Page 55 of It's Always Sonny

George hands me a helmet, and gets me hooked up so I’m ready to go. I’m shaking so hard, I feel like I’m going to throw up. Sonny is right. This may be safe, but I’m not doing this for me.

I’m doing this because I want to impress his family.

I’m doing this because if I turn back now, I’ll never come back, and I don’t want this to be the last time I ever see these people who already feel like family to me.

I’m doing this because I love them.

And I’m more afraid of them not loving me than I am of any height.

I reach my hands to the thick cable above me and step on to the wire.

Chapter Sixteen

Sonny

Iclimb down the ladder and ignore Daniel’s goofy, cheerful chatter as he tries to perk Parker up. He doesn’t know that goofy and cheerful are the last thing she needs. She needs competitive and cheerful. She needs smack talk and distraction, not congratulations on each step she takes.

Better yet, she needs to get her butt off of that freaking ropes course.

Daniel’s too used to talking to his son to be of any real use to Parker in this situation.

She loves a challenge. She always thought athletes were attracted to her because she’s short, and she has this theory that tall men love short girls.

What she’s missing is that athletes love competition, and Parker is the challenge of a lifetime. She wouldn’t always do the same thing twice, but I could usually get her to try anything once.

Except a ropes course. Or a zip line. Or even a high diving board.

She doesn’t do heights.

Except, she’s doing them now.

Whoop-dee-doo, Daniel.

Don’t hate me for being so bossy about her. I know she’s a grown woman who can look after herself. I know she’s smart enough and strong enough to not need a man to advocate for her.

I also know her need for familial approval is a force stronger than gravity.

Oh, and reaching and looking up could trigger her vagus nerve and make her faint.

No big deal, or anything.

But $*&%^@!!

Mom sits next to me. A few of the little kids gather around me, but I ignore them to watch Parker.

“I don’t think nannying is in your future,” Mom says, grabbing something from my youngest nephew’s mouth. Shoot. Max is sucking on a red Sharpie. And his big brother, Felix, is holding the cap, laughing.

Freaking Felix.

Max’s mouth and face are an intense red that make him look like a mini horror show.

I hang my head. “Oh, sh … eepadoodle.”

“Sheepadoodle?” Mom laughs. “Watch your mouth there, mister.”

“Want me to add cursing in front of children to my failures as an uncle? Amber’s gonna kill me.”

“Max will be fine. A little permanent marker never hurt anyone. Do you remember when your brothers spray-painted you silver on the base in Germany? Now that was scary.”

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