Love to Believe: Fireflies ~ Book 2 (12 page)

“You know, Sada’s right. It is warm in here.” He grinned and Rebecca’s cheeks flamed hotter.

“Uncle Sean’s playing monster.” TJ’s face flushed with excitement.

“I thought you wanted to play monster with me?” Rebecca said. TJ’s legs dangled over Sean’s shoulders and his sneakered feet rested against Sean’s ribs. Rebecca grabbed TJ by his ankles and tugged. “How come you’re ditching me?”

“I’m not.” TJ looked down at her from his lofty perch. “Uncle Sean is gonna play, too. He’s gonna be the monster.”

Rebecca put her hands on her hips and frowned. “I’m always the monster.”

“Not this time. This time you hafta be the princess.”

“What?” Rebecca dropped her mouth open in feigned outrage. “I’m never a princess. I’m the monster.”

“Aunt Becca, c’mon. I’m Batman and Uncle Sean’s the monster. You hafta be the princess so I can rescue you.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes at Sean. “Did you put him up to this?”

Sean laughed and his eyes ate her up. “No, I swear. He asked me to play and I said okay, because, well, how do you say no to Batman?”

“Batman doesn’t save princesses. He saves Gotham City from villains.” Rebecca tugged TJ by his ankles again. “Are you really going to make me be all girly?”

“You hafta, ‘cause Uncle Sean can’t be the princess. That would just be silly.”

“Agreed,” Sean said.

“Oh, fine.” Rebecca emitted an exaggerated huff. “I’ll be the princess just this once. But I’m going to be a warrior princess so I can kick butt.”

“Xena,” Sean purred. “Too bad we don’t have costumes.”

“Yeah,” TJ nodded. “That’d be cool. Maybe next time.”

Sean grinned as he moved past Rebecca toward the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. “C’mon, Xena,” he called over his shoulder. “Batman’s ready to save Gotham.”

***

An hour later Rebecca dropped into a padded chair at the kitchen table and guzzled a bottle of water she’d taken from the fridge. TJ had run her ragged. Sean hadn’t fared much better, pleading exhaustion and escaping to the man cave for a cold beer after his Olympic battle with Batman and Xena for control of Gotham City.

“I don’t know how you handle a classroom full of kids TJ’s age.” Rebecca regarded Maddie with respect. “I wouldn’t last a day.”

“Neither would I if I chased them all over the classroom the way you and Sean ran around after TJ.” Maddie patted Rebecca’s shoulder. “You’re a fun auntie.”

“I try. But damn, the kid has boundless energy. He followed Sean downstairs,” she said with a grin. “No rest for the weary.”

Maddie chuckled. “Yeah, there’s some hero worship going on there. TJ never even asked about calling Sean
uncle
, he just started doing it, and Edie is Grandma Edie. He’s called Brenna
aunt
a couple times, but I think she scares him.”

“She scares everybody,” Rebecca said.

Brenna faced them with her hands on her hips. “I heard that. I’m right here, you know?”

“Dinner is on.” Sada poked her head into the kitchen, having come from the dining room. “While you were outside saving the world we were slaving over the meal. Will you please hunt down your brother and father? I think they’re on the porch.” Sada picked up her glass and jiggled it. “I’m busy. I have to get a refill.”

Rebecca finished off her water, tossed the empty bottle in the recycle bin, and left the kitchen to do her mother’s bidding. She glanced into the Kinkaids’ impressive dining room, the long mahogany table burdened with more food than the two families would ever eat, and made her way down the hallway toward the foyer. She opened the front door, peeked out to the porch, and drew a breath to speak, but caught Caleb mid-sentence and swallowed her words.

“...for Rebecca. You don’t give her enough credit, Dad. I can’t figure out what your problem is.”

“I’ve already told you. Traipsing around construction sites isn’t the place for a young woman.”

“Rebecca has been traipsing around construction sites since she was old enough to walk. She knows more than most of the guys on the job--who, by the way, like and respect her. You don’t have to go by my word. Talk to the guys. They’ll tell you. She knows what she’s doing, Dad.”

“Of course, that’s what they’ll say. She’s got the power to hire and fire right now. You think any one of them will say a word against her?”

“Yes, I do. Especially guys like Howard and Miguel, who’ve been with Walker & Son forever. You think either of those men would hesitate to complain if he had a problem?”

Big Will scratched his head and frowned. “I just don’t like it. She’s a young lady. She doesn’t need to be--”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Traipsing around construction sites.” Caleb shook his tawny head and sighed. “She’s a grown up. And she knows the business inside and out. You know that, right?”

“I know she’s a grown up.” Big Will’s husky voice growled out. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Rebecca bit back frustration and found her voice. “Hey, y’all. Dinner’s on.”

The men swung their heads in her direction. Big Will’s hair stood on end from when he scratched his head and this, combined with his widened eyes, gave him the look of a surprised rooster. Rebecca eyed him with little charity before meeting Caleb’s gaze. In his eyes, she saw regret, and it took effort to force a smile. But this was not the time or the place to hash through this, so she said, “Hope you guys are hungry because there’s enough food for a small nation.”

Big Will’s expression settled into one of relief and he offered what Rebecca recognized as a genuine smile. “You know me, little britches. Big man, big appetite.” He clapped his hand on Caleb’s back. “C’mon. Let’s eat!”

Rebecca moved back to allow the men through the doorway. Her father made a beeline for the dining room, but Caleb stood with Rebecca while she closed the door.

“How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough to know he’s not coming around. You can’t change his mind, but I appreciate you trying. Let’s forget about it for now, okay? Time to enjoy our Thanksgiving feast.” She tucked her hand into the crook of Caleb’s arm, squeezed, and smiled. “You’re the best big brother ever.”

“You make it easy.”

Rebecca grinned. “You never said that when we were kids.”

“It would’ve been a lie when we were kids,” Caleb said with a laugh as he escorted her to dinner.

***

Sean had no complaint with the seating arrangement, which placed him across from Rebecca. He watched her with casual interest over the rim of his wineglass. Something had changed since their playtime with TJ and he wanted to know what. She smiled and laughed, answered questions asked of her and conversed with others, but her behavior held an underlying current he couldn’t identify. She set down her fork and lifted her wineglass but never took a sip of the fine Riesling. She was...preoccupied. That was the word.

Her superficial and breezy participation contrasted with her customary full-throttle engagement. Something had tamped down her usual spark, and he itched to know what it was.

Rebecca must have felt his gaze because she set the wineglass down and cut her eyes to him with swift awareness. Sean held her momentary stare and smiled when the color rose to her cheeks. Her skin, a sensitive canvas, prevented her from hiding her emotions well, and he suspected it annoyed her to be ever at the mercy of her fair complexion.

Cheeks flushing, she looked away and set her attention on Brenna, and there it stayed until she had the opportunity to joke with Grandpa Boone and Papa Ron. When the table talk turned to details of Caleb and Maddie’s upcoming June wedding, Rebecca’s interest focused and she appeared to be caught up in genuine excitement for the happy couple, and when TJ slid from his own seat to climb onto her lap, she welcomed the sleepy-eyed boy with warm affection. He snuggled against her and soon fell into the sort of deep sleep common to the very young and the very old.

When the time came to clear the table, Sean offered to carry TJ upstairs to one of the bedrooms so the little boy could enjoy his nap.

“Lay him in my room,” Brenna said. “He doesn’t need to wake up in yours and see all those posters of half-naked women.”

“Whatever.” Sean rolled his eyes. “He probably wouldn’t even notice. There are Star Wars posters up there, too. At his age, he’d pass up Kim Basinger for Darth Vader without blinking an eye.”

“My room, Sean,” Brenna said and walked off toward the kitchen with the platter of turkey leftovers.

“Has she always been so bossy?” Dante asked, balancing two armfuls of empty dinner plates.

“Always.” Sean lifted TJ with care. “She’s a fucking pain in the--”

“Sean Patrick Kinkaid, you watch that potty mouth of yours.” Edie wagged her French-tipped finger at him then pointed to TJ. “We have little ears here today.”

Sean shifted TJ in his arms. Asleep, the kid equaled dead weight. His head slumped over Sean’s shoulder and his legs dangled like a disengaged puppet. The little boy twitched and emitted a healthy snore. Sean grinned.
Cute kid
.

“Follow me up and help me get him situated, okay?” Sean said to Rebecca.

She nodded and followed him upstairs and down the hall to Brenna’s room.

Sean waited with TJ in his arms while Rebecca pushed decorative pillows and stuffed animals out of the way. Once laid down, TJ curled up like a popcorn shrimp and snuggled into the softness of the down comforter. Rebecca untied his sneakers and eased them off his feet, then covered him up with a plush throw the color of raspberries.

While Rebecca fussed over TJ, Sean stood in front of the dresser poking at Brenna’s girly stuff. He noted a plastic box full of bows and clips and elastic ponytail thingamabobbers, an unzipped purse-looking thing that held a bunch of makeup, and five different bottles of perfume. He picked one up to sniff it and buried a sneeze when the too-sweet scent invaded his nose. Rebecca met his gaze in the mirror, her expression amused.

Sean made a face and set the bottle down. He spied something else and picked it up, turned and leaned against the edge of the dresser while he toyed with it, his thumb rubbing over its surface.

“What’s that?” Rebecca asked, stepping toward him.

Sean held up a smooth stone the size of a walnut. He held it out and she took it, turning it over in her hands.

“It’s a worry stone. You’re supposed to keep it in your pocket and play with it to keep your hands busy when you’re nervous or upset. Jack went on some trip when he was a kid and came home with one of those for all three of us.”

Rebecca rubbed the stone with her finger. “The word ‘dream’ is etched into it.”

“They all said something different. I used to carry mine all the time. Not sure where it is now.”

Rebecca looked up from the pale blue stone, smooth as beach glass. Sean held her gaze for a moment, the familiar heat between them springing to life. Uncomfortable with the ease with which she drew him in, he straightened. Her nearness shot heat straight to his groin, and an unexpected rush of...
something
...into his chest. Discomfited, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stepped back. The moment ebbed, and he sought to find their usual solid ground.

“Hey, you want to help me with something?” he asked with a grin.

Rebecca set the stone on the dresser and shrugged. “We ought to go downstairs and help with dishes.”

“Forget the dishes. This is more important.” Sean took her hand and pulled her from the room, leading her across the hall toward his bedroom. “I need you to help me cross something off my bucket list.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “What kind of something?”

Sean opened the door to his childhood room, flipped the light switch on, and tugged her in. “Having girls in here was forbidden, and it was always one of my goals to--”

Rebecca gasped and a laugh bubbled from her lips. “Are you out of your mind? No!”

Sean gave her a solid yank. She stumbled forward and he captured her in his arms, laughing. “Give me a little credit, will you? I don’t want to get you naked--well, okay, technically that’s a big fat lie. What I mean is I wouldn’t go that far.” He nuzzled the junction of her throat and shoulder so that the stubble on his jaw sent goose bumps rippling across her skin. “I only need to get to second base and I can cross it off my list.”

“No.” She laughed and tried to push him away. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Aw, c’mon. It’s only second base.” He held her tighter and performed a fair impression of a horny teenager. “You know you want to.”

Rebecca laughed in spite of her effort to keep quiet. “You’re ridiculous. And I don’t believe for a second you never had a girl up here.”

“Only once. Swear to god. Marybeth Sanantonio. My parents were supposed to be out till midnight, but they came home early. I made Marybeth go out the window and down the trellis.”

“Oh, my god. You did not.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I really did. She fell off about two-thirds down and sprained her ankle. She didn’t talk to me for the rest of the school year.”

Rebecca bit her lip but the laughter wouldn’t be stilled. Sean laughed with her and caught her off guard, pulling her against him and falling back on the bed. He released her the second they toppled, and she flopped beside him so they lay crosswise, still chuckling and staring up at the ceiling.

“Poor Marybeth. You must have been the worst date ever. How old were you?’

“Well, let’s see. That was sophomore year so, fifteen or sixteen I guess. Not very smooth.”

“You’re still not very smooth.” Rebecca elbowed his ribs. “You dragged me in here like a bag of Santa’s toys and you’ve been accosting me ever since.”

“Yeah,” he said, without an ounce of shame, and made her laugh again.

“Your ceiling is blue,” she said after a moment of silence. “I’ve never seen a blue ceiling before.”

“Jack’s is blue, too. Brenna’s is some gross shade of pink. We were supposed to have clouds painted up there, but by the time my mother convinced my dad to do it, Jack and I decided it was uncool.”

“Idiot boys. Clouds would’ve been way cool.”

“Yeah, they would’ve been.” Sean let the silence take over for a few moments before he looked at her. “You weren’t yourself at dinner. Want to talk about it?”