is centered around love. He fights with an aim to learn to protect himself, and more importantly, his sister. According to Jesse, the blame of their shitty start to life rests solely on his shoulders. It doesn’t take a genius to work out he wished he’d done more to protect her. He didn’t have to say the words, it was bleeding out of his eyes as he powered through punches that almost broke his body.
“Bathroom,” Jesse grunts out through labored breaths.
Hand tapping his back, I move to grab his shoulder in affection, squeezing it once before letting go.
“You two look like your connecting,” Parker reflects, watching his nephew’s retreat.
I wish he was right. Truth be told, today an exception, the kid is unwavering in his withdrawal. He’s afraid to get too close, predicting this attempt at a happy family is going to blow up in our faces.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “He’s cagey. It’s like tryin’ to connect with a ‘me’ that just looks like ‘you’.”
A peel of laughter rolls from my brother’s mouth.
“So what you’re tryn’a say is that he’s superiorly handsome?”
I jab him in the ribs bare-fisted.
He grunts. “Fuck, dude.” Rushing forward, he twists an arm around my neck, attempting to pull me down.
“I’ve gotta head out,” Jesse interrupts our play fight and we stand up straight, watching him curiously.
“Where you goin’?”
He smirks. “Bit late to start the dad thing, yeah?”
I don’t know what to say.
“Maybe,” Parker answers for me. “But when you’re only sixteen and stayin’ as a guest in someone’s house, you pay ‘em some common courtesy.”
Jesse’s eyes flit between the two of us. “Well, which is it? Houseguest or family?”
Touché, kid. Tou-fucking-ché.
“Just tryin’ to look out for you.”
He refrains from rolling his eyes. “Done okay thus far on my lonesome.”
I’m caught between my want to tell him that things have changed. That he needs to understand he now has a parent. One who gives a shit. But I’m petrified of pushing him away. Of coming on too strong, too fast and them disappearing into the wind again.
“You need any cash?”
He shakes his head.
“I’ll get you a spare key,” I sigh. “Just in case I’m out when you get back.”
“Appreciate it.”
I move to walk past him, stopping. “I’m workin’ on givin’ you guys space to settle in, but any chance you could make sure you’re home at a decent hour. Save me thinkin’ you’ve run off?”
A soft bark of laughter is my answer. “Sure thing, Rocco.”
Sitting on the couch, whiskey in hand, I frown at Parker. He’s staring at me, thinking too hard to make me comfortable.
“I think you should give the twins tighter boundaries. They can’t just disappear without tellin’ you where they’re goin’.”
I shoot my drink, spinning the empty glass in my hand.
“You would know,” I answer. “With all the parenting practice you’ve had.”
“Don’t be a dick,” he bites. “They’re fuckin’ kids, Roc. They need to know there are rules.”
I sigh. “Park. They’ve been in my house for a week. To them, I’m still a stranger. I’m treadin’ carefully.”
His head shakes. “There’s treadin’ carefully and being neglectful.”
“The fuck?”
Hands lifting in surrender, he apologizes. “That came out wrong. What I’m sayin’ is, they don’t wanna go back to the street any more than you want them to. Don’t let ‘em walk all over you for fear you’ll lose them. Being a parent also means layin’ ground rules, Roc. Don’t let them dictate how shit is gonna be in an attempt to connect with ‘em. Show ‘em you actually give a shit.”
I stand, moving back toward the bottle of whiskey, dropping my glass down, thinking better of having another drink.
“How are you so much better than me at this?”
Tipping the remainder of his drink down his throat, he stands, placing his empty glass next to mine.
“I learned from the best.”
If I look confused, it’s because I am.
“You, Roc. You were hard as fuck on me growin’ up. It showed you cared. As much as I bitched and whined, I secretly fuckin’ loved havin’ someone lookin’ out for me.”
I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing. But I grab him, pulling him into an embrace I didn’t know I needed.
“Aww. Cute. Can I join in?” Blake’s arms wrap around us both without permission, her cheeks pressed against my shoulder.
Pulling back, her eyes fall across the loft. “Where’s Jesse?”
“Said he had somethin’ to do.”
Bottom lip tipped out, she hmphs. “Nice of him to tell me he was leaving.”