As Samreen cleaned up the house, Emmeline distracted her niece and nephew, both of whom were fighting for her undivided attention. She loved them to bits, but they were a handful, and she wasn’t running on much sleep, so she was glad when, an hour later, her father and brothers arrived with Motu.
Then it was an absolute madhouse, but fun, too. They baked the cookies, and while her family could be tiresome at times, she did love having everyone together. Finally, Liam called her to let them know they could come to the hospital; the baby was here.
“How’s Mills?” Emmeline asked.
“She’s good,” Liam replied. “Tired, but good.”
Before Emmeline could respond, she heard her sister in the background: “Whereare my chocolate-covered pretzels, Liam?”
“Uh...” Liam trailed off.
“Don’t worry,” Emmeline told her brother-in-law. “I’ll bring them.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“Liam?” Millie asked again.
“Come quick,” Liam whispered, before the line went dead.
With a snort, Emmeline went up to their bedroom and found them in the bedside table drawer, knowing her sister’s favorite snack would be there instead of in the pantry.Bringing the pretzels down, Emmeline packed them with the rest of the food as her brothers attempted getting the kids into their jackets and shoes. You would think that between four adults, they could handle two toddlers, but the toddlers gave them a run for their money.
Finally, everyone was ready, and they went out. Haris left Motu with Sholay, and they all went to the car, while Emmeline went to Torch. Noah followed Emmeline, and Ira’s gaze strayed to the two of them, immediately sniffing out plans she wasn’t being included in.
“Distract her,” Emmeline told her brothers, and when Ira was looking the other way, Emmeline turned to Noah. “Quick, before Ira sees!”
Noah grinned and Emmeline took his hand, both of them running over to Torch. Her dragon perked upon seeing Noah and blew air into the kid’s face, making Noah laugh. Then, they mounted and took off, Torch flying slowly with the child on board.
When they got to the hospital, Torch went back to Millie’s; Starshine Valley was particular in that it was a haven for dragons, so it had the necessary infrastructure, but most other places, like where Liam and Millie lived, did not.
At the hospital, Liam met them in the lobby, earning congratulations from each of them before they went up to meet Millie and the baby.
“What name did you settle on?” Samreen asked Liam, as they exited out of the elevator. Emmeline already knew.
“Eve,” Liam replied.
They all went into the hospital room, arms filled with the food and flowers and balloons.
“Mama!” Ira cried, rushing to Millie’s side.
“Hi baby,” Millie replied tiredly, reaching a hand out for Ira.
Emmeline looked over at Millie, and it suddenly felt as if she hadn’t seen her sister in so long.
“How are you faring?” Emmeline asked in a low voice, as the others crowded around Liam and the baby. Ira ran off as well, leaving the sisters on their own for a moment.
“I keep forgetting how painful childbirth is,” Millie replied, eyes wide, though there was a soft smile on her lips, as well.
“It’s the hormones,” Emmeline told her, squeezing her hand. “That’s how you got tricked into it again.”
Millie laughed, squeezing Emmeline’s hand back. Emmeline felt a pang in her chest. She wished her sister lived closer, that they could see each other more often.
If Liam wasn’t so wonderful, Emmeline would surely be more bitter about it, but how could she be when her sister was so happy?
Still, Emmeline missed her all the time.
“Go check out Eve,” Millie said with a smile. “You’ll be happy.”
Emmeline glanced over at the little bundle, her lips immediately spreading into a smile as she saw the brown skin and dark hair.
