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“Yes!” She brightened her expression.
“Well, climb aboard then,” I told her.
She attached herself and hung her arms around my neck as I held her little legs tucked under my arms. I groaned, pretending to struggle to rise to my feet. I stumbled into the wall with exaggerated movements, being careful of her head. “God, you weigh a lot. Been eating a lot of ice creams, have you?”
She giggled and dug her heels into my sides. “Go, Uncle Ethan!”
“I’m trying to!” I grunted, pretending to crash into the walls as I stumbled along. “Feels like I have an elephant back there! Did you change from a princess into an elephant?”
“No!” she laughed at my antics and poked me harder. “Go faster than this!”
“Hold on tight,” I said, as we whooped and yelled our way down the grand staircase and into the family area.
My sister and Brynne were both waiting for us when we ducked into the homey kitchen. I’m sure all the screeching laughter preceded our arrival, but it was the look on Brynne’s face that gave me a kick. Her eyes widened at the sight of us, probably shocked to see me playing around like this.
“Hello, Han,” I said, going forward to kiss her cheek, Zara still clinging to my back and slightly choking at my neck.
“E.” She embraced me, her small form reaching to just under my chin as comforting as she had been for my whole life. For a boy who had lost his mum so young, I’d substituted for my older sister in some ways. She’d always mothered me anyway and we’d just adjusted our relationship in the only way we knew how to. I looked over at Brynne and winked at her. Zara giggled and bounced like she wanted her “horsey” to keep on going.
“Zara, did you wake up Uncle Ethan?” she asked her daughter with a raised brow.
I could feel Zara shake her head back and forth vigorously and had to bite back the incriminating grin threatening to spread over my face.
“He opened his eyes all by himself, Mummy,” she announced.
Brynne laughed. “That must have been interesting, I’m sorry I missed it.”
“Zara,” Hannah scolded gently, “I told you to let him sleep.”
“It’s all right,” I told my sister. “I didn’t lose more than a year or two off my life span, I’m sure.” I mock shuddered. “Remember those little girls in The Shining?”
Hannah laughed and delivered a punch to my shoulder. I turned to Brynne. “Morning, baby. I seem to have a little monkey on my back.” It felt good to be playful for a change.
“Oh, I’m sorry but we’ve not met before. I wonder if you might’ve seen my boyfriend around?” she asked. “Name’s Ethan Blackstone. A very serious fellow, rarely smiles and most certainly doesn’t tear around historic mansions shouting and crashing into walls with little monkeys on his back.” She tickled Zara’s ear and made her giggle some more.
“Nope. That bloke’s not around here. We left him back in London.”
She held her hand out. “I’m Brynne, nice to meet you,” she said with a straight face.
Hannah snorted behind me and peeled the still bouncing Zara off my back while I caught Brynne’s offered hand to my lips for a kiss. I glanced at her expression and saw a glassy look in her eyes as she smiled and rolled her lips together. Those lips. She did magical things with those lips . . . Mine.
Hannah tapped me on the shoulder from behind. “You look like my brother, and your voice sounds the same, but you’re definitely not him.” She held out her hand. “Hannah Greymont. Who are you?”
I laughed at her and rolled my eyes. “You need to have some fun, E. Go out more and meet people. Relax and enjoy life a little,” I said, mocking the words I’d heard from my sister on more than one occasion.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing you horsing around and laughing like this.” Hannah held up a hand and gestured at me. “Just give me a minute to take it all in.”
“You’ll get used to it,” I said to Hannah while drawing an arm around Brynne and kissing her temple, breathing in the flowery scent of her shampoo. She always smelled so good to me. “How are you feeling this morning, baby?”
“I feel great.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what that was last night, but I feel totally fine today.” She took a drink from her mug. “Hannah makes a mean cup of coffee.”
“Yes she does,” I said, going over to pour myself some. “Have you eaten?”
“No. I waited for you.” Her eyes looked more brown than anything this morning. And she had a look in them that told me she wanted to discuss things. Fine with me. We had a lot to talk about. I had some convincing to do. Bring it.
/> “You didn’t have to wait for me . . . but I have an idea, if you’re interested,” I said, returning to her side with my mug of coffee, from which delicious-smelling steam was rising.
“What’s that, strange-man-who-resembles-my-boyfriend-but-can’t-possibly-be-him?” She teased me in a way that made me want to throw her over my shoulder and head back upstairs to our bedroom.
