Mark's Prodigy

Chapter One

Liam

I love my family with my entire heart, but sometimes it really just isn't easy being around them. I watch Aunt Mel and Uncle Theo and the love they share with each other and it just makes me...sad. I watch my sister- River, with Greyson and their laughs and their subtle loving looks they share is enough to just send me over the edge some days. Jealousy is a terrible thing. Especially when it is about something that is completely out of your control. I can't change the fact I haven't found my mate yet and I can't just magically make it happen, but I'm tired of spending my days day-dreaming about what she will look like and all the ways I will make her smile.

I hope she loves to cook because if I were placed in a kitchen, that would be a tragedy. I hope she loves my family. I want her and River to become best friends. I pray that she adores my niece as much as I do. And I hope like hell that we won't have to suffer from any terrible attacks or have to fight someone off from killing us. I just want a simple and blissful love. A love that is pure and forever lasting.

"Uncle Lee! What you doing'?" The sweetest little voice distracts me from my thoughts.

"Emmy. What are you doing here? Are you here to see your MOST favorite Uncle?" I smiled at her.

I watch as she bats her foot around on the ground. Oh no. I know her moves well...she is about to ask me something I don't really want to do and then give me those huge sad puppy eyes that will make me say yes. Last time she did this to me, I ended up going to our annual summer fest dressed as a female and in make-up that made me look like a character from the walking dead.

"Uncle Lee...you know your my most favoritest Uncle ever..." She looked up at me with those terribly sad eyes that made my heart rip into two. Her little brown pigtails that are a mess just add to the drama of this entire thing. I WILL stand my ground this time. "Mommy and daddy said that they were too busy to take me to school tomorrow for the back to school party...I want to go very badly." She poked her bottom lip out at me for added effect. Her innocence and cuteness and sadness all rolled up into one is just too much.

"So what time do we have to be there, Emmy girl?" I, in fact, did not stand my ground.

Her face lights up like a Christmas tree on Christmas. "You'll take me?!" I nod. "YAYY!" She jumps up and down and starts to bust out into a little dance routine that has me laughing. I hop up and join her, doing the moon walk across my bedroom floor. Emmy giggles her little butt off.

"What's all the noise up here?" We heard before my father rounded the corner. "Dance party and no one invited me?! Totally not cool!" My father, Mark, scoffs before starting to do some weird Elvis impersonation. Emmy yells at him, "Go Paw-paw, go!" I bend over and start wiggling my butt up in the air like a lunatic, mainly just to keep hearing that sweet little laughter. Emmy twirls around the room like a ballerina. It's a mess in this room, but a really fun one.

"What in the world is going on right now?" My sister's voice sounds from the door before Greyson's loud laughter fills in the quiet.

"You all look like a bunch of lunatics," he says.

"Daddy! Come dance with us! Look at Paw-paw and Uncle Lee. Do it Daddy! Do it!"

Grey shakes his head. "Not a chance, baby. Besides, there isn't even any music."

My father stops strumming on his air guitar and looks at our intruders like they have just committed a crime. "You don't HAVE to have music to 'bust a move', our King."

"Yeah Daddy, we can have a dance party without music and then it's even more fun because everyone can dance to whatever song they want to! Uncle Lee said he would take me to school tomorrow for the party!"

River walks into the room a little further to help fix Emmy's hair. "Is that right? Did Uncle Liam remember tomorrow is your birthday party?"

Uhh, oh.. Uncle Liam most definitely did not remember tomorrow was the birthday party. I huffed at my sister. "It's fine! We can go for a little bit and then we will be all ready for cake and ice cream here."

Grey leans over to whisper in my ear. "Was it the puppy-eyes or the pouty lip?"

I shook my head. "Both. She used both, man."

"Oooo, double Whammy. Yeah, you never stood a chance. You should see her and my wife both pull that crap on me at home. The word 'no' flies right out the window, along with my dignity." He motions his hand like its flying like a plane through the air.

I just laugh. "You talk as if you don't love them to pieces and actually enjoy it."

"I don't enjoy it. I LOVE it. I'd do anything they ask, at anytime, anywhere."

"I can't wait until I have that..." I let my voice trail off.

River walks over and kisses my cheek. "Soon enough little brother, soon enough you find the person you were meant for. In the meantime, enjoy your life. Have fun. Hang out with friends...other people. Or maybe...babysit your niece?" she gives me a sheepish grin. "Grey and I wanted to go out to dinner and spend the evening together before our little guy arrives." She pats her stomach. "You know, we don't get as much time as everyone else to prepare for the baby's arrival..."

I waved my hand around in the air. "Stop with sad eyes. Seriously, it's really not fair. Besides, you act like I would tell you no about spending time with Emmy. The girl IS my best friend. Right, Princess?"

"Sure." Emmy shrugs her shoulders.

"Sure? What do you mean 'sure'? We are best friends. We have fun!" Am I seriously defending myself to a child right now?

"Yeah, Uncle Lee, we always have fun. But..." Emmy sighs like life is really weighing her down right now. "I already promised Micah that he was my best friend, so I already have one."

Greyson and my dad try to hide their chuckles. I fell backwards onto my bed. "Great. I'm even getting turned down by my four-year-old niece."

Emmy stomps her foot. "I'm almost five!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, you little traitor."

River pats my knee. "Cheer up big guy. I have a feeling this year will be your year. The year you find your happiness. Come on Grey, let's get out of here. River and Greyson walk over and say goodbye to their daughter and make their escape quickly. No matter if River says her and Greyson need a night to themselves, we all know that she will be back before bed to grab Emmy. The woman just can't convince herself that one night without her daughter will be okay. Honestly, she is the best mom to my niece.

"So what do you say Emmy girl, Disney movie marathon and makeovers?" I asked.

"Princess, I forgot to tell you that Micah is downstairs waiting for you." My dad tells her.

Emmy squeals in pure delight. "See ya, Uncle Lee. I'm going to play my best fr- I mean Micah." She winces just before she takes off out of the room and darts for the stairs.

"Goddess, I even got ditched by a four-year-old." I threw my arm over my face. I'll just lie here and crawl into a hole, don't mind me.

"Don't worry buddy, your father is still hip and cool. We can play nerf guns, or watch a movie. We can talk about girls until the wee hours of the night. Or if your really feeling frisky, we can dance and sing Shania Twain." My father waggles his eyebrows at me. Who the hell is this guy? I swear he's the strangest man I know.

I lift my head and squint my eyes at him. "You are so weird, I swear."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Honestly, I can deal with weird. I've been called a lot worse. Weird... has a nicer ring to it."

"Dad, your only proving my point. Plus, I don't play with Nerf guns. I'm not in a movie kind of mood, and I definitely don't want to dance to Shania Twain. Besides, I don't even know who that is?"

Dad gasped and threw a hand across his chest. "You are definitely not my son."

"Yeah? Tell that to Mom. I think she would have something to say about that. Having someone accusing her of lying about her kids again, that is. And I practically look just like you, old man."

My father just laughs and heads for my door and yells for my mom. "Lucy! Your child is a party pooper! Call Melony! Let's have a Shania Twain night!"

I spent the rest of my night lying on my bed alone. Listening to 90's country music, and the high pitched squeals of my niece enjoying time with her best friend, just praying that someday soon I would find mine.