Surviving Broken(57)
JC smiled, jumping to her feet, acting like a monster with her hands held in the air. “You know I love watching my horrible…rotten…terrible…little nephews.” The boys went flying out of her room, squealing with fake terror, Shayla followed right behind them.
Reed pointed to a stack of magazines laid out over the table. “Is this you?” He picked up magazine after magazine, staring at the covers. “You said some modeling, not the cover of Vogue, Women’s Fitness, damn and In Shape too?”
“She doesn’t like to brag,” John snickered. He stepped closer to Reed and pointed at the bottom drawer of the table. “The really good magazines are down there.”
Wide-eyed, Reed immediately reached for the drawer.
JC frowned at her brother, telling Reed, “I’m not naked. Those are merely the magazine articles that keep me on the straight and narrow.”
“Humble.” John smirked. “These articles keep her humble. Some things you never live down. Huh, sis?”
“Oh, shut-up! I already told Reed that story. Go get ready for your date before I change my mind.”
A grin the size of Texas covered Reed’s face. “We ran into her today.”
“It was great. You would’ve died. Reed asked Tanya, ‘Scuse me, what’s your name?’” she imitated Reed.
“I would’ve paid to see that go down.” John extended his fist to Reed, giving him knuckles. “Psycho daisy-may, that chic’s crazy.” He kissed his sister on the cheek before walking out her bedroom door. “Thanks for babysitting. I really appreciate it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go have fun. I’ll keep them overnight for you. Happy Anniversary.”
“Is this photo-shopped?” Reed asked, browsing attentively through the In Shape.
“Not much. I worked my ass off for two months before that shoot.”
“Damn, you’re ripped.” He dropped to his haunches, questioning with a wiggle of the brows. “Can I look in the drawer?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
JC sat silent on the floor beside Reed as he thumbed through a few years of her life that seemed like an eternity ago. The infamous kiss, the crotch shot, out and about with different men and in some cases, not-so-flattering comments written underneath.
After sifting through dozens of rag magazines, his brow creased. “I can’t help but notice all these men are polar opposite of me. Suits, ties, hell this guy looks like he blow-dries his hair. Is this guy wearing make-up?”
Reed stretched his legs out in front of him on the floor. JC’s gaze slid over his arm, mesmerized by the play of corded muscles as he leaned back onto one palm.
“He’s my gay friend who isn’t ready to come out of the closet, so I help him out when he asks. We pretend we’re dating occasionally, usually when he has a red carpet event. I’ve tried to get him to come out, but he’s convinced it’d ruin his career. I support him either way.” Self-consciously, she chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Some of these pictures were taken in Europe.”
“Clearly.”
Shrugging her shoulders, JC reached for his hand resting in his lap. “Reed, you are more of a man than all of these men put together. And we haven’t even kissed yet.”
“You’re right about that, darlin’,” he scoffed with a long drawl. “Am I gonna have to get a passport to keep up with you?”
Many men she’d dated previously would’ve thrown a fit of jealousy right then, not to mention they would’ve taken off immediately at the mere suggestion of babysitting. Grateful for his understanding, she climbed onto his lap and straddled his hips. “Tomorrow we’re getting you a passport.”
Apparently at Richard and Thomas’s house, if someone was sitting in someone else’s lap, it was time to wrestle. They came galloping through the door, yelling, “Yeah! Get umm!” They took it easy on JC, but showed no mercy to their new friend Reed. At one point, the boys had him tied to the leg of her bed with scarves and belts.
The night went off without a hitch. After pizza, they went swimming, wrestled, watched a movie, wrestled again, then roasted marshmallows out back in the fire pit. The boys treated Reed like he was their new best friend and favorite toy. He tossed them into the air in the pool, showed them how to start a fire out of twigs and paper, and kicked the soccer ball with them in the back yard. The boys begged JC to go camping. After minutes of pouty faces and twenty bribery kisses, JC and Reed made a tent out of sheets outside on the lawn. They used lots of rope tying the sheets between two trees and outdoor furniture cushions to soften the ground for sleeping.