"Uncle! Uncle Pete! Come show us how to do that tumbling thing".
I looked up from my book and smiled. My favourite niece, Georgie, was beckoning me from the back lawn. I waved through the french doors and got to my feet. The kids were all laughing and jumping around, while the adults looked on fondly. My wife, Claire, was out there drinking margaritas under the awning, Her younger sister, Margaret, and her husband Frank were with her and they all looked very... relaxed. Claire's mum Julie was in the kitchen, making snacks.
Claire and I had two children of our own, Sam and Peter jnr, but they had long flown the coop and were both living overseas. That's why we loved it when the family all got together at our place during the summer. We had a house big enough to accommodate everyone and we missed it being full of life, the sound of kids banging down the halls, screaming with laughter.
I'd always had a soft spot for Georgie. She was the oldest of Marge's 3 children and we'd had a special relationship since she was old enough to say my name. It was like we shared some secret that no one else knew, an unspoken bond that we never talked about. She was sharp as a tack, kind and gentle, and a fun kid to hang out with. I loved all of Marge's kids but I especially liked it when Georgie and I got to go on little excursions together, when the other kids didn't want to come. Walks in the forest or even just a trip to the shops to stock up on supplies. She made me smile with her innocent enthusiasm, a kind of naivety mingled with surprisingly astute observation, and often a wisdom beyond her years.
She'd recently turned 18 and was looking at going to university, weighing up her options. She was a smart kid, smart enough to have some choices, and she had asked my opinion about moving out of home to study somewhere else. We'd talked in the car about the pros and cons -- essentially the cost versus a chance to experience living in a new city -- but she hadn't come to a conclusion yet. I'd told her that she should go with her instincts and I was sure she'd make a good decision. She'd laughed and kissed me on the cheek, told me how much that meant to her, that her parents still treated her like a child, even though she was grown up now.
Involuntarily my eyes had dropped to her chest. I'd been aware, in a kind of abstract way, of her developing physically in the last few years, and now she was positively glowing with unexplored sexuality, like a ripe fruit ready to be plucked. Her breast had swelled into juicy pears with a deep cleavage and (from what I could guestimate) long brown sensitive nipples. I hoped that whoever got to eat of that fruit was a good person, who would treat her kindly and make her happy. I firmly pushed aside any hint of a thought about ME having my hands on her voluptuous bosom.
Had she seen my eyes flicker downwards? I looked at her face, still smiling at me, and I couldn't tell. It had been a quick glance, a reflex, and she might have thought I was just blinking. Her gaze was open and trusting, but I wondered if I did detect something, a thought, swimming there in her dark eyes? I didn't know.
That was yesterday and there had been no shadow between us since then. The last thing I wanted was to lose her trust as a result of a stupid male reflex. I vowed to keep better control of myself. It's not like I had any sort of sexual feelings toward my favourite niece.
Right?
The 'tumbling thing' is a two person forward roll, where each person grabs the others ankles and together you make a kind of wheel that rolls around It's a bit tricky to get the hang of, but it's a lot of fun for kids. I'd been teaching the youngsters how to do it a few days ago but at 12 nephew John was a bit too small to make it work and even Natalie, at 14, didn't quite have the strength or physical confidence. The two of them had been practising and had just collapsed in a heap on the grass when Georgie called out to me to help.
"You've got to hold the ankles real tight" I told them "and tuck your head in when you roll. Watch"
I lay on my back and told Georgie to put her feet either side of my head. I heard the other adults around the table arguing about interest rates projections or some such, and reminded myself to remember to call their attention when we were ready to start. Georgie came and stood over me, and I looked up at her toned legs, caramel coloured skin, strong and smooth thighs, and swallowed. I could see straight up the loose gauzy summer shorts she wore, right up to her white cotton panties, trimmed with a simple band of cotton lace. I could see a plumpness where her pubis pushed the fabric out, and the swell of her belly above, before the elastic of her shorts cut off my view. And was that wisps of pubic hair escaping out the sides?
Her laugh rang out like a silver bell.
"What are you doing down there Uncle Peter?"
I moved my gaze from the mesmerising view between her legs and looked up her body (ignoring the view up the loose crop top) into her eyes as she leaned forward to look down at me. Her eyes twinkled and she laughed again.
She knew.
I blushed, and she wiggled her legs.