53. Larkin

“TAYLEE!”I yelled, running to my sister and hugging her as soon as she opened the door to her fancy Parisian apartment. My arms were tight around her, and there was no chance I was letting her go. Every bit of me relaxed, nearly succumbing to tears at how good it felt to be with my sister again. I’d missed her so much, and I was so damn glad to finally see her again.

She stroked my hair like she did when we were kids. “It’s so good to see you,” she said, her voice full of warmth. When we pulled back, I noticed moisture shining in her eyes as well. We were all that was left of our family, and now we were together.

Grinning through the tears, she kissed both my cheeks and then said, “Let me see those babies!” She got on her knees, seeing Emily and Jackson walking toward her cautiously, as Knox followed them into the flat.

“Hi, Aunt Tay,” Emily said.

Taylee gave her a squeeze, then letting Emily go, said, “Is that Jackson? He is so big!”

Emily nodded. “He just turned two.”

“Good thing I have presents for both of you.” She held out her hands, and Jackson walked to her like he instinctively knew Taylee was our people.

Taylee kissed his cheek and then stood up. “I need to meet this man!” I noticed a subtle French lilt to her voice, like she’d been spending so much time with Claude that his accent was wearing off on her.

Knox sent her a warm grin, extending his hand. “Knox Madigan. Nice to meet you.”

She batted away his hand. “We’re in France! We hug, we kiss.” She drew him in, kissing his cheeks. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.” She sent me a wink. “Video chats did not do you justice.”

Knox glanced my way, saying, “I like her already.”

I laughed, already knowing they would get along famously.

Emily broke up the meeting, saying, “Where’s my present?”

“Let me show you.” Taylee took Jackson’s hand and guided him and Emily back to her living room with a view of the Seine. And with the kids occupied for the moment, Knox had a little sliver of peace. I leaned into his arms. “Can you believe we’re in Paris?” I asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. “I’ve never been out of the states before. This is amazing.”

I lifted myself onto my toes so I could kiss his freshly shaven cheek. “I can’t wait to share it all with you.”

Hugging me tighter to his side, he said, “Same here. I mean, a French lunch, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower later tonight? Makes for an amazing day.”

I nodded. “We’ve got a week here. I want to make the most of it.”

He kissed my temple. “I want to make the most of every minute with you.”