The Assistant(97)

I tried to fight a grin from escaping onto my lips as I shook my head. “Sorry honey, I really need to do this myself. I’m sure you’ll be fine! Just talk to them like you’d talk to one of us!” I called out, before disappearing into the house and laughing to myself.

“You, my dear sister, are cruel,” Blake smirked once I entered the kitchen.

I shrugged innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Blake.” I cocked my head to the side, pretending to be curious, before grabbing the sauces and taking them out to put onto the table.

“Shortcake, please!” Adrian whispered desperately once I neared him on the dinner table. “They’re looking at me.”

I laughed. “Adrian! They’re not going to bite. Just talk to them!” I pushed him towards the three other males that were looking at Adrian curiously, before going back into the kitchen. “Is Aunt Veronica running late or something?”

“Oh, we forgot to tell you! Aunt Veronica won’t able to make it tonight. She has an art show on and apparently there are going to be some very important people there tonight.” My mom explained once I picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes.

“Oh! That’s a shame, I haven’t seen her in a while.” I pouted, before hearing my name being called from outside by a frantic sounding Adrian. All four of us ran out to the narrow gap of the doorway just as Adrian came with a crying Adam in his hands. He was holding him from underneath his arms, and held him as far away as possible from his torso while Adam’s legs dangled helplessly.

“It’s crying.” He cringed once he realised we were all waiting for an explanation.

We all stayed silent for a moment, the only thing making noise was Adam’s wailing, before Adrian pushed him towards us. Instantly, Sienna, Blake and my mom burst into a fit of howling laughter, and I joined them shortly, making Adrian give us a glare of frustration before he looked at Adam with caution again. “Take it and make it stop! Maybe it’s hurt, or hungry or something.” He tried again in a strained voice, making us laugh even harder.

I sobered up after a few moments, feeling sorry for Adrian, as the rest of my family continued to laugh at him. I stepped towards him and pushed Adam into his arms gently. Adrian stiffened as the child came closer towards him, and he looked over at me with the same panicked expression as before.

“Shortcake, what are you doing?”

“Adrian, relax. Just hold him like this,” I began to explain, altering Adrian’s grip on Adam to the proper way of holding a toddler. “See? Look, he’s already stopped crying. Now, rub his back gently and smile at him,” I coached. Adrian hesitated before slowly placing the palm of his hand on Adam’s back, and gently began to stroke it in a comforting motion.

“Smile,” I reminded him with a grin of my own as I watched the interaction occur between the two boys. Adrian glared down at me, before looking into Adam’s and grinning widely; showing every pearly white tooth in his mouth.

I laughed as Adam began to sob again, making Adrian stiffen in his position. “Too much teeth! Smile like you smile when you look at me.”

“I can’t,” Adrian snapped, looking over at me again.

“Why not?” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I like you. I don’t like him,” he grumbled, cringing at Adam.

I blushed at the comment before speaking up again. “Adrian, just smile! Don’t show your teeth, just look into his eyes and smile. Pretend he’s me.”

“That would be a very wrong thing to do considering the thing’s I’d be doing to you right now if we were in this position,” Adrian grumbled.

“Adrian, smile!” I snapped.

Adrian dropped his frown and smiled falsely at Adam, and the toddler instantly stopped sobbing as he noticed Adrian’s expression. Adrian noticed this too, and wonder overtook his expression momentarily before another grin – a real one this time – replaced the awed look. “He likes me!” Adrian exclaimed happily, looking over at me with a wide grin. I looked at the sight of Adrian with a child in his arms with pure admiration, soaking up every single detail of the image in front of me and smiling at the pair.


Adam began laughing in Adrian’s arms, before he shoved a small finger into one of Adrian’s nostrils with a grin. “Hey! Wrong hole, kid. That goes in a woman’s vagi-”

“Stop!” I squeaked in horror, before snatching Adam out of his arms. “Don’t say that to children!”

“Why? It’s good to teach them from now,” Adrian nodded, smirking.

“And suddenly you’re the expert?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, smiling.

“Hey, aren’t you the one who told me to talk to them like they’re one of you? That’s what I did!” he exclaimed incredulously.

“You talk to each other like that?” Blake spoke up in amusement. “No wonder he has a love bite on his neck. I wonder what else you two say to each other when you’re alone.”

“A LOVE BITE?!” My mom and dad exclaimed at the same time, glaring at both Adrian and me.

“I thought he got into a fight for you?” my mom brought up, raising an eyebrow at me.

“I thought it was a mosquito bite,” my dad added, glaring at Adrian.

“Blake,” I growled, glaring at my older brother, who was now grinning cheekily.