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My niece drags me into the kitchen where several women are moving around. The music is coming from this area. It’s fast-paced and heavy on the drums.
“This is Belle’s mommy, Miss Kenya.” Regan points to a slender woman with a big head of curly hair. “That’s Miss Sunny. She’s Micheal and Bailey’s mommy.”
“Micheal and Bailey?”
“Abe’s friends.”
I have a near photographic memory, but I’m starting to feel a little lost with all the names and faces.
“Don’t worry about memorizing it all. You’ll get to know everyone soon enough,” Sunny says. “It’s nice to meet the famous Uncle Cody.”
“Famous?” I arch a brow.
“For your gifts. Clay complains that you outdo him every Christmas.”
Warmth hits my chest. “That’s not true.”
“You don’t outdo him?” Kenya asks.
“I don’t outdo him only during Christmas. It’s a year-long thing.”
The women burst out laughing.
“It’s so weird that he talks,” Sunny says, pointing to me.
“Clay doesn’t talk,” Kenya agrees. “I just assumed everyone related to him wouldn’t talk either.”
Usually, I’d shift in discomfort while being compared to my brother, but I don’t mind this time. I’ve only been here for about five minutes and already, this feels like home. Like family. It’s a far cry from my day-to-day life which is filled with numbers, law suits, and people threatening to kill me.
“Miss Kenya, where’s Belle?” Regan asks sweetly.
“She’s with her daddy out back. They’re popping the popcorn around the bonfire.”
“Without me?” Regan looks mortified. She releases my hand and goes flying out the backdoor.
I glance at her in shock. “I guess I’ve been abandoned.”
“I don’t think anyone can get between Belle and Regan,” a familiar voice says. “They might as well be sisters.”
A large smile spreads on my face. “Island.”
Clay’s girlfriend—soon to be wife if my brother’s casual question about proposal locations is to be believed—wraps her arms around me.
I give her a friendly squeeze and nod at her white hair. “You look like Storm fromX-Men.”
“Thank you.” She laughs. “Are you the one responsible for that giant giraffe in Regan’s arms?”
“I can’t resist spoiling her.”
Island arches an eyebrow. “You know she has zero space left on her bed. It’s all been taken over by a giraffe sanctuary.”
“You’re welcome.” I wink. “Where’s Abe?”
She opens her mouth but, before she can tell me, the front door creaks. Max Stinton walks in. He’s holding hands with a tiny woman in over-alls. A little girl with tawny-colored skin and hazel eyes skips in after them.
I stiffen when I see Stinton, my mind skating to the first and last time we ever crossed paths.
“Cody?” Island asks, touching my arm.