John didn’t know that. “Right, of course. Anything else?”

“No, I can wait.”

“Alright, honey. Do you need a hug?”

To his surprise, the door actually opened and his niece crawled out of her room. She had wiped her face but her brown skin was puffy and reddish from crying. Her large brown eyes were still watery, making John’s chest tighten. “If you need one,” she said.

“I could use one,” he said, moving her curls out of his face. “Becca, one more question.”

She looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“Where on earth did you learn about Alanis Morissette?”

She frowned. “From Kelly. She said that we need a feminist anthem; the older the better.”

“The mid ’90s is not old,” he growled in her face.

“It’s ages ago,” she said.

He took her by the armpits and pulled her from the floor, lifting her high above him. “You take that back, Miss Richards.”

Becca’s giggles sounded like music to his ears. “Put me down, Uncle Johnny!”

“Not until you apologize,” he said, jostling her.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” she said through her laughter. When he set her down, she shot him an impish look. “I know I’m supposed to respect my elders.”

“God, you’re the worst,” he said, ruffling her curls. “Get some rest and try to vary up the songs a little. You ruined Chris’s evening with ‘You Oughta Know.’”

“Fine.”

He closed the door to her room and made his way back to the living room. He checked his phone for a message from Chris and laughed when he saw:

Chris: On my way back, a hot pharmacist helped me with the period stuff. THANK YOU, BECCA!

He left Jessi a text message for her to wake up to:

John: Your little girl is a little lady now. Chris and I are handling the fallout :)

God, he could use a drink. Just when he thought he had a handle on Becca, he found he was barely scratching the surface. And then there was still the business that occurred in the library between him and Victoria. John still couldn’t believe she’d kissed him. Seduction in the stacks hadn’t been his objective, but sharing such a small space with her delicate flower scent, that ass in a tight skirt, drove him mad with want. There were cameras back there for that very reason. Horny teens were always getting up to shenanigans in the History section. John cursed his recklessness, but did not regret that kiss. Victoria was timid with her hands, but not with her mouth.