Page 58 of Ravaged By the Dark (The Righteous 2)
His small shoulders straightened, and he smiled.
“I watch the Discovery channel. I learn a lot.” Arek bit his lip and tried not to laugh but also breathed a sigh of relief. “Tyson made Cody mean.”
“You remember Cody?” Arek heard Renee’s voice wavering.
J.J. nodded his head up and down.
“I don’t like him now. He left us. Mommy said he left ‘cause he didn’t like us no more.”
J.J looked down at his feet, and Arek looked up to Renee, who had tears shimmering in her eyes.
“J.J., I think your brother is pretending to be mean. You know how you pretend to be a race car driver?” J.J. nodded. “Well, he’s playing a part too. I know this is hard to understand, but Cody loves you and your sister, and he never wanted to leave, but Tyson forced him to.”
Arek couldn’t believe he was having this conversation or that he was defending Cody, but his sad brown eyes compelled him to try and make J.J. feel better. It was obvious this kid took a lot more in than anyone gave him credit for—he was a smart little dude.
“Did Tyson make mommy leave? Is she pretending?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have an answer to that, J.J.”
The kid sighed like all the world’s problems weighed on his shoulders. “I’m not big.” J.J. looked over his shoulder at Renee, who was trying hard not to cry. “But I’m scared for my sister.” J.J. took a deep breath. “Okay, you look after Nae Nae. I’m sleepy.” J.J. walked away and crawled up onto the bed. Arek pulled the covers down and tucked him in tight, and it felt like the most normal thing in the world.
“If you need anything, just call my name, and I will come running. Here, I picked this up for you the other day.” Arek grabbed a smaller version of the stuffed tiger off the dresser and held it out to J.J. He smiled, taking the offering and hugging it tight to his chest. Arek flicked on the lamp on the bedside table before making his way to Renee and guiding her out to the hallway.
“Arek?” J.J. called out, and he turned to stare at the small boy.
“Yeah, J.J.?”
“Will you be my daddy now?”
“I…I ah…” Arek looked down at Renee for help, unsure how to answer this particular question.
“Arek is my really good friend, and he is more like a really protective older brother,” Renee offered.
“Like how Cody was?”
“Yes, exactly like how Cody used to be.”
J.J. nodded and then yawned again.
“Okay. Night, bro,” J.J. said, and it took everything in Arek not to laugh and cry at the same time. He turned off the overhead light and closed the door. Arek put his arm around Renee’s shoulder and guided her toward the room next door. He would have preferred she stay in a room with him but figured that would be pushing his luck.
He couldn’t explain what was happening to him, but this girl and her brother…
They were his family now as much as Trev was. He just needed to find a way to make her see it too.
