Free Scandals by Sasha Campbell Page A

how to keep Kyle’s life together until his mom gets out. I’m willing to do whatever I can to help.”
    He was really making it hard for me to say no. The last thing in the world I wanted was a kid cramping my style. Other than catching HIV, motherhood was the other reason I practiced safe sex. “Trey, seriously, I don’t do kids. He’s my sister’s problem, not mine.”
    â€œYo, regardless of what you think of Deena, Kyle is your nephew and you’re the only family he’s got.”
    Why in the world is this happening to me? Some people were cut out to be mothers—unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.
    â€œSo tell me ... What’s your story?” he asked between sips, changing the subject.
    â€œWhat do you mean, what’s my story?” I didn’t like the way that sounded. Why I gotta have a story?
    He shifted on the stool and I noticed his large thigh muscles move beneath his pants. “You and your sister ... I’m trying to understand why you hate her so much.”
    â€œThat’s really none of your business. Just trust and believe, I have my reasons.”
    He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I was just asking.”
    â€œWhy you care so much anyway?”
    He shrugged. “Deena is cool people and I like Kyle. He’s a good kid, just got a bad break.”
    I didn’t want to care but I asked anyway.“Bad break, how?”
    â€œYou really don’t have any idea what’s been going on in your sister’s life.” He gave me a look like he felt sorry for me. Fuck that. The person he needed to be feeling sorry for was Deena, not me.
    â€œI told you I didn’t. I haven’t spoken to my sister in years.” I didn’t mean to have an attitude, but damn. What’s it gonna take for him to understand?
    â€œThat’s a shame,” he mumbled under his breath, then took a sip of his coffee while he stared at me over the top of the mug. His sexy eyes met mine and I felt my nipples getting hard. Thank goodness I was wearing a thick robe. “One evening, about two years ago, Deena and Kirk was on their way back with Kyle after going to get ice cream. Someone pulled up beside them, shot Kirk in the head, and blew his brains out. They haven’t caught the dude yet. Anyway, Kyle saw everything. He’s been seeing a counselor ever since. Deena said he hasn’t been the same since he lost his father. So she’d hoped by having a male role model in his life, he would get over losing him.”
    Hearing that my sister cared about someone other than herself was hard for me to believe. She didn’t care enough about me, so why would she care about someone else?
    â€œAnyway, he and I hang out once a week. I take him swimming. . . out to eat ... sometimes we just go to the park and toss the ball.”
    Trey was so fine. It was weird to think of him giving up his time to spend with a kid that wasn’t even his. “Why? I’m sure you got better things to be doing with your life.”
    â€œSure I do, but like I said, I’m giving back. My father died of a heart attack when I was ten years old. That was the hardest thing ... growing up without a father. No one was there to show me how to become a man. My mother tried to fill both shoes, but there are just some things a woman can’t teach a boy. Anyway, I hate to see Kyle grow up without a positive male role model.”
    I leaned forward on the breakfast bar and stared him dead in his pretty eyes. “And you think you’re positive?”
    â€œHell yeah, I do.” He licked his lips and I felt my lower region quiver. Goodness, that dude was hazardous to my health. He was probably right about being a positive role model because he was definitely doing positive things to me. “What do you do at the restaurant?” I asked, trying to get my hormones under control. Like I said before, he was cute, but I wasn’t