The Broken Soldier She Fell For (Book 2 of Something Series)

Chapter 17

James looked at me when I walked over to him with boxes in my hands, and his face contorted to that of confusion and worry as if he picked up on something that I didn't want him to see. "Are you ok?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he tucked his head closer to his chest.

I raised an eyebrow in question and cleared my throat, trying to make sure that I wouldn't cry or looked like I was about to cry. "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked while I furrowed my brows and cocked my head, pressing my lips into a thin line and studying him that way. "I am ok."

James frowned and slowly blinked, looking very unamused. He didn't say a word while he studied me, but he didn't need to say anything because I knew that he didn't believe me.

I set the box down on the table and cleared my throat, biting the inside of my lips. "Anyway, can you help Kanen, please?" I asked when Kanen pulled up next to us with a small scowl on his face. "He needs help."

"Certainly," James said and nodded, not even asking me what Kanen needed help with because he knew that it was something that I couldn't do. "Do you mind watching over the little terror?" he asked when his son appeared with a little box in his hands.

"Little terror?" Johnny asked and wrinkled his nose in disgust while he pursed his lips in annoyance. He set the box down on the table and placed his hand on his hips while he scowled. "How am I being a little terror, Daddy?"

"Because you are a little terror, Johnny," James said, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from snorting. "Behave for Emmie. I am going to be helping out Kanen."

Johnny looked at Kanen and then looked at me. He pouted and cocked his head while he stared at me with wide eyes filled with fake tears that almost had been laughing. "Do you think I am a little terror, Emmie?" he asked innocently.

"Sometimes," I said, biting back a small laugh while I slowly nodded. I took the box from Kanen's lap but didn't smile at him when I did so. "I will be around, Kanen," I said. "Come find me when both of you are done."

Kanen frowned and pressed his lips into a thin line. He didn't say a word while he stared at me, and I could tell that he wasn't sure how to take this.

James cleared his throat, and Kanen looked at him, breaking eye contact first. "Come on," he said and offered him a tight smile. "Let's get you taken care of so that we can help finish setting up. Ok?"

Kanen nodded and kept his lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't say a word when he looked at me again before he started to follow James toward the bathroom.

Johnny looked that way before he looked at me. "Are you ok?" he asked and cocked his head while he studied me with a raised eyebrow. "Daddy kept giving me looks, telling me to bug you and see if anything is wrong."

I bit back a small smile and shook my head. "I am ok," I said and moved a hand through his hair after I placed the box down on the table, and he groaned and swatted my hand. I bit back a small chuckle and cleared my throat. "Come on, and let's get some of this stuff finished while they are doing stuff, ok?"

Johnny groaned and slouched forward, but he did what I told him to and started to take stuff out of the little box that he had set on the table. "What are they doing?" Johnny asked and looked at me, cocking his head.

"Stuff," I replied and took some of the items from the box as well before I walked over to a table with Johnny following me.

"Like what kind of stuff?" Johnny asked, and I rolled my eyes and scowled playfully, not saying a word. "Come on, Emmi, I want to know," he groaned when I didn't say a word.

"Well, it's not going to happen, Johnny," I said. I cleared my throat and licked my lips. "So do you need any help with that or do you know what you need to do?" I asked, changing the subject while I raised an eyebrow in question.

"No," Johnny said and shook his head. "I know what I am doing." He did what he needed to do, and I bit back a small chuckle while I slowly nodded. "But where is Mimi?" he asked, changing the subject while he looked at me. "I haven't seen her like all day."

I shrugged and grimaced because I hadn't seen her either. "She's probably helping get food ready. She is a good cook even at five."

"But she is having help that is why she is a good cook." He wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips while he shook his head.

I bit back a small laugh and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. "And you aren't receiving help?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "And how old are you?"

"Uhhhhhh, seven?" He stared at me with wide eyes, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

"No, you are five."

"Uuuuhhhh." He shook his head, and I gave him a pointed look while I raised both eyebrows in unison. "I am seven." He held up five fingers.

"That is not seven, Johnathon," I said and narrowed my eyes, getting amused while a small smile appeared on my lips. "How many fingers is that?"

Johnny looked at his hand before he looked at me. "Ten?" he asked and cocked his head to the side still looking at me with wide eyes.

I stayed silent and slowly blinked while I looked at him.

Johnny looked at his hand again before he looked at me. "Five?" he asked. "This is five, right?"

I didn't respond and slowly blinked while I stared at him, biting the inside of my lip.

Johnny wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips in annoyance. "Well, I am still older than her," he said, and I bit back a small laugh while I slowly nodded.

"Yes, yes you are," I said and cleared my throat to hide another laugh, "but you aren't older than her by much."

Johnny wrinkled his nose and pressed his lips into a thin line. He didn't say a word while he shrugged and finished the thing on the table.

"Done?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

He nodded in confirmation. "Yes," he said. "This table is ready."

"Good," I said, biting back another chuckle. "Then let's go ahead and get another done before my dad has our heads." I flashed him a wink before I looked at my father to see him staring at us with narrowed eyes and a playful look in them.

My father pointed at his eyes and then pointed at us, and I bit back an amused smile while I looked at my father.

"See what I mean?" I asked with a small laugh while I looked at Johnny with a raised eyebrow in question, and Johnny smiled and slowly nodded.

I bit back a small chuckle and shook my head. "Now, let's go ahead and get everything done while they are getting themselves ready, ya?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ok," Johnny said with a small laugh and nodded.

And with that, we both started to work on the rest of the tables, making sure that we got what needed done under the watchful gaze of my father.

And I couldn't help but be grateful that my dad couldn't see the look in my eyes because I knew that he would have questions that I didn't want to answer just yet.

Thank, God...