3. Talon
3
TALON
“ U ncle T!” Navy shrieks as she jumps off the back of the couch and into my arms. Bristol’s gasp is instantly replaced by a weary sigh as the little girl places a wet kiss on my cheek and tucks herself against my chest.
“You been good for Mama today?” I ask her as I push her blonde ringlets out of her face. She nods against my shoulder, and I look to my sister for confirmation. When Bristol nods, I squeeze my niece tight and kiss the top of her head. “That’s my girl.”
Wiggling out of my arms, she runs for her backpack and pulls out half a dozen papers covered with crayon, paint, and string glued in some kind of design. Scooping her up again, I place her on the counter, and she rattles on about what she did, who she sat with, and the dinosaurs they ran from at recess.
“What did I tell you about playing with boys?” I tease and then grab her side, tickling her until she laughs and squirms, my sister cracking a smile for the first time since I walked in.
Navy’s little hands try and squish my face, and I let her pull me down for a kiss. “You love me most,” she says dutifully.
“That’s right.” I boop her nose. “Because you’re my best girl, aren’t you?” She nods, her curls flying around with a mind of their own. “All right, Navy Baby, let me get changed and then we’ll do our chores.”
“Then we play whiff Chip,” she asks sweetly, “and eat watermelon?” Her eyes are big and round, the way she knows gets to me every time.
“With,” I correct and she slams her little hands on her hips. Bristol snickers. “Yes, after chores we can play with Chip and eat watermelon.”
The mention of watermelon has my lips twitching. Cora Delaney had gotten under my skin and gotten my hackles up.
And that’s not the only thing.
She’d gotten my blood pumping, and I wanted nothing more than to bury myself in her tight, wet heat, strip her down, and explore every inch of her sinful body. Things between us would be explosive; there’s no doubt about that. All that pent-up tension from high school still lingered between us, and it would only take a spark to ignite.
Still, despite her outward disdain for me, something seemed different about her.
“Thas what I said.”
“Uh-huh,” I say with an arched brow as I give a quick tug on one of the ringlets. “Go get changed.”
“I’m gonna beat you!” she squeals as she takes off down the hall, sliding past her room and doubling back to the doorway. Bristol laughs, her shoulders relaxing as she places her hands on the counter and stares at me.
“Have I told you how much I appreciate you?”
“We’ve talked about this.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make it any less true. You’ve never wavered.” Her eyes are glassy as she stares at me.
Rounding the island, I pull her into my arms and hold her tight. “And I never will.” My shirt sticks to my chest as her tears fall, but I don’t let go.
And I never will.
The day we buried Davis, I moved my pregnant sister into my house and never looked back. Phoenix was still in college, and there wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to let Bristol tackle motherhood on her own.
“Is it ever going to get easier?” she murmurs as I rest my chin on the top of her head.
“I think so, but it’s okay that it’s not right now. You’re still grieving.”
“He should see her growing up and be the one catching her when she jumps off the couch and spinning her around the kitchen.” Her cobalt eyes are filled with so much sadness and loss I have to swallow down the lump of emotion in my throat.
“She knows who her daddy is, Bristol. And there will never be a day that she doesn’t. We’ll continue telling stories and celebrating him because Davis was a good man. He loved you and he loved her with everything he had. She knows that.” Lowering my voice, I say, “And even though you’re not ready now, I’ll be right here when you are. He’d want you to be happy, Bristol.”
Shaking her head, she takes a step back, drying her face with the back of her hands. “I’m as happy as I can be. I have Navy and you and Phoenix, and Mom and Dad when they’re around.”
I let my mouth curve up on the side, thinking of our parents setting sail on another cruise. They’ve been enjoying the hell out of their retirement, circling the globe from one all-inclusive vacation to the next.
“You didn’t change!” Navy scolds as she bursts back into the room, her shirt on backward and sporting mismatched socks.
“Gotta spin your shirt, Navy Baby.” I chuckle as she looks down and huffs.
“Let me help,” Bristol soothes, her voice lighter than it was when I came home, and I feel the tension in my shoulders start to ebb.
I’ve done my best to support my sister and so has Phoenix after returning home to Magnolia Point after college.
But it wasn’t the same and we knew that. Being her brothers will forever be different from being her partner.
Still, I can do the laundry and clean the bathrooms and make lunches for everyone for the next day. I can play tea party and teach Navy how to swim and surf, and I’ve gotten decent at painting nails and braiding hair.
But only if Navy is willing to sit for a while.
Bristol teases me that I’ll make a damn good husband and father someday, but that doesn’t seem likely.
The only woman that has even piqued my interest in the last few years doesn’t want anything to do with me. The thought of Cora—pink-cheeked and fuming—has my dick stirring as I strip out of my shirt and toss it in the hamper.
Grabbing a new shirt from the drawer, I throw it on and swap my jeans for shorts, palming my dick once through the material to take the edge off. It’s been a long time since I’ve let myself get lost in a woman, and now that a feisty redhead is back in Magnolia Point, there’ll be no sating this feeling until I have her.
And the worst part is I fear that once won’t be enough.