Page 14 of Never To Forever

“Hey, little man,” I say with a grin as I come to a stop in front of them. Looking up at Meredith, I give her a frustrated frown. “Meredith, you can’t shout like that in the library. You’re bothering everyone.”

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Don’t speak to me in that condescending tone. I need you to look after Stevie for the afternoon. Your father’s at work, the other kids are all in school, and I have to get to a hair appointment downtown.”

I just manage to bite back an angry groan. Meredith does crap like this all the time… of course, what else is new? It doesn’t matter to her if I have a job or plans or simply want to be by myself—if she needs someone to watch the kids, she expects me to do it, no matter what. It’s aggravating and disrespectful, but no matter how badly I want to tell her no, I can’t stand the thought of leaving my siblings in the lurch.

Stevie looks at me with such excitement, I don’t want to disappoint him. I’ll say yes for him, but this just shows how little regard Meredith has for me, my time, and my career.

“Meredith, I…”

“Oh, I thought that was you, Mrs. Green. You look lovely today.”

Garrett is suddenly at my side, a charming smile in place as he gazes at my stepmother.

Meredith blinks and then her cheeks turn bright pink. She smiles and giggles like a teenage girl.

“Oh, Garrett, I almost didn’t recognize you sitting there,” she declares. “I’d heard about your accident, but you look like you’re on your way to a full recovery. I’m so glad!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Green.” Garrett shoots me a look and a grin before giving her his attention again. “I’m really lucky, especially since Marie agreed to help me with my schoolwork. I decided to finish my degree.”

Meredith’s eyes widen and her lips part.

“How wonderful!” she exclaims, looking between Garrett and me. “That’s such a fantastic goal to work toward, Garrett. Well, I won’t interrupt you two. I’ll just have Ally look after Stevie. She’s got open campus this afternoon, right? Where is Ally?”

“I’m right here, Mom,” Ally groans, popping her head out from a nearby row of shelves.

Meredith gives Garrett another smile as she hurries past us to take Stevie to Ally. I stare after her, totally floored by her sudden change of demeanor. Looking back up at Garrett, I catch him staring after Meredith as well. There’s a look on his face that I can’t explain, but it makes me pause. Is he angry?

Before I can fully process the look, he gazes back down at me and his expression shifts in an instant. He smiles and his eyes flood with warmth, banishing any concerns from my mind.

I give him a grin.

“Thanks for that,” I say.

“No problem,” he replies with a wink. “Can we get back to work? I don’t want to take up more of your time than necessary.”

I nod, warmth flooding through me even as my concern for his wellbeing spikes. “Yep, definitely!”

He turns and starts back toward the table and I follow, watching him closely and feeling absolutely giddy.

CHAPTER SIX

GARRETT

She smells like vanilla today.Marie smells different most every day, and I’ve become a little obsessed with trying to figure out what each new scent is. She must have an entire collection of body sprays. I like this one a lot—truth be told; I like every scent she wears, but this one makes me think of something sweet and tasty. Something I could lick as a tasty little treat.

“Garrett? Hello? You in there?”

Blinking, I realize with a start that I’ve been staring at Marie without saying a word. She’s watching me with a small, concerned frown.

“Oh, sorry,” I murmur, clearing my throat. “Spaced out there for a bit.”

“Are you okay?” she asks, looking me over and gently touching my good arm. “You’re not too tired, are you? Do you have a headache? It’s been nearly an hour. We can take a break if you want.”

“I’m fine,” I assure her. “Really, just got lost in my thoughts for a bit.”

“Are you sure?”

I give her a grin. “It’s been two weeks since we started this. My headaches are few and far between and my arm is feeling tons better. I promise you, I’m totally fine.”

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