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“Gigi is my grandma.”
“Your mom’s mom or your dad’s mom?”
“Umm…” She thinks for a moment. “My mom’s mom.”
“Well, Gigi is wrong, and no offense, but she sounds sexist.”
“What’s sexist?” she asks, and I wince as I turn the stove off and start mixing the flavor packet into the noodles.
“It means she thinks boys can do things girls can’t do, and she’s wrong. Plenty of girls do karate, and the termladylikeis utter misogynistic bullshit, so don’t listen to Gigi.”
With that, I set her bowl of ramen on the counter. “Now, sit and eat.”
“What does misogynistic mean?—”
“No more questions,” I snap, which makes her giggle.
Leaning against the counter, I watch her pull the noodles from the bowl with her fork, blowing on each one. Her tiny legs are constantly bouncing, and it’s like she’s dancing to music in her head that no one else can hear.
Most kids are annoying, but I have to admit…this one is pretty cute.
It makes my blood boil to think of someone telling her she can’t do something because she’s a girl. I hope Briar and Caleb don’t stand for that shit.
Abby eats her ramen without asking more questions. When she requests to watch TV, I put onFriendsbecause she said she’s never seen it. She laughs when I laugh, even though I know most of the jokes go over her head.
After her ramen is gone, she climbs onto my couch next to me and props her feet on the ottoman next to mine. Her feet dance as we watch, and in the middle of the second episode, the front door opens.
Briar walks in, looking frazzled and apologetic.
“Oh my god, Dean. I’m so sorry,” she mutters. “I don’t know what happened. We just passed out.”
“Relax. It’s fine. She ate some spicy ramen, and now we’re watching TV.”
“She didn’t get sick, did she?” she asks, looking concerned as she runs the back of her hand over Abby’s forehead.
There are dark circles under Briar’s eyes, and her hair looks like she could use a shower.
“Nope,” I reply, ruffling Abby’s brown, messy locks.
“Come on, Abby,” Briar calls. “Let’s go back home and leave Dean alone.”
Furrowing my brow, I touch Briar’s arm. “Leave her. She’s fine. You need a shower and some rest. I’ll let you know if she gets sick again.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she replies, shaking her head.
“I know I don’t.”
Staring into my eyes, I see hers begin to moisten with tears. Then she licks her bottom lip before tugging it between her teeth, and I suddenly find myself wanting to reach out and kiss her.
Of course, I don’t. Not with Abby around, but when I gaze down at Briar’s lips, I think she gets the message.
Her cheeks blush, and she leans in very subtly.
“What would we do without you?” she whispers.
My mouth stretches into a smile because I felt that. I’m not sure if she’s referring to watching Abby or what we did Friday night, but it’s nice to feel needed. For a guy who’s usually alone and likes to be alone, I could get used to being a part of a family like this.
“Go take a shower. Come back and get her in a few hours. We’ll be fine.”
