I chuckle as I pat his shoulder.
“Shut up,” he mumbles.
“Are we doing a family vacation this summer?” he asks while surfing Netflix.
We always do some sort of vacation with Amari before she goes back to school. We only started this a couple of years ago, now that we all have decent jobs and can afford to go somewhere.
“I told my mom I wanted to go to the beach this year,” Amari says while painting one of Kevin’s big toes pink.
“A beach sounds nice,” Kevin agrees.
“What beach?” I better figure out a way to get this paint off my toes before I step out on any beach.
“We could go to California. Utah is right next to it. It will be a short flight,” Kevin says.
“You want to go to California, Amari?” I ask her.
“Yeah.”
“It’s settled, California, it is.” Then he sings, “Going Back to Cali” by The Notorious B.I.G.
“I’ll talk to Blakely and see if she’s good with that.”
Then I realize…Liam will probably go this year. He didn’t last year. The possibility of him coming this year hits me like a ton of bricks. The thought of watching them together on vacation makes my stomach twist. I’ll have to sit there and act like everything is normal when deep down it’s not. Could I even handle a vacation with the two of them? It’s hard enough to watch them at family get-togethers. Every time I watch them smile or laugh together, my stomach feels like I’ve been gutted with a knife. Part of me hopes he can’t make it with his busy doctor schedule. I can only hope. It’s selfish, but knowing that I’ll have to sit there in silent torture sounds worse than my selfishness. Either way, if he is there, I know my vacation won’t be as relaxing as it normally is.
A knock echoes through my apartment, making my stomach turn. “That must be your mom,” I say, heading for the door. Excitement rises within me. I’m always excited when I get to see her. But I also can’t wait any longer to have this conversation with her. As I swing the door open, my smile falls from my face as I stare back at Liam.
“Where’s Blakely?”
“She asked me to come get Amari. She has food in the oven, so she didn’t want to leave.”
Seriously?
Another excuse.
How many more am I going to get?
I rub the back of my head in disappointment. “Come in.”
“Hi, Liam.” Amari walks back into the living room after putting all the nail polish back in her room. “Remember to let your toes dry, Uncle Kevin.”
Liam looks down at Kevin’s pink toes, trying to hide his growing grin.
“Does she do this shit to you?” Kevin asks Liam.
“She has a time or two.”
“You owe me another dollar.”
Kevin’s head falls back. “I swear, you should be a millionaire by now. Where is all your money?”
“I’m not telling.”
Kevin gets up and starts tickling Amari. “Oh, yeah? What are you saving up for?”
Amari's laughs echo through my ears. “I’m not telling.”
“You’re just full of secrets, huh?” Kevin grabs Amari and lifts her up into a hug.
