There Will Be Freedom (not mine)

32. Carnal

JUSTIN POV

felt eyes on me. I didn't like it, but kept mine shut while I felt out the situation.

Maddie had wiggled out of the covers about an hour ago to tend to the babies. I went in to help her, but Anna had beaten me to it, already feeding Roman his bottle. I then went back to sleep since I was on vacation and could do things like that.

Now, I could sense someone was watching me very closely.

I was on my stomach, my hands under the pillow, and grasped around a gun, waiting until I assessed what was going on. My hands relaxed slightly when I heard the juvenile cough of Bobby from next to the bed.

I opened one eye and found him standing there, his head tilted, just watching me.

"Can I help you?" I asked in an agitated voice. I needed to sleep.

"Maddie said you have to wake up. It's Thanksgiving today. Aren't you excited?"

"Sure." I turned my head away from him.

I heard his feet run over to the other side.

I exhaled, "I will wake up when I feel like it."

"But she said now." He climbed onto the bed.

Bobby was a little kid who jabbered on for hours, and for some reason, enjoyed talking to me. I couldn't shake him no matter what. His sister, Beth, was far easier to talk to since she could actually hold a conversation about something other than toy cars.

It still baffled me that Maddie had a ten year old step-sibling. He was my brother-in-law, for Christ's sake. How the hell was I supposed to relate to him? Still, there were some days, when I could tolerate his childlike behavior that I found him okay to be around. Unfortunately, today was not that day.

"What's this?" Bobby ran his finger scratched the scar on my skin, above my shoulder blade.

"I fell out of a window when I was fifteen." I shut my eyes, trying to wish him away.

"You fell out of a window?" His voice raised two octaves. "Wow. And you lived?"

"Obviously."

"My friend's dad, he works at the newspaper, and he says you're a bad man. Is that true?"

"Believe what you want."

"But I want to know if it's true. I talk about you all the time in class."

I opened my eyes. "You do? What do you say?"

"I tell them that you're really cool, and your house is super big, and you have a fat dog named Francis, and you're my big brother. All my friends think you're famous."

I breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, I got anxious that this little kid might be spilling things he shouldn't, but he was innocent of any wrongdoing. I would have to watch what I said around him, though.

"Do you have a gun?" He bounced on the bed.

"I have lots of guns," I answered, my head banging against the pillows as he jumped.

"Which ones?"

I pulled out the Eagle from under my pillow and held it up. He stopped his jumping and plopped down next to me.

"Wow. That's big. Can I hold it?"

"No."

"Freddie's teaching me how to use his. He says I'm really good."

"Then come find me in five years." I shoved the gun back underneath my pillow. "Why are you here again?"

"Maddie told me to tell you to wake up. Aren't you excited for Thanksgiving?"