Free Taking Connor by B.N. Toler Page B

him.
    “Mary-Anne,” Wendy scolds.
    “Stop being such a baby,” J.J. grunts as he stands.
    McKenzie, the second oldest, rolls her eyes, and takes a seat at the kitchen table. She looks just like Wendy at her age, all blonde hair, and rocking body. But she’s fifteen and McKenzie has reached those fun teenage years where everyone and everything is a nuisance. Oh, and she has it all figured out.
    “Yay,” J.J. chirps. “Grilled cheese.”
    “Grilled cheese again?” McKenzie moans.
    “Not tonight, Kenz. Spare me your whining for one night,” Wendy begs as she grabs a pot from the stove and starts scooping green beans on the plates.
    “Who are you?” Mary-Anne asks, and I look down to see her staring at Connor.
    He bends to one knee, so he’s at her height and reaches out a hand, “I’m Connor Stevens.”
    She looks at his hand for a brief moment before slipping her tiny one in his. “Mary-Anne Louise Tuffman,” she replies, giving Connor her full name.
    He grins, and I’m oddly enraptured as I watch him talk with Mary-Anne. There’s easiness about him and mirth in his eyes. He’s good with kids.
    “Nice to meet you,” he says.
    Suddenly, J.J. lifts the back of Connor’s shirt before anyone knows what he’s doing and asks, “Who colored these pictures all over you?
    “They’re tattoos you idiot,” McKenzie snips.
    “Enough McKenzie,” Wendy growls in frustration.
    Connor stands, tugging his shirt back down and informs J.J., “A bunch of different people colored them.”
    “Cool,” J.J. says, giving him a toothless grin, before moving past his mother at the counter, fixated on his feast of grilled cheese. McKenzie groans, clearly wanting attention, and against my better judgment, I fold and give it to her.
    “Hey, McKenzie,” I wave. “What’s wrong?”
    “My cell got cut off. That’s what’s wrong,” she complains as she crosses her arms and pouts.
    “Well, it would be lovely to have a phone that you can talk on but can’t charge because we couldn’t afford to pay the power bill because we paid for said phone!” Wendy snaps.
    “I hate this house! I hate being poor,” McKenzie shouts as she bolts out of her seat and flies past us to leave. But Wendy’s oldest son, Mark, is in the doorway and seeing she’s super pissed, and only being dutiful, fulfilling his role as her older brother, decides now’s the best time to mess with her. He holds both hands on the doorframe as McKenzie tries to push past him. When she starts hitting him, he laughs. Mark is sixteen and almost as big as Jeff. He can take a few girly hits which up until this point, that’s all McKenzie has doled out.
    “What’s the matter Kenz?” Mark teases pouting his lip mockingly. “Got your period?”
    McKenzie stops hitting him, and her eyes go wide with rage. He just brought up her period in front a stranger—Connor—there will definitely be hell to pay. He’s busy laughing when her knee pops up giving him a hard hit to the balls. He folds to the floor and yells out in pain as she steps over him and leaves the room.
    “McKenzie!” Wendy shrieks as she rushes to Mark. But McKenzie ignores her as she tromps up the stairs and slams her bedroom door. As Wendy tends to Mark, I look back and find J.J. gorging on grilled cheese and Grayson still lining up matchbox cars completely oblivious to all the commotion.
    “We should probably go,” I tell Connor.
    “Yeah,” he agrees.
    Wendy stands, and we step over Mark to exit the kitchen where he’s laying in the fetal position, cupping his manhood. Wendy walks us to the door and hugs me.
    “I’m sorry for all the commotion.”
    “Don’t be,” I chuckle as I hand her the small paper bag of candy bars. “Connor bought these for the kids.”
    “Well that was so nice of you,” Wendy grins.
    Cutting me a sideways glance, Connor clarifies, “They’re from both of us.”
    “Well thanks to both of you,” Wendy says, as she darts her eyes back and forth between