25: ANIMAL LOVE STORY

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I gently place Vera in her rolling bouncer, and she takes off in the Man Cave, running around like she has nowhere else to run

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I gently place Vera in her rolling bouncer, and she takes off in the Man Cave, running around like she has nowhere else to run. It's a new place for her to play in, and if she's anything like her Aunt Fiona, she will be excited to explore this place. As I turn around, I see a weird look on Ray's face as he stares at my niece. I walk over to him, poking his arm. He jumps away from me, placing a hand on his chest. 

"Laurel, you scared me to death!" he says, breathing heavily. I frown up at him as Schwoz snorts from his spot at the supercomputer, searching through my phone. Charlotte is with him, but she's nose-deep in finding whoever put the virus on my phone. It's weird seeing the things on my phone blown up on the screens. I just hope they won't put some pictures up there for everyone to see. "Gosh, don't do that again."

"You are indestructible," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. He glares down at me, and in the background, I hear Jasper and Henry laughing behind me about what I just said. "You can't die because I scared you."

"Well, it's rude, so."

"It's also rude to stare at children and people in general, so."

"Your niece looks like you," Ray says, his voice soft and strange. He glances over at me, and I expect a mocking look on his face, but it looks almost sad. Schwoz's story about Ray's past relationship comes back to my mind, and now I want to know more about what happened to him in the past. And then Ray bursts out laughing, making me jump away from him. "I can see how Jasper thought she was your child with Henry. Ha!"

"Right?" Jasper says loudly. I turn around and throw him a glare as Henry sighs, shaking his head. There's a slight blush creeping up Henry's neck and cheeks that he's trying to hide. "What? Don't you see the resemblance between you two?"

"I am her aunt," I say, walking back into the main area of the Man Cave. Glancing around, I don't see Vera anywhere. My heart drops into my chest as I search around, and then it nearly falls out of me when I see her holding one of Ray's many weapons. I run over to her and wrestle it out of her hands, trying not to shoot it at her or me. "My family always says that she looks more like my child instead of being Molly's, but I don't see it." I turn back to my friends, holding the laser gun up. They all duck like I'm going to shoot them, even Henry. "And if I'm going to be bringing Vera around here, can we keep these things out of her reach?"

"Your sister is a mom?" Ray says instead of focusing on my question. He gives me a look, and I shudder because I know where his mind is going. "Is she beautiful?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Do you have a photo of her?"

"Yes, but you're not seeing any of them. My sister doesn't like men ten years older than her, and I think you're more than that."

Ray gasps loudly, looking offended. I drag Vera in her bouncer over to the round couch and sit down next to Henry, holding onto the side of the bouncer. Vera happily bounces up and down, shaking her giraffe. "I am not that old, Laurel."

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