Page 34 of Sing For Me

“So,” Uncle Lennon says from behind me, voice heavy with meaning, and I jump a little. I’d been so caught up in watching them that I almost forgot he was here. I turn back to him, gaze wary.

“Can we skip the part where you get all up in my business and report back to the rest of the olds?”

He laughs. “The olds, huh? I’m hurt.”

“If the shoe fits, man.”

His expression sobers. “She’s a singer, huh?”

A cold slither of unease slides into my belly. “Yeah.”

He watches me with familiar, warm brown eyes for a long moment and I try not to wince. Lennon is definitely the most perceptive of my uncles. He’s also the most compassionate, and he must be able to tell how little I want to discuss this, because he merely claps me on the shoulder again.

“Speaking of the olds, I was about to go track down Levi. You want to come with?”

“Uh, I think I’ll pass.” Already my gaze has drifted back to Eva. She looks a hell of a lot more comfortable now, shaking hands and chatting. Relief warms my chest.

“You know I’m always around if you want to talk about anything,” Uncle Lennon murmurs softly, and I tense.

“Yeah,” I mutter, voice rough. “I know.”

He watches me for a moment. “Come by the house sometime. Your cousins miss you.”

I shift on my feet, uncomfortable. “I see my cousins on a weekly basis.”

“Yes,” he says smoothly, not deterred. “You see them at your apartment or out somewhere. You hardly ever come back to the neighborhood.”

Meaning—you hardly ever see your uncles. Your dad.

“Sure,” I say, anything to end this conversation. “I’ll stop by soon.”

I’m sure he doesn’t believe me, but he takes pity on me. “Okay. See you around, kid.” Then he slaps my shoulder one last time and heads off in search of Levi.

I stand there alone for a minute, just watching Eva, probably looking like a creep. I can’t seem to tear my gaze away from her, though, and I have no idea what it is about this girl that I find so damn magnetic.

“Hello, cousin,” Rose says, snapping me out of my reverie as she takes Lennon’s spot at my side. “You’re looking quite preoccupied.”

I don’t bother responding, knowing without turning my head that she’ll follow my gaze and guess who I’m looking at. Hell, I’d put money on the fact that she’s already seen us together and figured out who Eva is, even though I never mentioned our encounter at the tattoo shop—an anomaly for us. We usually talk about everything.

But I’m sure Rose will be able to read exactly what I’m feeling in my expression right now.

Sure enough, she slips a hand into mine, squeezing, and her voice is soft when she asks, “you know who she is, right?”

I face my best friend and nod. Rose studies me, searching my expression for something. “And that doesn’t worry you?”

I glance back to Eva once again, my eyes somehow able to track her no matter where she is in the room. Aunt Haylee leans in to say something in her ear and, as I watch, Eva tips her head back, laughing. The memory of her surprisingly husky laugh cuts through me, hot and sharp.

“It scares the shit out of me,” I mutter, voice as heavy as the feeling in my chest. But I’m pretty sure I’m too far gone now to care.