Brothers Apart

The thing about Jacob is he always seems to have a Grab First reaction. Wee kiddo Jacob is not that different, though luckily for little Sam he’s not a rough child by nature. In fact he’s much more likely to hug than to be mean. He doesn’t like to see people upset, and hugs are a good solution, right?

His parents just want to take care of their kid. They don’t have any expectations of a very tiny kiddo showing up in their room, but they’re both nice people. Even if Nicholas Andris is HUGE, Sam doesn’t need to be scared of him.

Of course, poor Sam won’t know any of this when he first encounters them!

Jacob paused, noticing the tiny voice at the edge of hearing. He couldn’t tell if his papa heard it too, but he was still looking at him expectantly. Behind him, Jacob could see his mama leaning to watch curiously. He pursed his lips and clutched his toy trucks closer while he rapidly processed the situation to determine if they suspected something.

“Uh uh,” he said, squirming away from his Dad’s hand to walk hurriedly around the second bed. “I’m only playing trucks today, see?” He held up the trucks to display them even as he sidled into the narrow space between the bed and the wall.

His mama raised an eyebrow at him. “Jacob, are you telling the truth? You know you’re not supposed to lie.”

“I am! I’m just playing trucks!” he insisted.

His father stood up with a quiet creak of his joints as they hoisted all of his huge body up. His mama stood again and walked around her tall husband to stand at the foot of the second bed and look appraisingly at Jacob and his pocket.

“Jacob,” his papa said gently. “Did I hear something? Do you have a mouse trapped in your pocket?” His deep voice was kind, patient with the boy, but also stern.

His mama was in charge of the really stern looks, and Jacob inched away from her even more as she leveled one on him. “Jacob Nicholas Andris, you tell us the truth right now or I’m going to come and check your pockets myself.”