Grace (BWWM)

Chapter Five

I blink down at the child in front of me in confusion. His shaggy blonde hair covers a portion of his view, but I can still see the vibrant blue of his eyes. I look to the side of the house, double-checking the number. I've been stopping by Grace's home for a few months now, but I've never seen this child in her home. Seeing those familiar four digits on the side of the house, I once again look back at the somewhat chubby twelve-year-old-looking kid with rosy cheeks. He studies me for a while, not saying anything. I haven't said anything either.

I had a twelve-hour shift at work and I'm feeling tired, as patrol overnight was more action-filled than it's been in a while. Then there were some calls, including one that sounded like a prank call but turned out to be a child of about four calling because her mother had fallen down the stairs. I'd like to take a nap right about now, but the last thing I want is to head back to my own place. So I'm here to see Grace and the kids. Yet after I rang the doorbell, it wasn't Ty or Nova who answered the door. I start thinking that maybe I'm just seeing things, but a quick blink still reveals this same child standing in front of me. How did this child get in the house?

"Is Grace home?" I finally ask. Taking one last look at me, he shuts the door. I stand in place, staring at the door until it opens again.

"Oh, it's Uncle Joe." I look down to see Ty and Nova's adorable twelve-year-old cousin, Rose . She smiles up at me with her doe eyes.

"Hi Rose," I say with a fatigued smile.

"Hi! Oh!" she exclaims, her eyes widening and her twists swinging around as she looks over her shoulder. I follow her gaze to see that same child staring at me, honing in on my every move. I'm not quite sure what to say, but he looks at me like I'm a threat. He doesn't stray far from Rose, and now moves forward as if I'm going to do something.

"Austin," Rose calls to the larger child, blinking in surprise as he appears right in front of her.

"Who are you?" he asks, his eyes narrowing. I raise a hand and can't help but smile as I realize he's protecting her. I'm maybe about two feet taller than him and . . . well...I'm an adult. He's a small child. If he were to try anything, it wouldn't be much of a fight, but I have to admire his courage in protecting Rose.

"Joseph," I say, giving him my full name. "But the twins and Rose call me Uncle Joe," His eyes only narrow further as if he's wearier than before. I see Rose frown and my eyebrows raise as she takes hold of his hand. It takes a moment, but he looks at her.

"It's our friend, Uncle Joe, Austin. He's a friend," she explains gently. His whole demeanor changes as he looks back at her. My smile gets bigger. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he's smitten with Rose. He seems to soften like putty, but I'm also surprised to realize that she feels something too. Her expression seems to change as she touches his cheek and gives a smile that I've never seen before. I've seen a number of her expressions over these past three or so months, but I've yet to see this one. She's looking like putty in his hands as well, and I feel like I walked in on something.

"A cop?" he asks in confusion. I realize belatedly that I didn't change at the station after the shift was over so I'm still in uniform. Now I understand his concern. "He's not here to take Aunty away?" My eyes slowly shut in disbelief and surprise at the question. He shut the door in my face because he thought I would take Grace. I see.

"No, they're friends. We know Uncle Joe. He's my friend too, Austin," Rose says, sounding so tender that my feeling of walking in on something doubles. I scratch the back of my neck and look away. My eyes end up going to the staircase beside the kitchen and I see Grace stand there, watching the two with an eyebrow raised. Our eyes meet and she comes down the stairs.