Page 33 of One Night With You

8

CLAIRE

“Aunt Claire! Aunt Claire!”

I looked over as James ran toward me, his chestnut-colored hair shining under the sunlight, as Evelyn outpaced him.

Both seven years old, as fraternal twins they only vaguely resembled each other at this age. Evelyn looked so much like my brother, and therefore me, it was a little shocking each time I saw her. It was like watching a mini-me running toward me. James? He looked just like his mother.

I missed his mother with every ounce of my soul. She had been a kind woman, who had cared for her two kids, and had loved my brother. Fate wasn’t kind most times, as I knew all too well.

But now these little kids, who weren’t that littleanymore at seven years old, were running to me, with Evelyn’s long legs pounding into the dirt, and James coming up from behind to beat her by an inch.

Evelyn had the sprinting, but James had the endurance. At least for now. Evelyn was an inch taller than James, and I knew that annoyed him to no end. It would change though, because despite looking like his mother, his growth spurts were just like his father’s. My brother had been short for much of his youth, until sophomore year, and he shot up, surprising us all.

Now he was a six-foot-three behemoth of a man covered in tattoos and a full beard. In other words, he fit in with his new bosses, the Montgomerys, just fine.

I thought it a little weird that he had decided to work with the family that I had become friends with for so long, but in the end, the Montgomerys were the best in the business and my brother wanted to work with the best.

“Aunt Claire, tell him that he’s wrong.”

I raised my brow at my niece, then looked over at my nephew. “What are you wrong about?” I teased, and he gave me a put-upon sigh which meant I said the right thing.

“I’m not wrong. But I need you to make sure that she’s wrong.”

I barely followed that sentence. “So what are we fighting about now?”

The twins didn’t truly fight often. They squabbled like any siblings, but it was them against the world. It had grown more so after losing their mother, and I knew that tragedy had shattered something in this family. My parents and I were trying to fill that void, but we weren’t their mother. And my brother was doing his best at raising them alone. Of course, now that he was working for the Montgomerys, he wasn’t alone. There was always childcare in the wings, and countless people to help if he was running late and my parents or I couldn’t pick up one of the kids from one of their countless practices.

He had not only gotten a job, but he had gotten a second family, and for that I was grateful.

“She says that the originalStar Warswas actually number four. And not number one. Why would they even release it that way? It makes no sense.”

I blinked at James, then over at Evelyn, and wondered why this was what they were fighting about. “Your sister is right.”

Evelyn smirked. “Ha. Told you.”

“You couldn’t tell from the different effects? I mean, there’s a not-so subtle difference in all of the effects if you look at each trilogy. Or even the animated series and TV shows and single movies within that world.”

Yes, I was aStar Warsgeek, and I was a Trekkie. I refused to choose. I also likedBabylon5, though nobodyever really asked. OnlyBattlestar Galacticawas where I really shone. Katee Sackhoff as Starfire was my awakening. I knew right then and there I could marry a man or a woman and be just fine. But in reality I just wanted to marry Katee Sackhoff. I had said this to my brother once and he had just laughed, and agreed, that Katee Sackhoff especially as Starfire transcended any choices or desires.

My nephew scoffed. “All of the special effects were bad. I mean, nothing beats what’s out now. I just thought they just didn’t have the budget or something in the middle, then got it again in the end.” James shrugged, and the two ran off, apparently to find something to play with a lightsaber with.

“Be careful!” I called out, as they crunched through the light snow.

It had been perfectly sunny the day before, hence why Kingston had been out golfing with his friends and family. But then we’d gotten a slight snowstorm the night before, and here we were, playing lightsabers and duels in the backyard. Colorado weather was interesting.

“I see that they’re finally taking a hold of your nerdship.”

I glared at my big brother as Hudson wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “You’re the one who gave me the movies to begin with.”

“Yes, but then you went off to write fan fiction.”

“Let’s not talk about my fan fiction. No one needs to know about it.”

Hudson smirked. “So Phoebe doesn’t know?”

I blushed, leaning into him. “No. And she doesn’t need to know.”

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