Page 57 of The Virgin Playboy

“Boy, you see me in bra and panties all the time.”

“Yeah, but it's not the same as the sunning hitting your skin. The water hitting your body. The waves sweeping you.”

“Graham, I said I'd go. Don't be expecting me to ride a wave. Catch a wave. In fact, today is a no wave zone.”

“Okay,” I huffed, proceeding to slip into a clean change of clothes, as I looked for my sister and mum, assuming they'd be in a nursery. The benefit to being years apart is that our home only ever needed one nursery. Memories of family portraits painting the room a different color every time we got a new sibling came rushing through.

With my niece's birth, orange was all the rave, as I'd only remembered its last change of teal by the pictures associated with bringing Payton home. Conveniently enough, my other two siblings had joined them, giving me that extra time to with them before it happened.

“Hi, baby,” Wilhelmina cooed Kaiwhare’s face. “Time to meet your uncle Graham,” she continued in baby talk.

Meeting my niece for the first time did bring a little nostalgia. Being an older brother to sisters, I always remembered the joy and chaos associated with having another sibling. Kaiwhare was really small, but maybe she just looked small in my arms versus my sister’s, but she was already the cutest, sweetest little baby on the island. And I was finally getting to hold her.

“Well, don’t you look comfy,” Jaq said from the threshold, as everyone invited her in. I wasn't so sure Jaq would enjoy being around this, so initially I hadn't asked in fear that I would scare her. If she were uncomfortable, she was certainly silently fighting through it.

“Hey Kaiwhare,” I kissed her forehead, Jaq sitting down next to me. “I'm your uncle Graham, and this is Jacqueline⁠—”

“Oh, you should hold her, it's such great practice!” Kylie yelled.

“I don't⁠—”

“Jaq's not⁠—”

As both of us seemed to cut each other off, only to have me finish the sentence. “Jaq's not used to babies. No offense, baby, but you have to hold them a certain way. I'm kind of used to it being an older brother.”

“Well, what better way to learn?” my mum asserted.

“Mum, let's not pressure⁠—”

“I'll try to, if you teach me,” Jaq surprised me.

“Really?” I asked, skeptic.

“Guess it's finally time for you to teach me something,” she dismissed.

“You have to keep the head and neck supported. One hand, always behind the head and neck, and the other under the bottom while you're carrying her,” I said, transitioning, passing Kaiwhare from my arms to Jaq’s. “Careful.”

Jaq secured her, afraid to do anything else. “I can take her back if you want,” I offered, positive she was only offering to not come off as rude.

“Jaq looks so beautiful holding a baby,” Payton teased. “Imagine if that were you and Graham's baby,” she said, without thinking.

“Okay, that's enough,” Jaq handed her back to me. I was ashamed to admit that a small part of me liked the image of it, even though it was the furthest thing from both of our minds right now.

“We mustn't bring up stuff like that,” my mother singled out Payton. “Not everyone wants or can have kids.”

“Really? Why not?”

“Baby, it's not an answer you'll understand until you're older,” my mother defended. “But sometimes the older you wait, the harder it is.”

“Mum, don't be rude,” I interrupted.

“I will actually answer why I don't and didn't have kids. I actually had a really cool job,” Jaq singsonged. “And that cool job meant taking too much time off, I could easily be replaced. I liked my cool job, because it wasn't an easy job to get. Long story short, some people love having kids. Some not so much. I don't fall neatly into one or the other. I just know I wouldn't be vacationing here out of the blue if I had decided not to be child free,” Jaq defended in a snarky, sarcastic tone.

That’s what I loved about her. I had no problem defending her, but when she stood for something, she didn't cower or conform. How can anyone not respect that?

“I apologize if I implied as much. Graham just grew up in a big family, and since he was little, stressed having one of his own one day.”

“Mum…just change the subject. Jacqueline doesn't need to hear things I wanted when I was twelve years old.”