Page 61 of Crave

“See, Jakey? Sandy wants to come over. I’ll mix us up some margaritas. Is that okay?”

“Sounds great. I love margaritas.”

Jake sighs loudly before ending the call. “I’ll go put on my shirt so we can go.” Instead of walking away, he sticks his face on the side of my neck and inhales. “But I’d much rather stay here.” He kisses the side of my neck before finally walking back towards his bedroom.

“Can we go now, please?” Jake asks impatiently from the other side of his mother’s kitchen. His father just chuckles and shakes his head at his son.

“Sandy’s not done with her drink yet, Jakey. Sandy, dear, this is a birthday present Jake made for Troy. I think Jake was five and Troy had turned seven. Isn’t that the same year you dressed up as Troy for Halloween, Jakey?” The only response Jake gives to his mother is a groan. He quickly walks across the kitchen, grabs my margarita and downs the glass in one gulp.

“She’s done now.”

Lilian ignores him, grabs the pitcher and pours me another one as I look at a makeshift photo album. The cover is titledMy Brudder and Mein red and yellow crayon. There’s a drawing of two boys, one blond, who is taller than his brown haired brother.

Each page has a real picture of the boys taped to the middle. The final page is a picture of them standing next to each other. Both boys are laughing at the camera. Jake’s mouth is wide open and his two front teeth are clearly missing. The last picture has a hand drawn heart around it, and underneath the picture,my brudder is my best fwend, is written in big, awkward colorful letters.

“That’s so adorable. I always wanted a sibling closer to my own age.” I sigh wistfully.

“My boys were inseparable. Thick as thieves. They got into all kinds of trouble together, but the operative word is together. Best of friends until that succubus got her hooks into my family.” Lil Clark stands up, disgust written all over her face. She reaches for the pitcher of margaritas, but Josh Clark is quicker. He takes it out of her reach and hands it to Jake, who puts it in the fridge.

“It’s time to go, Lil. Don’t make Sandy uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I, Sandy?”

“Of course not, Mom. Let’s just get it out of the way and mention every ex to my girlfriend now. You want to bring out my junior prom picture? You want to tell her all amount Mandy Malone from the eighth grade?” Jake asks, irritated. He grabs my hand, and I stand up from the table.

“I love seeing pictures of you as a kid, Jake. And I’m not uncomfortable at all.”

It’s true. Lilian Clark welcomed me into her house with a warm smile and a tight hug, just like the first night we met. Her love and pride for her kids shows in everything she does, from the pictures hanging on her walls to the way she talks about her children. She’s similar to my mother in that way. I squeeze Jake’s hand as a way of calming him, and I think it works. His shoulders relax, and his scowl lessens.

“See, Jakey? Everything’s fine. You two should come over for a swim tomorrow. I have more albums to show you.”

“I’d love that.”

Lil smiles at me, but she walks over to Jake and pats his cheek before giving him a kiss. He takes her into a hug and plants a kiss on her cheek as well, making her laugh.

CHAPTER 20

SANDY

“Uncle Jake!” A small brown haired creature runs from across John Clark’s massive patio and into Jake’s arms. He swings him up and puts him on his shoulders. A slightly older little girl with hair the color of a carrot comes running behind him. Her hair color clashes with the pink dress she’s wearing, and when she sees me, she looks up at me in awe through her thick glasses.

“Wow,” she says, while she pushes her glasses back in place. “You’re pretty like Princess Tiana.”

“Thank you, sweetie. I’m Sandy. What’s your name?”

“Emma. You like princesses? Tristan only likes to play with airplanes.”

To prove her point, Tristan sticks out both arms and starts to make a sound like an engine. It’s at that moment that I realize that Troy and Tracy’s son is the spitting image of his uncle Jake.

From the hair color to the eye color. Tristan’s eyes even have the same spark of mischief as his uncle. When Jake finally takes him off his shoulder, Tristan and his uncle have the same stance. In fifteen years, Tristan will be a replica of his uncle.

Emma’s speaking to me, but I listen with only half an ear as I look from uncle to nephew and back again.

“What’d you say, sweetie?” I ask Emma as she pulls on my shirt, trying to gain my attention.

“Which one is your favorite princess? I like Tiana and Elsa the most. Do you want to see my drawings? I’ll go get them from Aunt Tracy.”

“I love all the princesses, but I think Moana is my fave. She’s a total fighter. And I’d love to see your drawings.” Emma smiles at me before running off to her aunt. Tracy, who’s gotten bigger in her pregnancy, listens attentively to Emma before looking in our direction. Emma points to us as Tracy looks at us like a deer in the headlights. When Emma pulls on Tracy’s shirt, just like she did with me, Tracy points to a giant bag at the corner of the patio. Emma runs to it and starts rummaging for what I assume are her drawings.

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