Page 128 of Timeless

“Jack, it’s okay.” I took his hand off my lap, holding his little hand between mine “I confused you.” I saw his expression twist. “Jack, I’m trying to explain that Tae isn’t family.”

“I know.” Jack nodded.

“So, do you understand that…” I realized I was going to have to be direct. I couldn’t dodge around the fact.

“Mom, you made pie.” Jack spoke before I got a chance, giving me a smile, understanding. “Uncle Tae and Will have left.”

I nodded and let go of his hand. “I’m sorry, Jack, but it just had to happen.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “They weren’t family. You told me I can’t count on anyone who isn’t family.” His eyes scanned my brothers, then returned to me. “So, my uncles aren’t family?”

“Troy, Cole, Adam, and Tyler are blood uncles, Jack.” I glanced at them. They had no idea but I was about to make them a fixture in Jack’s life. “So, they are family.”

“Family like you and me?” Jack questioned.

“Yep.”

His eyes scanned my brothers, and then paused on Troy. “You won’t leave, right?” He knew Troy was the eldest and also because Troy was a president, Jack knew he would be the one to have the answer.

“No, we aren’t going anywhere, Jack.” Troy gave him a smile.

“That’s not true. Amber could be poisoning us with these pies,” Cole grunted, lightening the mood.

“Mom’s pies are the best.” Jack stuck up for me. “They are my favorite and she only makes them when something happens and she thinks I’ll be upset.” He was up on his knees again. “There are chocolate chips!”

“Two bags in each.” My hand went to Jax’s arm that was around me. “So, you aren’t eating more than one slice of each, Jack.”

“I wish Uncle Tae and Will left every day!” Jack was reaching for a bowl and was his normal happy self. “I want pie now.” He had gotten himself a bowl and spoon, which meant I had to get dishing.

Jax let go of me and I got up, reaching for the knife. The tension in the air was gone, and Jack was busy telling Cole why raspberry was his favor.

“Amber?” Tyler said, while I was cutting up Jack’s pie.

“Yep.”

“You know how I mentioned the whole leech thing?”

I put Jack’s pie in his bowl and glanced at him. “You really need money?” I had a lot of money behind me. I worked hard for it. And Jack wasn’t expensive.

“Actually we,” Tyler gestured to my other brothers, “are um… well…”

“We need to get our mail redirected.” Adam cut off Tyler off with a hurried voice, as if Tyler was failing to get his point across.

I frowned. “And you guys need money for it?” I started cutting up the other pie.

“No, we need an address.” Cole’s voice had nerves in it. So, my eyes automatically bounced off the pie and on to him.

“Yeah, for our mail.” Tyler nodded.

I suppressed the smile. I now knew where they were heading and I wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

I went back to the pie. “Well, you are all moving to the clubhouse, right? Use their address. I can pay for the transfers for you all if you want.” I kept my eyes on the pie I was serving up. Because if I looked at one of them, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from grinning and I knew it was a bad habit but I was their little sister and I liked making them suffer.

They all went quiet. So, which one of them was going to man up and ask me? Knowing them, they would be telling me they were moving in regardless.

“Well, we don’t... really want to, you know…” Adam started and I smiled just a tiny bit.

“Oh, for fuck sake, Amber, you know what we want,” Cole snapped. Him and his short temper. “We want to move in here.”

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