“Ari, this is Sheldon,” Jace began.
Ari looked like a child who didn’t know if he was in trouble or not.
“He’s your uncle.”
“Uncle.” Ari smiled. “I have an uncle.” He studied Sheldon carefully, holding the bottle of orange juice close to him. “How do I get an uncle?”
“I’m your father’s brother,” Sheldon said. He kept his eyes on the boy and didn’t meet Jace’s gaze. Jace thought that was the second time he’d ever referred to him as his brother and not his half brother.
Ari looked at Jace. “You have a brother?”
Jace nodded.
“Wow. Can I have one?”
Both men laughed.
“You live in the North,” Ari told Sheldon. “How can you be my uncle?”
Sheldon shifted in his chair so that he and the four-year-old were close to the same level.
“I live in North Carolina, not the North,” Sheldon clarified. “It’s near the ocean.”
“Wow, can you swim in it?”
Sheldon looked amused. “Of course you can.”
“Ari, Sheldon is my brother. He used to live here at the Kendall. That’s how he’s your uncle.”
“Do you have children?” Ari asked, swinging his attention to Sheldon.
Sheldon shook his head. “No, we never had children.”
Jace knew he was thinking of Laura again. He wondered why the two had not had children. He knew Laura wanted them. She had a couple of sisters who were married and she had wanted a family, too. Jace was unsure what his brother thought about children. Sheldon had never shared those thoughts with him. Sheldon had rarely shared anything with him.
“Oh,” Ari looked down as if he was disappointed.
“But...” Sheldon offered him hope. “I have a friend named Christian. He’s older than you are. He’s nine.”
“I’m going to be nine,” Ari stated.
“You’re going to be five,” Jace corrected.
“I’m sure Christian would love to meet you. He hasn’t been around any horses. Maybe you could show him how to ride.”
Ari’s face lit up. He twisted around and looked at Jace, his top lip coated with orange juice. “Can I, Dad?”
“I think so,” Jace said.
Jace looked at his brother. He was unsure if this was real or a trick. If it was a trick, Sheldon was good, since Jace was falling for his lines. Sheldon had apologized and was ready to walk out the door only hours after he’d arrived. He said nothing about where he was staying or how long he would be in Maryland. Jace wasn’t sure of a lot things, but for now he’d wait and see.
“Can we go get him today?” Ari asked with enthusiasm.
“He lives a long way from here, Ari,” Jace said.
“Can we go tomorrow?”
Jace smiled at him.
Sheldon spoke up. “I’d like it if you would come to see me. I live in a small bungalow with only one bedroom, but I’m sure we could rough it for a few days. It’s right on the beach and there’s an arcade close by.”
“What’s an arc...arc...?”
“Arcade,” Sheldon supplied. “It’s a place with a lot of games that kids like to play.”
“Video games?” Ari’s eyes opened wide. Video games were heaven to him.
Sheldon nodded. “Christian loves video games. He’s got a lot of them at his house. I’m sure he’d let you play with them.”
“Wow,” Ari said.
* * *
THE ORANGE JUICE bottle was emptied with a loud gurgle. Ari went inside to recycle the plastic bottle. He ran back to the door and swung it open.
“Dad, can we ride the horses?”
“Not on visitors’ day,” Jace repeated the rule he’d established during their first open house.
“Okay, I’m going to find Kelly,” he announced and tore away before Jace could say anything. “I want to tell her about the arcade.”
“Is he always that fast?” Sheldon asked.
Jace nodded.
“You must be very proud,” Sheldon said. He stood up then and went to the edge of the porch.
“I am,” Jace said, joining him. Jace walked down the steps and across the path that led to the stables. His brother followed.
“Where’s his mother?” Sheldon asked.
“Dead,” Jace replied.
“I’m sorry. I suppose we’ve both lost a wife.”
“We were never married,” Jace said without further explanation. He’d let Sheldon think what he would.
They reached the stables and took a moment to look in on the horses. “Only two,” Sheldon said.
“For the time being. There’ll be more,” Jace told him.
“I suppose it takes time to get everything back to the way it was,” Sheldon said.