Free Almost Innocent by Carina Adams Page B

ready to protect the aunt he loved. The way the man of the house would behave.
    I’d seen pictures of course. Gabby had sent them with almost every letter. They didn’t prepare me for facing the real thing.
    I couldn’t stop my feet as I walked down the hall, drawn to him the way a moth is to a flame. He was all Callaghan. No doubting that one bit. From his sharp cheekbones to his straight-as-an-arrow nose, to his lanky height, and the shoulders that were twice the size of a normal kid his age, the kid screamed black Irish.
    With the exception of his eyes. Those were Gabby’s. Not the color, because even the deep brown was just one more thing he’d inherited from his father, but the shape. No one else had eyes that striking.
    I bent my knees, dropping down a little. “Hi, Grady. I’m your uncle Declan.”
    He watched me for a second, in a quiet observing way his father had never possessed, as if he was searching for something. Then his lips broke into a smile that made me do a double take. It was my dad’s smile.
    Hell, it was his dad’s smile—the thing I missed most about Dustin. The one he always wore when we were kids, before he turned into a sloptwat. It almost hurt to see it. Fuck that. It did hurt to see.
    Grady threw his arms around me so suddenly that I stumbled back a step, almost falling.
    “Uncle Declan!” he shouted as if I wasn’t a stranger, as if he’d missed me for years, making the dogs erupt again. “You’re home!”
    It took me a second to recover from the shock, but then I wrapped my arms around his small body. “Hey, buddy. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
    I met Fi’s eyes over Grady’s shoulder. They glistened with unshed tears. She only shrugged, apparently as confused as I was, before trying to calm the dogs.
    “When did you get home?” the little man asked as soon as he pulled away. “My mom is gonna be so surprised!" Then he looked at my sister. “Is he staying here, Auntie?”
    Fi looked at him, and her face softened. “I think so, yeah.”
    “Yes!” He pumped his arm in the air. “We can have breakfast together before my mom comes. Aunt Fi makes the best French toast. Do you like French toast?”
    I nodded. “She does make the best French toast.”
    “This is so cool!” Then his face turned serious, and my anxiety climbed as I wondered what he was going to say. His eyes narrowed the same way Gabby’s had glared at me millions of times, and he twisted his lips. “Do you know how to play Xbox?”
    “What?” I shook my head, sure I’d misheard him.
    “Xbox. It’s a video game system. Auntie has a 360, but I asked for a One for Christmas. My mom said no, ‘cause she hates violent games and she says that Xbox only has games geared toward adults. Aunt Fi said she’d talk to her, but I’m not sure she’ll budge. Have you ever played Minecraft? It’s so much fun! I can teach you tomorrow.” The mini-Dustin fired off question after question, and a lesser person wouldn’t have been able to follow anything he was saying. When he finally paused, he sucked in a breath as if he was gearing up for another marathon rant.
    Fi chose that moment to put her hand on his head. “Okay, bud. Off to bed with you. Your mom won’t let you stay here again if I let you stay up past your bedtime.”
    “Aw, really?” he asked but pulled her in for a hug before turning back to me and giving me another hug. He gave us both a giant, teeth-showing smile then headed for the stairs. “G’night! Can’t wait for the mornin’, Uncle Declan! It’ll be so much fun! Come on, girls. Bed.” He tapped his thigh, and the dogs followed him immediately.
    I waited until we heard the door close somewhere upstairs before I asked, “What in the fuck was that?”
    “That was the whirlwind who is our nephew.” Fi smiled. “He’s always on screech. The boy doesn’t know any speed other than full throttle. Sound like anyone you know?”
    I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant. Where