19. Uncle Ukey
Nineteen
UNCLE UKEY
Luke
“Come on, ya little monkey. We gotta get these flowers for Nana.” I drag my foot along the ground trying like hell to finish my errands while Piper, my niece, sits on my foot with her arms wrapped around my leg.
What a sight we must be. I reach down and scoop her up under the armpits and deposit her on my shoulders.
She squeals and tap tap taps me on the head with her tiny hands.
Mo’s Florist Shop is just up ahead. The burst of color from the flowers displayed around the outside of the shop is a dead giveaway.
“Uncle Ukey, can we get ice cream?” a little voice asks, tugging the strands of my hair.
“Lukey, Piper, LLLLLLukey.” Try as I might, I cannot get this girl to pronounce her Ls.
“And no can do, kiddo, your mom would not be happy if I got you ice cream before lunch.” Her weight drops onto my shoulders as she slouches in defeat.
No chance she’s giving up that easily though.
I’ve got a good three more asks before she really thinks I’m serious. By then, I almost always cave.
We’re nearly at the florist shop when a tinkling laugh rings out across the street. My eyes scan the area for the familiar sound and find Liv and Viv sitting at an outdoor table at the cafe on the corner.
Liv is wearing a navy blue sundress, her golden hair cascading down her back in loose waves.
She and Viv clink their champagne glasses and laugh again, the sound hitting me like an arrow to the heart.
My mind floods with the memory of this morning, her body against mine, my hands grazing her silky skin.
I was so close, so close.
Too close.
If it were possible for me to punch myself in the face for jumping away from her the way I did, I would.
The rejection that flashed in Liv’s eyes—before she wiped the look away and schooled her features with practiced ease—was enough to make me want to scoop her right back up again and tell her how my heart feels like it’ll leave my chest when she’s around.
I’d confess that I know she’s leaving in a week, but I would love nothing more than to see her every day while she’s here, just to know her better.
My lips would have found hers, and I would have proven to her that the last thing I wanted to do was reject her.
In a different life, maybe.
Another tug on my hair pulls me back. “Uncle Ukey?”
“Yeah, Monkey?” My eyes linger on Liv for a moment longer before I turn back toward Mo’s.
“Can we get ice cream?”
I sigh. “Alright. Flowers first, then ice cream.”