Stole My Heart

18. Only if you Bring Popcorn

****Almost a 5,000 word update today****

George and Leena stand at the door with a little girl, probably around the age of four.

"Well, boy, are you going to let us in, or are we going to have to stand here all day," George asked, with an evil smile.

I step aside, and they walk in. Leena wraps her arms around me, and I stay stiff as a board, staring at this little girl. She has brown hair a little lighter than mine, the same brown eyes, but what gets me the most is that she looks like she could be my twin other than the hair, and of course, that she's a little girl.

I looked at Mom, and she was staring at me with tears in her eyes. I looked at Dad, and he was looking at the small child with a hint of regret in his eyes. Not even a few seconds have passed, and George notices my staring.

"Oh! this is your baby sister, Everly," George says as he bends down to her level.

"Ev, this is your big brother, Peter."

I stood there in shock. I have a baby sister I did not know about. How is that possible? I watch her as she hides behind Leena. A second later, it hits me. When I first started staying with Mom and Dad, Leena had been getting big. I never really thought anything about it because I barely got to see her.

I bent down to her and hesitantly held my arms out for her to walk into. She slowly does. I held her tight to my chest, and eventually, tears started flowing down my cheeks. When she pulled away, I looked into her eyes. This is my baby sister. I picked her up and looked around the room. Everyone had tears running down their faces except George.

"Supper is ready, if y'all are ready to eat," Mom told them as she wiped her cheeks and checked for smudged makeup.

We all ate in mostly silence. Everyone was so deep in thought that all you could hear was forks scraping against plates. When everyone had finished, George spoke, "Kids, the adults need to chat, so how about you guys go outside."

I took Everly's hand, and we walked outside. It's funny how I had just met her, and I already felt this overpowering surge of love toward her. I could tell she felt the same way about me since she shied away from everyone except me.

Ev and I sat on the porch swing while the triplets went over to the basketball goal to give us some privacy.

I decided to ask her some questions to learn more about her.

"So, Everly, what is your name?"

"Everly Claire Harris!" she replied enthusiastically.

"What is your favorite food?"

She lit up at the thought of it, which seemed a little odd to me, but what do I know? I have not been around little people very much.

"Chocolate," she says with wide eyes.

I laugh a little at her enthusiasm. "How old are you?"

She holds up four fingers, "This many!" she squeals.

"How old you?" she questions.

"I'm sixteen."

"How many is that?"

"All of my fingers and six of my toes!" Her mouth hangs open.

"Wow," she says.

I tickle her sides a little, and she giggles. I was already in love with this precious gem beside me. I felt myself growing attached and the overwhelming sense of protection for her.

"Do you know a princess?" she asks me curiously.

"Princess?"

"Yeah! Like Repunzel and Belle, you're like a prince. You're handsome and nice, so you're a prince," she explained to me.