“I never said it was,” he replies, grinning.
“You just don’t want me to go so I don’t see you with Sarah,” I grit out.
The smile drops from his face. “Who told you about that?”
“We go to the same school, Tane. What did you think? No one gossips?” I reply, looking away from him.
“You’re young, Giselle. You don’t need to be talking about these things,” he finally says, reaching over and tugging on my hair.
“I got asked out on a date,” I announce to annoy him.
“By who?” he growls.
“None of your business,” I reply, sliding off the car. “Have fun with Sarah.”
He slides off and follows me into the house. “Who, Giselle?”
“Why don’t you worry about your own girlfriend?” I snap, feeling hurt. I hate fighting with him, but the double standards need to stop.
“She isn’t my girlfriend,” he replies, exasperated.
“Then what is she?” I ask, turning and staring at him right in the eyes. I want him to admit it, to my face.
“She’s … someone to keep me occupied until you are old enough.”
Both of our mouths drop open. He can’t believe he just admitted that, and neither can I.
“I mean … fuck … I didn’t mean …”
“You like me,” I announce, my lips curling up.
Tane sighs. “You know I do, but you aren’t ready, Giselle.”
“I will be,” I reply. And then I will be all his.
His lip twitches. “Yes, you will. In a few years.”
“A few years?” I gape.
“Tane! We’re going surfing, are you coming?” my brother asks, walking towards us.
Great timing, Gage.
Tane nods and they walk off together, but not before he throws me one last pleading look.
“Leave her alone, Gage,” Levi adds with a chuckle, pulling me back to the present.
“I wonder what ever happened to him,” Gage muses. I know he’s not referring to his career, which everyone knows about thanks to the media, but why he doesn’t ever catch up with his old friends anymore. Why he left without turning back.
“Who cares,” I mutter under my breath as I roll the dice, trying to redirect everyone’s attention to the game of Snakes and Ladders we were playing with Justin and Parker.
“If only Tane saw Giselle now,” Levi says with a sexy half-smile. I inwardly groan. I definitely wasn’t about to tell them that he had seen me, and all I was worth to him was a wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Hell, he didn’t even buy my breakfast. Or talk to me, for that matter. The thought makes me angry. Mostly at myself.
“Giselle is too smart to get involved with someone like Tane,” Gage says dismissively. That hurts. I shift uncomfortably, squeezing my eyes shut for a second.
“So where has Keira gone today?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Out,” Levi says pointedly. That means Keira has found a new boy, but Levi doesn’t want to say in front of Justin, her son.
“I see,” I say softly. That explains the cle**age and stripper heels.
“I got a six,” Justin announces happily. He’s such a good kid. He continuously pushes his sandy-blond hair from his face, revealing those big brown eyes. I should tell Keira to get him a haircut, but I can only imagine how she’d take that.
I watch as Parker slowly moves his counter, thinking no one’s watching. “Parker! That’s cheating,” I say, trying not to laugh. My baby is sneaky. I put on my serious face.
“You said you have to make your own luck, Mama,” Parker replies. My eyes widen. Damn kid is already using my own words against me.
“Yes, but when you’re playing a game you can’t cheat. It’s not honourable,” I say sagely. Parker thinks it over, then nods.
“Knights don’t cheat,” he says, biting his bottom lip. He wants to be a knight when he grows up. I don’t have the heart to tell him he’s a few centuries too late.
“No, they wouldn’t,” I agree. “So neither should you.” He gives me a nod.
“How about we all watch a movie?” I ask the boys. They both nod eagerly, so we put on Madagascar, which I know for a fact is Levi’s favourite, although he won’t admit it. The way his eyes light up when the introduction song comes on confirms it. We all squish together on Gage’s soft black couch and watch the movie. I look around, my gaze touching each of the four boys individually. This is my family. Justin and Parker both snuggle into me, and I exhale in contentment.
*****
I pull into Keira’s driveway the next evening and park the car. I open Justin’s door and let him out. Parker’s staying another night with Gage and Levi—they insisted I needed a night to myself. They wanted to keep Justin for another night too, but we were unable to contact Keira.
Keira’s house is enormous. It makes mine look like a shed. After her divorce, she got the house and a huge settlement. I’m not sure about the finer details, but I know her and her ex-husband now can’t stand the sight of each other. He doesn’t come and see Justin at all, just sends money to fulfil his fatherly duties. Like that is supposed to make up for his absence.
The two-storey house is cream coloured, the roof a rustic brown. The porch itself is the size of my living room, with a dainty table and matching chairs that look completely ornamental. The garden is carefully maintained, and the hedges are the straightest I’ve ever seen. She hires people to do everything for her, of course; nothing is done herself.