Page 37 of Vince
“She’s adorable. I can’t wait to see her ride.”
Reaching for her hand, I lead her down the hallway. “Let’s go, or she’ll be back. Trust me.”
Walking to the living room, Sydney casually mentions, “This house is way nicer than any college student’s house.”
“Instead of renting, we decided to buy. Once we’re done with school, Vanessa and I will sell it and split the profits. Or if one of us should choose to stay, we’ll buy the other out,” I tell her, knowing it made the most fiscal sense.
Sydney stops in her tracks to stare at me. “Seriously?”
Shit. I don’t want to get into this now, so I skate around the topic the best I can with a shrug. “Yeah. It just made the most sense at the time.” There’s no way I’m ready to tell her about what brought me to living in this house. I don’t want her pity and with Julia expecting to ride her bike, there’s not enough time to explain things properly.
“I guess I can understand that.” She looks anywhere but at me. Clearly, she’s at a loss for what to say—and I just make it awkward. Fuck, I can’t win for losing in this situation, but thankfully, she quickly changes the subject. “So…” She pulls in a deep breath. “What park are we going to?”
God, I swear, I’ll tell her everything. I just need to be ready. I don’t want the look on her beautiful face to change when she sees me. I need her to know the me I am now, before I unload my past on her.
Thankfully, Julia and Vanessa are great buffers. As soon as we enter the living room, Julia announces, “Momma, Guess what? Unks’ friend is comin to watch me ride like a big girl.”
Vanessa’s eyes immediately jump to us as we enter the room and put Sydney at ease, like a pro. “Hi, Sydney. Glad you could join in the fun.”
“Hey. I wouldn’t miss it. I can’t wait to see the big girl in action,” Sydney says enthusiastically as Vanessa’s eyes land on our linked hands. Her knowing smile says it all. She’s happy for me, and I couldn’t agree with her more, even though at the moment, I feel like an ass for holding back.
But how do you drop a bomb like that?
To get my mind off my parents, I focus on the present. “Hey, squirt, are you ready to go ride like a big girl?”
Julia jumps up and down with excitement before grabbing Vanessa’s hand and dragging her to the door. “Let’s go!”
“Let me just put her bike in the back of my Jeep, and we can take that,” I offer Vanessa. Sure, she has an SUV of her own, but I’d prefer to drive my Jeep any chance I can.
“Are you sure?” Van looks between Sydney and me, obviously wanting to know if we need privacy.
“Momma, we have to ride with Unks. Or we’ll miss riding with my new friend.”
“Yeah, Van. We can’t have that,” I tease, though grateful for the distraction.
Looking to Sydney, she just smiles with delight.
“Okay—but go potty first,” Vanessa says to Julia. Then she turns to us with an apologetic smile. “Sorry. It’s a force of habit. The mom in me never turns off.”
This earns a beautiful laugh from Sydney. “I can’t imagine it ever does. But if you don’t mind, I’ll use your restroom, too, before we leave.”
“You can use mine,” I suggest, as our main bathroom is occupied with Julia and Vanessa, who’s followed her to help.”
I lead her to the master bedroom, which thankfully I remembered to make my bed and pick up this morning. “The bathroom’s just inside there.” I point to the door on the opposite side of the room. Sydney stares at my California-king bed and shakes her head.
God, what I’d give to know what’s going on in that mind of hers.
Wanting to give her some privacy, I offer, “I’ll meet you in the living room. I’ll load her bike so we can leave as soon as everyone’s ready.”
I don’t give her a chance to respond before walking out of the room. Thank goodness, Julia’s bike is small, or I’d have to put the bike rack in place of the tow hitch, which will take much longer.
By the time we arrive at the park, everyone’s just as excited as Julia. Vanessa’s camera is ready to roll as Sydney stands beside her, cheering Julia on. Taking the time to show Julia how it’s easier to start with one pedal up in the air, she catches on like a pro. I fasten her helmet and adjust to make sure it’s on properly before holding the seat to steady her.
“Remember, Jules, you need to ride with your chin over the handlebar and keep pedaling. I’ll get you steady, but when you’re ready to take off, I’ll let go. If you think you’re gonna fall, remember—the grass is your friend.”
Julia sighs exasperatedly. “Unks, I know. You told me already. Let’s do this.”
Damn. She’s fearless.
