Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 129881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 649(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
I stand back and watch as everyone congregates in the family room.
Chairs are brought in from the kitchen and fanned out on either side of the couch, and the kids who can sit or play on their own are moved to the floor.
Ben sits with Mia and their youngest on one end of the couch, Luke grabs the seat beside Tessa, both of them giving all of their attention to Sara. CJ and Riley grab two chairs beside each other, Reed and Beth do the same, which leaves an open seat on the other side of the couch next to the older boy who’s still messing with his phone.
I take the seat and wait for everyone to decide what to play first. I don’t add to the discussion.
“Hey. I’m Nolan.”
I look over at the kid. “What’s up?”
“You’re CJ’s brother, right?”
“Yeah. I’m Jake.”
“Jake, can I ask you something about girls?”
I scratch the back of my head. Oh god. “Wouldn’t you rather talk to your dad about this?”
“He’s busy. And I have questions now.”
I think he’s too young to ask me anything about sex, so I figure his questions shouldn’t be too difficult to answer. “All right.”
“Cool.” He turns sideways in his chair and keeps the phone in his lap. “I’m trying to plan for Christmas already because my mom said it’s good to shop early, and I don’t know what to get my girlfriend. This is the first year I’m buying her something, so it’s a big deal. I don’t want to mess this up. And I can’t think of anything. What do you get the person you love when you’ve already given them your heart?”
I choke a little on the root beer, causing Nolan to slap my back.
“Thanks.” I cough against my fist. “Sorry. Uh. How old are you?”
“Eight.”
“You look older than that.”
“I’m tall for my age.”
“You’re eight and you gave someone your heart?”
“Yeah.” He stares at me. “Why wouldn’t I? We’re getting married. Like, as soon as we can.”
“You’re eight and you know who you’re getting married to?”
“I’ve known since I was six.”
I wait for him to smile or tell me just kidding. I’m only eight! I can’t know that now! And he doesn’t do any of that. This kid is completely serious, and for some weird reason I don’t understand at all, I think I actually believe him.
“Well. What does she like?” I ask.
He smirks a little and wiggles his brows. “Besides these dimples?”
“Smooth.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Yes. Besides your dimples.” I laugh. What an interesting kid.
“She likes pink stuff. Glitter. Dancing. BTS. Stuff I draw for her. Cupcakes. She really loves cupcakes.”
“Bake her some cupcakes.”
“She lives in Chicago. I’d have to ship them.”
“You got a girl who lives in Chicago? A real girl? She actually exists?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t hard.”
I don’t have any response to that, but damn, am I impressed.
“Why don’t you just draw her something if you know she likes that.”
“Because that’s what I always do.” He hangs his head. “And I don’t want her to get sick of it. ‘Another drawing, Nolan? That’s all you got?’”
“Do you really think she’ll say that?”
He shrugs, keeping his focus on his lap.
“All right. Look,” I say, getting his attention again. “I’m probably not the best person to ask because I don’t think I’ve ever been that good at giving gifts, but I think it’s more about the intent. And usually something personal, like a drawing, matters more to people than something you buy at a store. Have you ever tried drawing her?”
He sits up a bit straighter. “No. Do you think she would like that?”
“If you draw her how you see her, yeah I do.”
“So basically, like the most beautiful girl in all of existence. That’s how I should draw her.”
I smile. “Yeah. Just like that.”
“Cool. I feel better about this now. Thanks, Jake.”
“No problem.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
I shake my head. “Not anymore.”
“Boyfriend?”
The bottle pauses mid-air, and I side-eye him before taking a quick drink. “No. No boyfriend either.”
A sharp whistle cuts through the air, and then CJ moves to the center of the room.
He waves at the little blonde girl before looking out at the group.
“All right. We’re playing Pictionary first. Pair up. Nolan, you’re with Jake.”
Nolan slumps back in his seat. “I don’t want to play Pictionary. That game is so old.”
“Jake needs a partner, Nolan,” Mia says.
“It’s okay,” I tell him, leaning close. “I don’t want to play either.”
“What.” CJ scowls at me. “Why not?”
“I’ll just watch. It’s fine.”
“Jake, you should play,” Riley says.
“It’s not a big deal. I can’t draw for sh—stuff anyway.” I look over at Mia, hoping I didn’t go too far in front of her kid, since he’s the one really paying attention to me.
“You’re fine, Jake,” she says, laughing a little. “Unlike Reed.”
Reed lifts his head. “Huh?”
“We all heard you drop the a-bomb.”