Page 25 of Queen of Diamonds
One of the older girls tugged on Taylor’s blouse. “Is that her, Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetie, this is Kinsey, your aunt. Kinsey, this is Sarrie and next to her is her twin sister, June.” She started pointing at children. “Bri, Elle, Robin, and playing on the floor with the baby is Annie. All the girls belong to Nate and me. The baby is Michael and belongs to Alex and Madison.”
Nate and Taylor had six kids? Wow. “Hello, everyone.” A chorus of voices answered, the older girls giving her shy smiles. Annie looked up at her and grinned, then went back to bouncing a teddy bear on Michael’s stomach. Kinsey guessed the baby was about three months, and he was on his back, kicking his little feet in the air and laughing.
“Also, I’d like you to meet Rosie, my foster mother,” Taylor said. “She’s going to take the kids over to Court’s house so we can talk without being interrupted.”
A tiny woman barreled into her, wrapping her in a hug, which resulted in Rosie’s face buried against her breasts. Kinsey glanced over Rosie’s head, meeting Alex’s amused gaze.
“She’s a hugger in case you haven’t noticed,” he said.
When Rosie finally let go of her, she stared from Kinsey to the brothers. “You look just like your brothers, except you’re a lot prettier.”
“Thank you.” She’d had no idea that she’d have an instant family this big, and she wasn’t sure what to do with them all.
“She’s overwhelmed right now,” Lauren said. “Let’s get the kids over to my house before she decides she doesn’t want any part of this circus.” She smiled at Kinsey. “You’ll get used to us.” She chuckled. “I hope.”
While all this had been going on, Nate had stood off to the side with Court, watching. They might share the same blood, but they were two of the most intimidating men she’d ever met. Were they worried she wouldn’t like their children?
“We’ll help Rosie get them settled and be back in a few minutes. Don’t start without us,” Madison said as the women rounded up the kids.
And then Kinsey was alone with her newfound brothers and couldn’t think of a thing to say. She did wonder about Nate’s six children but didn’t know how to ask. He didn’t strike her as a daddy kind of guy.
“You want something to drink?” Alex asked. “Wine, a beer, water, or something else?”
“No thanks.” She was too nervous to drink anything.
“I’ll have a beer,” Nate said.
“Dude, it’s your house. Get your own beer.” Alex looked at her and winked.
Court chuckled. “You’ll soon learn that baby brother likes poking the bear, Kinsey.”
“It’s the highlight of my day,” Alex said. He glanced at Nate and sighed. “Fine, I’ll get the beers. You sure you don’t want something, Kinsey?”
She blew out a breath. “Okay, a glass of wine would be nice. Whatever you have is fine.”
“I’ll help,” Court said. “Taylor and Madison will want a glass of wine, too.” Court followed Alex to the kitchen.
Nate waved a hand at the sofa. “Come have a seat.”
After she was seated, Nate parked himself in a chair, facing her. She glanced around, taking in the decor. It was homey with the comfortable brown leather furniture that was kid friendly. Toys were scattered over the floor, and a large TV was on the wall across from her. On a long table beneath the TV were game hand controls. A whole lot of them, but she supposed with all the children and adults, that was to be expected. She loved playing video games and wondered what kind they liked.
“Um, your kids are really cute.”
Nate’s eyes softened. “Yeah, they are. To answer the question you’re dying to ask, Taylor and I adopted the girls.”
“Oh, I was wondering. That’s awesome.” It really was, not to mention a surprise. She was fast reevaluating the assumptions she’d made about her brothers. “I have to say that the last thing I expected was to find out my brothers were FBI.”
He smiled, and she guessed that he didn’t do it often, but he should. Smiling changed his entire demeanor, made him more approachable.
Court and Alex returned, each carrying a combination of wineglasses and beer bottles, which they placed on the coffee table. The wives walked in a few minutes later.
Taylor picked up a glass of wine, then perched on the arm of Nate’s chair. Madison settled in next to Kinsey, with Alex on her other side. Court helped Lauren sit in another chair, and then he sat on the floor at one side of her legs, resting his arm over her knees.
When Kinsey picked up one of the wineglasses, Alex leaned across Madison and tapped his bottle against her glass. “Welcome to the family, little sister.”
“Thanks.”Did you hear that, Mom? I have a family again.
