“Well, I’m not sure. It’s dark and cold outside, so I don’t know if you’re able to. Maybe we can ask Wes.”

She crooked her finger at him, as if to say to come here. Braden kneeled next to her. “He’s hiding.”

Amusement pumped through him. “Is he?” From Braden or everyone in general, he wondered.

“Yep!” And then she ran off without him knowing where she went. The kid was a ball of energy; not that he could talk.

Noah and Cooper asked him about Jessie, and the dog. He just got through explaining that he’d seen them at the grocery store and she asked about Jock before Jessie returned, wearing a coat, gloves and a hat. “There’s a flooding light in the back yard. Aunt Lydia said we could go out there.”

He snickered at how she pronounced it. “Thank God for flooding lights.” Braden stepped back. “Ladies first. Lead the way.”

Jessie smiled and did exactly as he said, leading him to the backyard. They had a decent sized yard, with a wood fence and a swing in a tree.

He pulled the ball from his coat pocket and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

Over and over she threw the ball for Jock, who happily ran to get it and bring it right back to her. Braden watched, teasing her and asking for a turn every once in a while. After he threw the ball once, Jock went after it and Jessie tugged on his hand again. “Do you like boys like Uncle Wes?”

He coughed, choking on something in his throat that wasn’t there. Had he asked questions like this at her age? Holy shit. What was he supposed to say? This wasn’t the kind of talk he wanted to have with someone else’s child. Was it better to tell the truth and say he went for both or not? “What do you think?” he asked.

Jock ran in circles around them, wanting the attention.

She shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“Does it matter either way?”

“Nope. Mommy says Uncle Wes used to love Alexander, and that his love was just the same as everyone else’s. Do you know Alexander? I don’t. Mommy said Uncle Wes loved him like she loved my daddy.”

The urge to ask questions climbed up his throat but he held it back. Interrogating a kid probably wasn’t a real kosher thing for him to do. “Jock’s getting bored. Do you want to throw the ball for him again, or do you want me to?” Jessie chose to throw the ball, and Braden couldn’t stop himself from wondering who Alexander was, and if maybe the man caused part of the loneliness he saw in Wes.

***

Wes peeked inside Jessie’s bedroom, but didn’t see her. His pulse sped up a bit, but he told himself to calm down. She had to be around here somewhere.

“Lyd, have you seen Jessie?” he asked when he found his sister in the kitchen.

“She’s out back playing with Braden and his dog.” She looked jittery, and he knew she wanted to talk to him about Braden, but thankfully she held off.

“It’s cold and dark. She shouldn’t be outside.” The last thing he wanted was for her to get sick again so soon.

Lydia grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “The floodlight is almost as bright as the sun. She’s wearing her jacket and gloves. She’s fine, Wes.”

He took a deep breath, knowing she was right. Still, he finished his walk to the other side of the older kitchen and slipped open the back door, to hear Jessie laughing.

Braden swung his arm around in a circle. “You throw farther if you wind up!” Then he swung his arm forward, both Jessie and Jock looking for the ball that he still held in his hand. “I think it went all the way to the moon. Might take it a bit to fall back down.”

Jock ran back toward him but Jessie looked up at the sky, waiting for the ball to come back down again.

“Where? Where?” Jessie screamed.

“It’s coming. Wait for it,” Braden replied to her. When she wasn’t looking he tossed the ball into the air, and as it came back down he yelled, “There it is!”

Wes smiled as his niece jumped up and down, giddy excitement pouring off her. Braden was good with her. Better with Jessie than him. His chest got tight at the thought. Jesus, he just wanted to do right by the little girl. He wanted her to be happy, and he knew he needed to start playing a more active role in making that happen. He wondered how Braden could do it, how the man seemed to be so happy all the time, and wondered why he couldn’t be.

“Hey. Getch’a ass down here and play with us,” Braden called to him as Jessie said, “Ooh. You said a bad word!”

Braden’s big eyes went even wider than usual. “Shit. I mean shoot.”