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“Thank you, Uncle Sebastian,” Basil responds, smiling wide.
As the others came up to greet us, Althaia took our bags and placed them on a table that was filled with gifts. A short time later, GeeGee and the girls enter, carrying platters of food.
“GeeGee, why didn’t you call us? We would’ve come to help you bring everything out,” Althaia fusses, taking the platter from little Gemma.
GeeGee waved her off. “I have my babies to help me.”
As they place the platters on the table, I glance around the room, not seeing Nina or the baby.
Nudging Balthazar, I ask, “Where’s Nina and Baby Zar.”
“I’m about to go up and get them now. We were waiting for everyone to get here before they made their grand entrance,” he proudly states.
“Brother, can Gemma and I go with you?” Devyn requests.
GeeGee answers for Balthazar. “No, you two will stay down here with the rest of us.”
“Okay,” they say with pouty faces. They are too adorable.
“Excuse me everyone while I go to escort my Queen and my Prince down the stairs” Balthazar states, grinning from ear to ear as he exits the room.
Basil and I mingled with the others while we waited for their return. Being around everyone made me miss the times back home when my family would gather for the holidays, birthday parties, or just having family fun time, but at least here in the States I do have this side of the family to fill in the void.
While O’Rourke was introducing me to his fiancée Kia, I hear a whack behind me.
“Σκατ? (Shit),” Basil hisses, holding his hand.
He and GeeGee are standing next to the table with all the food. She has one hand on her hip and in the other is a wooden spoon she’s pointing toward Basil.
“It’s not time to eat yet and watch your mouth. We have impressionable children around here.”
Rubbing his knuckles like a scolded child, Basil says in a low voice, “I’m sorry, GeeGee.”
GeeGee lowers the spoon, stating, “It’s alright, but your cousins” She cuts her eyes at an amused Alistair and Xander then back at Basil, “They should have told you about how we do things around here.”
Basil glances over at Alistair who quickly turns his head laughing.
“No, GeeGee no one told me about the protocol for the eating arrangements,” Basil respectively informs her.
GeeGee points the spoon at him, then says, “I won’t hold it against you because it seems like your cousins find it funny when I have to put someone in their place. That being said, you’ll know the next time. No one eats until I say it’s time.”
“Yes, ma’am and it’ll never happen again,” Basil states as we silently laugh at his expense. I’m glad this happened because I was about to go over a grab one of the finger sandwiches.
“Here they come,” Devyn cheerfully says as she and Gemma stand in the doorway.
Seconds later, Balthazar and Nina appear. In her arms she holds their bundle of joy. We stand as they come further in the room. Baby Zar has a head full of curly black hair to match his olive toned skin. Fully awake he squirms in his mother arms.
“Everyone, we’d like to officially introduce you to Balthazar Sebastian Kourakos also known as Baby Zar,” Balthazar announces with pride.
Baby Zar coos receiving ahs from everyone.
“That’s my boy,” Alistair says, sticking his chest out further.
“Alistair, you act like you had something to do with him getting here,” Nina giggles as Balthazar leads them to the couch where they sit. As they pass, I get a glimpse of Baby Zar’s green eyes that are the same as Balthazar’s. He’s definitely a Kourakos.
Alistair sucks his teeth before coming back with, “I did, well, not in the sense of being there when the act was done, but I’m the one who told Zar a long time ago he needed to quit acting like schoolboy and claim what was his. So, you see if it wasn’t for me pressuring him, the two of you wouldn’t have gotten together.”
Balthazar gives his brother a crazy look. “That’s not how I remember it brother, but we’ll let you keep thinking that.”
