Georgia On My Mind

9

ROME POV

It was the way Georgia said No.

I had been wondering about her relationship with Miles but how she answered my stepmom was honest and understandable.

How could I have been so dumb?

After all she's been through, Georgia was smart enough not to get caught up in the mess that was Miles' love life.

Archer was scooting on his stomach so he could reach different toys while Kayla and Miles settled on the couch.  She was a pretty blonde with pale skin and an ever present pinched look on her face.

I noticed the fake niceness instantly while Miles settled back and sipped a beer.

"Did you swim today, little Scout?" he asked my sister while she stayed in my lap, keeping her distance.

She smiled softly with a nod, then turned to me and pointed to Georgia and Dad.

"Ahhh, Did your Dad get home early from work so he could swim with you?" Miles asked, and she nodded again.

He was really good with her. For all his faults, Miles tried to be a good Uncle. The fact that he was only a couple years older than me made it amusing when Dad met Mariah but all things considered he wasn't a terrible person. I also respected the way he pulled me aside when Katie was over. Not every guy would be willing to confront someone making a stupid decision but Miles was able to do so without creating an even bigger problem.

Miles tried to protect Georgia as well. She may not have accepted his help, but it showed he cared.

Georgia scooted toward us and lifted Archer, moving him so he could sit up straight and play with fabric blocks.  Scout sat across from them and would stack the blocks, allowing our baby brother to knock them over while they laughed before doing the same process again.

"HI SCOUT.  HOW  ARE  YOU??"  Kayla said slowly and way more loud than was necessary.

I saw Georgia and Scout both recoil which made me stifle a grin.

Scout moved back into my lap and curled up into a ball, yawning.

Smart kid.

She can fake sleep to get out of a conversation. Maybe I should try that sometime.

Georgia side eyed me and I saw a smirk on her lips.  Kayla looked at Scout again then shrugged.  "See, Miles, I mean she's cute and all but there is no way she's ever going to be normal."

"Why would she want to be normal?"

The question was said with a bit more anger than I had heard so far from Georgia's mouth.  My little sister peeked up at me with a grin while Kayla let out an annoyed sigh.

"You know what I mean, Gigi... She's so different."

Georgia gave a shrug, leaning over to rub Scout's back.  "Different is a good thing.  More of us should be different."

I heard Scout sniffle and noticed the way she reached out and took Georgia's hand while Archer struggled to sit up straight.  I reached across and caught him with a laugh, earning a grateful smile from Georgia.

We were a team, making sure they were both okay.

Then I noticed the looks from Dad and Mariah.

Damnit.

My stepmom had a shit eating grin on her face and I knew she was paying close attention to whatever was brewing between us.

The pizza soon arrived and Georgia took the baby into the kitchen, setting him up in a high chair while grabbing plates then filling Scout's cup with water.  Mariah joined her and Dad grabbed our food so the rest of us found our seats at the table.