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“Whoever said that lied.”
Tuck crosses his arms. “Are you calling Mom a liar?”
How does she know? It’s not like she’s in my house watching my every move, is she? I look around to see if there are any cameras. There are none.
“Shouldn’t you be at home with your family?”
He nods. “Yep, but since you didn’t answer today’s texts, it was my turn to check up on you.”
“I’m fine. You can leave.”
The biggest pig in the world is picking up the trash around my living room. If this isn’t a sign that I need to change, I don’t know what is.
Tucker glances at me, showing me an empty pizza box. “You need to hire a house cleaner or get your shit together.”
I should remind him that at twenty-three, he was a fucking disaster. There are pictures buried in the dungeon of the internet of him and his bandmates drinking, fucking, and doing drugs. Now,that’sa disaster. I’m just a grieving slob.
“Tuck, I’m fine. You can leave.”
“I will, but I need a favor.”
“What?”
“Can you babysit Mae?”
Any other day I would be thrilled to look after her, but today… I don’t think I can be what Mae needs. He should ask our parents. Winnie is old enough to keep an eye on our niece, isn’t she?
I babysat my siblings when I was seventeen. Well, I did with the help of my grandparents. Okay, it doesn’t count much when I had six adults keeping an eye on me while I kept an eye on the other four.
Still, I’m sure he can ask someone else in the family. We all adore Mae. “Why me?”
“Everyone else is busy,” he answers. “Plus, you’re her favorite aunt in the whole wide world.”
“I…” I don’t know how to tell him that I can’t.
Do I love my niece? I adore her, and if I wasn’t a mess, I would be more than happy to agree and plan a weekend with her.
“Listen,” I clear my throat, trying to come up with a good excuse.
“Are you about to say no to your favorite niece? She misses you.”
I miss her too, and looking after her is more important than dragging my sorry ass around the house while crying, isn’t it?
“How long do you need me?”
“The entire weekend. We leave Friday morning, and we’ll be back Sunday afternoon. We can meet you at our grandparents’ house so we can all be at the weekly Decker family dinner. Mae loves the big gatherings.”
I sigh. “Fine, I can do that.”
“You’re the best. Now, what are we having for dinner?”
“Are you cooking for me?”
He shrugs as if saying why not. Then heads to the kitchen, and when he opens the fridge, he says, “You don’t have much in here. I’ll be happy to cook for you but at my house.”
I pout. “That’s too far.”
“It’s only ten minutes from here. As a bonus, you get to see your favorite niece.”
