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“Like you?” Adam completed my sentence. “You’re going to be fine, Kris. He’s a sweetheart, just like his mother.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
“I know I am.”
I punched him in the arm. “Cocky bastard.”
It was then that we heard the front door of the apartment building creak open, the sound of tiny feet pitter pattering across the lobby’s tile floor. A little boy with dark hair and blue eyes came running out ahead of Sam, dressed in a pair of jean shorts, the cutest light-up sneakers, and a shirt with a cartoon T-rex on the front.
“Hi!” he greeted at the top of his lungs, wearing a smile so big that it lit up his whole face. Max rushed up to Liam and held something up for him to take ? a caramel candy, by the looks of it.
Liam smiled at the boy, ruffling his hair. “Thanks, buddy.”
“I have one for everybody,” Max announced proudly, handing Adam and Charlie their treats next.
Sam giggled, watching her son with a twinkle in her eye. When Max got to me, I crouched down so that I was eye level with him. Seeing him this up close and personal was totally different to seeing him on the other end of a FaceTime call. I could better see the splash of freckles that dusted across his chubby cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He may have gotten most of his looks from me, but there was no denying the way he looked just like his mother when he smiled.
“Here,” he said, taking my hand without hesitation and placing the piece of candy in my palm.
“Thank you very much,” I said.
“Mommy says sharing is caring.”
I chuckled. “Your mom sounds really smart.”
“She is,” Max said, showing off his toothy grin. He turned toward Samina. “Can we go to the zoo now? I wanna see all the animals!”
“Alright, alright,” Sam said sweetly. She had a tote bag slung over her shoulder. “Is everybody ready for a fun day at the zoo?”
The guys and I all responded at the exact same time, “You bet.”
* * *
We sawevery exhibit they had to offer and swung by the reptile section twice because Max loved it so much. The kid was an endless source of energy, bounding between displays with wide-eyed curiosity.
“Chickens were dinosaurs,” he said to me, pointing at his shirt. “I learned at school.”
“Oh, yeah? What other interesting facts can you tell me?”
“They can’t fly, which I think is sad.”
“That is kind of sad, huh?”
“I want to invent an airplane for them.”
“What for?”
“So they know what flying is like!”
I grinned, amused by the suggestion. “You know what? That’s a great idea.”
Max looked around. “Where’s Uncle Adam and Uncle Charlie?”
I glanced over my shoulder, easily spotting them amidst the crowd. “I think they went to go get us ice cream because it’s such a hot day.”
Max gasped. “Really? But where’s Uncle Liam?”
Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t spot Liam anywhere. “Do you think we should go look for him?”
