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She was just a teenage girl.
Except she wasn’t.
And the more I tried to fight it, the more I seemed to screw up.
* * *
Sunday,Cameron summoned me to his house for dinner. Technically, the invite came via Hailee, but only because she liked to play peacekeeper between us.
“Uncle Xan,” Ashleigh said as she opened the door. “You came.”
“Let me guess. Your dad wasn’t expect—”
“Xander.” Cameron appeared in the hall and gave me a sharp nod.
“I brought a bottle of wine.” I offered it to him, and he took it. “How was the party last night?” My attention turned to my niece who looked a little worse for wear.
“Ugh, don’t ask,” she grumbled.
“I think you should tell Uncle Xander all about how you came home drunk and puked in your trash can.”
I let out a low whistle. “No wonder you look so pale.”
“I’m never drinking again.” Ashleigh balked.
“That’s what we all say, kid, until the next time someone offers you a drink.”
“Good thing you’re grounded for a month then, isn’t it?” Cameron flashed her a smug grin.
“Mom,” she yelled. “He’s doing it again.”
“Doing what?” I mouthed at my brother.
“Apparently, now Leigh’s eighteen, I can no longer treat her like a child. But what she seems to forget is that it works both ways. If she makes childish decisions, she’ll—”
“Okay, Dad. I get it.” She threw up her hands. “I screwed up. At least I came home and didn’t stay out and let some guy corrupt me and—”
“Whoa,” Cam said, frowning. “Let’s not have this conversation before we eat.”
“Whatever you say, Dad.” She sauntered off down the hall.
“Sometimes she makes Avery look like a dream.”
“I guess guys are different,” I said as if I knew anything about parenting.
“Yeah, with him all I had to worry about was him knocking up some poor unsuspecting girl.” He ran a hand over his jaw, looking to where Ashleigh had disappeared into the kitchen. “Girls are… they’re a different thing altogether.”
“Don’t be too hard on her. She’s a good kid.”
“Yeah, it could be worse. She could be like Peyton.”
“What that’s supposed to mean?”
Shit.
It came out far too sharp.
Cameron’s brow knitted together. “Come on, Xan. I know you don’t know much about her, but before everything, it was pretty obvious she was… a free spirit.”
