Billionaire's Single Mom

"Grandma! Grandma!" the small boy shouted as he threw his arms around my mother's waist and hugged her tightly.

"Well, now who is this?" my mother said smiling down at him as she patted his head. "I don't think I remember you. You've gotten so tall!"

"Grandma, it's me! Joey!" the boy laughed loudly as he hugged her tighter.

"Ah yes, Joey. I believe I remember you," she grinned as she bent down and kissed the top of his head.

"Who is that?" Joey asked pointing at me.

"That's your Uncle Jack," Lincoln's wife, Jessie, said as she bent and picked up the little girl who'd been lost in the action and was now crying. Jessie smoothed the child's hair and soothed her saying, "Don't cry, Mimi. Uncle Jack is Daddy's brother. See? He looks like Daddy!"

"Hello," I said holding out a hand to Joey. "It's nice to meet you."

"You're tall," Joey said, staring up at me and completely ignoring my hand. "How did you get to be so tall?"

"Dunno, I grew, I guess," I said looking down at him. "How did you get to be so short?"

"It's because I haven't finished growing yet!" Joey shouted. "I'm not done growing! I need more nutrients!"

"Where did he pick that up?" I asked my mother. "Kind of precocious."

"Stop it, Jack," she said. "Joey goes to a Montessori School. They teach them advanced concepts according to their own learning styles."

"Wow, guess we missed out on a few things, eh Linc?" I said, looking over at my brother who practically looked murderous.

"Can it, Jack," he said, "Hey, Joey, I bet Grandma has some cookies out in the dining room for you. Want to go check?"

"May I have a glass of milk to go with them?" Joey asked.

"What's the magic word, Joey?" his mother said in a sing-song voice, making me want to vomit. The whole family routine was already getting on my nerves, and this little act was the last straw.

"Cookie!" Joey bellowed in a voice that sounded like it was designed to shake the foundation of the house.

"No, that's definitely not the magic word," Lincoln said. "Try it again."

"Linc, ease up," Jessie said, shooting him an irritated look. "He's 4."

"Never too early to learn proper manners," Lincoln shot back in an equally irritated tone.

"Come with me, Joey," my mother said, taking the child's hand. "I'll take care of the cookies and the milk."

"Thank you, Gamma," Joey said with solemn sincerity. My mother leaned down and hugged him tightly before leading him into the dining room.

"Long time no see, Jack," Jessie said as she held her daughter and smoothed her hair. The child had

stopped crying and was staring up at me with wide, blue eyes rimmed in red. "How have you been?"

"Not bad, Jessie," I said. "Not bad at all. But then again, being away from this place often does a person good."

"Dammit, Jack," Lincoln said throwing his hands up in the air in premature defeat. "Can't you ever just let it go? I mean, seriously. Our father hasn't been dead two days, and you're already digging at old wounds."

"Who says they're old, brother dear?" I tossed back at him as I opened the cupboards, searching for a bottle of something that could take the edge off.

"It's out in the living room," Lincoln said pointing toward the drink cart my mother had set up in anticipation of guests. I walked to it and poured myself a healthy glass of scotch as Lincoln muttered, "Can't do anything in this family without drinking."

"And why, exactly, do you think that is?" I asked as I raised the glass to my lips and drank deeply. I had no desire to get into this mess with my brother, but if he was going to drag me into it, I wasn't going to fight him too hard.

"You haven't been home in almost a decade, and you're the one who is complaining?" Lincoln hissed as he poured himself a drink, following my lead. "You escaped. You're the lucky one. Why are you so resentful?"