Page 52 of Rough Rider (Bad Boy High)
He gets it; he always does.
Chapter Thirty-Three
NIKI
“Where’s Bam?” Julie wants to know, eying both me and Andy with suspicion.
I clutch my heart in mock dismay. “Bam? What about me? Your blood brother.”
“Bam does different voices when he reads to me. You don’t.” She lifts her chin. “Is this your girlfriend?”
“She is.” I take Andy’s hand in mine and draw her close. “I wanted you to meet her.”
“This is nice.” Mom takes the flowers Andy gave her and places them in a vase. “What’d you bring?” She sniffs the brown bags we carried in.
“Shakey’s with the extra crispy fries.” I jiggle the bag.
Julie’s eyes widen, and then she remembers she’s mad at me and wrinkles her nose. “Don’t like fries.”
“Since when?” Mom picks her up and carries her to the table, gesturing for us to follow.
Beside me, Andy sucks in a deep breath. I give her hand a squeeze of encouragement. “We also brought milkshakes.Chocolate for you, Mom. Strawberry for the red berry.” I set the small cup in front of Julie’s chair.
She eyes it with suspicion. “Is this a kid’s size?”
“Nope. Small, which I got for all of us.” I show her the carrier where Andy’s and my shakes still rest.
Julie makes her inspection, and when she’s satisfied that she’s not getting cheated because she’s five, she takes a seat. Andy and I finish parceling out the meal, and we all sit down. Mom refrains from grilling Andy, which I know takes superhuman strength. When we’re all done, I clear the table while Julie drags Andy off to look at a book Andy brought. At the kitchen sink, I murmur my thanks to Mom for taking it easy.
“I figured Julie would do it for me, and that poor Andy didn't have to be put to the inquisition twice in one night.”
“You’re the best.” I give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She slaps my back with the dish towel and then shoos me out of the kitchen so that Andy isn’t left alone with the little tyrant too long. When I get into the living room, the two are sitting so close together that their hair looks like it’s all one bundle of sugary floss.
I pad silently over and take a seat on the floor.
“And what’s this dragon’s name?” Julie points to a page in the book that Andy has open on her lap.
“It’s a sea orc. The writer never gave this one a name,” Andy explains.
“But the other one has a name.” Julie flips back and points to something.
“I wrote that.” Andy grins.
My sister sits up. Her eyes are wide and full of interest. “You named the dragon?”
“Yup. I didn’t name the sea orc because the word ‘orc’ scared me, and I was afraid if I gave it a name, it would appear in my dreams because that’s what happened with the goldenamphithere. I called it Goldhire because it sounded cool, and that night, it appeared at my window and asked me if I wanted to fly.”
Julie is practically on Andy’s lap now. “Did you fly?”
“Oh, yes. I climbed right onto Goldhire.”
“Did it hurt? Did his scales hurt?”
“Goldhire was a girl?—”
“A girl?” Julie exclaims.
“Yes. She was so beautiful. Her scales were like the color of your hair, and her eyes”—Andy breaks off, pausing to inspect Julie—”her eyes were just like yours.” Andy leans close. “Are you a dragon, Julie? If you are, whisper it in my ear. I promise not to tell anyone.”
