Shattered Girl (Emmy)

Chapter 167

The sound of children laughing and talking grew louder as Patrick led me into the hallway. I hung back a little as Shannon greeted an older version of herself and then turned to help her nieces and nephews with their things. I watched in awe as Shannon and Kelly somehow managed to create order out of the chaos of six children, ranging in age from a toddler who was barely walking to a teenager who looked to be around fifteen, all jammed into the entryway with their shoes, toys, and bags. In no time, six pairs of shoes were lined up neatly, and each child except for the two youngest had hold of their bag as they followed their father up the stairs like a row of little ducklings.

Shannon turned, scooping up a little girl who looked about four. She began talking to her quietly and pointing toward us. When the little girl spotted us, she shrieked and wiggled out of Shannon's hold, making a beeline for Patrick. "Uncle Patrick, Uncle Patrick," she squealed excitedly as he scooped her up, and she wrapped her little arms around him. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the interaction.

Patrick turned, holding the little girl on his hip. She had grown quiet when she spotted me, and I smiled, giving her a little wave.

"My name is Emmy, what's yours?"

"Chloe," she whispered shyly before looking up at Patrick. "Is she your girl, Uncle Patrick?" she asked, and I bit back a smile.

"Yes, sweetheart, she is. Let's find your auntie and uncle so I can introduce her." Chloe nodded, wiggled out of his hold, and ran off in the direction that Shannon and Kelly had gone. "Uncle Patrick?" I asked.

"Yep, I will explain later," Patrick said, pulling me toward him for a quick kiss before giving me a nudge toward the kitchen.

danced around the island while Shannon and Kelly leaned against the counter, each holding a glass of wine. When Chloe spotted us, she ran

meet you," I said, and Kelly surprised me by wrapping me

I'm a bit of

me and pulled

after getting the kids sorted into their rooms. After a few minutes of small talk, he disappeared into the living room to watch the game. I met the rest of the children as they entered and left the kitchen. Alex was the oldest at fifteen, Jason was thirteen, Jaxon was eleven, Brianna was nine, Chloe was four, and the baby, Morgan, had just turned two. Kelly explained to me how the children were Joey's brother and sister-in-law. They had taken custody of the children almost a year ago when their parents had been killed in a car accident. I had to fight back tears when she told me what happened, and

the kids played in the yard, the adults gathered around the fire pit, visiting until the kids were ushered off to bed one by one. It was close to midnight before Patrick and I made our way upstairs to our room, and I was relieved at the size of the house because our room was on a completely different floor than Kelly, Joey, and the kids. The last thing I would want to happen was to have a confused child wander into our room in the middle of the night and see something they shouldn't. I was even more grateful

returned, Patrick was lounging on the bed in his boxers. A movie was paused on the TV, and he had his phone to his ear. "Here is our beautiful girl now," he

on the speaker. Patrick rolled off the bed before locking the door. He then dug through the suitcase and pulled out one of his shirts, which he handed to me, and I slid it on. "Hey, guys, sorry

did that

fine," I

you guys having fun?"

his younger cousins have you wrapped around their

the bed, and I eyed him when he began inching his fingers up my leg. His grin grew wiser, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out his plan. He nudged me