Maybe Matt's Miracle(20)

“Let me get you a towel,” she says and starts toward the kitchen. “I’m still learning where things are.” She opens drawer after drawer. She finally finds a hand towel and holds it out to me. “Sorry she got you wet. Not to mention streaking naked in front of you.”

“Are you kidding?” I ask. I f*cking love this stuff. I have missed this commotion in my own house since the younger boys left. “It’s fine.”

“I would give you a T-shirt to change into but I don’t have one your size,” she says. She grimaces. “Sorry.”

I make like I’m going to pull this one over my head, and her eyes dance toward my abs, growing wider when she takes in the tattoo to the left of my belly button. “Wow,” she breathes. She covers her mouth with her fingertips.

My tat is a green frog. But it’s not just any green frog. My brother Logan is an amazing artist, and he drew it for me. It’s a frog on a lily pad with flowers floating all around. On top of the frog’s head is a crown of thorns. I really love it, but I feel kind of raw and exposed now that she’s seen it. “Want to kiss my frog?” I ask, since I’m feeling so out of sorts.

She licks her lips.

“Don’t do that,” I warn. My voice sounds gruff even to me.

“Do what?” she whispers.

I step toward her, glancing really quickly down the hallway to see where the kids are. “Don’t lick your lips at me, Sky,” I say.

She does it again. “Oops,” she breathes, but she’s grinning.

I want to kiss her, but I need to know what I’m up against. “How’s your boyfriend?” I ask. I know Seth said they broke up, but I want to hear it from her. I won’t touch someone who is dating someone else. I have had enough heartbreak in that arena to last a lifetime.

“What boyfriend?” she asks.

“Don’t give me hope if there is none,” I sing. But I’m serious. Totally serious.

“We broke up.”

“Are you devastated?” I want to know how she’s feeling. About all of it.

“Elated,” she says instead.

Thank God. A shiver crawls up my spine because I’m seriously interested in this woman. “You sure you’re done with him?”

“Positive.” She nods. Her eyes don’t leave mine.

“I’m going to make you fall in love with me,” I warn.

“You can try,” she says quietly.

I lean down and kiss her cheek really quickly just before Mellie runs into the room. She skids to a stop at my feet, sliding into the room on her footed jammies. She grabs onto my legs with one arm and slips her palm into Sky’s hand with the other. Sky brushes a strand of hair from Mellie’s face, a soft look in her eye that I didn’t expect from her.

“Anybody want to play bowling on the Wii?” Seth asks as he walks into the kitchen. He looks from Sky to me and back. “What did I miss?” he asks.

“I got you a bunch of stuff today at the store. Why don’t you check it out?” she asks.

His brow arches. “You got stuff for me?” He grins and woops and goes to rummage through the bags. He is a teenage boy, and I do have experience with those beasts. The girls, not so much. When she’s not looking, I chuck him on the shoulder and warn, “Even if you don’t like it, pretend you do. Don’t hurt her feelings.”

“Are you kidding?” he asks. He holds up a T-shirt. “These are great.” He tries his shoes on, and they fit. She bought Vans, so she couldn’t go wrong there. He loves them. “You shouldn’t have, Aunt Sky,” he says. He gets up and goes to her. She’s grinning from ear to ear. He picks her up and spins her around. “Thank you,” he says.

She squeals. “I have to get used that hugging thing you do,” she says.

“Why?” he asks. He looks confused. I have a feeling Sky didn’t get much affection as a child. But these kids were steeped in it.

“It’s just… not something I’m used to,” she says.

Seth’s face falls. “Do you want me to stop?” he asks. “I hugged my mom all the time.”

“If you stop, I’ll have to ground you or make you wear a funny hat to school or something. Hell, I don’t know how to torture you, but I’d come up with something.” She laughs, but I can tell she’s uncomfortable.

He wraps his arm around her shoulder again and squeezes her. She squeaks a little, and he laughs. “You’re like a little mouse,” he says. “Do you whisper when you’re angry, too?”

She punches his shoulder. “You’ll find out if you keep it up.”

Sky kicks her shoes off and pads around in her stockings. She gets a piece of pizza and goes to sit on the couch. The kids start a game of Wii bowling, and they con her into playing. “I’ve never done this before,” she warns.

“It’s easy,” Seth says. He motions her forward. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

She gets up, grinning, and I reach for the front of the TV to turn the sound up. Sky pulls her arm back, right as I turn back to walk to the couch, and suddenly the controller flies out of her hand and smacks directly into my nose.

“Ugh!” I grunt out.

Sky puts her hand over her mouth and gasps. But then she runs toward me when she sees the blood dripping down my face. I walk into the kitchen because I don’t want to get blood on her carpet.