Perpetual Devotion (Book 4 in the Original BOC Series) ✔

Chapter Thirty-Four

The following morning after Nathan left for work with Jennings and Van in tow, Mara was running about her home and trying to gather everything she would need for the park gathering that afternoon.

Many times the Henry children offered their assistance, Georgia included, while Max scowled at Darla trying to feed him Jell-O, but the mother kept shaking her head and assuring that she could handle it.

Darla was now by the kitchen watching as her mother was insisting to Georgia that she didn't need help. The blonde model frowned, following the woman around anyway and kept asking about anything she could be helpful with after the kind hospitality they showed her.

The eighteen year old leaned forward on the counter, biting her bottom lip with a smile. She had never seen Georgia so willing to help before.

As her blonde friend was pestering her mother, Darla's eyes peered out the window to the front yard where her brother was bent over in laughter with her handsome bad boy standing in front of him. Max's arms crossed over his broad chest with a frown. Arjen stood up, smiling widely, and inaudibly said something to the blonde while pointing at the football on the ground a few feet from them.

The blonde man's frown deepened, turning his head to stare at the sports ball like it was completely foreign to him, then faced the teenager to mumble something.

Arjen's face dropped, his eyes wide before tilting his head with furrowed brows.

He scrunched his nose as he said one word to which Max shrugged, nodding once. Once again, her brother was laughing hysterically, clapping his hands to his face as he leaned back. Max narrowed his eyes, watching the teenager carefully, but didn't say a word. He waited for the younger boy to calm himself and the thirteen year old smiled widely as he told Max something while pointing to himself.

Max immediately shook his head, barely moving his mouth in reply, but the teenager rolled his eyes. Arjen went over to pick up the ball and walked back in front of the older man, holding it out to him. When Max didn't move, just looked down at the ball, the boy shook the football a little raising his brows to urge him to take it.

The man shook his head, sticking up his chin defiantly and Arjen's face morphed into the irritable one that resembled his father's.

Arjen threw the ball off to the side with his face in a scowl. He then looked back to Max whose head turned to watch the sports ball fly to the ground, keeping his eyes on it for a second longer then looked back to the boy. Max shook his head, raising his brows then shrugged, nodding in the direction of the football.

The younger boy's blue eyes widened under furrowed brows. There was a bit of fire in his eyes, and out of nowhere, Arjen pounced on Max.

Darla blinked, wide eyed, and rose to the tip of her toes to stretch her neck in efforts to see what happened. But she heard her little brother laughing and was joined by a deeper laughter and so she relaxed.

When her mother asked Darla to call Arjen in to switch places so that he could help with dessert. She had already put Georgia to working a bit of dressing into the salad bowl after much insistence. Mara was smoothing out the front of her apron and walking towards the oven as she suggested that it was best for her daughter to convince Max in attending the gathering---since he refused countless times the night before because his father would be there.

The teenager's opal eyes lit up and did as her mother asked, opening the front door and calling to her brother who was in the middle of holding Max in a headlock.

"Arjen, mom needs you to help with dessert!"

Darla crossed her arms, grinning at her brother's scrunched face and putting all his strength into the hold he had on the older man. Max's deadpanned expression, while staring straight forward, indicated he was completely unaffected by the teenager's efforts.