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“Where’s Max?” Charlotte asked.
“He’s upstairs. He’ll be down in a minute.” Grace smiled. “How ya doin’?”
Niall, Connall, and Pepper walked into the room, cutting off whatever Charlotte might have said to Grace. Grace gave Charlotte a bolstering smile just as Pepper, who was holding Callum, grinned, and handed her baby off to Connall. She wrapped her arms around Charlotte. “Hi, little sister.”
“Hi,” Charlotte said with a giggle.
“How are you?” Pepper pulled away and cocked her head. “Nervous? I’m so nervous.”
“I am too,” Charlotte admitted while Pepper hugged Grace.
Connall hugged the women just as Max arrived, and Niall and Charlotte poured wine as everyone got comfortable.
Niall sat next to Charlotte on the sofa and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close, bolstering her nerves.
“I’m dying to know what our sister is like,” Pepper said.
“Me too.” Charlotte widened her eyes. “I can’t believe we lived so close to each other. I mean, Cameron was one of our worship leaders, and he’s her uncle.”
“Right?” Grace said.
“Did you ever meet her?” Max asked.
“I don’t think so,” Charlotte said. “I don’t remember ever meeting any of Cameron’s family. Did you, Grace?”
Grace shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“How do you feel about Ari being here, Con?” Niall asked. Everyone in the room knew that Connall didn’t exactly appreciate Ari’s recent and very sudden appearance in Pepper’s life.
Connall scowled and Pepper squeezed his knee. He glanced at her and she raised an eyebrow, giving him a gentle smile.
“Connall is fine with him being here,” Pepper said. “Kade would have never let Ari out if he didn’t feel it was safe.”
“Kade would have never let him go had it not been for Samantha,” Connall countered.
“Babe,” Pepper said in warning. “Samantha’s one of the smartest people I know. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Connall pinched the bridge of his nose.
Charlotte gave Connall a sympathetic smile. “No messin’ with the best friend and sister, Con. They kind of trump everything.”
Grace snorted in an effort not to laugh, failing enough that within seconds the girls had dissolved into giggles. Charlotte was the first to recover. “Okay, I must be nervous. Giggling’s not really my thing.”
The doorbell rang and she grasped Niall’s hand. He smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “Do you and Pepper want to get it?”
Charlotte glanced at Pepper, who nodded as she rose to her feet. Charlotte stood as well and then led Pepper to the front door. “Ready?”
Pepper took her hand and nodded. “Ready.”
Charlotte pulled open the door, her heart racing.
A gorgeous woman who didn’t look old enough to be her mother pulled her in for a warm hug and then did the same for Pepper. She was blonde and looked quite a bit more like Pepper, although the resemblance to Charlotte was certainly there. Charlotte was a definite combination of her mother and father.
“I’m Megan,” she said, and pulled a young girl forward. “This is Sophia.”
“Ása,” Ari corrected.
“Sophia, Papa,” Sophia corrected.
