Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,11
"Hey, Uncle Isaac."
"Hey, kiddo." He released me only to ruffle my hair—the same auburn shade he'd had before it faded from his strands at an early age. "Who are these guys?"
My uncle folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his brown eyes as he studied the twins who leaned against the Jeep.
"CJ and Caleb, my friends, so play nice," I warned with a grin.
He scratched his chin. "How do you tell them apart?"
I snorted. "It's easy after you get to know them. The first one to say something vulgar is Caleb. You two would probably get along."
He snorted—a family trait I supposed. "Well, let's get your shit inside. In the back, right?" He headed for the trailer.
Caleb lifted the gate. "No, we rented this thing but went ahead and stuffed everything in our cars." He smirked. "Also, you can tell us apart because my dick is bigger."
"The fuck it is," CJ snapped back with a scowl at his brother.
Isaac let out a booming laugh and patted Caleb's shoulder. "Well, I don't plan on checking but I'll just assume you’re Caleb."
"Guess you'll never know," Caleb volleyed back, and I looked at CJ as we shared an exasperated groan.
There wasn't much to unload, but most was taken to the garage for storing until the fall semester began. After thanking the twins, I watched as they drove off before I followed my uncle into the house.
We passed through a sparsely furnished living room with a large stone fireplace that saw little use, aside from the rare days of biting cold winter. I briefly paused in front of it and scanned over a familiar picture of my Mom and me before she met my stepdad. A pang of hurt stung in my chest. Two other frames bookended the mantel, one of my cousin, Allison, in a lacy white wedding dress and another of a younger me with a toothy smile perched on my uncle's shoulders.
Moving on, we headed up the beige carpeted stairs. He led me down the right side of the hall as we carried my things to my temporary room. My uncle flicked on the light and then stepped aside for me to enter.
He set the boxes by the closet and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It's not much, but it's yours for however long you need it."
I glanced around the room that had sat empty since his daughter, my cousin, grew up and moved to New York with her husband.
The walls were newly painted a shade or two darker than the carpet, and a full size bed covered with a black comforter and white pillows took up the majority of the room. A flat screen TV was mounted on the opposite wall. The rest of the space was filled with a small black dresser and matching desk crammed on either side of the bed.
"This is perfect," I said and meant it. I'd take it any day over my ridiculously lavish room in Florida.
"Figured I better get rid of all that pink shit Allison had in here before you showed up." He looked around. "You can do whatever you want with it."
I sat in the rolling chair by the desk. "It's fine the way it is. Thank you for letting me stay." I sighed. "My stepdad—"
"Is a fuckin' prick. No better than that bastard who ran out on you when you were just a kid," my uncle finished with a bitter tone and his expression twisted in distaste.
I couldn't blame him. The reason I was staying with Uncle Isaac was because it was clear I wasn’t welcome at my stepdad’s home. My stepdad had never really approved of me simply because I wasn't his. I was merely baggage that came with my mom. And my biological dad—I didn’t remember him, but he hadn’t wanted me either.
My uncle was still scowling. "There's no way I'm sending you to that pretentious asshole's house for the summer. You're welcome right the fuck here."
"All the same, thanks." The room was simple and neat. The desk was perfect for writing and drawing while the bed looked comfortable. My gaze was drawn to the sliding glass door I knew led onto a balcony where I imagined I'd work on my book most.
"You gonna be all right here?" Isaac asked and I switched my attention back to him. "I stayed home to get you settled, but the shop has picked up some clients I can't afford to lose. I need to head out soon."