Swing (Landry Family #2)(37)

“Sounds good,” I say, following them to the door. They say their goodbyes to Huxley and then turn to me.

“Please don’t warp him,” Barrett mutters before looking at Alison. “Are you one hundred percent sure this is a good idea?”

Alison kisses me on the cheek again. Looking into my eyes, she says, “I am. I trust him.”

“See? She trusts me.”

“She’s gorgeous but clearly not very smart,” Barrett sighs.

“Will you please go?” Huxley butts in, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Alison and Barrett laugh. They open the door and Alison blows her son a kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Take care of him, Linc.”

“Let’s be real—take care of him, Hux,” Barrett calls over his shoulder.

“I got this. Just enjoy yourself,” I sigh.

They leave and Huxley turns to me. “Now what?”

Why I feel put on the spot by a kid is beyond me. But I do. The little shit starts a smirk that seems to flip our roles.

“What are you laughing at?” I say, heading into the living room and flopping down on the sofa.

Huxley climbs onto the cushion beside me. “I’m not laughing at anything. I’m just wondering what we are going to do. That’s all.”

“That’s all, huh?”

A grin that he seems to have picked up from Barrett, a sly little twitch that makes him seem so much older than he is, slips across his lips. “Well, kind of. I mean, I do want to know what we are going to do. But not because I’m bored or something.”

“So you’re suspicious?” I tease, kicking my feet up on the coffee table.

“I’m a cool kid,” he laughs, “but, yeah, I’m suspicious.”

“Maybe your mom and Barrett just wanted to be alone,” I shrug.

His face twists in disgust. “They kiss . . . All. The. Time.”

That’s not all they’re doing. My mouth pops open to say that, but my senses kick in first and I shut my trap. It doesn’t really matter though. Huxley gives me the ol’ side-eye. I burst out laughing.

“What?” I tease.

“Adults are so gross.” He removes his hat, his fingers rolling around the brim. “Can I ask you a question, Linc?”

That question is as loaded as my cock when I’m looking at Dani’s bare ass. This is very much above my pay grade. I mean, I can explain . . . things . . . to him. But in a way that my uptight brother and Ali are going to appreciate? Probably not so much.

Still, when I look at the kid, I know I gotta say something. It’s taking a lot of balls to even bring it up and I don’t want him thinking he can’t talk to me. With Barrett as a stepdad, the kid may feel a little uncomfortable asking about sex. I couldn’t ask my dad. Not that I needed to ask anyone. With three older brothers and the best looks in the family, I figured shit out quick.

“Sure,” I say, playing it off. “What’s up?”

He gulps, which makes me gulp. “I know what they’re doing when the door is locked, but . . .”

“Yeah?”

We look at each other, both fidgeting. I’m not sure who’s more nervous.

“Well, I was wondering, you know, kind of like, what are they doing?”

“Oh, shit,” I mumble, looking anywhere but at him. Stretching my legs in front of me, I try to figure out how to explain sex to a kid that can’t even say curse words yet.

When my eyes finally drift to his, I see the little kid that he is. Not the kid sitting in front of me, but the little boy that lives inside him. The six-year-old that lives in every man, regardless of how old we really are.

It’s the voice in our head that reminds us we don’t have our shit together half as well as we present it to the world. It’s the sound of questioning every move we make. The little boy inside every man in the world holds on to fear of something and reminds us of our vulnerabilities, whether it’s the monster in the closest or the General Manager’s call. Or, in this case, a mother that now loves another man.

That’s what he’s asking me. That’s the fear. This has nothing to do with sex, thank God, but more to do with his insecurity. This I can handle.

“Let me ask you a question.” I take the hat out of his hand and toss it onto the coffee table. “How are things going with Barrett? And you can be honest with me. He’s my brother, but you know, he’s my brother,” I wink. “There are times I’m not his biggest fan.”

Hux’s shoulders rise and fall. “I like him. He always asks me what I think about things.” He bites his bottom lip in thought. “I think he likes me too.”

“No doubt he likes you. You’re the coolest kid ever.”

He blushes, his little cheeks splitting into a grin.

“Here’s the thing, Huxley. When Barrett and your mom spend time together, they’re getting to know each other. See, you know how your mom loves you every day? No matter what you do or what you break or what you tell her you saw on my phone . . .”

A laugh breaks out across the room as Huxley tries not to look at me.

“You’re a little shit, you know that? I took so much hell for that,” I say, laughing too.

“You let me have it!”

“Once. I let you have it once when I was half-asleep. Won’t happen again.”