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“Hey.” She’s not smiling, and immediately I’m on alert.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She opens her mouth to say something but shakes her head and sighs instead.
“You’ll see.” Her eyes are round in a look of sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say as she moves aside for me to come in, wondering what she could possibly have to be sorry about.
She slides a hand around my free one and walks me into the kitchen, where I stop, taken aback by the scene that greets us.
Pike is sitting at the dining room table, the pieces of a shotgun spread out on towels that have been draped over the table. He looks up and meets my gaze, using a cloth to polish a piece of the gun I can’t see.
“Pax,” he says levelly.
I scoff, a single note of laughter bursting out of me. “Are you…cleaning a shotgun?”
“I’m cleaning my shotgun,” he says, passing the piece he was working on to Jasmine, who carefully lays it on one of the towels.
“Can I do it, Uncle Pike?” she asks, her eyes bright and hopeful.
“No, because we’re leaving for our plans with Pax,” Kylie says. “Get your shoes on, please.”
“I want to stay here with Uncle Pike,” Jasmine says.
Kylie exhales through her nose. “Get your shoes on, Jas. Now.”
Jasmine looks at Pike, and Kylie squeezes my hand. Pike’s got bigger balls than I thought, bringing a fucking shotgun over here. I’ve never heard him talk about owning a gun; he probably bought it just for this moment.
“Your mom’s the boss,” Pike tells Jasmine. “Do what she says.”
Jasmine gives Kylie a sulky look and gets up from the table. I squeeze Kylie’s hand to reassure her that we’ll be fine. Pike’s little ploy isn’t going to affect our evening together.
“Jasmine, these are for you,” I say, passing her the flowers I had made for her.
She meets my eyes and takes the flowers, not smiling. There are a few awkward seconds of silence, broken by Kylie.
“Jasmine Marie,” she grates out. “You know what to say.”
“Thank you,” Jasmine says flatly, setting the flowers on the counter and leaving the room.
Kylie walks over to the table and gives Pike a withering look.
“I’ve never been so disappointed in you,” she says softly.
He puts his hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t say a word to her.”
“You didn’t have to.” Her voice breaks with emotion.
Pike and Kylie’s mom, Linda, comes into the room then, putting a hand on Kylie’s shoulder.
“It’s going to be fine, honey,” she says. “Get some water and go have a fun evening.”
Linda’s lips are pressed into a thin line as she holds Pike’s gaze, waiting for Kylie to walk into the kitchen.
“And you,” she says, clearly angry, “have thirty seconds to get this shit packed up and get out of here. Don’t you ever bring a gun into my house again. How dare you treat someone who matters to your sister this way, and set this kind of example for your niece?”
Shit. I want to disappear. Pike’s going to hate that I saw him get his ass chewed by his mom.
“Mom, I know him,” he says. “He”
“Twenty-five seconds. And trust me, you do not want to be in this house one second longer than that.”
I swear I see fear in his expression as he jumps up and gathers the towels up in bunches, the gun parts clanging together. He takes the bundle of towels and heads for the front door, avoiding my gaze.
Linda gives me an apologetic smile as she walks over to me. She’s about to say something when Jasmine walks into the room.
“Grandma, are you coming with us?”
“No, baby. I’m ready for a bath and my pj’s. But I want you to have a great night.” She cups her granddaughter’s chin and gives her a serious look. “And Jasmine Marie, you remember who you are, and whose you are. Got it?”
Jasmine nods, looking solemn. “Yes, Grandma.”
Kylie walks back into the dining room at that moment, her bright smile not looking entirely genuine. Fucking Pike. He means well, but his execution is piss poor sometimes.
Linda gives me a warm grin and a hug. “Pax, I’m glad you’re taking my girls out tonight.” She pulls back and puts her hands on my shoulders, looking up at me. “You guys have fun.”
“We’re going to do our best.” I glance at my watch. “I made a reservation for six thirty at Trevi, but we can go anywhere else you guys want if that doesn’t sound good.”
I’ve still got Kylie’s flowers tucked into one arm, and she takes them, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and apology.
“Thank you for these. I love them,” she says. “And Trevi sounds perfect. We’ve never been there before.”
“What’s Trevi?” Jasmine asks, sounding dubious.
“It’s an Italian place inside Caesars Palace,” I say.
“Why are you taking us there?”
