Page 11 of An Unexpected Turn
“Sure,” I said, inhaling a deep breath and letting it go slowly as I made my way to the door. This was no problem. I’d have a slice, make some small talk, and retreat to the basement without seeming rude. I’d be polite, amiable, and keep the dirty thoughts and feelings to myself.
“Hi, Peyton. I guess we keep running into each other.” Jake’s wide smile stole my breath the minute I opened the door. He wore a black T-shirt over worn jeans that hung on his hips. Simple and casual, but so damn sexy that my eyes strained from the need to roam down his body. My gaze landed on his mouth for a second before the deep rumble of my uncle’s laugh reminded me of where I was and who I was with—and why I had to try harder to stop looking where I shouldn’t have been.
“Who is this dude? That young man can’t be Mikey.”
“It’s Mike,” I said to my uncle over my shoulder while flashing a grin at Mike. He smiled back at me, a tiny blush staining his cheeks.
“Thanks, Ms. Miller.” His lips curved in a sheepish grin as he passed me to come inside.
“Ms. Miller?” My uncle laughed. “I’m not used to seeing my niece in counselor mode.”
Jake’s smile faded, cutting me a quick glance before giving Aunt Maya a hello kiss.
“Glad you guys came! I was just asking Keith when was the last time we saw you. I didn’t recognize you either.” She grinned at Mike. “Ah, the monsters smell pepperoni.” She glanced toward the loud rumble on the ceiling before the twins stomped down the stairs.
“Easy, guys. You sound like two elephants.” Uncle Keith grabbed their shoulders as they raced to the table and turned them both around. “Mike, this is Aiden and Brian. Guys, this is Jake’s son, Mike. After we eat, you can take him upstairs and show him the three game consoles you made us buy.”
“Hi,” they both said in unison before jetting toward the boxes of pizza.
“Men of few words,” Uncle Keith sighed, shaking his head.
“Eh, I’m used to it.” Jake squeezed Mike’s shoulder. The pure love in his eyes for his son, despite how Mike grumbled when he tried to pull him closer, made my heart squeeze.
As if I needed another reason to swoon over this guy.
He was so worried about not doing the right thing for his son, but he obviously loved him too much to fail. I’d been working with kids long enough to know how to spot the good parents, the ones who didn’t care, and the ones who pretended they did for appearance’s sake.
“Did you ever meet Mike before he was your student?” Aunt Maya asked me after we settled at the table.
“No, the last time I’d seen Jake was when I stayed here that summer when I was fifteen.”
Aunt Maya squinted back at me. “Really? You’ve been back since you were fifteen.”
“I have, but Jake was never here when I was. We’ve managed to dodge each other until now.”
I made the mistake of glancing across the table, my heart fluttering against my rib cage, thanks to Jake’s megawatt smile.
“It’s true. Why, I had no clue who she was last week.” Jake smirked at me.
“You didn’t?” Uncle Keith chuckled. “It’s been a while since you’ve seen her, but to me, she looks the same.”
“She most certainly does not,” Aunt Maya said, her eyes narrowed at her husband. “I’d just met you a couple of years before that, I think. We hadn’t even been married a year. You were pretty then, but you’re a knockout now.”
I’d loved Aunt Maya on sight when I first met her. Even as a young teenager, I was ashamed of the cold reception my family had given her when my uncle first brought her to meet all of us. I had sat next to her at my grandparents’ dinner table in uncomfortable silence when we started chatting like girlfriends. I didn’t visit them as often as I would have liked over the years, but she was always that perfect balance of parent and friend whenever I needed a sympathetic ear.
My family came around, in part thanks to an ultimatum from my uncle, but no one was as close to her as I was.
I’d tried to tell her the reason I’d left Brooklyn so many times since I’d arrived here, but like my uncle, it hurt too much to disappoint her.
“You’re very kind, but knockout is stretching it.”
“No, it isn’t.” Uncle Keith leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh. “The day you met me at the office, all the guys were falling all over themselves to talk to you until I set them straight.”
“Set them straight? How?” Aunt Maya squinted at Uncle Keith, shooting me a quick side glance.
“I told them she was my niece and to back off.”
“Keith, get over it. She’s youradultniece. What is she supposed to ...” She trailed off when her gaze landed on Jake and Mike. This wasn’t the best conversation to have in front of one of my students, friend of the family or not.
