant at only seventeen, they went straight into damage control, pulled me from school and had me finish remotely. They hid me away from any gossiping eyes and kept me, and then Sebastian, close in their home. I had to fight for my independence.
I’m starting my senior year of college soon, and I wanted some freedom. Finally, they granted it to me in the form of a ridiculously large four-bedroom home in Lawrence, where I’m attending college and had been driving the hour and a half for class every day for the past three years. I wanted something smaller near campus, but my father insisted on a “nice home” for Sebastian.
Rich girl problems, I suppose.
At least I’m out of there in three days.
“Why do you ask?”
“Let me move in with you two.”
I stare at him as if he’s grown another head because—is he kidding? “What? Why?”
Like me, he also attends the University of Kansas in Lawrence, and he’s been staying with his mother, taking care of her after the loss of her son since it happened. I know he was afraid to leave her, so he also made the drive to school every day from the town where we grew up.
“Because I want to get the fuck out of my parents’ home. And besides, I know what a handful Sebastian can be. I’ll help.”
I have to admit it’s tempting as hell. I adore my little boy, but he is a lot. I laugh at that, seeing the outline of Baz in his car seat through the window in the dark night. “Look, I already have a moody little roommate. I don’t think I can take care of another one.”
“First of all,” Asher gestures to his large body, “not little. Not at all.” I roll my eyes, knowing he’s not just referring to the size of his body. “And I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I just want out of my mom’s house. We go to the same school. We love the same kid. It makes sense.”
My heart squeezes tightly in my chest when he says he loves Sebastian. Not that it’s not any surprise to me, but it makes me happy to see someone love him almost as much as I do. “Asher . . .”
“I cannot stay with my mom during her honeymoon year.”
He shivers, and I can’t fight the laugh that comes from my mouth. “You have a trust fund. Use it.”
“I don’t plan to blow it on a house just yet. And if I’m going to pay rent, I’d rather it go to my nephew.”
I sigh, looking back through the dark window again. “I don’t know.”
My parents drive me insane, but I have had help since I became a mother. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.