Page 163 of Sweet Dominion

“You dideverythingspecial,” he insisted and his voice was full of this quiet intensity. “You were thefirstone who ever asked if I’d eaten in a day or if I’d slept. Because of you, whenever you left at the end of the summer, Banks began taking your place and asking too. Bringing food.”

Against my will, I smiled. “Aunt Betty found out he was sneaking food out of the house and whipped his ass for it. And he would never say why. I had to freaking tell her months later. The crazy fool just would take the abuse.”

“I’m glad you did tell her. Banks’ peanut butter and sandwiches shifted to Aunt Betty’s Tupperware surprises. Shewould show up early before her job and drop it off to me without saying a word. They never made me feel ashamed.”

“Banks and Aunt Betty have big hearts.”

“You do too.”

“Stop trying to flatter me, Einstein. I’m still pissed about your hyping Banks up to be an asshole at the cookout—"

“When we were kids, you were the one who brought a washcloth to wipe the streak of dirt off my face. Didn’t pick at me or anything. You waited for Banks and them to leave that day, came up to my stoop, took that washcloth out of the plastic bag and just wiped my face like I was a little kid.”

“That dirt was bothering me.”

“I think you even cleaned my ears too.”

I shifted my weight to my other foot. “It doesn’t matter.”

“You know what?”

“What, Einstein?”

“Sometimes, I put dirt on my face just so you would do that again the next time. Just so I would have that mothering moment with you. I just didn’t know that’s what I was doing.”

My eyes watered.

I frowned at him. “Stop it.”

“That’s why I care about you so much.” He gazed down at the books. “That’s why I’ll bother Lei, hassle him, test him—because I need to know he’llneverhurt you, never disrespect you. Never treat you so bad that you lose that mothering spirit.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“I need to know that he’s worthy of you. And I won’t stop until he proves it to me. Until he puts a ring on your finger and marries you.”

To my surprise, my voice trembled. “You don’t have to do that.”

“You’ve been everyone’s protector, everyone’s caretaker. But who’s been taking care of you?”

“Lei is and all of you.” I cleared my throat. “But. . .let’s get back to the fact that you still need to respect Lei.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. Whenever you all brought females around, I may not have been the friendliest—”

“You glared at them.”

“I was respectful.”

He grinned. “Everyone knows not to bring a woman around Jo and you unless we are super serious about them.”

“We’re cool with the chicks—”

“You both size them up and frankly scare them.”

I widened my eyes. “For real?”

“Yes, Moni.”

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