JACKSON'S P.O.V
Mama saw me and hurried over, wrapping me in a bone crushing hug. I winced. Though fragile looking that women was strong enough to lead an army. Charlie was struggling to hold Max, her eyes glowing with affection for my baby brother.
She looked up and met my gaze with a contented smile. She's a beauty. Beck thought to me, his face approving. I nodded slightly. Strong too. But there's something, a sadness inside her. He thought, studying her with his intense eyes that could melt through iron. My cousin Annie, who was just turning fourteen, skipped down the stairs, her long hair messy on one side and still wearing her pajamas. When she saw me she screamed and launched herself at me, blabbering words that made no sense. My family was a little dramatic.
"Annie. Chill. Holy shit your gunna give yourself a heart attack." I said pushing the girl away. She glared at me frostily and my mother made a disapproving noise in the back of her throat. "Jackson Dalton Anderson what have I told you about that foul language you continue to bring into this house?" She questioned, one hand on her hip and the other holding out a ladle threateningly. She would probably try to use it as a weapon.
"Sorry Mama." I apologized, giving her my sheepish grin that always used to work when I was a kid. Her face softened and she smiled grudgingly. She had missed me, and I was sad that I had kept away so long.
"Where's Aunty Lynn?" I asked, changing the subject. "Out shopping. As usual." Annie answered, rolling her blue eyes, similar to the ones that all my cousins had. "That women." I sighed, sending a wink Charlie's way. She grinned, and then winced as Max pulled her hair with his chubby fingers. She gently pried his fingers away and tossed her hair over his shoulder, and away from the reach of the small child. His grin crumbled and his lips started to twitch. It was the most heartbreaking thing I had ever seen.
He let out a high pitched wail and started to squirm more, making him hard to hold. I went to Charlie's aid, grabbing the sobbing child out of her arms. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make him cry." Charlie called over the noise, biting her bottom lip with anxiety.
"Shh." I soothed as I rocked the crying child. He stopped crying eventually. I wiped away his tears and gave him to Beck who held him awkwardly. I'm just surprised he didn't hold him upside down by the foot. For as much children he had, he didn't know how to care for them. Thank god Mama was hear to help raise all my cousins.
"It's okay Charlie. He's a baby. He's gunna cry." I told her wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She leaned into me, her body sagging in relief. Mama smiled at me, a knowing smile.
"Wanna take a tour of the house?" I asked and Charlie nodded eagerly. I took her around the house, showing her the dining room, and the kitchen, then the living room and the pantry. I showed her the four rooms downstairs, which belonged to the twins and two more of my cousins. Up on the second floor I showed her the library and the exercise room, along with more rooms.
"This house is so amazing! I wish I had grown up here." Charlie sighed longingly. "It's not that great." I informed her. "You have to wait hours to be able to use the bathroom." Charlie laughed. "Try having to grow up with two guys that are older, but definitely not more mature. I swear I had to be the adult." Charlie rolled her eyes, which had a faraway look in them. I wish I had met her sooner, so I could see what she was like as a child. She was probably wild and clever, but serious and caring.
"I wish I could have met you sooner." I sighed, voicing my thoughts out loud. She looked at me wistfully. "Yeah. I wish you could have met my mom." She said, and I could hear her voice quivering. I hugged her comfortingly. "I wish I could have too. I bet she was perfect and beautiful. Just like you." I said. She surprised me by kissing me, with so much passion I felt like my mouth would explode.
"Ugh get a room." Annie snarled, passing us in the hallway. "Jack's in looooovvveee." My younger cousins sang, skipping past me. Charlie blushed and tried to untangle herself from me. I allowed her to move but not far. "That was awkward." She muttered pulling her hair back up into a pony tail. I smirked at her, though my heart was having a hard time slowing down.
"Come on. Let's go swimming." I invited and her eyes lit up. She skipped down the stairs, waiting impatiently for me at the bottom. "Come on." She whined, pouting and crossing her arms across her chest. I led her out back where the pool sat in the sun, looking cool and inviting.
Charlie ripped off her shirt and shimmied out of her shorts until she was in just a black bikini. It wasn't showing too much skin, but the wolf in me was having a hard time controlling itself. It made matters worse when she turned around to give me a seductive grin. She let her hair loose, so that it swirled around her face, and then dove in, making little ripples appear across the surface of the water.
Charlie's head broke the surface and she stood up, making my eyes catch the little droplets of water that were glinting across her exposed skin. I took off my shirt and shoes and jumped in after her.
