Jaylin's World Read Free Page B

fiber of our beings, and they made our lives feel so complete. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything in the world, and I was so blessed to have a family that loved me so much.
    On Saturday, Jaylin, Shane, Tiffanie and I were on the beach playing volleyball. The weather was perfect. At ninety degrees, no one was complaining. I wore a nude-colored bikini that meshed well with my caramel-colored skin. Jaylin and Shane were in swimming trunks, and Tiffanie had on a white bikini. She and Shane were winning the game, simply because Jaylin couldn’t seem to concentrate. He was too busy standing behind me, complimenting my backside and watching me do all of the work. Shane served the ball over the net, and when Jaylin hit it back over, he ran up from behind and grabbed my waist. Tiffanie hit it back over, but Jaylin let the ball fall in the sand. He pecked down the side of my neck.
    â€œAre y’all going to play ball or what?” Shane asked.
    Jaylin ignored Shane, then squatted down. “Get on my shoulders,” he said, holding the ball in his hand. “We will win this game.”
    I straddled Jaylin’s strong shoulders and he stood up, balancing me with no problem.
    â€œWhat’s up now?” he said to Shane and Tiffanie.
    Tiffanie put her hand on her hip. “That is so unfair. You guys ...”
    Before she said another word, Shane lifted her, placing her on his shoulders. She laughed and held on tight. As slim as she was, I didn’t think Shane would have a problem balancing her either. When I served the ball over the net, she did her best to hit it. She wobbled on Shane’s shoulder, but he kept telling her that he wouldn’t let her fall.
    â€œAre you sure?” she said, purposely waving her hands in the air. She put Shane’s strength to the test. Since she kept wobbling around, they both fell to the sand. Jaylin called the game after that; with me still on his shoulders, he jogged back to our house. I was laughing and bouncing all around, knowing that there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d let me fall. When we got to our house, Jaylin carefully lowered me to the ground. We entered the house through the sliding glass doors and made our way into the oversized kitchen. Nanny B had an apple pie baking in the oven; it filled my nose with pure sweetness. Shane and Tiffanie came in, sniffing at the aroma as well.
    â€œWhat else is for dinner tonight?” Jaylin asked, opening the refrigerator. “I’m surprised all Nanny B has in the oven is a pie.”
    â€œI told her not to cook dinner,” I said. “I thought we could all go out to dinner.”
    Shane and Jaylin eyeballed each other.
    â€œYou and Jaylin can go,” Shane said. “I gotta catch up on some work.”
    A tiny frown covered Tiffanie’s face. “But, honey,” she whined, “it’s the weekend. I want to go to dinner, and can’t you put off what you have to do until tomorrow?”
    Shane glanced at Jaylin again. “Not tonight,” Shane said. “If I could, I would.”
    He took Tiffanie’s hand and left the kitchen. They headed to the lower level, where his living quarters were. I didn’t want to pry, but I had to.
    â€œWhat’s up with that?” I asked.
    Jaylin bit into an apple, doing his best to play it off. “What’s up with what?”
    â€œThe two of you eyeballing each other.”
    Jaylin shrugged; then he walked off to our bedroom. I followed behind, still waiting for an answer.
    â€œOut with it, Jaylin,” I said, following him into his spacious walk-in closet. “Come on and tell me. What’s up with Shane and Tiffanie?”
    Jaylin removed his shorts and grabbed a pair of stonewashed jeans from a hanger. He tossed the jeans over his shoulder and stood naked. “Whatever is going on, it’s not our business. All you need to be concerned about is me, not them.”
    I stepped forward and eased my