“This is Cormac.” Fiona grins at me.
I know she can sense my discomfort, but that only seems to add to her amusement.
“Cormac…” Skye frowns as she peers around Fiona to get a better look at me. “That’s a funny name.”
I shrug. “It is a bit. It’s not as cool as your name.”
“Or mine,” Amber announces.
“We can collectively agree that Cormac is not cool,” Fiona teases, and I shoot her a look that tells her she will be paying for that comment later. “He doesn’t know anything aboutK-Pop Demon Hunters.”
“Not this again.”
Both Amber and Skye look completely outraged.
Amber suddenly grabs hold of my hand and pulls me into the house. “Let me show you my Rumi costume that Auntie Fi made me!”
I look to Fiona for help, but she only laughs.
Skye throws her arms in the air. “We’re going to have so much fun!”
I’m handed doll after doll as Skye and Amber talk at me at a hundred miles an hour.
“Who knew there were so many different princesses?” I mutter.
Fiona hasn’t stopped laughing since we walked through the door, and it’s only made worse when Skye insists on putting a tiara on my head.
Fiona wipes tears from her eyes. “Please let me take a photo.”
“You can, but there will be severe consequences.”
“Honestly, it would be worth it just to show Brennan.”
Amber starts clipping butterflies into Fiona’s hair. “Who’s Brennan?”
“He’s my little brother,” I say.
“Is he annoying?” Skye asks.
“He’s the most annoying.”
“I think having a little brother would be fun,” Amber says.
“You’re welcome to take Brennan. I’m sure my other brothers would be very grateful.”
“How many brothers do you have?” Skye asks.
“Too many,” I mutter, and Fiona laughs.
After an hour or so, I step back for a moment to give Fiona some time alone with the girls. From the look on her face, I can tell she’s completely in her element.
Her smile is wide and completely unguarded as Amber wraps her arms around Fiona’s neck and Skye clings to her side, their voices overlapping as they both race to fill her in on everything she’s missed.
Fiona laughs as she pulls Skye onto her lap and wraps her arm around Amber, holding both of the girls as close as possible.
The way she looks at them… It’s the same way she looks at Scout.
At this moment, all my doubts, all my anger from the past few weeks, fade to nothing as I realize there is no denying that she loves not just her nieces and Scout, but me as well.
