His Proposal

His Proposal - 30

Jai pulls the car in front of the house. He looks at me. "Do you want me to help you get her upstairs?"

Looking out the window I see Nate standing next to the car. I shake my head. "Nate is out there. He'll help me get her upstairs." I look at Aleysa. "I'm going to cook your favourite meal tonight."

Aleysa smiles and it lights up her face. "Mac and cheese." She looks at Jai. "Are you staying for dinner, Jai."

Jai shakes his head.

Her face falls and she unbuckles her belt. She opens the door.

Jai turns towards her. "Do you want me to stay for dinner, Aleysa?"

She nods.

Jai looks at me. "Let me park the car."

Aleysa shuts the door and puts her belt back on.

Jai parks the car and then steps out. He opens Aleysa's door. "Hop on my back."

Aleysa wraps her arms around his neck. "Upstairs we go, horsey." She hits his back lightly.

The scene in front of me warms my heart. He looks great giving my sister a piggyback ride into the building. He's going to make a great father someday.

Nate walks over to me. "Is he staying for Mac and cheese?"

"Aleysa, wasn't happy when he told her he wasn't staying for dinner. He took one look at her face and decided that he should stay for dinner. It's not like his nightclub is going to grow legs and walk away."

Nate laughs. "You should say that to him."

Nate and I climb the stairs to the apartment. When we enter the house I see Jai in the kitchen and he's boiling the water for the macaroni.

He looks at me. "Aleysa told me she was hungry and she didn't want to wait for Nate and you to come in."

"Bigmouth." She whispers.

I laugh.

Jai gives her a dirty look. "I heard that missy."

She sticks her tongue out at him. "You were supposed to. Can I watch Supergirl now?"

"Sure, let me get the DVD." I walk over to the cabinet that holds the DVDs. I find Supergirl and put it on for her.

Aleysa looks at me. "Are you going to watch it with me?" She pats the spot next to her.

I press play.

Nate sits in the recliner chair. "Supergirl is stupid."

Aleysa glares at him. "No, she's not. She's cool." She looks at me. "Did you know Supergirl was in Glee?"

No, she wasn't. I would recognise her if she was.

"She played Marley in season four and five and the one that plays Alex she played Lexi Grey in Grey's Anatomy."

"That's where I've seen them, but Supergirl doesn't look like the girl that played Marley."

Aleysa looks at me. "It's her. She dyed her hair blonde for this show." She turns back to the TV. "Can you take me to the place where this show is filmed?"

Looking at her, I say. "Do you know where the show is filmed?"

"Warner Bros in Burbank. Can we go over the weekend? Pretty please?"

Jai walks into the living room and he sits on the armrest. He looks at her. "We will take you next weekend. My family is throwing a party and I have invited Chloe, Nate and you to come to my place."

She smiles. "Promise me next week the four of us will be going to Warner Bros?"

Kissing her cheek. "Next weekend we're going to Warner Bros."

Nate looks at the ground. "I can't go."

Aleysa rises and she crosses her arms. "Your coming, Nate." She points at herself, Nate and me. "We're a family. It's only us now. What are you going to do when I die?"

He sighs. "I want to spend time with my mates. I can't stop hanging out with them because you want me to."

Tears begin to fall down her face and she throws herself into my arms.

Running my hands up and down her back. "Shhh, it's alright, Aleysa." I look at Nate. "You can spend Saturday with your friends. On Sunday you will go to Warner Bros with us. If you don't I will call your coach and tell him I don't give permission for you to play ball."

Nate throws his hands in the air. "Fine, you win. You play dirty, Big Sis."

I had to play dirty in New York. I managed to become a manager in my division. Someone else had to take over my job when I moved to Los Angeles. My boss told me that he had a position available for me in Los Angeles, but I couldn't take it until my sister was better. They don't want someone to work for the company that can't be there all the time.

Had I taken them up on there offer I wouldn't have met Jai and he's the best the thing that came out of my sister being sick. If I had things my way; my parents would still be alive and Aleysa would have never got sick, but that's not my reality.

My reality is dealing with a sick sister. Who I don't want to die.

I hope she can beat it again.

Look at Aleysa. "I'm going to check on dinner. I will be right back." I move her off me and I walk into the kitchen. I pour the water out of the pot and I put the Mac in an ovenproof dish. I put cheese on top of the Mac and put it in the oven. I boil the water and put vegetables into the pot.

Jai's phone starts to ring. He looks at me. "I need to take this. It's the new bar manager." He walks outside. He shuts the door behind him.

I set the timer for twenty minutes for the vegetables.

Aleysa looks at me. "Are you working tonight?"

Shaking my head. "Jai wants me to spend time at home with you."

"Are we going to get kicked out of the apartment if you can't pay the rent?"

"We're not going to get kicked out, Aleysa." I look at the door. "Jai's helping out with everything."

Jai walks into the room and looks at us. "I have to go to the club. The new bar manager is having a few problems with one of the new female workers. I need to sort that out before the club opens for the night."

Aleysa walks over to him and hugs him. "You can have your rain check for tonight, but tomorrow you will be joining us."

"Thanks, Aleysa." He kisses the top of her head. "I will see you tomorrow for dinner."

"Yay." She turns her attention to Supergirl who is getting attacked by some Alien.

Jai walks over to me. "I will call you later." He kisses the top of my head before he walks out the door.

The timer for the veggies go off and I walk into the kitchen. I turn the timer off on the stove. I serve out dinner and take it to the living room where my siblings are sitting.