“Oops, you’re right. I’m so excited to see you both.” She giggles, then hangs up.
Jackson
“Look, it’s my best girls,” I whisper as I kiss a sleeping Annabelle on the forehead. Turning to my sister, I ask, “How did I get so lucky today?”
“I don’t know. We’re pretty amazing, aren’t we.” Sadie smiles, kissing me back.
“Hey! What about me?” Charlie, my niece, asks as she enters the room.
“Ah, now it’s confirmed… best day ever. I have my best girls and now my bestest niece.”
Charlie squeals and runs into my arms.
“Shh, Auntie Belle is still sleeping,” Sadie says.
So similar to my sister, Charlie scrunches up her nose. “She’s been sleeping forever, Mommy.”
“Forever?” I question Sadie.
“It’s been an hour. She’s sleeping off her day of drinking. She and Lola went out for a celebratory drink that turned into ten. I was going to wake her up soon.”
“I’m up,” Belle grumbles from the sofa.
Charlie smothers my face with kisses. “Bestest means better than Chloe, right?”
I suppress my laughter when Sadie corrects her.
This kid was made to be an only child. One year later, and she still hasn’t gotten over the fact that she isn’t the center of attention anymore.
“No, babygirl, the same as Chloe. I love you both equally.” Her face falls, so I add, “But guess what?”
“What?”
“You are special in another way because you’re my goddaughter, and that’s extra special.”
“And mine,” another grumble comes from Belle.
“Oh, goodie, I like being extra special!”
Sadie shakes her head and covers her eyes.
“Ohhhh, we know you do.” I laugh.
“Charlotte Rose!” Wills screams from down the hall, and Charlie’s eyes go wide.
“Uh oh.” She jumps off, running in the opposite direction of Wills.
Sadie jumps into action after her. “Charlotte Rose Taylor! What did you do?”
“Nothing!” I hear, and then her bedroom door slams shut.
I can’t wait to find out what she did. It’s going to be funny as shit, at least to me, the non-parent. Wills rarely raises his voice at her, so it must have been something bad.
I turn my attention to Belle, who’s closed her eyes again, allowing me the opportunity to take her all in. Her platinum hair is wild and stuck all over her face, her makeup slightly smudged, yet she’s still more beautiful than ever.
“Stop staring and come cuddle me.” She holds out her arms, and I don’t think twice; I’m up and moving closer in a heartbeat.
Belle and I have always been close, but she started keeping a bit of a distance between us after Vegas. Now that the opportunity is right in front me, I have no intention of missing it.
