Page 38 of Sweeter Than Fiction

I walk inside and hear the sound of tiny little feet limping across the floor. Knowing what’s coming, I put the bear down. “Uncle D!” My niece screams as she jumps into my arms.

“There’s my favorite girl!”

She wraps her arms around my neck, squeezing as tightly as she can. I look down and see the bright pink cast on her leg.

My heart breaks into a million pieces because this girl is always on the move. Sitting still for more than five minutes kills her, and now, her mobility is going to be lessened quite a bit for a while.

Grabbing the cast, I ask, “Are you okay?”

She nods. “Mommy says I’m tough.”

“Well, I already knew that, but I brought something along to still help you feel a bit better.”

I point to the bear, and her eyes light up. “For me?”

I nod and gently put her down. As she falls into it, getting lost in the giant thing, I say, “He’s bigger than you are!”

She starts giggling.

Jill comes walking out from the kitchen, shaking her head at my gift-buying skills. She mouths the words, “I hate you.”

I mouth back, “I don’t care.”

She runs her fingers through her long, dark hair, pushing it out of her face before resting her hands on her hips. Jill and I both inherited our dark hair from our dad. Jill also got his brown eyes, but somehow, I ended up with Mom’s blue ones. Genetics are weird. I always felt a little sorry for our mom because she had two kids with a guy who ultimately left her high and dry, yet she had to stare at two kids who were the spitting image of him.

Mom finally comes walking into the room, and Kaylee screams. “Nana! Look! I got a bear!”

“I see that, sweetheart! You should have seen Mr. Bear trying to fit into the backseat of Nana’s tiny car.”

“Where’s Paul?” I ask Jill, referring to her husband.

“He’s on a boys golfing weekend.”

My nose crinkles up. “Golf?”

“Yeah, that was my reaction too. He offered to come home when he heard about Kaylee, but it cost an arm and leg to change his flight. No pun intended.” She winks. “So, I told him to stay put and have fun.”

Our mother steps in between us. “Well, let’s not stand in the entryway. Makes me nervous. Come on, let’s get settled in the living room, and I’ll make us some drinks.”

Oh yeah.

I’m definitely home.

Chapter Fifteen

Abby

“So, why aren’t you hanging out with Mr. Perfect tonight?” Jenson asks from the other end of my couch.

“He went back home to Nebraska because his niece broke her leg. He wanted to go surprise her to make her feel better.”

“Okay, gorgeous, you have to stop telling me things about this man. Just when I think he can’t get any more perfect, you go and say something like that. I am already shitty he’s batting for your team instead of mine. It’s just not fair. All the good ones are straight.”

“Uh, Jenson, I think every female in the world would disagree with you.” My phone chimes with a text. “Speaking of Don, I told him I would watch for a package he was expecting and take it into his apartment for him. He just texted telling me that it’s been dropped off.”

“How are you going to get in?”

“He gave me a key.”

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