Page 41 of The One With the Mountain Man

Jackson held Gus up in front of his face. "Hitting is bad. No hitting. I was bad. I won't do it again and neither will you, got it?"

Gus nodded once and then stuck his fingers in his mouth. Apparently, the matter was settled.

"I'm so sorry Marley. I mean it. I don't know what came over me."

Jackson looked so embarrassed, so lost, I wanted to hug him. But I was also sure Gus would pitch a fit if I tried. "It's all right. I'm perfectly fine."

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be apologizing tome," Travis groaned as he worked his jaw some more.

Jackson shook his head. "I'm not apologizing for putting you in your place."

"Hey now," Travis teased right back. "I was just talking to Marley."

"You were fucking with me, and you know it." He looked at Gus. "Don't say what I just said either. Jesus, I'm getting it all wrong today. It's like someone scrambled my brain." He shot me a smile.

And I melted all over again. His smiles were criminal.

"Mama!" Gus cried out, his little arms shooting into the air. "Up!"

We all turned to find an unhappy woman standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, and an eyebrow arching to her hairline.

Jackson winced. Travis shrank back.

She glared at all of us, even me, before coming around for her son.

"I can explain," Jackson said as he released Gus.

"You better. I let you watch Gus and then I get a phone call saying you're going to murder Travis instead? And even better, when I get heremy sonis in the room where it happened, he obviously witnessed your asinine behavior,andyou dropped swear words while holding him!”

"I was watching him. Iamwatching him."

"No, he watched you punch Pretty Boy."

"I donotaccept that nickname!" Travis shot back.

My gaze pinged from Jackson to Travis to Karis, as what appeared to be a relatively common relationship dynamic took place.

Karis glared at Travis. "Then stop being so pretty and acting like a playboy."

I liked Jackson's sister. She reminded me a little bit of Charley, taking no shit from boys twice her size.

Travis pouted. Jackson put his hands together and begged. "I'm sorry. I already told Gus that hitting is bad and that I was wrong."

She gave him another withering look. "Tell that to Reesa when he's hitting every kid in his class tomorrow." She wagged her finger. "And I thought you were all hung up on that mysterious Marley girl from the diner. Now you're throwing punches over someone else? Boys! You're all the actual worst." She turned and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm the idiot's little sister, Karis."

I held back fits of giggles as I took her hand. "Marley."

Her hand squeezed mine as her eyes went wide as saucers. "You're Marley?TheMarley?" She turned to look at the boys. "This is Marley?"

"The very one." Jackson smiled at me with so much softness my knees went weak.

"Oh, ho, ho!" She spun, her finger in the air as she moved from person to person to person. "This is the medicine I need. Dinner. My house. Just us. No family." Her finger sliced through the air, then landed on Travis. "No. Family."

He put up his hands. "You think I'm bringing that hellfire down on me? I say we keep Marley secret forever. It will save her a whole world of pain."

"We don't have to," Jackson said softly, his gaze steady on me.

"The hell you do!" Karis plopped Gus back on Jackson's hip. "You're sweet but gross. I'm gagging." Then she hugged me. "Oh my god, it's so nice to meet you. I swear I'm not normally this loud. It all just shocked me. I wouldloveto get to know you. Please come to dinner and distract me from my own miserable existence?"

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