Rod groaned as he set a box down in his brother’s room, glaring at him playfully as he moved to pop his back. “You have so much shit, dude,” he grumbled. Immediately, he felt his eyes widen and his mouth clamp shut. It had only been a few months and yet his entire ability to censor himself had gone out the window. He grimaced at his brother in an apologetic grin as his eyes set on the young girl. Quickly, he leaned down as she giggled and ran at him, grabbing her by the arms and lifting her up before setting her back to the ground. He looked up at his older brother. “See? She’s so excited she didn’t even notice.” “Uncle Roddy said a bad word,” she reported, fixing her eyes on her dad earnestly. Rod wrinkled his nose at her and said, “Traitor.”
He let go of her arms lightly as he set the box on a bookcase. “Later though I should take you guys to meet the horses. Honestly, this place is really fu- really cool.” He cleared his throat awkwardly as his niece fixed him with a playful glower that he returned by sticking out his tongue. He had always been good with kids, but it probably helped that he was still basically one himself.