Me.
Chloe and I spun around the room as we belted out the lyrics to the songs from Frozen.
“Sing it louder, Uncle Mitchell!”
I jumped onto the ottoman, spread my arms, and sang like I never had before. The Elsa braid I had clipped in my hair swung around and hit me square in the face. Chloe had a huge smile as she sang with me. She handed me my “magic wand” and we both made pretend ice everywhere we pointed.
“This is the best night ever!” Chloe cried out. I had to admit, it had my heart soaring to know she was having fun.
Hopping to the ground, I sang the lyrics while I spun around and came to a stop.
“Why did you stop singing, Uncle Mitchell?” Chloe asked.
Corina stood with her hand over her mouth, trying not to completely lose it laughing.
When I pointed, Chloe screamed so loud I was sure my eardrums would burst.
“Aunt Corina! What are you doing here?”
Corina bent down and caught Chloe as she jumped into her arms. “I live here.”
“Whaaat?” Chloe asked dramatically.
“She is indeed a Parker woman,” I said as I rolled my eyes, and Corina laughed.
“My house caught on fire, and your Uncle Mitchell was nice enough to let me stay here for a bit.”
Setting Chloe down, Corina grinned. We watched Chloe make her way over to the TV. Picking up the remote, Chloe hit pause. Spinning around, she glanced between the two of us.
“So, are y’all boyfriend and girlfriend?”
I don’t know what surprised me more—hearing my little niece say y’all for the first time, or the fact that she totally called us out.
“No, but I like Corina. A lot.”
I could feel Corina’s eyes pinning me.
“Oh!” Chloe squealed. “Aunt Corina, do you like Uncle Mitchell?”
Facing her, I waited for her answer. I cocked my head to the side and gave her a shit-eating grin. If looks could kill, I’d have been flat on the ground.
“Well, it’s complicated,” Corina said.
“Why?” Chloe asked.
Corina glanced between the two of us. “It’s hard to explain, Chloe.”
My sweet little niece shrugged and gave Corina a confused look. “I don’t see why. You either like him or you don’t. Like how I like Timmy. I know I like him. So, do you like Uncle Mitchell?”
Kicking her shoes off, Corina sighed. “He’s okay.”
Chloe looked at me. “That’s girl talk for she likes you.”
“Chloe!” Corina said with a laugh.
“Come on, Aunt Corina. Dance with us!”
Hitting the play button, Chloe started to sing. Corina peeked at me and waited to see what I would do.
What the hell. She’s already seen me, so I might as well have fun with my niece.
I started to sing again. It didn’t take Corina long to join in. I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun as I did dancing and singing with Chloe and Corina. Thank you, Disney.
At one point, I picked up Chloe and spun her around. Her foot hit a picture frame, causing it to hit the ground and shatter everywhere.
“Oh no!” Chloe cried out.
“Not a big deal. We can clean that up fast,” I said, setting Chloe on the sofa. “Here, squirt. Stay up on the sofa while I get it cleaned. Corina, don’t move.”
She jumped up next to Chloe. Both girls snuggled on the sofa as I cleaned the broken glass. Every now and then they would whisper and giggle. Each time I looked at them, they stopped.
“Something funny, ladies?”
“Nope. Just girl talk,” Corina said with a beautiful smile. I loved seeing her with Chloe. It was clear she loved kids.
She’s going to make an amazing mother to our kids.
My eyes widened as I took a few steps back.
Where in the hell did that thought come from? Kids? Our kids? Me with kids? Corina having my kids?
What’s wrong?” Corina asked.
My heart pounded, and I felt myself sweating.
Corina stood, a concerned look on her face. “Mitchell, are you okay?”
“I…um…”
“Spit it out, Uncle Mitchell.”
My eyes jerked to Chloe. I wanted kids. Holy shit. I wanted kids, and I wanted them with Corina. Holy fuck.
Swallowing hard, I turned fast, causing the broom to hit a lamp and knock it to the ground. Both girls screamed out.
“Shit!” I said.
“Hell, shit, fuck!” Chloe cried out.
“Chloe!” Corina and I both said.
I took one step and felt the pain. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
Chloe decided to put a spin on my outburst by singing everything I said, Frozen-style. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!”
“Chloe Parker, stop that this second. You know better,” Corina said in a firm voice.
“I stepped on glass!” I cried out.
“Come sit down,” Corina said. “Give me the broom and let me clean this up.”
“Tweezers, I need tweezers! They’re in my bathroom! Stat!”
Corina stared at me like I had grown two heads. “Chloe, sweetheart, just stay on the couch. Don’t move.”
With a nod, my sweet, bad-mouthed niece sank down and reached for her iPad and was soon lost in a story, like nothing had happened.