Emmeline smiled to herself. The Sterling clan was big; her father was the youngest of five, and she had many, many cousins, who were divided into two sections: the older ones in their late thirties and early forties who were married with children, and then the younger ones who were all in their mid- to late twenties and early thirties.
In the younger section, Aiden was the oldest, then Emmeline, but Aiden was not that involved, so it was Emmeline who took care of everyone and everything. While she did love being there for people, she was growing tired.
She thought of stealing away for a moment but, just as she turned, she caught two of her nephews arguing, both of their little faces turning red. With a sigh, she walked over to them, crouching down to grab hold of both their shoulders.
“Hey, you two,” she said, and the five- and six-year-olds turned to her.
“He won’t play with me!” the younger of the two complained, lip wobbling.
“You keep cheating!” the older one told Emmeline.
It was well past their bedtimes.
“Why don’t you both go find your mothers, hm?” Emmeline suggested. “I think there’s hot chocolate.”
Both little boys forgot their argument. “With marshmallows?” the younger one asked.
“With marshmallows,” Emmeline confirmed, standing up straight again.
“Race you!” the six-year-old said, and then they were off.Emmeline watched as they ran into the crowd, past a familiar face.
“Emmy!” Saphira called, spotting her. She waved, and Emmeline went to where Saphira stood with Aiden. Saphira was one of the newest additions to the Sterling clan, as the massive engagement ring stacked with a diamond wedding band on her hand would attest to.
The sweet owner of the Baby Dragon Cafe was dressed in a flowy midi dress in a deep pink color, her wavy black hair done up in a complicated updo—which must have been courtesy of her mother-in-law. Ginny had always been boyish, and Cecilia had long since yearned for a daughter-in-law who would allow Cecilia to dress her up. Saphira had a girly and romantic style and thus happily obliged.
Her dress was accessorized with a stack of gold bangles and a simple nose-pin, both of which she always wore, as well as heels that had long since been kicked off. Her husband was beside her, and Emmeline’s cousin Aiden smiled as she walked over to them.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you all night!” Saphira said. One of her arms was around Aiden’s waist as she was tucked into his side, but with her free hand, she reached for Emmeline.
“Oh, you know me,” Emmeline replied, pulling Saphira out of Aiden’s arms and twirling her. Saphira laughed.
“Hey, don’t steal my dance partner,” Aiden objected, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind. She giggled, leaning back against his chest as she held his forearm. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up.
Without heels, Saphira was average height, considerablyshorter than Emmeline, but she fit adorably in Aiden’s arms. Emmeline wrinkled her nose at them fondly. “You two are too cute.”
Aiden smiled, while Saphira giggled.
“We’re just missing Millie tonight,” Saphira said. Emmeline felt a slight stab in her chest at the mention of her little sister.
“I miss her so much,” Emmeline replied.
She didn’t have many close friends—she had never needed any, not with a family as large as hers. She had always had a built-in partner-in-crime in her sister, Millicent, who was a year younger than her. Unfortunately, Millie had gotten married a few years ago and moved hours away.
With two children and another on the way, she didn’t visit more than a few times a year, and Emmeline sorely missed her, though she was used to the ache of it, now. Sometimes, it almost felt as if this was how it always was, and she was surprised to recall her memories in which Millie lived in Starshine Valley. It was strange how when you got used to things changing, it almost felt as if the way things were hadn’t happened at all.
Emmeline could barely recall a time in which she didn’t know Saphira—the bright soul had quickly become like a close cousin to Emmeline. After all, Aiden was Emmeline’s favorite cousin, his rank only increasing ever since he had gotten together with Saphira, who Emmeline had technically known first, as Saphira sourced her coffee for the Baby Dragon from Emmeline’s dragon-roasted coffee company, Inferno.
“She’s due any day now, isn’t she?” Aiden asked.
“Her babies aresocute!” Saphira said. Millie’s son, Noah, was four while her daughter, Ira, was two.
“They take after me,” Emmeline said proudly, lifting her chin. She and Millie often got confused as twins, and Millie’s kids definitely took after their mother.
“You get all the credit, then?” Aiden teased.
“Of course!” Emmeline replied. “I’m the one who told her, I said, ‘Millie, youmustmarry a man with weak genes because ifmynieces and nephews don’t look like me, I will riot.’ And then she did just that.”
Saphira and Aiden both laughed. “I guess we need to find a man with weak genes for you,” Saphira said.
