Page 17 of Reunited with the Soldier

Two months later

"Are you sure about this?" Lo asks as I drive us toward Maddox and Kayla's house.

She's nervous, I don't know why, my sister has always loved her and now that she's in my life, Kayla's been dying to have me bring both Lo and Elijah over so she can meet her nephew, but I've been putting it off, wanting to spend as much time with my family as I could.

"Certain. Relax, Lo, everyone's going to love you."

She nods, her eyes wide, and her teeth capture her bottom lip. I hate that she's nervous, but there's nothing I can do about it. Once she gets into the house she'll be fine. "How is Kayla?"

"She's fine, she's excited that you're coming. She's been begging me for the last month to have you and Elijah over. So don't be shocked if she hugs you and doesn't let go. She's kind of crazy."

Lo laughs softly. It's a sound that I love to hear. Nothing sounds better than her happiness. "She's always been that way. She loved life and lived it to the fullest."

That changed for a while when she was with her bastard of an ex, that fucker, Brian, was an abusive asshole who turned her into a shell of who she was. Thankfully, she managed to escape from that relationship, but it didn't stop the bastard tormenting her. But then she found Maddox, the two had a weird start to their relationship, having met one night, got black-out-drunk and then got married. Surprisingly, they're perfect for one another and their marriage has gone from strength to strength.

We arrive at my sister's house and I'm not surprised to find Kayla waiting at the door before we're even out of the vehicle. She's bouncing on her toes with excitement and I wonder just how jittery she's been today. "Holy hell, Kash, he looks just like you," Kayla says, her voice filled with awe.

Lo laughs. "Yep, he's Kash's mini-me. I do all the hard work and he comes out looking like his dad."

I fucking love that she's finally calmed her ass down and is no longer nervous. She walks up to Kayla and the two of them hug. I see the affection each of them have for the other and I know that Lo's going to be okay. I wasn't worried that my friends and family would treat her badly, I'd never stand for that. I was worried that she'd be so withdrawn that she'd not be able to enjoy her time here.

"Kayla, meet Elijah. Honey, this is your auntie, Kayla," Lo says as she introduces the two of them. She ruffles Elijah's hair with a soft, fond smile.

"Well hey there, Elijah, it's so lovely to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from your dad," Kayla says with a grin.

"He did?" Elijah's voice is filled with disbelief.

Kayla nods. "He did. He's so proud of you, he tells me you're an amazing artist. I'd love to see your sketches sometime?"

I watch as my son swallows hard and gives her a short sharp nod.

"Excellent, whenever you're ready, there's no rush. Now, are you ready to meet everyone else or would you prefer to come to the kitchen and get a drink?"

Fuck. I love my sister, she's the shit. She can see that it's a lot for both Elijah and Lauren, and she's trying to make them at ease.

"Let's get drinks," I say, knowing that Lo's trying to work up the courage to meet everyone.

It's got to be hard for both Lo and Elijah, up until recently it was just the two of them and Bailey and now, they've got a whole ass family waiting to meet them.

I put my hand on Lo's back and she sinks into my side. "Told you, baby, Kayla fucking loves you."

She rolls her eyes. "Language, Kash," she admonishes me. "I've managed to keep my son from using profanity for years, I don't want him going to school swearing," there's absolutely no heat in her words at all, she's smiling from ear to ear. She's happy.

"Yeah, Kash, language," Kayla says with narrowed eyes. With Erin getting older and speaking, both Maddox and I are having to watch what we say, especially as my niece likes to copy what me and her dad say.

We enter the kitchen and Kayla sets about getting us drinks. "Where's Erin?" I ask, usually my niece is attached to Kayla's hip. The only time she's not is when her dad's around.

Kayla laughs. "With Maddox. She's making him play with her dolls right now. Not only him but all of the Maddog team."

I shake my head, only my tiny little niece could have five grown men wrapped around her finger.

"This I have to see," I say as I take Lo's hand and pull her with me through the house and out into the backyard where the guys are sitting around the table talking while holding different dolls in their hands. The funniest thing about it all, is that Erin's not playing with them, in fact my little imp of a niece is lying on the trampoline, fast asleep.

"I'll bring her to bed," Kayla says softly. "Please don't tell them that she's not playing, I want to see how long it takes them to realize."

I shake my head at my sister. She's crazy and I know that once Maddox finds out that his precious daughter is asleep, he's going to be pissed that we never told him. He's a good dad, one of the best and I know that he'll do whatever it takes, to ensure that my sister and nieces are loved and cared for.

"Guys," I say once Kayla has escaped with Erin. "This is Lauren and Elijah," I introduce them to the guys and watch how easily they get along, just as I knew they would.

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