JACOB

"Where are we going, Jake? We're getting ice cream, right?! Or going to the park?!"

I shake my head at the little pest that sits in the backseat of my car. "No, Stacey. We're going to get a very special girl right now. Later we'll get ice cream and go to the park."

This is my third time explaining it to her, but I'm sure she'll ask again until we've finally gotten her precious ice cream.

She seems to get excited yet nervous at the prospect of meeting this mysterious special girl. I know that Stacey likes hanging out with me for whatever reason, but I'm hoping that Amara's presence will help further distract her from the fact that her brother can't currently be with her.

Also, Amara and I didn't get enough time together at school before I had to leave. So it's time to rectify that.

"Is this the same girl that Evan always complains you stare at too much? Is she your girlfriend? Is she pretty? Is she nice and smart?"

The little girl might look small and meek, but I swear she's ferocious. I might not be the best with children, but in the six years since she's come into Evan's life, Stacey Sue Parsons has never given me the option of simply ignoring her.

I look at her from the rearview mirror, trying not to cringe at the hot pink tutu and shirt she wears. "Yes, not yet but soon, hell yeah, yes and yes," I respond to all her questions at once.

She crosses her arms and gives me an incredulous look, not missing a beat. "She's not your girlfriend yet, Jacob? What's wrong with her?!"

I chuckle at her protectiveness, keeping my eyes on the mostly empty road. "She's perfect, that's what's wrong with her."

"But you're awesome, Jakey!" She huffs. "If she doesn't want you maybe then you should leave her be. There are other girls, you know? Like me." She whispers the last part, knowing that I'm far too old for her.

And apart from that, I'm sure she's aware that my heart already belongs to the girl that is apparently still not my girlfriend.

I try not to laugh at her innocent crush on me, not wanting her to start crying or feeling sad. When we're a couple of blocks from Amara's house, I park beside the curb by a deli, glad that Stacey will get distracted from her previous line of thoughts.

"Is she in that store?" She points at the deli, eyeing the place curiously.

I shake my head. "Nope, she's walking to us from her house. I told her at what time we'd be here and she said she'll meet us here."

I can hear the questions in her head before she even voices them, but just as she's about to ask her millionth question of the day, Amara turns the corner and heads straight to my car. Stacey falls silent, an indication that she's probably in as much awe as I am.

Amara has changed out of her uniform and is wearing black yoga pants and a white oversized off-the-shoulder sweater, looking comfortable and hot at the same time. Her hair is still in the same two high curly puffs that are styled to sleek perfection.

She also wears her glasses right now, probably having removed her contacts for the day. She's the perfect combination of innocent and sexy. I groan inwardly, resisting the urge to drag her away somewhere and kissing the hell out of her.

I'm out of the car before she reaches the passenger door, my eyes roaming all over her as I walk to the other side and open the door for her. She smiles shyly at me and folds inside the vehicle. I take a steadying breath so I don't completely humiliate myself and go back to the driver's seat.

She's staring at the back seats when I get in, confused at the presence of an unusually quiet Stacey. "Who's child is this, Jacob?" She asks with worry as though I've kidnapped the little girl.

I grin and point between them. "Amara meet Stacey. Stacey meet Amara."

Amara flashes a smile at the silent seven-year-old. "Hey there, Stacey." Her voice drops to a whisper as she asks, "Jacob didn't kidnap you, right honey?"

Stacey giggles and shakes her head no. "No, he didn't. Evan's my big brother," she announces proudly.

Amara tries to hide it, but I catch her confusion before she can wipe it off her face. "Oh, I didn't imagine that Evan would have a little sister. Especially not one as adorable as you."

The little girl visibly glows at her compliment, still giggling behind her hand. "I was adopted when I was one. Mom and dad adopted me from South Sudan."

I'm glad that she doesn't seem disturbed that she's not biologically a Parsons. Evan tries to be the best brother to her, but even he can't always bridge the gap between them.

Amara nods in understanding, her smile growing. "That's awesome."

I start the car and ease onto the road as the two of them keep talking about random things.

"Your hair is so pretty," Stacey blurts out of nowhere, earning a chuckle from Amara. "Jake told me you're perfect but I didn't believe him. But you are."

Amara's wide eyes are on me as I take a left turn and glance at her. She sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes at me, but I swear I can see some mortification behind her eyes.

"Don't listen to him, Stace. I'm absolutely not perfect. Do you know how much work went into my hair? I almost thought my arms were gonna fall off."

Stacey laughs loudly. "It's really pretty, though. Evan tries to do my hair but he doesn't really know what he's doing." She sighs and looks down at her lap. "I always end up just tying it at the back of my head like this."

I stop at a red light and turn to look at Amara as she reassures the younger girl with a hand squeeze. "Hey, don't worry. You have so much time to learn. I only learned how to style it a couple of years ago. Plus, you're beautiful whether your hair is in an elaborate style or just tied back."

If I thought I couldn't want her more, watching her with Stacey has proven that I definitely can. She's wrong about one thing, though. She might not see it or appreciate it, but she's perfect. Utterly fucking perfect that I swear I almost shed a tear every time my eyes are on her.

"So, where are we going?" She eyes me warily as if she can read the thoughts that currently flow through my brain.

I smile at her and press down on the gas pedal. "To get ice cream and play at the park. Right, Stacey?"

"Yes! Jakey hates going to the park," she explains to Amara. "But he said that he'll like it better since you'll be there. So he agreed to take me!"

"Oh wow. I'm very flattered, Jakey." I can't tell if she's shocked at what I told Stacey or if she's actually moved by the fact that her presence makes things better, so I just shrug and keep driving. "And Jacob might hate the park, but I love it. The swings are my favorites."

They enter a debate about what the best equipment at the park is, probably not aware that I'm listening intently to their conversation, basically allowing my car to drive us there because my head is not on the road at all. Thank God for Teslas.

Once we reach the ice cream shop, I'm reeling with the need to touch Amara however way she'll allow me. Unknowingly, she's been affecting me with her sweet voice.

She smiles at an overjoyed Stacey and starts to remove her seatbelt as well, but I stop her movements.

"Stacey, you can go in and get ice cream for you and Amara, right? I have some things to discuss with Amara."

She visibly grows more elated, if that's even possible. "Yes! I got this, I just need your money!"

I smirk and pass her my credit card. "Of course."

"Should she go in by herself?" Amara asks me with worry.

I run a finger across her jawline and watch her intently as she shivers. "She's the smartest seven-year-old I know, she can manage to get you some ice cream. What do you want, beautiful?"

She looks back at Stacey who's staring at both of us with fascination. "Could you get me whatever your favorite is, Stace?"

"Yes!" Stacey nods intently and reaches for the door. "I'll be back soon!" Then she scurries off to the ice cream parlor's doors, Amara's eyes following her every move.

I wait a bit, burning up until she finally turns to look at me, her eyes troubled. "What's happened to her brother, Jacob? Where is he?"

I take her hands in mine, not liking the fear I see in her eyes. "Thank you for agreeing to be here, KitKat. I know you had to lie to your family about where you are and I know that's not easy for you to do."

She nods slowly, her eyes staring down at where her hands connect with mine. There's electricity there, cursing through our touching flesh. A current that I hope like hell she's feeling too.

"Evan is..." I struggle to choose the right words that won't alarm her. "He can't be here for a while. Can't be with Stacey."

"Tell me where he is, Jacob. I won't tell anyone if that's the problem. I just want to help. I want to help you." Her eyes are so open and honest, her words rattling something ferocious in me.

I lean closer to her, tracking every single breath, twitch, and gulp of hers. Burrowing my face in the curve of her neck, I inhale deeply, loving the tremor that runs through her.

The space between the passenger and driver's seats is too large, so I push my chair back and swiftly move her to sit across my lap.

"I want your help, Amara. You don't know how much I need you." I inhale her intoxicating scent once more, my mouth tracing the smooth skin on the side of her neck.

Slowly and unsurely, her right-hand moves to my hair, her fingers threading through my strands. "Then let me help you, Jake. Tell me what's going on." Her voice is a soft whisper, making me grow harder at her sheer sexiness.

I exhale and hold her tighter to me, closing my eyes briefly. "Evan's in jail at the moment."

"What?!" She shifts to look down at me and I begrudgingly move my face away from her warmth.

I nod tersely. "He stabbed his uncle. Nothing fatal, but the old fucker is currently in the hospital." I run a hand across my face, frustrated and tired with the reminder of the cluster fuck that Evan has got himself in. Not that I blame him.

All that fatigue's gone when Amara's hand cups my cheek. "I'm sorry you guys are dealing with all this. I'm happy to help in any way you need."

Fuck, she's just utterly perfect. She has no reason to want to help me or be here for me, yet here she is. Never has she viewed me as her enemy, even when we were younger and I teased and annoyed her.

Ultimately, she never let the shit between our parents be the reason why she should have stayed away from me. She judged me according to my actions, and even then, she seemed to always give me the benefit of the doubt.

She allowed me in, albeit slowly, even when she didn't have to. Even when she promised she wouldn't talk to me again. As long as I came back to her, which I would always do, she was allowed me the inch I needed to slither in and take what's mine.

"You being here, with me, is enough. More than enough." I plant more gentle kisses on her hot flesh, praying that she won't realize just how hard I am in my pants, and flee to the passenger seat.

Something has changed between us. Something drastic and momentous. Perhaps it hasn't fully happened yet, but there's a crack. I feel it. I just hope like hell it isn't one-sided.

"Why did Evan stab his uncle?" There's no accusation in her voice, only concern, and curiosity.

Something in me fucking shines bright at the fact that, despite how standoffish Evan might have been towards her over the years, she simply cares because he's another fellow human being.

"His uncle is a disgusting piece of shit." My mouth sours at the thought of Reginald Parsons. "He's not always the Parsons' home, but when he is, Evan has been noticing his eyes on his little sister."

Amara inhales deeply and her left hand squeezes my thigh. "Please tell me nothing happened to her. He didn't fucking touch her, right?"

I shake my head. "No, he didn't. This morning, Evan got out of his room and saw him lurking outside Stacey's door while she showered in her bathroom."

Amara's face reflects all the disgust I feel at the sorry excuse of a man.

"Evan yelled at Reginald while the old fuck just laughed and basically said she's not his real sister and other ignorant shit. Evan lost it and grabbed his pocket knife, stabbing the man's arm."

She blinks. "Wow, can't say I feel bad for that predator. But what about Evan's parents?"

I shrug, kissing her tempting bare shoulder while simply stating, "They're livid."

"At the uncle?"

"Nope." I move my hand to trace the soft skin of the exposed collarbone. "They don't believe Evan's accusations. They're mad at him for stabbing Reginald and getting into trouble. They won't even get him out when one phone call is all it would take."

She seems to remember something. "Don't the Parsons have some connections with Hilltop PD? I vaguely remember Evan bragging about it freshman year."

"Yeah, the chief of police is one of Evan's dad's closest friends. He's been told to keep him locked up until they get back from their vacation in three days."

She thinks about something for a bit. "And Stacey? What are we saying to her?"

"She doesn't know anything. Evan was able to call Finley as soon as he stabbed Reginald so we arrived at Evan's and got Stacey out of there before she could see her brother in cuffs. My parents aren't home for two weeks, so she'll be staying with me until Evan's back."

The warm smile that appears on her face completely surprises me. "I love how you guys are there for each other. Like the three musketeers and shit. It's really hot honestly. Men being there for each other, all for one and one for all."

I smirk, staring her down closely until she starts squirming. "It's hot, huh? Looks like I'll be going out of my way to help those fuckers more since you find it attractive. You should have told me earlier, KitKat. I would have gone all musketeer on you if I knew."

She howls out a laugh that brightens up the whole car. "Fun fact, I actually just read the book The Three Musketeers by Dumas this summer. Did you know that there are really four musketeers? So y'all are perfect. You should dress up as them for the Halloween Ball."

"My beautiful, little nerd. Of course you read that old ass book over the summer." I smile at how adorable she is with her beautiful face scrunched up at my words. "And you know what? This year's Hilltop Halloween Ball might just see the four musketeers make an appearance."

"Yay!" She claps her hands excitedly.

"But only if you save all your dances for me, my lady," I inform her, pulling out my best British accent.

She holds back a laugh. "The musketeers were French. So ask me with a French accent and I'll think about it."

I wave a finger at her. "Nah, how about I ask you with a French accent and you don't think about it but just accept?"

She inclines her head in thought. "Eh, I don't know. I still gotta assess all the risks involved, you know?"

"Like how you'll dance the night away with me and realize your undying love for this handsome strapping young man you've ignored for years?"

She bursts out laughing at my joke. "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Not Daniel going off once he sees the two of us dancing. I'm not worried about that at all."

I grin at her and reluctantly help her move back to her seat when we spot Stacey running out of the shop with two ice cream cups in hand.

I plant one last kiss at the corner of her mouth and whisper. "October's still a couple of months away. Let me handle your brother."

Stacey is shuffling inside the car before Amara can respond so all I get from her is a suspicious look, then she's giving all her attention to the little pest and her fucking ice cream.

I drive silently, realizing that I've completely lost my mind when it comes to this girl because there's no way I should be feeling jealousy over a seven-year-old girl and ice cream holding her attention away from me.

But I am.